Best Estimating App for Kitchen Remodeling: 12 Picks (2026)

What the best estimating app for kitchen remodeling has to carry

Cabinets, counters, plumbing, electrical, and labor share one room. Lump them into one number and you cannot defend it. So we ranked 12 apps on how well they keep them apart.

Layout tools like 2020 Design build a cut list, not an estimate. They do not price the plumbing, the circuits, or the labor.

Itemized lines you can edit, one photo. Price a kitchen line item from a photo in about 6 seconds, then edit before you send. Free to try.

A kitchen line list is five jobs, not one

Lump the trades into one number and you cannot tell a homeowner why it is that number. You also cannot tell which part made money. Each category gets its own line, priced from its own material.

Design and estimating are different jobs

A layout tool builds a 3D kitchen and a cabinet cut list. It does not price plumbing rough-in, circuits, or install labor. You still need a separate estimate for those trades.

The labor rate has to be real

Carpenters are the closest BLS occupation to cabinet install. They earned a median $60,580 a year, or $29.12 an hour. That is a floor for install labor, not a bill rate. It says nothing about plumbing and electrical hours.

A worked kitchen remodel line list

This is the shape of a mid-range kitchen line list, priced on two live material figures. Treat it as the shape of the quote, not a price for your market.

1. Price the cabinet boxes

   Sutherlands lists a 4 by 8 sheet of 3/4 inch birch cabinet plywood at $82.99. Price the sheet count from your cut list.

   A typical box run for base and wall cabinets needs several sheets.

2. Price the countertop

   A 50 by 25 inch Hevea butcher block section is $151.99 at Sutherlands. Price the full run from your layout.

   It is a mid-range surface, priced apart from any stone or quartz slab quote.

3. Add plumbing and electrical as their own lines

   Sink, faucet, and dishwasher hookups go on one line. Under-cabinet lights and new circuits go on another.

   Price each fixture and its rough-in labor apart from the cabinets and counters. Then a change in one does not force a rewrite of the whole quote. A dedicated microwave or disposal circuit and relocated outlets are common in a mid-range kitchen.

4. Price install labor above the wage floor

   Carpenters earned a median $29.12 an hour (BLS). Bill above that, and put the hours on their own line.

   That rate covers install labor only. Plumbing and electrical hours go on their own lines.

5. Total the lines into one itemized document

   Cabinets, counters, plumbing, electrical, and labor, each on its own line, one total. Keep every line visible on the document the homeowner signs. Then a scope change in one trade does not reopen the whole remodel.

The 12 best estimating apps for kitchen remodeling, ranked

Ranked on how well each tool keeps a kitchen quote on separate, editable lines. Then on what it costs. Vendor prices come from each company’s own pricing page.

1. SimplyWise Cost Estimator

   Best for a solo remodeler: photograph the cabinets or counter run, get an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Edit any line, then send a branded quote the client signs. Every line carries unit, quantity, and price, so a mixed job stays separate lines instead of one lump sum. Pricing: $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, with a 7-day free trial.

2. Buildxact

   Digital takeoff from a measured plan, priced against a material list. A cabinet and counter run prices from measured quantities. Pricing: Foundation is $169 a month on annual billing, or $199 month to month. Pro is $339 on annual or $399 month to month.

3. JobTread

   Project management bundled with the estimate: schedules, budgets, and selections. Client messages run against the same job record as the quote. Pricing: $199 a month flat, plus internal users. Each internal user adds $20 a month on monthly billing.

4. Houzz Pro

   Design and proposal tools, closer to selections than to takeoff. Pricing: Design is $99 a month, or about $79 a month on annual billing.

5. Buildertrend

   Runs several remodel jobs at once. Built for bigger shops. Scheduling, budgets, and client messages tie to the job record. It is absorbing CoConstruct. Pricing: It is $449 a month paid annually, or $499 month to month.

6. 2020 Design

   Layout and a cabinet cut list. It does not price plumbing, electrical, or labor. Pricing: $2,495 a year for a Design Flex license.

7. Jobber

   Reusable line items for a remodeler who also runs service calls. Scheduling, quoting, and payments sit in one app, with no photo-to-estimate step. Pricing: Core is $29 a month on annual billing, or $49 month to month, for 1 user.

8. Joist

   A simple estimate to invoice app, capped at 5 documents on Basics. Build an estimate, then turn it into an invoice. Pricing: Basics is $10 a month, or $8.34 a month on annual billing. Pro is $17 and Elite is $32.

9. Contractor Foreman

   Crew tools and daily logs, priced in user bands. Pricing: Basic is $49 a month on annual billing, for 1 user. Standard is $105 for up to 3 users.

10. Contractor+

    A free start, capped at 5 estimates or invoices a month. Read that ceiling before you commit. Pricing: Freedom is free; Pro is $29 a month on annual billing. Pro Team is $58 a month with the first 2 users included.

11. Handoff

    A branded client portal around the proposal. Pricing: Flex is $119 a month billed annually, or $149 month to month.

12. Square

    Quotes plus card payments, with nothing remodel specific. Send an estimate, then take a card on the spot. Pricing: Free plan; 2.6 percent plus 15 cents per tapped card.

How we scored them

We ranked them on speed to an itemized number first, then editable lines, published pricing, mobile use, and project tools.

Try it on the next kitchen line item you look at. Price a job from a photo, then compare the lines to your last handwritten quote.