Painting estimating software for exterior painters, compared
Painting estimating software turns wall area, prep and paint into a price. For exterior house painters the big difference is where the wall area comes from. PaintScout, DripJobs, Estimate Rocket, Joist, Jobber and The Paint Estimator price what you measure on site. Hover measures walls and windows from phone photos taken at the house, for $59 to $139 a home. Measured Bid estimates the wall area from the address. Software prices run from $129 once (The Paint Estimator) and $17 a month (Joist Pro) to $119 a month (PaintScout Sales). Prices checked October 8, 2026.
Last checked: October 8, 2026 · We make Measured Bid. Every other price links to the vendor's own page and was read on October 8, 2026.
You measure and count, then build the estimate from a template
Templates for 57 or more trades, including residential and commercial painting, with interactive proposals, e-signatures, change orders and job costing
Painters who want a one-time purchase on a Windows computer
List prices in US dollars, month to month unless noted, read on October 8, 2026. “Not listed” means the vendor's pages don't say.
Each tool in detail
Where the measurements come from, how it estimates, what a crew pays and what to watch for.
PaintScout
$99 to $119/mo
Built for painting contractors: production-rate estimating, branded presentations, change orders, follow-ups and close-rate reports. The Operations add-on ($99/mo, or $79 billed yearly) adds scheduling and job management.
Measurements
You enter them. No measuring tool listed.
Estimating
Production rates and material lists, interactive proposals with optional upgrades, e-signatures and payment links.
1 person
Sales $119/mo, or $99 billed yearly.
Crew of 3
Plus $20 a month per team seat; users included not listed.
Trial
Demo on request; no trial listed.
Watch for
Scheduling and job management cost extra with Operations. Paid setup packages start at $999, though every account gets free onboarding.
Best for Painting companies that sell with production rates and polished proposals.
DripJobs
$97 to $147/mo
More than 40 ready-made follow-up messages, an automatic sales pipeline, invoicing, online payments, financing and work orders on Pro. Advanced ($147) adds change orders, package pricing, Google Calendar and Zapier.
Measurements
Not listed.
Estimating
Proposals with e-signatures on every plan; good, better, best packages on Advanced; production-rate estimating as a $99/mo add-on.
1 person
Pro $97/mo, 1 admin user.
Crew of 3
Extra users: price not listed.
Trial
Month to month, no contract; demo on request.
Watch for
Production rates ($99), job costing ($49) and two-way texting ($25) are monthly add-ons, and the price for extra users isn't published.
Best for Painters who want automatic follow-ups, proposals, scheduling and payments in one CRM.
Estimate Rocket
From $139/mo
Every plan has the full feature set, live training and onboarding. Field users cost $10 a month, and the first 90 days are refundable.
Measurements
You measure and count, then build the estimate from a template.
Estimating
Templates for 57 or more trades, including residential and commercial painting, with interactive proposals, e-signatures, change orders and job costing.
1 person
Launch $139/mo with 3 full users.
Crew of 3
Launch $139/mo covers 3 full users; more at $79 each.
Trial
Free trial and a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Watch for
It covers many trades, so you set up your own painting rates and templates. A one-person shop pays for three users.
Best for Small crews that want estimating, scheduling and invoicing with onboarding included.
Joist
$10 to $100/mo
The lowest monthly price here. Elite ($32) adds change orders, license and insurance on documents and reports. Run ($100) adds jobs and scheduling.
Measurements
Not listed.
Estimating
Estimates with line items and photos from Pro, turned into invoices with online payments and homeowner financing.
1 person
Pro $17/mo; Basics $10 for 5 documents a month.
Crew of 3
Users not listed.
Trial
14 days, no card.
Watch for
No painting-specific estimating such as production rates is listed. On October 8, 2026, Run showed an introductory $70 a month.
Best for Solo painters who want a cheap estimate and invoice app.
Jobber
$29 to $199/mo for 1 to 3 users
Requests, quotes, scheduling, invoices and payments with a client hub where customers approve and pay. Automatic quote follow-ups start on Connect.
Measurements
Not listed.
Estimating
Quotes on every plan; optional line items and quotes with photos and reviews on Grow.
1 person
Core $49/mo, or $29 billed yearly.
Crew of 3
Connect $199/mo for up to 5 users, or $149 billed yearly.
Trial
14 days on Grow, no card.
Watch for
No measuring and no painting production rates listed. Optional line items for upsells need Grow, $199 a month for one user.
Best for Painters who need scheduling, invoicing and payments after the estimate.
Hover
$59 to $139/house
Walls, siding and windows measured from the model, design previews with real product brands, and room measurements from the same phone.
Measurements
Phone photos taken at the house become a 3D model with wall, window, roof and gutter measurements.
Estimating
Estimates and agreements on Pro.
1 person
Starter $59 to $139 a house exterior; first 3 free.
Crew of 3
Pro $999/yr plus $39 to $119 a house; users not listed.
Trial
First 3 projects free, no card.
Watch for
Someone has to photograph the house, so it can't price a lead before the visit. You pay for every house.
Best for Exact wall and window takeoffs once someone is at the house.
QuoteIQ
$29.99 to $699.99/mo
Estimates, invoices, scheduling and payments from $29.99, with an AI call answering team on every plan and InstaQuote self-quotes on Elite ($299.99).
Measurements
MapMeasure Pro from Beginner ($99.99): you outline the house on top-down satellite imagery for area and perimeter. Wall area isn't listed.
Estimating
Estimates with options and packages, a price book, and e-signatures from Beginner.
1 person
Essentials $29.99/mo, 1 user.
Crew of 3
Essentials + 2 users at $25 = $79.99/mo.
Trial
14 days; a card is required.
Watch for
Its painting page lists quotes, invoices and scheduling, without painting production rates. The trial needs a card.
Best for Painters who also wash, clean or do lawns and want one app for every service.
The Paint Estimator
$129 once
No subscription, updates and support for the life of the program, proposals with your logo, and a production rate recorder to build your own rates.
Measurements
You enter them.
Estimating
By the item, number of days, production rates or time and materials, with Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams material lists.
1 person
$129 once, Windows only.
Crew of 3
2 licenses included; users not listed.
Trial
5-day free download.
Watch for
Windows only, with no mobile or web app listed. Its author, a working painter, writes and supports it, its site says.
Best for Painters who want a one-time purchase on a Windows computer.
Measured Bid
From $99/mo
Wall area, gable ends and a detached garage come from the address, so a lead gets a price before anyone drives out. Homeowners pick stucco, wood or siding, the paint condition and trim, and see a price range on your website.
Measurements
Wall area from the address: the roof outline and story count, with windows and doors taken out as a share you set.
Estimating
Your rate per square foot by story, wall type and paint condition, with trim as a percent of the wall price.
1 person
Starter $99/mo with 150 estimates.
Crew of 3
Starter $99/mo covers up to 3 users.
Trial
14 days or 5 estimates, no card.
Watch for
Exterior only. It estimates wall area from the roof outline and doesn't count windows and doors one by one. Its published accuracy test covers gutter footage (14.2% median absolute footage error on 9 invoiced gutter jobs), not wall area, so confirm the walls, prep and condition on site.
Best for A first exterior price before the walk-around, for your team or on your website.
What 30 exterior estimates a month cost
One estimator, month to month. Two of these include the wall measurements; the rest price what you measure on site.
Monthly cost to price 30 exterior repaints, one estimator
Joist Prono measuring$17
Jobber Coreno measuring$49
Measured Bid Starter150 estimates included, wall area measured$99
List prices on October 8, 2026. Hover and Measured Bid include the wall measurements; with the others you measure on site, so add the drive and the time on site. Hover's typical home is its 5 to 8 facet price. The Paint Estimator is $129 once and isn't charted.
How to choose
Six questions that narrow the list.
Where the wall area comes from
Most estimating apps price what you measure with a tape or a laser on site. Hover measures from photos once someone is at the house. Measured Bid estimates wall area from the address. QuoteIQ traces the footprint from above, which gives the perimeter but not the wall height.
Production rates
PaintScout and The Paint Estimator price from production rates out of the box. DripJobs sells them as a $99 a month add-on. Jobber and Joist price line items you set, and Measured Bid uses your rate per square foot.
Options on the proposal
PaintScout adds optional upgrades to interactive proposals, DripJobs has good, better, best packages on Advanced, Jobber has optional line items on Grow, and Estimate Rocket sends interactive proposals on every plan.
How many people log in
Estimate Rocket includes 3 full users, Jobber Connect up to 5, and Measured Bid Starter up to 3. PaintScout charges $20 a month per team seat, and QuoteIQ $25 per extra user.
Exterior, interior or both
Measured Bid prices exterior painting only. Hover measures interiors from the same phone, and the estimating apps price whatever you enter.
Monthly or one-time
The Paint Estimator is $129 once for Windows. The rest are monthly. Joist and Jobber trials need no card, Hover's first 3 projects are free, and Measured Bid gives 14 days or 5 estimates with no card.
What Measured Bid does for painters, and what it doesn't
What it does
Estimates paintable wall area from an address: the roof outline and story count set the walls, and gable ends are included.
Prices it with your rate per square foot by story, a multiplier for stucco, wood or siding, and one for paint condition and prep.
Adds trim, fascia and eaves as a percent of the wall price when the homeowner checks it.
Shows homeowners a price range on your website and sends the lead with the wall area to your CRM.
What it doesn't
It doesn't price interior painting.
It doesn't count windows and doors one by one. They come off as a share you set.
It doesn't write proposals with options or collect signatures and payments.
Confirm the walls, prep and paint condition on site before you sign.
1,574sq ftPaintable wall area, sample house
Measured Bid on the sample house: paintable wall area, measured from the address with windows and doors taken out. Sample data.
FAQ
What are the best apps for painting contractors?
It depends on the job. For production-rate estimates and polished proposals, PaintScout ($119 a month). For follow-ups and a painting CRM, DripJobs ($97). For a cheap estimate and invoice app, Joist ($17). For scheduling and payments after the sale, Jobber. For exact wall takeoffs at the house, Hover. For a price from the address before the visit, Measured Bid.
Which is better for painting contractors, PaintScout or DripJobs?
They lead with different things. PaintScout Sales ($119 a month, or $99 billed yearly) builds estimates from production rates and sends interactive proposals; scheduling and jobs are the $99 Operations add-on. DripJobs Pro ($97) automates follow-ups and includes scheduling, invoicing and payments; production rates are a $99 add-on.
How do you do an estimate for exterior painting?
Measure the paintable wall area, take out windows and doors, and work out gallons and crew hours. Adjust for prep, surface and stories, then add overhead and profit to get a price per square foot. The bidding guide works through a sample house.
None of these is free for good. Joist and Jobber offer 14-day trials with no card, Hover's first 3 projects are free, The Paint Estimator has a 5-day trial and then costs $129 once, and Measured Bid's trial is 14 days or 5 estimates. Joist Basics is $10 a month for 5 documents.
Can painting software measure a house without a visit?
Measured Bid estimates the wall area from the address, using the roof outline and story count. QuoteIQ lets you trace the footprint on satellite imagery, which gives the perimeter but not the wall height. Hover measures walls precisely, but someone has to photograph the house first.
No. It measures what can be seen from above, so it prices exterior walls, gable ends and trim. Use an estimating app such as PaintScout, Joist or Jobber for interiors.
More for painting contractors
Price your next exterior repaint from the address
14 days or 5 estimates free, whichever comes first. No card needed.