Overall a good product

We have been overall happy with the program. It is really hard to teach someone new how to use it though. We have a new employee and there have been several huge mistakes that have costs our company money in the long run due to over seeing some things.

Pros

Produces estimates fast, great to keep track of jobs, easy to change estimates for customers, cuts down on the time spent on the estimate

Cons

The search function is not great at all. It take a long time and rarely find what you need. The organization of parts seems to not be consistent. Sometimes the removal of things are within the right categories and sometimes they are in a general category. It is very time consuming to have to look in both categories. It does not integrate with quickbooks, which would make sending estimates a lot easier. Right now we have to save to word and then go to email and select the document to send to a customer, very time consuming.

My Clear estimate review.

I've been using Clear estimates software for about 4 years and the Program is very compatible with other programs out there. What makes Clear estimate different is that it is user-friendly and the layout of the program is very professional. When I hand my estimate over to my customer it's very well laid out and detailed . What I like most about Clear estimate Besides it's layout it pretty much covers all the trades. But the best thing is that it's very affordable for contractors like me that runs a small business.

Pros

What I like most about this software is being able to set up Parts & Templates which makes putting together an estimate a lot faster which means you have more time to oversee your business.

Cons

The thing I least like about this software is not being able to use it for insurance work. What I mean by that is some jobs I get may be from insurance companies and the estimate might call for dehumidifiers and fans board ups stuff like that. But I can get by with it.

Great product it has helped my business.

I do not like the estimating side of my business cause I am bad at it and I tend to be optimistic which causes me to short myself in the long run. I started using this product to help me with the process to get estimates out faster and to know I am giving a good estimate that doesn't short me. It has helped me in that aspect for sure. The customer service is superb. There is this little icon u click and send them a msg with your questions and they get back to you in a timely fashion. The nice thing is the msg comes back in the program and they also send me an email. So if I am in the field working I know they have responded with an answer when I get the email. I love how you can email the estimate right from clear estimates and the estimate looks very professional. You can customize the formal estimate to how ever you like. Also if you don't like the prices they give you, you can easily adjust them for that estimate per item. Or you can customize that item to show up every time with your adjustment in price on every estimate. The customization to the items and pricing is endless. I have had to add very few new items they have so much to chose from already. The program is easy to use. I could teach my 11 year old to use it if I needed to. I have had nothing but great success using there program. They also give u a free trial to use it first. Take the free trial and try it you won't be dispointed. I am surprised this program does not cost more. I have made up for its cost monthly in the more money I am making due to its estimates. Thank you clearestimates.

Pros

Easy of use, price, use on any device, customer support, the quarterly updates for pricing, and formal look of the estimates, and being able to email the directly from clearestimates to my customers.

Cons

Does not import directly in to quickbooks online. If it did that it would be perfect for me. I prefer using quickbooks online so I can use the program from any where like clearestimates.

Worth every dollar!!!

I used this software when it first came out. Now it has come a long way on appearance and functionality. As far as learning a new software, the curve was easy for me. If you are a small contractor this is a must for speed of quoting and accuracy. Also with the reports function you look as professional as the big guys. If you want to step up your company, get Clear Estimates!!!

Pros

Easy to learn. Professional looking reports. The ease of updates prices for material and labor. Customer support is spot on. And the software was created by remodelers that understand the struggle. They are always striving to make the software better.

Cons

Some minor software updates could be done. A mobile version could also help a lot more small business.

Only great experiences using Clear Estimates!

I've been a Clear Estimates subscriber for several years now and couldn't imagine what I'd do without the program.

Pros

I'm not very technologically advanced and struggle greatly with estimates as well. Clear estimates was as easy to work with as possible and the real selling point for me is their amazing customer service. I will never be great at using any software but several times I have emailed questions or called their customer support and I have always been able to speak with a live person who smoothly assists me through my issues. The quick response time is amazing and I have grown to count on their availability to help me with any issues and they have never let me down.

Cons

If I had to choose I guess I'd like it to be a bit cheaper but in all honesty it is a really good value and worth every cent. But who doesn't want everything a bit cheaper?

Easy to use, unassuming software for remodel estimating - Saves hours of work.

After using both the downloaded and cloud versions of this software for about 4 years, I can't imagine how I ever did without it. Previous to this we used QB to estimate our projects, which was a time consuming and tedious process that seemed like it always being done from the ground up on every project. Once the initial time of a 1/2 day to a day is invested to set this software up to fit your business needs, even the most complicated proposal or estimate can be completed in an hour or less, with many of our standard proposals being generated in 15-30 minutes.

Pros

Easy to use, great support, cloud storage

Cons

Little technical items like having to manually fill and delete lines in individual categories

Personal Review

I have used the software and do appreciate the way it does the calculation. There are some areas that could use improving. Most of my estimating is for outdoor structures and may be it is me but it is hard to find a set of items that I use in my work. We do structures for outside like water features, fire features, Pergolas... It may be because i do not know where to look to find these items. I know I can construct my own I just do not have the time. I have also found that the prices our a tad high for my region even though I use a local area for cost estimating. If it is possible for there to be an area for the above items to be added would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy using the software.

Pros

Help out a good bit in my estimating . Like how items are arranged in there categories. I need to attend a call to help me set up some of the line items listed above. Love how the customer support is always there to help!!!! Love the way that allows you to go in and change/manipulate the results.

Cons

Could have categories in other areas. What I do not like about the software has it benefits as well . When you input the customer info it draws on past results which is awesome but at the same time it can be a issue. Not that much of a bigge

estimating basics

I bought this after trying several others. As a small business, I couldn't afford to spend a lot of money up front.

Pros

The estimates seem to be right on for both Materials costs and the labor hours. As my own fault, I don't put enough overhead in the projects.

Cons

I wish I could edit the markups on the alternates individually

I wish I could print out the alternates in detail on a combined report, not separately
.
I wish the tree would expand based on specifics (more like a windows tree) as opposed to scrolling down the whole thing, then having to scroll back up to close.

I wish there was some way to track the projects... i.e. bids submitted, waiting on customer. signed.. completed.

Perfect Answer to Estimating

Been with them from the start up , great customer service and always striving to make things better for remodeling estimating . We searched and tried many other software options for estimating our large projects , maintenance , and repairs and were pleased to find CE nailed it for quoting everything we do and almost instantly made our estimating chore quick and painless.

Pros

User Friendly / Excellent adjustable database / Easy to make proposal changes for re-submittal /Proposals that Clients Complement Every time

Cons

No Cons with this software , we adjusted to fit our needs .