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How to create a quote and send estimates

A quote lists what you will do or supply, the price of each item, your terms and how long the price is valid. Accounting software can create quotes and turn an accepted one into an invoice without retyping, a CRM ties the quote to the deal, and e-signature gets it formally accepted. Trades and contractors who quote on site often use field service software built for that.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

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Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare

Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: What's the simplest way to send quotes and turn accepted ones into invoices?

Quote from your accounting software, because an accepted quote that becomes an invoice without retyping is the feature that protects your margin.

Read the entry limits first: QuickBooks' free plan allows 2 invoices/month, Xero starts at $27/mo with no per-user fees, and FreshBooks Lite is $23/mo but covers only 5 billable clients. Once quotes live in software, watch how many you win. If nearly every quote comes back accepted, I'd read that as a sign you're priced too low, and if almost none do, the problem is usually scope or slow follow-up rather than the tool. Put an expiry date on every quote so your price moves when your costs do. On jobs where you buy materials up front, ask for a deposit on acceptance, because it turns a casual yes into a commitment.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

How to send quotes and estimates, step by step

Build a price list of your standard items, services and labor rates.
Write the quote with each line item, quantities, any taxes that apply and the total.
State what is included and excluded, your payment terms and how long the quote is valid.
Send it and ask for acceptance in writing or by e-signature.
Follow up before the quote expires.
Turn the accepted quote into an invoice so the agreed price carries through unchanged.

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Small Business Accounting Software

Accounting software sends invoices, records payments and expenses, and keeps the books your accountant needs.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
QuickBooks	From $38/mo	Per account per month (Simple Start)	$38/moFlat per account per month (Simple Start); includes 1 login, so more logins need a higher plan or extra users	YesYes — 1 user, 2 invoices/month, 1 bank connection	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Xero	From $27/mo	Per account per month, no per-user fees	$27/moFlat per account per month, no per-user fees	NoNo permanent free plan — free trial available	Oct 1, 2026Vendor pricing
FreshBooks	$23/mo (Lite, 5 billable clients)	Per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	$23/moFlat per account per month; extra team members $11/month each	NoNo free plan — 30-day free trial, no card required	Sep 18, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Accounting Software pricing →Head to head:Xero vs FreshBooks QuickBooks vs Xero QuickBooks vs FreshBooks6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

CRM Software

A CRM keeps every customer, lead and deal in one place so nothing falls through the cracks.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
HubSpot	Free tier, from $20/seat/mo (Starter; $7/seat/mo new-customer promo, limited time)	Per seat	$200/mo$20 × 10 seats	YesYes — free CRM for up to 2 users, no card required	Sep 23, 2026Vendor pricing
Salesforce	Free Suite (2 users), from $25/user/mo	Per user	$250/mo$25 × 10 users	YesYes — Free Suite, 2 users, no card required	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Pipedrive	From $14/seat/mo	Per seat	$140/mo$14 × 10 seats	No	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Zoho CRM	Free (3 users), from $14/user/mo	Per user	$140/mo$14 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 3 users	Sep 17, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all CRM Platforms pricing →Head to head:Salesforce vs Zoho CRM Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM Pipedrive vs Salesforce HubSpot vs Zoho CRM Pipedrive vs HubSpot HubSpot vs Salesforce14 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

E-Signature Software

E-signature tools send documents for legally binding online signatures and track who has signed.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
DocuSign	Personal $11/mo for 1 user; Standard $30/user/mo (annual plan, billed monthly)	Per user	$300/mo$30 × 10 users; the $11/mo plan is for 1 user only	NoNo — free trial only	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
Adobe Acrobat Sign	$16.99/license/mo, annual billed monthly (Acrobat Standard for teams)	Per license	$169.90/mo$16.99 × 10 licenses	NoNo free Sign plan; free Acrobat Reader can sign PDFs	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
PandaDoc	Free e-sign, from $19/seat/mo	Per seat	$190/mo$19 × 10 seats	YesYes — 5 docs/month, unlimited users	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all E-Signature pricing →Head to head:Adobe Acrobat Sign vs PandaDoc DocuSign vs PandaDoc DocuSign vs Adobe Sign6 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Not covered on HelpCompare yet

This job usually also needs field service / trades quoting software. We don’t track that category yet, so we have no verified prices to show for it. We would rather say so than guess. The guidance on this page still covers what to look for.

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Quote to invoice in one step An accepted quote should become an invoice without retyping, so the price billed matches the price agreed.
Saved items and templates Stored prices for your common items and services make each new quote faster and more consistent.
Online acceptance Letting customers accept from a link, or sign online, removes the print-and-return step that slows a yes.
Status tracking Seeing which quotes were sent, viewed, accepted or expired tells you which ones to chase.
Quoting on site If you quote at the customer's premises, check that you can build and send a quote from a phone or tablet.
Options and deposits If you offer optional extras or take deposits, check the quote can show options and request a deposit on acceptance.

Common mistakes to avoid

No expiry date A quote without an end date can be accepted months later at a price that no longer covers your costs.
Vague scope If the quote does not say what is excluded, the customer may assume it is included, and the dispute comes at invoice time.
Retyping quotes into invoices Copying figures by hand from quote to invoice is where pricing errors come from.
Sending and forgetting When a quote is never followed up, the job often goes to whoever called back first.

What to settle before you buy

Who writes quotes, and who can approve a discount?
Do you quote from the office, on site, or both?
Do you need a deposit before work starts?
Should quotes be tracked against deals in a CRM?
Which accounting software do accepted quotes need to become invoices in?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I create a quote?

List each item or service with its quantity and price, add any taxes that apply and the total, then state what is included, your payment terms and how long the quote is valid. Send it with a clear way to accept, such as a reply in writing or an e-signature.

Is a quote template enough?

A template in a document or spreadsheet works while you send only a few quotes. Once you need to track which were accepted and turn them into invoices, quoting inside your accounting software or CRM saves retyping.

What estimate software fits contractors?

Contractors and trades often need to quote on site, price materials and labor, and turn estimates into jobs and invoices, which is what field service software is built for. Accounting software covers simpler quoting. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit.

How do I create a quote in my accounting software?

Create a new quote or estimate for the customer, add your line items and send it by email. When the customer accepts, convert it to an invoice. Your accounting tool's help pages give its exact steps.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “how to create a quote”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

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Source links on this site are checked every month; last check October 4, 2026. How sources are checked.

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How to create a quote and send estimates

Bottom line up front: What's the simplest way to send quotes and turn accepted ones into invoices?

How to send quotes and estimates, step by step

The software this job takes

Small Business Accounting Software

CRM Software

E-Signature Software

Not covered on HelpCompare yet

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

How do I create a quote?

Is a quote template enough?

What estimate software fits contractors?

How do I create a quote in my accounting software?

How we built this page

More jobs in Sales

From shortlist to switched

Bill Belcamino