AI quoting
How AI quoting software works for tradies
AI quoting software writes a priced quote from a description of the job. You describe it by voice note, text, photos or plans, it sets out the materials and labour with a price on every line, and you check it and send it to your client. What separates one app from another is where those prices come from.
How it works
Most AI quoting apps follow the same steps. Here’s what each one looks like in Sammy.
- You describe the job. Type it, say it as a voice note, or add photos, video and PDF plans. If the job is already in ServiceM8 or Simpro, Sammy brings in its details, notes and files so you’re not typing it twice.
- The AI works out the scope. It breaks the job into groups of lines, each with a quantity, a unit and a rate. Sammy usually takes a few seconds. On a big job, like an extension, a full renovation or a new build, he asks a few questions first and builds it phase by phase, which takes a couple of minutes.
- It prices every line. This is where apps differ most, so it has its own section below.
- You check it and fix what’s wrong. Change any line yourself, or tell Sammy what to change in plain words, like “change the decking material to spotted gum”.
- You send it and your client accepts it online. They open the proposal on any device and accept it, decline it or ask for changes. If they go quiet, Sammy can follow up by email on days 2, 5 and 10 (on Pro and Team plans).
- You run the job and get paid. Once it’s accepted, the quote becomes a job in Sammy, with its variations, progress claims, costs and invoices, and the invoices sync to Xero.
Where the prices come from
Any AI quoting app can make a quote look tidy. What decides whether you make money on the job is where the numbers on it come from. Right now there are four common answers.
| Where the price comes from | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| General AI chatbots | What the chatbot knows in general and can find on the web, plus whatever you give it: your rates, supplier prices and markup, pasted in or saved in a project. You check the numbers and send the quote yourself. | ChatGPT and Claude. Sammy vs ChatGPT and Claude |
| Per-trade calculators | The AI fills in a calculator for your trade, and the calculator works out the price from your rates, margins and supplier prices. The same inputs give the same price every time. | Karven. Sammy vs Karven |
| AI added to job software | You build the quote from your own price list, templates and kits, or the app’s AI drafts one for you to review: from the job card and what you’ve invoiced before, or from the project type and location. The rest of the app manages the job. | Tradify, Buildxact and ServiceM8. Sammy vs Tradify, Sammy vs Buildxact |
| An estimator trained on your business | Your rate rules first, then your supplier price lists, then your standing instructions, then Australian trade knowledge. Underneath all of that is what it has learned from your past jobs. | Sammy. How Sammy gets pricing |
None of these is wrong for everyone. A calculator gives you the same number for the same inputs. Job software suits you if you want scheduling and staff in the same app as your quotes, and its AI works from what’s already in it: ServiceM8 says Auto-Quote needs at least 100 completed jobs in your account before it gives reasonable results. A chatbot knows a lot in general, but nothing about your business until you tell it.
Sammy is built to quote the way your business does. When you train him on a past job, he asks whether it came in over, under or on budget, so he learns the prices that worked rather than repeating one that lost you money. One job is enough to start.
Is AI quoting accurate?
It’s as accurate as the numbers behind it, and no AI quote should go out unchecked. Sammy’s own help guide says so: his first estimate is a starting point, and you review the lines before it goes to a client. What makes that check quick is being able to see how every number was built.
- Every line shows its quantity and rate, and you can change any of them right on the estimate.
- Material lines matched to your supplier lists use your real purchase prices. The supplier price sets the cost; your markup stays yours.
- If a change Sammy makes would move your profit or job cost by roughly a quarter or more, and at least $250, he stops and asks you to confirm the money first.
- The profit figure at the end of his replies is written by a checker, not guessed from the conversation, and he won’t quietly inflate hours or prices to hit a number.
- Every change he makes saves a version, so you can roll back to how the estimate was before.
What to look for
Whichever app you try, run a real job through it and check these:
- It prices from your rates and your suppliers, not an average.
- You can see and change every line before the quote goes out.
- It learns from your past jobs, and knows which ones made money.
- Your client can accept online, and the app follows up when they go quiet.
- It carries on after the yes: variations, progress claims and invoices.
- It connects to what you already use, like Xero, ServiceM8 or Simpro.
- It works properly on your phone, because that’s where you’ll quote from.
- You know what a crew will cost: per person, or one flat price.
Our comparison pages show how the apps line up on each of these, checked against each app’s own website and dated.
Why not just use ChatGPT or Claude?
You can, and plenty of tradies start there. A chatbot will write a quote from a description, but it prices from what it knows in general unless you give it your rates and supplier prices. There’s no proposal for your client to accept online, and nothing that turns an accepted quote into a job and an invoice. We’ve put Sammy, ChatGPT and Claude side by side, with tips for getting a better quote out of a chatbot if you stick with one.
What Sammy costs
One price for the plan, not per person, and every paid plan includes the AI that writes the quote. All prices include GST.
- Pro
- $99 a month, or $950 a year, for one person
- Team 3
- $249 a month, or $2,390 a year, for up to 3 people
- Team 5
- $399 a month, or $3,830 a year, for up to 5 people
- Basic
- Free, with limited features
Other apps charge in different ways. Tradify charges per person, Karven charges one price per workspace, and Buildxact’s plans include unlimited users. See team plans and billing for how Sammy’s team plans work.
Questions tradies ask
Will it work for my trade?
When you set Sammy up you pick up to 10 trades, or create a custom trade if yours isn’t listed, and set your finish level, postcode and default margin. Train him on a job or two you’ve done and your estimates start from your business instead of a generic average.
Can it quote from plans?
Yes. Add up to five PDF plans or documents to an estimate, up to 100MB each, alongside photos and video. Sammy takes the quantities from the job’s description and plans.
How long does a quote take?
Sammy usually builds an estimate in a few seconds. A big job across several trades takes a couple of minutes, because he asks a few questions and has you approve his plan first. Changes you ask for in the chat take a second or three.
Does it handle GST?
Yes. GST is added once, at 10%, on the estimate total, and you can mark an estimate GST-exempt for GST-free work. Sammy doesn’t give tax advice, so check with your accountant if you’re unsure.
Does it work with Xero, ServiceM8 or Simpro?
Yes. Sammy pushes invoices to Xero and payment status comes back. He can start an estimate from a ServiceM8 or Simpro job and push the quote back into it.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Sammy is on the App Store, Google Play and the web.