Best Estimating Software for Plumbing: Flat Rate and Options

Ask two plumbers how they price a water heater swap and you’ll get two very different numbers, and often neither of them knows exactly what the job made. Estimating software fixes that in two ways: a flat-rate price book for the repairs you do every day, and option quotes for the big jobs where the customer has choices. This guide covers both, with features and prices from each vendor’s official website as of October 19, 2026.

Part 1: flat rates for everyday repairs

What goes into a plumbing flat rate

A flat rate for, say, replacing a toilet fill valve or clearing a kitchen drain has to cover:

• Parts at your cost, with any markup you apply.
• Average labor time, including diagnosis and cleanup, at your real cost per hour (wage plus payroll taxes and benefits, or your own target pay).
• Truck and overhead: vehicle, insurance, the office and the unbillable hours. The hourly rate calculator helps you find this number.
• Margin: what’s left after everything is paid.

Building that for 200 or 300 tasks is weeks of work, which is exactly what flat-rate content providers sell.

Option A: Profit Rhino

Profit Rhino’s plumbing page describes a “digital, up-to-date, flat rate book that you can fully customize.” As of October 19, 2026, its SmartPrice pricing page lists Starter at $39, Plus at $49 and Pro at $59 per technician per month. The plans add quarterly parts updates and OEM search, a management platform to customize the book, and (on higher plans) option templates and a mobile sales tool for presenting options, service agreements and financing. Every plan notes that success coaching and implementation are required, which is a one-time cost on top; ask for it in the written quote.

For a three-plumber shop on Starter, the subscription is 3 × $39 = $117 a month before implementation. According to Profit Rhino, Housecall Pro has also launched a price book powered by Profit Rhino.

Option B: The New Flat Rate

The New Flat Rate builds pricing around five-option menus, with versions for plumbing, HVAC, electrical and chimney. Its pricing page says plans start at $99 per technician per month, across six tiers (Quick Start, Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) that differ mainly in training and coaching. Only the starting price is published, and there’s no free trial.

It suits shops that want help with how to present prices, not just the prices themselves.

Option C: build it in your field service app

If you know your numbers, the price book in your field service software is enough. Housecall Pro includes a price book on every plan and flat-rate pricing from Essentials ($189/month). ServiceTitan and FieldEdge include pricebooks too. Use the job quote calculator to check each task before you load it.

Part 2: option quotes for big-ticket jobs

Water heaters, repipes, sewer line repairs and whole-house filtration are where options pay. Instead of one number, the customer sees two or three, and chooses between your options rather than between you and the next plumber.

A worked example: water heater replacement

Here’s how three options might be built for a standard tank replacement, with made-up numbers (use your own costs):

	Good	Better	Best
Unit (your cost)	$700	$950	$1,400
Labor (4 h × 2 people × $40)	$320	$320	$320
Permit, haul-away, fittings	$200	$200	$250
Extras	–	Expansion tank, 2 more years labor warranty	Expansion tank, leak sensor with shutoff, 5 more years labor warranty

Each column then gets the same markup on materials, overhead and margin, so all three options earn the same percentage, and the bigger ones earn more dollars. The job quote calculator builds each price and shows the real margin; it also handles sales tax on materials only or on the whole job, which depends on your state.

Housecall Pro: options and financing at a published price

Housecall Pro’s plumbing page talks about presenting good, better and best options on water heaters and repipes, and consumer financing is on every plan, so each option can show a monthly payment. Its Sales Proposal Tool (which Housecall Pro values at $40/month) is included in Max ($329/month, or $299 billed annually).

Jobber: simple options from the cheapest plan

Jobber’s plumbing page describes good-better-best quotes customized to the customer’s needs, and customers can approve quotes online. Optional line items, which let the customer add extras like an expansion tank or a leak sensor, are on the Grow plan ($299/month for 5 users, or $229 billed annually). Jobber doesn’t list a flat-rate price book on its pricing page.

ServiceTitan: multi-option estimates for larger shops

ServiceTitan’s plumbing page highlights its multi-option estimator, saying it’s proven to help technicians close more jobs. It’s quote-only, priced per technician, with no free trial.

Quoting sewer line work after a camera inspection

Sewer line repairs are where plumbing quotes go wrong most often, because the price depends on what the camera shows and on what’s above the pipe. Whatever software you use, build these quotes the same way every time:

1. Attach the evidence. The camera video or stills, with the distance to the problem marked, go on the quote. Housecall Pro’s photo reports (from Essentials) are designed for this; in other apps, attach the files to the quote or job.
2. Quote the options the inspection supports: spot repair, full replacement by excavation, or a trenchless method if you offer it, each with what’s included and what isn’t.
3. Spell out the unknowns. Concrete or landscaping restoration, permit and inspection fees, and what happens if the camera missed a second break. A line that says “not included” prevents the argument later.
4. Show financing next to the full replacement. It’s often the option customers want and can’t pay for upfront.

Price each option in the job quote calculator first: excavation days, equipment rental and disposal can eat the margin on a job that looked profitable on the truck.

How to choose

If you…	Look at
Have no price book and want one quickly	Profit Rhino
Want pricing plus sales coaching for your plumbers	The New Flat Rate
Already know your prices	The price book in your field service app
Quote many water heaters and repipes	Housecall Pro (Max for the proposal tool) or Jobber Grow

Who this guide is for (and who it isn’t)

For: residential service plumbers who want consistent, profitable prices and better-converting quotes on big jobs.

Not for: new-construction plumbing contractors bidding from plans, who need takeoff and bid software.

The bottom line

Use a flat-rate price book for everyday repairs, bought from Profit Rhino or The New Flat Rate or built in your field service app, and option quotes with financing for water heaters, repipes and sewer lines, which Housecall Pro and Jobber both support at published prices. Check every price against your real costs before you load it, and confirm current prices on each vendor’s site: the figures here come from official pages on October 19, 2026.