Losing bids by a razor-thin margin?
You spend hours on complex manual estimates, only to see competitors with faster, more accurate bids win the job. It’s a frustrating cycle.
The real killer is that inaccurate cost projections lead to lost revenue from underbidding or pricing yourself out of the running completely.
It’s no surprise the HVAC software market is projected to reach $1,527.5 million by 2035, reports Future Market Insights. This growth reflects the industry’s shift to better tech.
The good news is the right tool can fix this. It helps you create accurate bids faster, putting you back in control.
In this article, I’m going to show you the best HVAC estimating software designed to boost your speed and your bottom line.
You’ll learn how these platforms eliminate guesswork, improve workflow automation, and help you land more profitable contracts with confidence.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STACK → | Mid-size HVAC contractors | |
| 2 | PlanSwift → | Small to mid-size contractors | |
| 3 | ServiceTitan → | Commercial & residential trades | |
| 4 | QuoteSoft → | Specialized ductwork contractors | |
| 5 | FastPIPE → | Commercial & industrial contractors |
1. STACK
Tired of slow, inaccurate HVAC bids?
STACK offers intelligent automation with your expertise for faster, more profitable project bids. This means you can say goodbye to manual, time-consuming estimates.
With STACK, you’ll produce faster bids and more profitable projects by leveraging cloud-based solutions for preconstruction and construction workflows. You can simplify your estimating.
Here’s how you do it:
STACK accelerates your workflows and drives efficiency throughout your entire project lifecycle. You can calculate material and labor with quick, accurate digital measurement tools.
This allows you to leverage integrated items, assemblies, and regional pricing to prepare winning bids. Access plans, documents, and as-builts from the office or building site, and share them with your team in the field.
Additionally, you can manage issues, report progress, and customize workflows to keep projects on track from preconstruction through closeout. This will empower your team and streamline operations.
Your path to quicker, more accurate bids.
Key features:
- Fast, Accurate Takeoffs Quickly calculate material and labor with digital measurement tools, powered by AI to ensure precision in your HVAC estimates.
- Regional Cost Data Leverage integrated items, assemblies, and regional pricing for detailed estimates, helping you create competitive and winning proposals.
- Streamlined Workflows Manage projects from preconstruction to closeout with robust document control and field collaboration for enhanced team efficiency.
STACK features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: If you are an HVAC contractor looking to boost productivity and secure more profitable projects, STACK provides the capabilities you need. Its comprehensive features make it an ideal choice for the best HVAC estimating software.
2. PlanSwift
Tired of manual, time-consuming HVAC estimates?
PlanSwift offers point-and-click takeoff and drag-and-drop assemblies to speed up your bids. This means you can quickly measure complex areas and instantly calculate costs, transforming your estimating process.
The software addresses your pain points by automating internal calculations, ensuring no more guessing labor hours or material waste.
Here’s how PlanSwift delivers.
PlanSwift streamlines your workflow by instantly calculating materials, waste, and labor as you create your takeoff. This significantly reduces the time it takes to estimate a job, improving accuracy.
You can drag and drop pre-configured assemblies directly onto your takeoff items, making cost calculation automatic and precise. Plus, the software generates precise material lists for HVAC assembly and instantly calculates costs.
Additionally, PlanSwift helps you trace linear takeoffs for A/C supply lines and instantly derive room volumes for heating and cooling. This means faster, mistake-free estimates, allowing you to bid more jobs and manage them efficiently.
The result is increased profitability.
Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of application integration tools helpful for a broader software strategy.
Key features:
- Point and Click Takeoff: Quickly measure complex areas and items with a single click, instantly coloring and counting lengths, volumes, and perimeters for accurate takeoffs.
- Drag and Drop Assemblies: Effortlessly add pre-configured material, waste, and labor assemblies to your takeoffs, instantly calculating all costs and expenses for precise estimates.
- Integrated Calculations & Export: Automatically calculates material, labor, and waste costs as you work, then easily prints or exports your complete estimates to Excel for seamless sharing.
PlanSwift features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: PlanSwift is designed to be the best HVAC estimating software, helping you speed up bids and boost profits. Its point-and-click, drag-and-drop, and integrated calculation features ensure precise, mistake-free estimates, ultimately saving you time and reducing errors in your project planning.
3. ServiceTitan
Struggling with slow, inaccurate HVAC bids?
ServiceTitan offers robust project management and job costing features that directly tackle these challenges.
This means you can gain better profit margins on every project, moving beyond manual calculations and fragmented systems.
It’s time to streamline your operations.
ServiceTitan is the #1 software built for both commercial and residential trades, designed to boost your profitability and improve cash flow. This means you can maximize profits with real-time costing and predictive insights across every phase of work.
While we’re discussing improving your customer relationships, you might find my guide on best social CRM software helpful.
Its powerful accounting capabilities automate billing processes, reducing overhead costs and ensuring invoices are paid on time. Additionally, you’ll increase workforce productivity with automated systems and improve cash flow, as seen by over 10% more invoices paid on time.
The result? Enhanced profitability and faster bid turnarounds.
Key features:
- Project Management & Job Costing: Gain real-time costing and predictive insights across every project phase, helping you maximize profits and keep bids on budget.
- Automated Accounting & Billing: Streamline your billing processes and reduce overhead costs with powerful accounting features designed to improve cash flow.
- Workforce Productivity Tools: Drive productivity and optimize your cash flow through automated systems and processes that improve your team’s efficiency.
ServiceTitan features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: ServiceTitan stands out as a strong contender for the best HVAC estimating software. Its capabilities in project management, job costing, and automated accounting address key pain points for HVAC contractors, helping them achieve increased revenue per technician and a 16% increase in annual revenue.
4. QuoteSoft
Tired of lengthy, inaccurate HVAC estimates?
QuoteSoft simplifies your estimating, helping you determine labor hours and material costs quickly. This means you can deliver bids from prints, PDFs, and other digital files, greatly reducing the time and stress of manual methods. You will gain efficiency and accuracy on every bid.
It’s time to streamline your workflow.
QuoteSoft helps you achieve precise bids for rectangular, round, and oval ductwork, including spiral pipe, fittings, and dampers. This allows you to generate automatic pipe estimates for materials like pipe, fittings, and valves, ensuring comprehensive and accurate cost projections. You can also custom build assemblies and specifications, altering material names and icons to fit your specific business needs. This level of customization and automation means you can complete jobs in hours that once took days, significantly boosting your bid turnaround and overall profitability.
Finalize your bids faster and smarter.
Key features:
- Customizable estimates: Build unique assemblies and specs, and alter material names and icons to perfectly match your business needs for ductwork and piping.
- Rapid cost calculations: Quickly determine HVAC labor and material costs for various duct types and components, including fittings, grills, and dampers.
- Digital file compatibility: Deliver accurate bids directly from prints, PDFs, and other digital files, greatly speeding up your estimating process.
QuoteSoft features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: QuoteSoft offers powerful, customizable features for HVAC contractors aiming to reduce manual effort and improve bid accuracy. Its ability to calculate complex ductwork and pipe estimates, alongside support for various digital file types, makes it an excellent choice if you’re seeking the best HVAC estimating software to boost your team’s efficiency and profitability.
5. FastPIPE
Tired of slow, inaccurate HVAC project estimates?
FastPIPE provides the specific takeoff and reporting tools you need for accurate, timely quotes. This means you can say goodbye to those manual, time-consuming processes.
It helps you overcome the pain of inaccurate cost projections, enabling you to streamline your bidding process and secure more projects.
Here’s how to speed up your bids.
FastPIPE simplifies how you estimate, offering a complete cost-estimating solution across various mechanical disciplines. For instance, you can efficiently handle plumbing, HVAC piping, and industrial process piping projects.
You get access to an award-winning on-screen plan takeoff, which dramatically reduces the time and effort typically spent on manual takeoffs. This means you can generate accurate bids quickly, avoiding lost revenue from underbidding. Plus, FastPIPE integrates with FastDUCT for a full plumbing, mechanical, and HVAC solution, ensuring streamlined workflows and consistent data. The result is a unified system, enhancing profitability through reliable estimates and reducing wasted resources.
Key features:
- Complete Cost-Estimating Solution: Supports plumbing, mechanical, HVAC piping, and industrial process piping for comprehensive project estimation.
- Award-Winning On-Screen Takeoff: Digitizes plan takeoffs, boosting accuracy and drastically cutting down manual estimation time and effort.
- Integrated Workflow & Reporting: Provides essential takeoff and reporting tools that integrate with FastDUCT for a complete, accurate, and timely quoting solution.
FastPIPE features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: FastPIPE is purpose-built as the best HVAC estimating software for commercial and industrial contractors, delivering accurate and timely quotes for plumbing, HVAC piping, and industrial process piping. Its integration with FastDUCT provides a seamless, comprehensive solution to streamline your bidding process and boost your project profitability.
6. Trimble
Are your HVAC estimates slow and error-prone?
Trimble offers connected solutions that help you accelerate work, ensuring your projects move efficiently. This means faster, more accurate bids.
You can turn ideas into innovation with Trimble’s construction solutions, helping you to close the gap between manual effort and automation. The result is streamlined processes and improved accuracy.
Here’s how to turn work slowdowns into solutions.
Trimble provides connected hardware and software, empowering you to drive productivity and progress. You gain command of your projects, making confident decisions.
You can leverage their expertise in 3D modeling and data analytics for precise positioning, allowing you to manage over $500 billion in new construction project value annually with their ERPs. This reduces wasted resources and fragmented systems.
Additionally, Trimble’s technology helps you connect people, data, and workflows, allowing customers to advance their potential and achieve remarkable success. This means better workflow automation and enhanced profitability through reliable solutions.
Ultimately, you gain confidence at every turn.
While focusing on project efficiency, optimizing team skills through a course management system can also boost your overall business performance.
Key features:
- Connected Solutions: Trimble’s integrated hardware and software empower you to accelerate project workflows, leading to faster bid turnaround and increased efficiency.
- 3D Modeling and Data Analytics: Leverage precise positioning and detailed analytics to improve the accuracy of cost projections and eliminate inaccurate estimates.
- Workflow Automation and ERPs: Manage vast project values and connect data and people, streamlining your processes and boosting overall productivity and profit.
Trimble features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Trimble’s focus on connected solutions and powerful data analytics makes it an excellent candidate for the best HVAC estimating software. Their proven ability to manage vast construction project values and optimize workflows directly addresses pain points like inaccurate estimates and project delays, boosting your profitability.
7. Housecall Pro
Are manual estimates costing your HVAC business time and money? Housecall Pro helps you streamline operations, manage jobs, and win more bids. This means you can say goodbye to inaccurate cost projections and lost revenue.
Housecall Pro offers “Quotes & Proposals” to build estimates that sell. This feature tackles the pain points of manual, time-consuming project estimates. The result is improved accuracy in job costing and faster bid turnaround.
This means more profit for your business.
Housecall Pro helps HVAC professionals automate their workflows. It offers online booking to get more jobs faster and a pipeline dashboard to turn leads into sales. These features combine to provide a robust solution.
You can also use scheduling to assign and dispatch teams efficiently, ensuring projects stay on track and delays are minimized. Additionally, the mobile app allows you to run jobs from anywhere, offering flexibility and real-time management. This comprehensive approach streamlines your entire workflow, boosting both efficiency and profitability.
Ultimately, your business grows, not your to-do list.
While we’re discussing operational efficiency, understanding how a canteen management system can streamline service and cut waste might also be useful for certain business types.
Key features:
- Quotes & Proposals: Craft professional, accurate estimates quickly to secure more bids and ensure precise cost projections, reducing underbidding risks.
- Scheduling & Dispatching: Efficiently assign and manage your teams, minimizing project delays and coordinating multiple jobs seamlessly from one platform.
- Online Booking & Pipeline Dashboard: Convert leads into sales faster with online booking, while the pipeline dashboard helps you track and manage potential projects.
Housecall Pro features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: For HVAC contractors aiming to streamline operations and boost profitability, Housecall Pro is the best HVAC estimating software. It helps you manage jobs efficiently and grow revenue, as seen with some users experiencing 35% average revenue growth.
Conclusion
Still losing bids by thin margins?
It’s a frustrating cycle of manual calculations and missed opportunities. Choosing the right software to finally break free from this is the real challenge for your small business.
DataInsightsMarket found that cloud-based HVAC estimating solutions enable seamless workflow integration from bidding to invoicing. This directly enhances your operational efficiency, reducing costs and helping you move faster.
So here’s what I recommend.
From all the tools I’ve tested, STACK stands out as the top choice. It directly tackles slow, inaccurate bidding by automating your entire preconstruction workflow.
I was especially impressed by its intelligent automation for takeoffs and integrated regional cost data. I believe the best HVAC estimating software like STACK truly empowers your team.
I suggest you book a free demo of STACK and see firsthand how it can transform your bidding process from start to finish.
You’ll start winning more profitable bids.
