DeftBid FAQs.

DeftBid is contractor estimating software for solo contractors and small contracting businesses. It helps you create estimates, send proposals, collect signatures, and track bids in one place.

DeftBid is designed for solo contractors, handymen, tradespeople, and small contracting businesses that want a simple way to manage estimating and bidding without the complexity of software built for large teams.

With DeftBid, you can build estimates, send professional proposal links, collect e-signatures, track bid status, manage change orders after work begins, and invoice the job when the work is done.

DeftBid keeps the important parts of each job in one place, so you don’t have to rely on spreadsheets, notes, text messages, or memory.

No. DeftBid goes beyond creating estimates.

You can send proposals, see when customers view them, track whether they are accepted or declined, collect signatures, manage change orders as the work moves forward, and invoice the job from the same bid.

To learn more about estimating, visit our Contractor Estimating Software page.

No. DeftBid is designed for smaller operations.

You do not need employees, office staff, or a complicated setup to use it. If you are the one doing the estimating, the work, and the customer follow-up, DeftBid helps you keep it all organized.

Contractor estimating software helps contractors create and manage job estimates online or through an app.

Instead of using paper estimates, spreadsheets, or separate templates, you can keep estimates and job details in one place. Some estimating software also helps with bids, customers, and signatures.

DeftBid combines estimating and bid tracking in one place, so solo contractors and small businesses can create estimates, send proposals, collect signatures, and keep track of what happens next.

An estimating app for contractors lets you create and manage estimates from your phone, tablet, or computer.

That can be especially helpful if you spend more time on jobsites than at a desk.

With DeftBid, you can build and send estimates from the jobsite, then pick up where you left off on another device later.

Yes. DeftBid helps you create clear, professional estimates that include your business name, logo, license, and credentials.

You can send them directly to customers without having to build each estimate from scratch in a document or spreadsheet.

Yes. You can use DeftBid for repairs, installations, remodels, handyman work, and other contracting jobs.

Each estimate can be tailored to the specific work, pricing, and details of that project.

Yes. Customers can open your proposal from one link in their browser, with no account or download required.

From there, they can accept and sign electronically, request changes, or decline the bid. DeftBid updates the bid status automatically based on what they choose.

Yes. You can edit a draft as much as you need before sending it.

If you need to make changes after sending it, you can revise and resend the estimate, and the customer’s existing link will show the updated version.

Once a customer signs, the bid is locked. Any later changes are handled with a separate change order that the customer can review and sign.

These terms are often used in similar ways, but there are some differences.

An estimate usually gives the customer an expected price for the work. A bid is often a more formal offer to complete the work for a set price. A proposal may include the price along with details about the scope, timeline, or project.

The exact meaning can vary by contractor and trade.

Yes. DeftBid helps you track every bid so you can see where each one stands.

You can quickly see which customers are still deciding, which bids need a follow-up, and which jobs you’ve won.

Every bid has a status you can see at a glance:

• Draft: You’re still building it.
• Sent: You’ve shared it with your customer.
• Viewed: Your customer has opened it.
• Changes requested: Your customer asked for an update.
• Accepted or Declined: They signed or declined.

DeftBid updates most of these statuses automatically based on your customer's actions, so you don’t have to keep the board updated manually.

Bid tracking helps you stay on top of potential work before it slips through the cracks.

You can see which estimates are still open, which customers may need a follow-up, and how much work you’ve won. That makes it easier to focus on the bids that need your attention.

Once a customer accepts a bid, it stays in DeftBid with the signed total and counts toward the work you’ve won that month.

If the scope changes, you can add a change order to the same bid. Your customer can review and sign it from the same link, and the approved amount is added to the contract.

If you asked for a deposit, the deposit invoice goes out with the signed contract. When the work is done, invoice the balance from the same bid, then archive it to your Past list.

DeftBid does not currently include separate scheduling or job-costing tools.

Yes. Your DeftBid home screen shows your open pipeline, including the total value of undecided bids and the amount you’ve won that month.

A Needs Attention list highlights bids that need action, such as change requests or quotes that are about to expire. On a tablet or computer, you can also view pipeline, win rate, and monthly performance.

Yes. DeftBid invoices from the contract your customer signed, so nothing is retyped. If you asked for a deposit, the deposit invoice is issued automatically when the contract is countersigned and goes out with the signed copy.

Later, from the accepted bid, you issue a progress invoice for any amount or the final invoice for what’s remaining, and send it by text or email. Approved change orders are included in the balance. See our Contractor Invoicing Software page.

The deposit is your own number for each bid, as a percentage of the job or a set amount, and DeftBid never suggests one. You decide it before you send the proposal, and it prints on the contract. When the contract is signed, the deposit invoice is issued for that figure with a due date.

Your payment terms, written in your own words, are saved in your business profile, added to each proposal, and can be changed for individual bids. When the customer signs, those terms become part of the agreement they accepted.

No. DeftBid does not process payments. Your customer pays you directly using the payment details printed on the invoice: check, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, a payment link, or your own instructions.

You record the payment in DeftBid when it arrives, and your customer gets a receipt once the invoice is paid in full.

Yes. Each invoice shows open, partly paid, past due, or paid, and the total you are still owed shows on your home screen beside what you’ve won.

When an invoice goes past due, you hear first. The first time it happens, DeftBid shows you the reminder it would send and asks once; say yes and it reminds the customer for you on every late invoice after that, or you send your own. One switch turns it off.

Yes. DeftBid works in the browser on any phone or tablet at app.deftbid.com, so you can build and send bids from the jobsite.

Native apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android are also in beta and coming to the App Store and Google Play. One subscription works across all your devices.

Yes. DeftBid works in your web browser, so there is nothing to download.

On a computer, you get a full-width view of your bids, filters, pipeline, and performance charts.

Yes. Your bids, business profile, price book, and templates are tied to your account, so they are available anywhere you sign in.

You can start a bid on your phone at the jobsite and finish it on your computer later.

No. DeftBid runs in your browser.

Just go to app.deftbid.com, sign in, and you’re ready to work.

Yes. You can add your business information and branding to the proposals you send, including:

• Business name, logo, and tagline
• Your name, phone number, email, address, and website
• License number and expiration date
• Bonded and insured badges
• An accent color for your proposals
• Default payment terms, tax rate, and quote expiration

Your labor rate and markup stay private and are never shown to customers.

Yes. Each bid can include the customer’s name, company, email, phone number, and service address.

Customer information is linked to the bid, and you can search past bids to find repeat customers. If you duplicate an old bid, their information carries over automatically.

Probably not for most jobs.

A contractor estimate template can work, but you still have to create, save, organize, and track each estimate yourself.

With DeftBid, your estimates become part of the same system you use to send proposals, collect signatures, and track bids.

It depends on how you work.

Spreadsheets can be useful for simple math and basic estimates, but they are not built to track customers, bids, signatures, or follow-up.

If you are using several spreadsheets, documents, notes, and text messages to keep track of work, bidding and estimating software like DeftBid can make the process easier to manage.

Yes. DeftBid can be an alternative to Joist for solo contractors and small contracting businesses that want a simpler estimating and bidding tool.

Both platforms help contractors create estimates and manage work, but they are not the same. DeftBid keeps things simple with one plan, access across devices, and proposals customers can review and sign from a single link.

See our DeftBid vs. Joist page for a closer comparison.

Go to app.deftbid.com and create an account with Google, Apple, or your email address.

Add your business name, contact details, and credentials, then build your first bid. Most contractors can have one ready to send in about five minutes.

DeftBid has one plan: $39 per month or $390 per year, which gives you two months free.

One subscription works across phone, tablet, desktop, and web. You can cancel anytime.

See Pricing for full details.

Yes. Every new account starts with a 14-day free trial that includes all DeftBid features.

No. You can start your 14-day free trial without a credit card.

You only add a payment method if you decide to continue using DeftBid after the trial ends.

Email support@deftbid.com and a real person will get back to you.