Guide · Voice estimates
Voice estimate apps for contractors, compared
You say the job, the app writes the priced estimate. Here is how the apps that do that differ, with sources.
A voice estimate app turns a spoken description of a job into a priced, line-by-line estimate you edit and send. In 2026 the ones built for contractors differ mostly on three things: where the prices come from (your own history, a price database, or a guess), who sends the estimate (your phone or the app's own number), and what it costs (free with Settle, $29.99 a month with QuoteIQ, $59 a month with Staxen). Settle is free for unlimited estimates and invoices and $19.99 a month for unlimited AI drafts; it prices from what you charged last time and sends from your own phone.
What a voice estimate app actually does
You tap a microphone and describe the work the way you would tell a helper: what, how much, where, and anything unusual. The app transcribes it, turns it into line items with quantities, and puts a price on each line. You fix anything wrong and send it. The best ones are honest about which prices they are sure of and which they guessed.
The part that matters is the pricing. Speech-to-text is a solved problem; a wrong number on a water heater swap is not. Ask any app three questions before you trust it: Where did this price come from? What happens when it doesn't know? Can I see which lines it guessed?
The apps, side by side
| Settle | Staxen (Eddie) | QuoteIQ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: unlimited estimates and invoices, 3 AI drafts. Pro $19.99/mo or $149.99/yr, 7-day trial, unlimited AI drafts | $59/mo for Eddie (estimates). Invoicing is Ivy, another $59. All three AI employees $149/mo. 7-day trial through the App Store, card behind it | Essentials $29.99/mo or $299.99/yr, one user. 14-day trial, card required. No free plan |
| Where prices come from | Your own past estimates. If Settle has to guess, it marks the line with an orange dot | Your past estimates and saved prices first, then Staxen's price books, your parts catalog, a Home Depot shelf price near the job, or a national average; guessed lines are marked "Eddie's estimate" | "Snap a photo or describe the job": the AI Estimator drafts from a job photo and your description against your catalog. QuoteIQ's pages don't say what it does when it has no price |
| AI limits | 3 drafts on free, unlimited on Pro | Unlimited estimates on the paid plan | Metered by "IQ Credits": 500/mo on Essentials, 250 during the trial |
| Who sends it | You, from your own phone: Messages, Mail or WhatsApp. Nothing goes out you didn't tap | Staxen texts from a dedicated business number it sets up; Eddie drafts follow-up emails at 3, 7 and 14 days | Sent from the platform; QuickPay payment link and QR code on the invoice |
| Payments | Card, Apple Pay or bank transfer to your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard rate. Settle adds nothing and never holds the money | Card and ACH through Stripe at Stripe's standard rates, no Staxen markup (needs Ivy for invoicing) | Through your own Stripe or Whop account; fees and payout timing follow that provider |
| Platforms | iPhone only (iOS 17+) | iPhone, Android, web; English and Spanish | iPhone, Android, web |
| Also does | Invoices, pay links, Viewed/Approved/Paid status, CSV export. No scheduling, no crew | Scheduling, change orders, milestone billing, QuickBooks sync (each in its own $59 employee) | Scheduling, calendar, virtual call team, map measuring, financing, up to 20 users |
From each company's public pages, checked November 3, 2026: Staxen voice-estimate page and pricing; QuoteIQ pricing, AI Estimator and its 2026 plans article. We make Settle, so read the other two companies' pages before you choose.
Other apps you'll see in search results
- Pro Speak Artisan (Android, Google Play, updated October 20, 2026): speak the job, get an itemized estimate, convert to invoice. Sold with in-app purchases; the store page doesn't list the price.
- BuildWalk (iPhone and iPad; Android planned): record a walkthrough of the job and it writes the estimate, a materials list and a field report. Its pricing page lists Starter at $29 a month for 10 recordings, Pro at $49 for 50, and Business at $79 for unlimited recordings and 5 team members, each with a 14-day free trial. It's aimed at larger remodel and construction walkthroughs rather than quick service calls. (buildwalk.app, checked November 4, 2026.)
- Speakwise: a voice recorder and AI note taker that contractors use for client walkthroughs. Its site describes it as recording and summarizing conversations, not pricing jobs, so you would still build the estimate in another app. (speakwiseapp.com)
- Estimio, QuoteDash AI, BidWalk, Estimr: small App Store and Play Store apps that generate an estimate from a description, usually from a built-in regional cost database rather than your own prices. Check how each one prices before you send its numbers to a customer.
- ProField ($19.99/mo, 14-day trial): often listed alongside these, but its AI writes inspection reports, not estimates from speech. Card payments carry Stripe's fee plus a 0.5% ProField fee.
We only put apps in the table above when we could read their own pricing and product pages. The ones in this list we could not verify to the same standard on November 3, 2026.
What to say to get a good estimate
Every voice estimate app does better with the same four things. Say the work (replace, not repair), the count or measurement (50 gallon, 28 squares, 1,800 square feet of wall), the place (basement, attic, second floor), and what is not included. Model numbers and dollar figures are the words speech-to-text gets wrong most, so read those lines before you send.
A plumbing example: "Replace a 50-gallon gas water heater in the garage, same spot. New expansion tank, new gas flex and shutoff, drip pan, haul the old one. Thursday." That is enough for Settle to write the lines and price them from your last water heater job. See how to write a contractor estimate for what the finished document should contain.
Which one to pick
- You quote jobs from a truck and want to get paid, nothing else: Settle. Free, your own prices, your own phone, your own Stripe account.
- You estimate off plans, want store prices pulled in, and want the app to chase signatures for you: Staxen's Eddie, at $59 a month ($149 with invoicing and scheduling). See Settle vs. Staxen.
- You want photo-based AI estimates inside a scheduling platform with a crew: QuoteIQ, from $29.99 a month. See Settle vs. QuoteIQ.
- You're on Android: Staxen, QuoteIQ or Pro Speak. Settle is iPhone only.
What is a voice estimate app?
An estimating app you talk to. You describe the job out loud and it writes a priced, line-by-line estimate that you review, edit and send. Settle, Staxen and QuoteIQ all do this for contractors; they differ on where the prices come from, who sends the estimate, and what they cost.
Does Settle's voice estimate use my prices or a database?
Your prices. Settle remembers the prices from the estimates you send and uses them next time. If it has to guess because you have never priced that item, it puts an orange dot on the line so you check it before sending.
Is a voice estimate app free?
Settle is free for unlimited estimates and invoices, with 3 AI-written drafts included; Pro ($19.99 a month) makes AI drafts unlimited. Staxen and QuoteIQ have free trials but no free plan: Staxen is $59 a month per AI employee and QuoteIQ starts at $29.99 a month, as of November 3, 2026.
Does the app send the estimate for me?
It depends. Settle hands the estimate to your own Messages, Mail or WhatsApp, so it goes from your number. Staxen texts from a business number it sets up for you and can send follow-up emails on a schedule. QuoteIQ sends from its platform.
Say your next job out loud.
Free on iPhone. Unlimited estimates and invoices. 7 days of Pro to try the voice drafts, and you cancel in two taps.
Download on the App StoreiPhone, iOS 17 or later. Questions? Text Nina: (818) 945-9686