April 2026 · 7 min read

Create Contractor Estimates on iPhone or Android

Professional PDF estimates. From your phone. Attached to the lead.

Most contractors still email PDF estimates from a laptop or use Joist at $8–32/month. Lead Score generates professional PDF estimates directly from the lead card on your phone — so estimates live next to the scoring, mileage, and notes that went into writing them.


Choose Lead Score if…Choose Other Apps if…
Lead Score lets you build and send professional PDF estimates from your phone — connected to the lead that earned the quote, not floating in a separate app.Standalone estimate apps create beautiful PDFs. They have no idea whether the lead you're quoting was worth quoting.
You want to qualify the lead before building the estimateYou need advanced estimate templates with e-signature
You want estimates, mileage, and lead scoring in one appYou need Joist's or Invoice Simple's specific client payment portal
You want offline-first, no account requiredYou need QuickBooks estimate sync
Feature Comparison

Lead Score vs Other Apps

Lead Score was built so the estimate lives inside the lead — not in a separate app you switch to after the call. Estimate creation starts with qualification. Always.

FeatureLead ScoreOther Apps
Estimates connected to leads Estimate lives inside the lead card Standalone — no lead connection
Lead qualification scoring 5-factor scoring system Not available
One-tap estimate to invoice Built in Built in (Joist strength)
Auto GPS mileage tracking Built in — per lead Not included
Works fully offline 100% local storage Requires connection
No account required Your device, your data Account required
QuickBooks sync Not included QuickBooks sync (Joist strength)
Pipeline analytics Close rate, revenue, sources Basic reporting
Monthly price $9.99/month $8–32/month
Free tier First 3 leads, no card Limited free tier
1 tapto convert an estimate to invoice
$0to try — no card needed
5 minfrom lead to estimate

The problem with estimate apps in 2026

They've all raised prices. And none of them connect to your leads.

Joist raised prices and removed features from the free tier — contractors who relied on it for years are re-evaluating. Invoice Simple capped invoices at 10/month and raised prices mid-subscription. The pattern is the same: standalone estimating apps extract maximum revenue and provide minimal value for solo contractors.

$8–32per month for Joist or Invoice Simple
Disconnectedestimates with no lead context
Hoursrebuilding info that's already in your CRM

An estimate app that doesn't know your lead is making you do double the work.

The deeper problem: every standalone estimate app lives in a silo. Your estimate is disconnected from the lead that generated it, the score you assigned, the notes you took, and the mileage you drove to the site visit. You're managing two separate systems for one workflow.

Lead Score generates PDF estimates directly from the lead card. The estimate knows the client name, contact info, project description, and price range — because it's sitting inside the lead record that contains all of that. One app. One workflow.

"I wish there was a way to track leads before I send the estimate and connect the two."

Joist user feedback, 2025

How Lead Score handles estimates

Estimates built from leads. Invoices built from estimates.

Create an estimate directly from any lead card. The client information is pre-filled from the lead. Add line items, set the total, and export a professional PDF in one tap. Send it via email or WhatsApp directly from the app.

1 tapestimate from lead card
1 tapconvert to invoice
$9.99vs $8–32/mo

When the estimate is accepted, convert it to an invoice with one tap. Track status through open, verbal, signed, and paid. Every status change is logged in the lead's activity history automatically.

Your financials dashboard shows total quoted value, open estimates, verbal agreements, and signed contracts. You know your pipeline value at a glance — connected to the lead scoring data that tells you whether that pipeline is realistic.


The Real Cost

What your current app stack actually costs.

Most solo contractors run 4–5 separate apps. Here's the monthly total — and what Lead Score costs to replace all of them.

Typical contractor app stack — per month
MileIQ (mileage)$8.99
Joist or Invoice Simple (estimates + invoices)$8–32
HelloLeads or similar (lead tracking)$5
Expense tracking app$5–10
Monthly total$27–56/month
Lead Score replaces all of the above
Lead scoring + mileage + estimates + invoices + expenses$9.99/month
Your annual savings$204–552/year

Or go annual at $59.99/year — less than $5/month for the full stack.


Pricing

Clear pricing. No surprises.

Other Apps

$8–32

Joist/Invoice Simple pricing · Annual plans available

  • ✗ No lead qualification
  • ✗ No pipeline analytics
  • ✗ Separate tool — one workflow

Bottom Line

Who should use what.

Our Verdict

Contractors who want to generate estimates and invoices directly from their lead records — without paying $8–32/month for a standalone app — Lead Score covers the full pre-sale workflow at $9.99/month.

Contractors who need advanced estimate templates, QuickBooks sync, client portals, or team features — Joist or Invoice Simple may still be the right fit for those specific needs.


FAQ

What contractors ask before switching.

Can Lead Score generate professional PDF estimates?×
Yes. Create an estimate directly from any lead card, add line items and totals, and export a professional PDF. Send it directly via email or WhatsApp from the app. Client information is pre-filled from the lead.
How do I convert an estimate to an invoice in Lead Score?+
One tap. Once an estimate is created, the Convert to Invoice button appears. The invoice pulls all client and line item information from the estimate. Track payment status through open, partial, and paid.
Does Lead Score sync with QuickBooks?+
Not currently. Lead Score exports all financial data to CSV. QuickBooks sync is on the product roadmap for a future version.
How is Lead Score's estimating different from Joist?+
Joist estimates are standalone — they're not connected to a lead record. Lead Score estimates live inside the lead card, alongside the scoring, mileage, activity log, and notes that went into the job. Your estimate history and your lead history are the same history.
Does Lead Score work offline for estimates?+
Fully. Create, edit, and convert estimates without any internet connection. All data is local to your device.


From first call to signed estimate — in one app, from your phone.

No laptop. No Joist subscription. No silo.

Free tier · No account required · iOS & Android · Works offline

© 2026 Contractor School · contractorschool.co

Written by the Contractor School team based on publicly available pricing and feature information. Last updated April 2026. Lead Score is not affiliated with or endorsed by Other Apps.

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