The best painting software for painters

This is Koira's own list, and Koira is on it, first. The order after Koira is not a score: each tool is here because painters look at it, and the table says who it suits.

Prices as each company's own pricing page showed them on October 29, 2026, monthly billing first, in US dollars. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy. Koira's prices are from Koira pricing.

Best for: one to three crew painters that want to start free and add the phone and follow-ups when they are ready.

Koira sends good, better and best from your price list, and it can draft the estimate from your photos; you confirm the numbers before it goes. The deposit is paid on the same page the customer signs. On Grow, two short, polite texts follow up on day two and day four, then Koira stops.

• Price: Office free; Grow $249 a month plus usage at cost; Front Office $499 a month flat, usage included.
• Free plan or trial: Office is free, with no trial clock.
• How the price grows: no per-person fee on any plan. Card payments: 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2% on Office, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Front Office (Koira); on Office that share replaces a monthly fee.
• Worth knowing: Koira does not do payroll, inventory or a dispatch board for a call center.

More: Koira pricing and what a painting company needs from software.

Best for: painting contractors who sell with polished estimates.

PaintScout's pricing is written for painting contractors. Sales covers pricing, estimating and selling, and an Operations add-on covers schedules, jobs and team visibility.

• Price: Sales $119 a month ($99 billed yearly), Operations add-on $99 a month ($79 billed yearly), as PaintScout's pricing page showed on October 29, 2026.
• Free plan or trial: 14-day free trial, no credit card.
• How the price grows: Team seats $20 a month per user.

Best for: general field service, painting listed.

Jobber lists painting among the industries it serves. Quote follow-ups come in on Connect, and optional line items and quotes with photos and reviews on Grow.

• Price: Core $49 a month, Connect $139, Grow $199 for one user on monthly billing; $29, $99 and $149 a month billed yearly, as Jobber's pricing page showed on October 29, 2026.
• Free plan or trial: Free trial, no credit card.
• How the price grows: By plan and team size; the page shows one-user prices.
• Worth knowing: The AI Receptionist ($29 a month), Pipeline ($49) and Marketing Suite ($99) are add-ons below Plus.

Compared on Koira: Jobber alternative for painters and Jobber pricing, explained.

Best for: sales proposals on the top plan.

Housecall Pro lists painting among its industries. Consumer financing and review management are on Basic, and the sales proposal tool on Max.

• Price: Basic $79 a month, Essentials $189, Max $329; $59, $149 and $299 a month billed yearly, as Housecall Pro's pricing page showed on October 29, 2026.
• Free plan or trial: Free for 2 weeks, no credit card.
• How the price grows: Users included by plan, then $35 a month each added user on Max.
• Worth knowing: The AI answering (CSR AI), Pipeline, Campaigns, Voice, Websites and Tap to Pay are listed as separate products with no price on the pricing page.

Compared on Koira: Housecall Pro alternative for painters and Housecall Pro pricing, explained.

Best for: solo painters who mostly estimate and invoice.

Joist is built for solo contractors who mainly need estimates, invoices and payments. Change orders come in on Elite.

• Price: Basics $10 a month, Pro $17, Elite $32 on monthly billing; Run $70 as an introductory price, $100 regular, as Joist's pricing page showed on October 29, 2026.
• Free plan or trial: 14-day free trial, no credit card.
• How the price grows: By plan; Basics is capped at 5 documents a month.
• Worth knowing: Basics is capped at five documents a month.

Best for: design-heavy jobs and a free start.

Houzz Pro is built for remodelers, builders and designers selling design-heavy projects, and a free plan covers the 3D floor planner, estimates and invoicing.

• Price: A free plan, Pro $199 a month for 1 user, Teams from $399 with 5 users, as Houzz Pro's pricing page showed on October 29, 2026.
• Free plan or trial: Free plan, and a free trial with no credit card.
• How the price grows: Seats by plan, $50 a month each added user.
• Worth knowing: Design and Pro include one seat each; every added user is $50 a month.

Compared on Koira: Houzz Pro alternative and Houzz Pro pricing, explained.

Best for: estimates with options on a low first plan.

QuoteIQ lists painting among its industries. Essentials already includes estimates with options and customer financing for one user.

• Price: Essentials $29.99 a month for 1 user, then Beginner $99.99, Pro $199.99, Elite $299.99 and Max $699.99, as QuoteIQ's pricing page showed on October 29, 2026.
• Free plan or trial: 14-day free trial on every plan.
• How the price grows: Users and monthly IQ Credits by plan, $25 a month each added user.
• Worth knowing: AI features draw on monthly IQ Credits, and extra credits cost more.

Compared on Koira: QuoteIQ alternative for painters.

This is Koira's list, written by Koira, and Koira is on it. We say that first because it matters when you read the rest. Koira is listed first because it is ours; the other tools follow in no ranked order, and none paid to be here.

The others are the tools painters look at most: specialists built for the trade (PaintScout), and general field service apps that list the trade among the industries on their own site.

Every price, plan name, trial and pricing model was read on October 29, 2026 from the company's own pricing page, as raw page text. When a company publishes no price, we say so and link the page instead of guessing. Who each company is for and what sits on which plan come from its own pages too, checked between October 8 and October 29, 2026. We did not use review sites or third-party price lists, and we did not test every tool hands on. How Koira makes its data is on the methodology page.

Painters win on bids. Pull your last twenty estimates and count the ones you never heard back on; if that pile is the biggest, options on the estimate and follow-ups matter most.

Then price it for exterior season, when you add a helper. Per-user and per-seat fees add up then; Koira has no per-person fee.

For what a painting company needs from software, feature by feature, see painting software.