Xactimate is the default pick for most restoration contractors who do insurance work, and Encircle is the best companion for field documentation, because carriers settle claims in Xactimate format and Encircle exports its scope to Xactimate in one click. Prices are charged in different ways, so compare the billing unit first: Xactimate charges per user licence, Encircle charges by annual job volume with unlimited users, and iRestore charges a flat monthly amount for 1 to 24 team members. The cheapest published entry point here is Leap CRM Essential at $79 per month for one user, with a 14-day free trial, while Xactimate Standard starts at $2,390 per year for one platform.
Restoration estimating is not the same as general construction estimating. The estimate must match the format a carrier will review, carry line items priced from a regional price list, and tie back to photos, moisture readings and drying logs. The tools below fall into three groups: the estimating platforms carriers use, the field documentation tools that build the scope, and the job systems that carry the estimate through to billing. Prices were checked on official vendor pages on 12 November 2026.
On this page
Best estimating restoration software: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xactimate | Insurance estimating for restoration contractors | $2,390 per year | No | Visit |
| 2 | Encircle | Field documentation and scope to estimate | $285 per month | No | Visit |
| 3 | Symbility Claims Connect | Contractors whose carriers work in Symbility | quote only | No | Visit |
| 4 | DASH | Mid-size restoration shops with carrier programs | quote only | No | Visit |
| 5 | Albi | Growing restoration firms that want one system | quote only | No | Visit |
| 6 | PSA | Restoration firms that want accounting built in | quote only | No | Visit |
| 7 | Leap | Small residential contractors who estimate in the home | $79 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 8 | iRestore | Small to mid-size restoration teams on a flat rate | $279 per month | No | Visit |
The 8 best best estimating restoration software tools, in detail
Xactimate
Best for: Insurance estimating for restoration contractors
Xactimate is the estimating platform most US property carriers use to scope losses. The vendor page lists Standard at $2,390 for 12 months or $1,575 for 6 months, with one platform of your choice. Pro is $2,690 for 12 months, $1,725 for 6 months or $350 for one month, and it covers all three platforms, plus XactScope, XactRebuild, Sketch AR, Xactware Classroom and Time and Materials tracking.
- The price list is the core of the product, with pricing researched across more than 460 localized markets.
- Sketch tools let an estimator draw the structure in 2D or 3D, measure with a phone, and send finished estimates back in ESX format.
- Choose Standard for one estimator on one platform, and Pro if your team moves between platforms.
Pros
- Carrier-standard estimating format
- regional price lists for 460-plus markets
- desktop, online and mobile share one cloud-synced dataset
Cons
- Standard covers only one platform
- monthly Pro billing costs $350 per month, so 12 months at that rate is $4,200 against $2,690 for the annual Pro term, a $1,510 difference
- no free trial is mentioned on the vendor page
Encircle
Best for: Field documentation and scope to estimate
Encircle turns site evidence into a scope an estimator can use. Field Documentation is $285 per month billed monthly, and Field Documentation plus Scope to Estimate is $583 per month billed monthly. Both plans run on a 12-month term, prices are in USD, and paying annually gives one month of Field Documentation free.
- The Scope to Estimate tier adds AI-generated, IICRC-aligned scopes and exports to Xactimate in one click.
- Encircle prices by how many jobs you run per year, not by seat, and every plan includes unlimited users and unlimited storage.
- Once a shop runs more than 600 jobs a year, pricing moves to custom terms.
- Choose Encircle if weak field notes hold up your estimates, and pick the $583 tier only if you want the scope step included.
Pros
- Unlimited users and storage on every plan
- one-click export to Xactimate
- drying logs, moisture maps and contents inventories in one job file
Cons
- Plans run on a 12-month term
- the page does not state which annual job volume band the $285 price covers
- Scope to Estimate costs $583 per month, not $285
Symbility Claims Connect
Best for: Contractors whose carriers work in Symbility
Symbility Claims Connect, from CoreLogic, is the estimating platform used by carriers and adjusters who standardize on Symbility rather than Xactimate. The old Symbility product page now leads to Cotality, and the vendor publishes no price there. The carrier, not the contractor, often decides which platform a claim must use, so a shop serving both groups may need both tools, which doubles the cost and the training load.
- The product covers field estimating, mobile claims work and line-item pricing, and it connects to job systems such as DASH and PSA.
- Choose Symbility if your carrier programs require it, and ask for the per-user cost and contract term in writing.
Pros
- The main alternative estimating platform to Xactimate
- field estimating with mobile claims tools
- integrates with DASH and PSA
Cons
- No price is published on the vendor page, so every buyer must request a quote
- running Symbility alongside Xactimate means a second estimating licence and a second training effort
DASH
Best for: Mid-size restoration shops with carrier programs
DASH, formerly DASH by Next Gear Solutions and now a Cotality product, is a job management platform for restoration contractors rather than a pure estimating tool. It centralizes job details, tracks budgets with live data, stores photos and video with automatic time stamps, and runs custom workflows with automated tasks and approvals. Its Compliance Manager runs an automated task list so critical steps are not missed.
- DASH integrates with Xactimate, XactAnalysis, Symbility and Encircle, so the estimate and the field file sit under one job number.
- No price is published, and a shop that also wants the Restoration CRM must run a second Cotality product alongside DASH.
Pros
- Job management built for restoration from first notice of loss to closeout
- Compliance Manager with automated task lists
- Cotality property data auto-populates address details
Cons
- The vendor pricing section shows no items, so the price is quote only and buyers must request a demo
- the separate Restoration CRM is a second product that syncs with DASH
Albi
Best for: Growing restoration firms that want one system
Albi is a restoration job management platform built by restorers. The homepage lists three plans: Base, Pro and Enterprise. Base covers photo documentation, a mobile scheduler, e-signatures, equipment scanning, a time clock and moisture mapping.
- Pro adds call tracking and recording, Albi Analytics and access to financials.
- Enterprise adds in-person onboarding, a dedicated account manager and priority support.
- The vendor page shows no prices for any of the three plans, so the starting price here is quote only.
- Choose Albi if you want one platform for office and field work, and ask for the per-user cost and the onboarding fee in writing.
Pros
- Three plans, Base, Pro and Enterprise, cover office and field work in one platform
- Pro adds call tracking, analytics and access to financials
- Enterprise adds in-person onboarding and a dedicated account manager
Cons
- No price is shown on the vendor homepage, and buyers must book a demo to learn the cost
- Base lacks the call tracking, analytics and financial access that Pro includes
PSA
Best for: Restoration firms that want accounting built in
PSA stands for Proven Software Applications, from Canam Systems, and it is a restoration ERP rather than a single estimating tool. Its modules are Proven Accounting, Proven Jobs, Proven CRM, Proven OnSite and Proven Analytics. Proven Accounting is built for the cleaning and restoration industry, with job costing tied to production.
- Proven OnSite sends real-time SMS alerts on arrival time and job completion.
- PSA lists integrations with Xactimate, Symbility, Encircle, Matterport and DocuSketch, so estimates, sketches and field files can move into the same j
- The vendor site shows no price and routes buyers to a demo request.
- Choose PSA if you want accounting inside the same system as job management.
Pros
- Accounting, job management, CRM, field operations and analytics in one package
- integrates with Xactimate, Symbility, Encircle, Matterport and DocuSketch
- vendor in business since 1994
Cons
- No price is published on the vendor site, and buyers must request a demo to learn the cost
- the all-in-one scope means a firm must adopt the built-in accounting to get the full value
Leap
Best for: Small residential contractors who estimate in the home
Leap, formerly JobProgress, is a contractor CRM and estimating platform for residential home improvement work, including roofing, siding and remodeling. Essential is $79 per month for a single user, with a 14-day free trial, and it covers leads, estimates, proposals and an appointment calendar. Team starts at $298 per month, includes the first user, and adds $99 per month for each additional user.
- Team adds unlimited digital signatures, phone and chat support, workflow automations, production management and invoicing.
- Leap states that all plans are one-year contracts billed monthly, so even the $79 Essential plan carries a full year of commitment.
- Choose Leap if you are a solo operator or a small team that sells and estimates in the home.
- Move to Team as soon as a second person needs access, because Essential is hard capped at one user.
Pros
- Published pricing with a 14-day free trial on Essential
- Team starts at $298 per month and adds $99 per month for each extra user
- no extra charge for integrations
Cons
- Essential is limited to 1 user and 5 digital signatures, with email support only
- every plan is a one-year contract billed monthly, with no month-to-month option
iRestore
Best for: Small to mid-size restoration teams on a flat rate
iRestore covers job management, CRM, equipment management, vehicle management and human resources. The vendor pricing page lists $279 per month for 1 to 24 team members, with a $449 setup fee, and $379 per month for 25 to 50 team members, with a $699 setup fee. Both tiers add $50 per month for each additional location, and both include QuickBooks integration and unlimited iSupport.
- More than 50 team members moves to enterprise special pricing.
- At 6 team members, $279 per month works out to $46.50 per person per month, and at 24 members it works out to $11.63 per person per month.
- The setup fee includes importing existing data, 4 custom forms and training.
- Choose iRestore if you want one flat monthly amount for the whole team.
Pros
- Flat monthly rate covers 1 to 24 team members
- QuickBooks integration and unlimited iSupport are included
- setup includes data import, 4 custom forms and training
Cons
- A $449 setup fee applies at the entry tier
- the price rises to $379 per month for 25 to 50 team members
- more than 50 team members moves to enterprise special pricing by quote
How we chose
We included tools that do real estimating or scope work for restoration jobs, or that carry an estimate through job management, billing and closeout. A tool qualified if it was built for property restoration or insurance claims. We did not test any tool hands-on. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pages opened on 12 November 2026, and Sources gives one official page for every item. Where a vendor published no price, we wrote quote only. We did not use customer counts, awards or review scores to rank the items.
Pick by team size and budget
| Team and work type | First pick | Monthly cost to budget | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo estimator on insurance claims | Xactimate Standard | $2,390 per year, about $199 per month on the annual term | Standard covers one platform only |
| Small crew, field notes are the weak point | Encircle Field Documentation | $285 per month | 12-month term, scope step costs $583 per month |
| Small residential contractor, in-home sales | Leap CRM Essential | $79 per month | 1 user only, one-year contract |
| Team of 6 to 24, one flat monthly amount | iRestore | $279 per month plus $449 setup | Price rises to $379 per month above 24 members |
| Mid-size shop, several carrier programs | DASH or PSA | quote only, get it in writing | Demo and quote required, no published price |
| Carrier requires Symbility estimates | Symbility Claims Connect | quote only, get it in writing | May need Xactimate too, so budget for both |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best estimating restoration software for most contractors?
Xactimate is the best pick for most restoration contractors who do insurance work, because carriers scope and settle claims in Xactimate format and its price list covers more than 460 markets. Pair it with Encircle at $285 per month for field documentation, or $583 per month with Scope to Estimate, if your field notes are the weak point.
How much does estimating restoration software cost?
Published entry prices here run from $79 per month for Leap CRM Essential for one user to $285 per month for Encircle Field Documentation, $279 per month for iRestore for 1 to 24 team members, and $2,390 per year for Xactimate Standard. DASH, Albi, PSA and Symbility publish no price, so their cost is quote only.
Which is best for a small restoration team on a tight budget?
Leap is the best low-cost start for a solo residential contractor, at $79 per month with a 14-day free trial, but it is limited to one user and a one-year contract. For a team of 6 to 24 people, iRestore at $279 per month is the better value, because the flat rate works out to $46.50 per person per month at 6 members.
Which is best for a shop that does a lot of carrier program work?
DASH is the best fit for a mid-size shop running several carrier programs, because it is a job management system with a Compliance Manager, automated workflows and links to Xactimate, XactAnalysis, Symbility and Encircle. PSA is the closest alternative if you also want accounting built in. Both are quote only.
Do I need both Xactimate and Symbility?
You need both only if your carrier programs split between the two platforms. Xactimate is the standard for most US property carriers, while some carriers standardize on Symbility Claims Connect. If you serve both groups, budget for two licences and two training efforts, and check which format each carrier accepts first.
Can Encircle replace Xactimate?
No, Encircle does not replace Xactimate. Encircle documents the job, builds moisture maps and drying logs, and creates an IICRC-aligned scope that exports to Xactimate in one click, but the estimator still needs Xactimate to finalize the estimate. Use Encircle to feed Xactimate, not to replace it.
Sources
- https://www.xactware.com/home/products/xactimate.html
- https://www.getencircle.com/pricing/
- https://www.symbilitysolutions.com/symbility-property/our-products/claims-connect/
- https://www.cotality.com/products/dash
- https://albiware.com/
- https://www.canamsys.com/
- https://leaptodigital.com/pricing/
- https://irestore.io/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.