An Excel quotation template does the maths, costs nothing if you already have Office, and opens on any computer. Ours is free. It stops working when rates are copied between files, versions pile up in WhatsApp chats, and nobody can tell whether the client opened or accepted the quote.
What does an Excel quotation template do well?
The arithmetic. Quantity times rate in one column, SUM for the subtotal, a tax line that follows the subtotal, and a grand total that is always right. Excel is free if you already have Office, and everyone can open the file: clients, accountants and the colleague who checks your prices. Printing to PDF takes one click.
If Excel is enough, here is ours, free: the BOQ template in Excel and Word, with the six-column layout, the formulas already in place and a worked sample. There is no sign-up for the download, and the trade versions for electrical, plumbing and solar work follow the same layout.
When does an Excel quotation template stop working?
When the spreadsheet becomes your quoting system rather than one quote. The signs:
- Rates live in files, not in a library. The price you gave for the same item last month is in another workbook, so you copy it across, or guess.
- Versions pile up. Quote_v2_final.xlsx goes on WhatsApp, then a screenshot of v3, and nobody is sure which one the client is looking at.
- You send a spreadsheet or a screenshot. Cells misalign on a phone, the client sees your formulas, or they get a photo of a laptop screen.
- There is no acceptance record. The client replies "ok" in a chat, or does not, and the date is whatever the chat says.
- No notification. You do not know whether the quote was opened.
- Branding by hand. Logo, colours and layout are redone or copied for each file, and one of them drifts.
- No assumptions and exclusions discipline. They go in a merged cell at the bottom if someone remembers, and the argument about what was included starts later.
Excel template vs EstimateQuote
| Excel quotation template | EstimateQuote | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with Office; our template is free | Free plan: 10 quotes and 5 AI generations a month, 20 clients, no expiry. Pro $9 a month or $90 a year |
| Line-item maths | Formulas, as long as nobody overwrites them | Quantity times rate and the totals are calculated, every time |
| Tax | A formula you maintain | Tax line recalculates with the subtotal |
| Rate library | Copy between files | Remembers your prices; the AI drafts from them; private cost and margin per line |
| Assumptions and exclusions | A cell at the bottom | Their own section on every quote, with validity date and terms |
| Send on WhatsApp | Attach the file or a screenshot | Link with a pre-filled message, or by email |
| Client accept | Reply by chat | Accepts online by typing their name, dated; or declines with a reason |
| Opened notification | None | Email when opened and again when answered |
| PDF branding | Laid out by hand | Your logo and brand colour; free plan PDFs carry a small footer, Pro removes it |
| Time for the 5th quote | Copy the last file and edit it | Describe the job; the AI drafts it from your saved rates |
Which should you use?
A fair rule:
- A few quotes a month, one person pricing, clients who are happy with a PDF by email: Excel is fine. Download the template, keep one master copy and save each quote under its quote number.
- Quotes every week, more than one person pricing, or clients on WhatsApp who need to accept: use a quote tool. The rate library ends the copying, the link ends the version confusion, every line shows your margin with a warning under 15%, and acceptance is on record with a date.
Either way, check the margin before anything goes out; the margin calculator is free. When you want the rate library, the WhatsApp link and the accept button, the free plan is where to start.
Is there a free quotation template in Excel?
Yes. Our BOQ template is free to download in Excel and Word at estimatequote.org/templates/boq-template, with no sign-up. It has the six-column layout (item, description, unit, quantity, rate, amount), the formulas for the amounts, subtotal, tax and total, and a worked sample.
How do I make an Excel quotation calculate totals?
In the Amount column, multiply the quantity cell by the rate cell, for example =D5*E5, and copy that formula down every line. Under the last line, add the amounts with =SUM(F5:F14) for the subtotal. For tax, multiply the subtotal by the rate, for example =F15*17% for sales tax in Pakistan, and add the two for the grand total. Our free template already has these formulas in place.
Can I import my Excel rates into EstimateQuote?
Not today. There is no spreadsheet import. Rates are typed into the rate library, one item with its unit and rate, or they arrive with the AI draft when you describe a job and you edit them. Once a rate is in the library every later quote uses it, so the typing happens once.
Try the quote tool side of the table
Free plan: 10 quotes and 5 AI generations a month, 20 clients, no card and no expiry. Pro is $9 a month or $90 a year.
Related
- PricingFree plan with 10 quotes a month; Pro is $9 a month or $90 a year.
- Free BOQ templateThe six-column quotation layout in Excel and Word, no sign-up.
- How to write a winning quotationThe seven parts of a quotation a client can approve without asking.
Other comparisons: EstimateQuote compared.