Clear Estimates

What it is

Category DescEstimating ↗

Target UserSmall residential contractors, remodelers, handymen, homebuilders, and specialty trade contractors (typically small businesses with under $5 million in annual revenue or 2–10 employees). ↗

OwnershipIndependent / Privately held (Clear Estimates Inc., led by founder and CEO Nolan Orfield). ↗

Founded Year2005 ↗

Pricing & cost

Pricing ModelPublic subscription-based pricing offered across three tiers (Standard, Pro, and Franchise) with options for monthly or annual billing. Pricing is structured per company/account, with per-user fees for additional users on higher tiers. ↗

Typical CostStandard tier: $79 per month (billed monthly) or $59 per month (billed annually). Pro tier: $119 per month (billed monthly) or $99 per month (billed annually), which includes 1 user seat with additional users available for $9 per month each. Franchise tier: Starts at $249 per month (billed monthly) or $199 per month (billed annually). A 30-day free trial is available for all plans. ↗

Implementation Cost$0 setup fee with no minimum contract required. Standard support and onboarding resources are included; customized employee training and custom feature development are provided as part of the Franchise plan (starting at $199–$249/month). ↗

API & data access

Has ApiNo ↗

Data Export OptionsCustomer List CSV Export: Users can download a CSV spreadsheet containing customer contact information by clicking 'Export Customer Data' on the Customers page., Project Estimate Exports: Estimate details and proposals can be exported directly to Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and PDF formats., BuilderTrend Integration Export: Estimates can be exported as a formatted CSV file ('Export to BuilderTrend') to import line items and cost codes directly into BuilderTrend., QuickBooks Sync/Export: Direct export integration with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop (Windows) to send project cost totals (summary totals for materials, labor, and subcontractor costs) for job costing and invoicing., Template Library Export: Custom project templates can be exported as CSV files for archiving or sharing with other Clear Estimates accounts., Zapier Integration Sync (Pro Tier): Customer information can be automatically pushed out to connected CRMs and external applications via Zapier. ↗

Native AI features

Ai Features SummaryClear Estimates launched the 'AI Scope Assistant' (shipped/GA in April 2026 on Clear Estimates Pro). This feature allows remodeling contractors to upload floor plans, blueprints, or job site photos, which the AI analyzes to automatically construct a preliminary scope of work matched to Clear Estimates' localized cost database (15,000+ line items). Beyond this specific estimating capability, Clear Estimates has virtually no native AI features across operations, customer service, or dispatching. ↗

Ai DispatchNone. Clear Estimates does not offer native AI-powered dispatching or job scheduling features. ↗

Ai FinanceNone. Clear Estimates supports standard proposal-to-invoice creation and integration with QuickBooks, but does not offer native AI-powered AP/AR automation or AI invoicing. ↗

Ai Assistant Or McpClear Estimates includes the 'AI Scope Assistant' (shipped/GA in April 2026 for Pro subscribers) specifically designed for plan and image-based scope generation. It does not provide a general conversational AI copilot/assistant across the CRM/app, nor does it offer a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. ↗

Integrations & ecosystem

Accounting IntegrationsClear Estimates offers native direct integrations with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop (Windows). It does not natively support connections to other construction accounting platforms such as Sage Intacct or Foundation. ↗

MarketplaceClear Estimates does not operate a public app marketplace or developer partner directory. Its native connections (QuickBooks, BuilderTrend, Clearent) and Zapier connections are managed directly within the product settings. ↗

Unified Api SupportClear Estimates is not supported as a native integration by unified-API connectors such as Agave or Merge.dev. ↗

Accounting fit & implementation

Certified PayrollNot supported at all. Clear Estimates is strictly a cost estimating and proposal tool, and does not offer payroll processing or certified payroll/prevailing wage (Davis-Bacon) reporting capabilities natively, via add-ons, or via partners. ↗

Accounting MethodNot supported natively. As dedicated estimating software rather than a general ledger accounting platform, Clear Estimates does not manage accounting methods (cash vs. accrual), delegating financial accounting to integrated systems like QuickBooks. ↗

Wip Poc SupportNot supported natively. Clear Estimates does not provide Work-in-Progress (WIP) tracking or Percentage-of-Completion (PoC) accounting functionality, relying on accounting software integrations for job costing and WIP management. ↗

Implementation TimeHours to days. Onboarding is minimal, with setup and first quote generation typically taking less than a day or under an hour. ↗

Requires ImplementerNo. Onboarding is self-service DIY and does not require a paid implementer or Value Added Reseller (VAR). ↗

Adoption & market position

Market PositionClear Estimates is a cloud-based estimating and bid management software designed specifically for U.S. residential contractors, remodelers, handymen, and trade specialists. Its core functionality revolves around providing localized labor and material cost databases (powered by RemodelMAX across ~400 U.S. regions) and preloaded project templates to quickly generate proposals, customer quotes, and invoices. ↗

Customer ScaleClear Estimates claims a user base of over 50,000 contractors nationwide across its 20+ years of operation, having processed more than $17 billion in project bids. ↗

MomentumClear Estimates maintains a steady position within the SMB residential remodeling market due to its accessible price point ($59/month) and localized cost data. While the company continues to release incremental platform updates (including recent AI-driven tools), user sentiment on platforms like Capterra and G2 indicates mixed feedback regarding database pricing accuracy and UI constraints, making it susceptible to competition from modern end-to-end contractor management platforms. ↗