# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for estimating software (trades) on 2026-10-04

## In short

On 2026-10-04, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best estimating software for trades". It named 18 brands; the first six, in order, were Jobber, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan and STACK.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best estimating software for trades |
| Asked on | 2026-10-04 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 18 |
| Sources cited | 7 |
| Audience | trades |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-04 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/estimating-software-trades-2026-10-04
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-04 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> "Trades" splits into two different software categories, so here's both - the answer depends on whether you're bidding off plans or quoting jobs in people's homes.
> 
> ## If you quote service/residential work (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, landscaping)
> 
> 1. **Jobber** - My default recommendation for most small trade businesses. Best-in-class quoting with optional add-on line items the customer approves and pays through a client portal, plus the cleanest two-way QuickBooks Online sync. Starts around $29/user/month.
> 2. **Housecall Pro** - Best all-in-one for solo operators and small residential service crews. Its Sales Proposals and Price Book are tuned exactly to the diagnostic-call → in-home quote → sign-on-the-phone workflow. People tend to outgrow it around 10-15 techs.
> 3. **ServiceTitan** - The step up once you're multi-truck and past roughly $2-3M revenue and genuinely managing tech performance metrics. Worth noting it runs 5-10x Jobber's cost at two techs, so don't buy it early.
> 
> ## If you bid off drawings (GCs, remodelers, specialty trades)
> 
> 4. **STACK** - Best all-around cloud takeoff + estimating. Browser-based, so your team works on the same plans without license and file-version

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jobber | recommended |
| 2 | QuickBooks | mentioned |
| 3 | QuickBooks Online | mentioned |
| 4 | Housecall Pro | mentioned |
| 5 | ServiceTitan | mentioned |
| 6 | STACK | mentioned |
| 7 | Buildxact | recommended |
| 8 | Contractor Foreman | recommended |
| 9 | Clear Estimates | mentioned |
| 10 | PlanSwift | mentioned |
| 11 | Trimble Accubid | mentioned |
| 12 | Accubid | mentioned |
| 13 | ConEst | mentioned |
| 14 | Trimble AutoBid | mentioned |
| 15 | HCSS | mentioned |
| 16 | HCSS HeavyBid | mentioned |
| 17 | HeavyBid | mentioned |
| 18 | Commercial GCs | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://constructioncoverage.com/estimating-software (other)
- https://softwareconnect.com/roundups/best-construction-estimating-software/ (other)
- https://www.getclue.com/blog/top-construction-estimating-software (other)
- https://learn.g2.com/best-construction-estimating-software (review)
- https://plumbercalc.com/best-plumbing-software (other)
- https://www.constructionperks.com/blog/jobber-vs-housecall-pro-vs-servicetitan-2026 (other)
- https://heyfield.app/blog/servicetitan-vs-jobber-vs-housecall-pro-2026 (other)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/estimating-software/trades

Alerts and membership: Answer Watch Pro, 79 USD per month: https://bikoosh.com/answers. Bikoosh is monitoring assistance, not complete protection.

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.