UK Quoting Software Prices Compared (2026)
Quoting software pricing is a mess to compare: some tools charge per user, some per account, one now starts at £299 a month, and almost nobody puts the cost in per-project terms. This page does the maths for you. Every price was re-checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 1 October 2026 — if you're reading this much later, check before you commit.
The prices, verified
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| YourTradebase | £29/month flat (+£15 per extra user) | Per account | 30 days, no card |
| Qted | £29/month (Solo), £59 (Pro) | Per account | First 3 months free, card required |
| Powered Now | £28–£40 per user/month | Per user | 14 days, no card |
| Tradify | £34–£44 per user/month | Per user | 14 days |
| Buildxact | £89–£262/month (annual; monthly £119–£349) | Per account | 14 days |
| Payaca | £299–£3,199/month | Per account | No trial — demo only |
| Speqly | £7–£9.99 per project, or £79–£149/month | Pay per project or subscription | 14 days, 5 projects, no card |
All prices exclude VAT where vendors state it. Buildxact's AI features are paid add-ons from £99/month on top of the plan. Qted's headline £29 comes with a three-month free period but needs a card to start.
The per-project maths
A price per month tells you little until you divide it by the jobs you actually quote.
If you quote 10 jobs a month: Tradify Lite costs you £3.40 a job, Powered Now Business £2.80, YourTradebase £2.90, Speqly Solo £3.95. On those numbers the tools are close — the real difference is what each does for the money. Speqly and Qted both put AI to work on the job itself (both can read scope from photos); only Speqly turns that into a client-facing visual proposal and pushes the accepted job into Xero or QuickBooks Online as a draft invoice.
If you quote 3 jobs a month, subscriptions get expensive per job: Tradify works out at £11.30 a quote, YourTradebase £9.70. Speqly credits stay £7.00–£9.99 and never expire. For low-volume quoting, pay-per-job beats every subscription in this table.
Where a rival is the better buy
Honesty matters more than a sale, so:
- You want scheduling, timesheets and job tracking in one place — Tradify (£34/user) or Powered Now (£28/user) are better buys than Speqly. Speqly is a quoting tool that feeds your accounts package; it does not manage the job.
- You're a high-volume builder doing takeoffs from plans — Buildxact is built for that (from £89/month, AI add-ons extra). Speqly prices from photos, not drawings.
- You want the absolute cheapest all-rounder with unlimited quotes — YourTradebase at £29 flat is hard to argue with if you're happy writing quotes yourself, without AI help.
Where Speqly wins
- You quote occasionally — credits from £7/project, no monthly fee, they never expire. No other tool in this table sells per quote.
- Your quotes need to sell the job — before/after AI visuals from your site photos, one-tap client acceptance.
- You already run Xero or QuickBooks Online — accepted jobs land there as draft invoices. Qted, the closest AI-first rival, has neither integration (checked 1 October 2026).
What happened to Payaca?
Payaca used to be the default recommendation for small trades. In 2026 its entry plan is £299/month (a 12-month introductory price; standard plans run £1,199–£3,199) and the free trial is gone — it's demos only. That's enterprise field-service pricing, and it has left the one-man-band and small-crew market wide open. If you're a small trade being quoted those numbers, every other tool on this page is a better buy.
Related guides
- Payaca alternatives for small trades
- Quoting software with no subscription
- Best quoting software for UK contractors
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a sole trader pay for quoting software?
£0–£40 a month is the realistic range in 2026. Pay-per-job credits (Speqly, from £7/project) suit occasional quoting; flat plans (YourTradebase £29, Qted £29, Powered Now £28/user) suit steady volume.
Are there hidden costs in quoting software?
The common ones: per-user charges as your team grows (Tradify, Powered Now), AI features sold as add-ons (Buildxact, from £99/month), and annual-only headline prices that jump 15–30% if you pay monthly (Buildxact, Payaca).
Is free quoting software worth it?
Word or Google Docs templates are genuinely free but slow, and they can't price from photos, chase acceptance, or push to your accounts package. If you win one extra job a month from faster, better-presented quotes, any tool on this page pays for itself.
Stop Losing Jobs on Paperwork
Speqly turns your site photos into a professional, priced proposal in about 15 minutes — before/after AI visuals, itemised costs, and a one-tap accept button.
Try Speqly free → speqly.com
Stop Losing Jobs on Paperwork
Turn your site photos and notes into an editable estimate and a professional proposal. Review the quantities and prices, then send it for online acceptance.
Try Speqly Free