Construction Cost Estimator vs Proposal Builder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Construction Cost Estimator
Quickly generate on-site construction and repair estimates. Break down costs by material, labor, and more. Save custom items or purchase detailed costbooks for thousands of construction items. Email professional PDF estimates to clients.
- On-site estimate creation
- Customizable PDF reports
- Company branding on estimates
- Organized cost breakdown
- Customizable costbook
- International currency support
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Construction Cost Estimator helps contractors and service companies quickly create on-site estimates for construction and repair projects. You can save time and money by creating the estimate on the spot and then emailing it to the customer as a PDF or printing a hardcopy. Each cost item is broken down into Material, Labor, Other, and Subcontract costs. You can save frequently used cost items in your own custom costbook, or you can purchase 3 different Craftsman costbooks within the app that contain detailed costs for over 30,000 common construction items. Just search for a cost item, enter the quantity, and add it to your estimate in 3 easy steps! FEATURES • Fast and easy user interface for creating cost estimates • Customize multiple types of PDF reports, and email them to customers directly from the app • Add the logo and contact info for your company to create professional-looking estimates • Costs are organized by Phases, Areas, and Categories that can be customized for each project • Enter your overhead, profit, and tax rates for each project • The app provides full support for international currencies and units CRAFTSMAN COSTBOOKS You can save common cost items in your own custom costbook, and you can purchase 3 different Craftsman Costbooks within the app via in-app purchase for $49.99 each. The costbook data is only valid in the US and Canada, but the costbooks are also available for purchase internationally. • National Construction Estimator • National Home Improvement Estimator • National Renovation and Insurance Repair Estimator Each costbook contains thousands of common construction items, and the costs are localized to your US Zip Code or Canadian Postal Code. The Craftsman Costbooks are really helpful if you need to provide a cost estimate for work that you haven't done before, or if you need to do a sanity check on cost estimates from subcontractors. You can also copy cost items from the Craftsman Costbooks to your own custom costbook, and then change any of the numbers. WHO USES CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATOR? The app is used by many types of contractors, estimators, and service companies, such as: General contractors, electricians, plumbers, builders, landscapers, roofers, painters, carpenters, heating and air conditioning, flooring, siding, tile, concrete, asphalt paving, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, deck builders, handyman services, pest control, real estate flippers and rehabbers, insurance repair estimators, and more! ----- See more screenshots and a sample PDF estimate at: http://www.ConstructionCostEstimator.com ----- I am dedicated to responding quickly to support requests. If you have questions, problems, or feature requests, please send me an email using the Support link below. -----
Proposal Builder
Streamline the creation and delivery of professional remodeling proposals directly from your mobile device. This app offers pre-built templates and automated scope of work generation to speed up the process, allowing for easy customization and team collaboration.
- Automated scope of work generation
- Customizable proposal layouts
- Team collaboration features
- Pre-defined project presets
- Multiple pricing methods
- Shared product library
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Generating and sending proposals from your phone or tablet while you’re with the customer, at your office or on your couch, has never been easier. Propodeal helps you to create proposals faster and with less typing, all from your mobile device. We already created a bank of presets for you, of most common remodeling projects, so you’ll have an easy start. Suitable for remodelers, estimators, salespeople, lead providers and other remodeling professionals. Ideal for multiple remodeling projects, from single trades to multi trade projects such as Kitchen remodel Bathroom remodel Full house renovation Garage remodel Addition ADU Design and planning Doors Windows Flooring Painting and more. KEY FEATURES: Automated scope of work: - Create the scope of work using dropdown choices, minimizing the need for typing your scope and making it easier to make changes in the future. Use auto-scope modules for a list of trades that keeps growing - Demolition, Framing, Electrical, Plumbing, Insulation, Drywall, Wet Walls, Cabinets, Countertop, Painting, Tile and Stone, Wall Finishes, Doors, Windows, Flooring and more. - Get notes and exclusion added automatically to your scope based on keywords found in the scope. - Pre-define information that you always wish to include in your proposals, regardless of scope. Professional and customized proposal layout: - Include a cover page, an intro page and even upload pre-designed pages to include testimonials, project examples and other related info to your proposals. - Easily switch between pricing methods and have your scope of work layout updated instantly - Lump Sum, Price per Product ( Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel, etc. ), Price per Section ( Demolition, Framing, etc. ), Ballpark or without price, just to let the customer review the scope. New way to collaborate with team members: Collaborate with your other team members in a decentralized way, all from within the Propodeal app. - Have proposal opportunities added to your pipeline by your manager, dispatcher, lead provider, designer or realtor. - Assign proposal to your team members, to get bids from your sub contractors, estimates and material take-offs from estimators, assign it to a salesperson, or simply to consult with your professionals such as architects, engineers or others, by authorizing them a limited access your proposal’s scope of work, job photos, video, plans, designs and any other related info. - As a lead provider, offer opportunities to contractors while being able to keep track on proposal delivery progress. - Communicate with all your team members through one platform, keeping all communication organized on each proposal. - Share your products library with other team members. A shared products library is a great way to enjoy a wide selection of products from which you can create your next proposal. Each product can also contain pricing info that will make it easier for salespeople to price their proposals while on site. Terms of Use: https://propodeal.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Proposal Builder at Free against Construction Cost Estimator's $19.99. Proposal Builder also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Construction Cost Estimator's advantage is ratings volume (516 vs 4) and chart position (#155 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Proposal Builder is free to download; Construction Cost Estimator costs $19.99 up front. Construction Cost Estimator sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Proposal Builder sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Proposal Builder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Construction Cost Estimator has 516 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Construction Cost Estimator ships an update every 4 months, Proposal Builder every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Construction Cost Estimator | Proposal Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (516 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 516 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #155 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.6 | 13.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Contractor Tools | Propodeal Inc. |
Customer experience
Construction Cost Estimator
Proposal Builder
Bugs and requests
Construction Cost Estimator
Reported bugs
2 issues- Freezing on login screen
- Incompatibility with older devices
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to sync estimates across devices
- More customization options for reports
- Integration with accounting software
- Desktop version for office use
- Multiple custom cost books
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- Ability to calculate tax and markup separately
Proposal Builder
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Construction Cost Estimator
- NHI Costbook 2014$49.99
- NRI Costbook 2013$49.99
- NCE Costbook 2013$49.99
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- NHI Costbook 2013$49.99
- NCE Costbook 2014$49.99
- NCE Costbook 2015$49.99
- NHI Costbook 2015$49.99
- NCE Costbook 2016$49.99
- NHI Costbook 2016$49.99
- NRI Costbook 2016$49.99
Proposal Builder
- Solo Plan14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Team Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Solo Plan w. 100 Imports$22.951 Month
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- Solo Plan w. 200 Imports$31.951 Month
- Team Plan w. 100 Imports$32.951 Month
- Team Plan w. 200 Imports$41.951 Month
- Solo Plan w. 500 Imports$54.901 Month
- Team Plan w. 500 Imports$64.901 Month
- Solo Plan w. 1000 Imports$79.901 Month
- Team Plan w. 1000 Imports$88.901 Month
Questions
Is Construction Cost Estimator free?
Is Proposal Builder free?
Which has better reviews, Construction Cost Estimator or Proposal Builder?
Do Construction Cost Estimator or Proposal Builder have ads?
Which is updated more often, Construction Cost Estimator or Proposal Builder?
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