BuildWell
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Estimate and win the job
Estimating softwareAI estimatesEstimate appQuote softwareE-signature appClient portalSpanish estimates
Invoice and get paid
Invoicing softwareInvoice appDeposits and progress paymentsOnline payments
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A client portal that makes saying yes easy

Clients tap a link, read the estimate or invoice and sign or pay on their phone. No download and no account.

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The BuildWell inbox showing when clients view estimates and pay
At a glance

Client portal, in short

  • One link per document, opens in any browser
  • Accept with a finger-drawn signature, or decline
  • Card and bank payments once you set them up
  • See how many times it’s been viewed, and when
  • Client pages in English or Spanish
  • Your template, logo and colors on every page

A link instead of a login

Plenty of client portals ask your client to make an account and remember a password. BuildWell doesn’t: every estimate and invoice gets its own link.

The fewer steps between your message and the document, the sooner you hear back and the sooner the work gets on your calendar. Here’s how it works:

  • You text or email the link, and the client taps it
  • It opens in whatever browser they already use
  • It works on a phone, a tablet or a computer
  • There’s nothing to install and nothing to sign up for
  • Easy for busy homeowners, older customers and property managers juggling several jobs
The Send estimate sheet on a phone: text message, email, copy link or download PDF

Your estimate, the way you designed it

The client page shows the full document in the template you chose, with your logo, your brand color and your business details. It matches the PDF, so what you see on your own screen is exactly what the client reads on theirs.

Sent documents keep their look: switch templates or change your color next month, and an estimate a client is already reading doesn’t suddenly change under them. The page shows:

  • Your template: Classic, Headline, Banner, Statement, Minimal or Letterhead
  • Line items and job steps
  • The discount, sales tax and total
  • Your terms and conditions, printed below
The estimate as the client sees it on a phone, beside the six document designs in Customize

Accept and sign, or decline

Under the estimate, the client types their name, draws a signature with a finger, and taps Accept. Accepting needs both a name and a signature, so you never get a half-finished yes.

They can also download the PDF to keep, or to forward to a spouse or business partner before they decide. If the answer is no:

  • They tap Decline
  • BuildWell records the date and lets you know
  • You can pick up the phone and ask what would change their mind
  • Turned down in person or by phone? Mark the estimate declined yourself
  • That keeps your list accurate
A signed estimate on the client’s phone, and the inbox with estimates accepted and declined

What’s recorded when they sign

When a client accepts, the estimate is marked accepted on your list and you get a notice right away, on your phone and in the app’s Inbox. A signed estimate shared as a PDF from the app prints an “Accepted by” block with the client’s signature and the date.

Electronic signatures are generally valid in the US, but for how your own contracts should be written, worded or signed, it’s worth asking a local attorney. With each signature, BuildWell records:

  • The client’s name
  • The signature image
  • The date and time
  • The IP address the signature came from
An estimate’s activity ending in Accepted by Ines Castellano, with an Estimate accepted notification

Invoices with pay buttons

Invoice links open the same way. If you’ve connected Stripe, the client sees Pay by card and Pay by bank buttons with the invoice, and the payment is recorded on it automatically.

If you asked for a deposit, the page shows that amount as due now, and that’s the amount the buttons charge. Under “How to pay,” the invoice also lists the other ways you take money:

  • Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, check or cash
  • PayPal, which becomes a PayPal button for the amount due
  • Want sign-off on the final bill? “Ask for signature” adds a name and signature form
The client’s invoice page on a phone with the amount due now, how to pay and the Pay online button

Know when they’ve looked

Each estimate and invoice shows how many times the client has viewed it and when they last opened it, so you’re not left wondering if it got buried in their messages. If they’ve opened it three times since yesterday, it’s probably a good moment to call and answer their questions.

You can turn notice categories off if you’d like fewer interruptions. Otherwise, you hear about it when:

  • A client views, accepts or declines an estimate
  • A client signs an invoice or pays
  • A payment fails or is disputed
  • An estimate has no response after three days, as a reminder to follow up
The inbox on a phone, and an estimate’s activity: sent to the client, viewed 3 times

Spanish for clients who read Spanish

Print any estimate or invoice in English or Spanish, whatever language you use the app in. Set a default language for your account, then change it on any draft; the choice is per document, not per client list.

A sent document keeps the language it went out in, so a client never opens a link to find it switched. Choose Spanish, and the client sees:

  • Spanish labels like “Presupuesto”
  • Catalog items in Spanish
  • Your own free-text lines, translated by AI
  • The signing page and the pay page in Spanish too
An estimate in Spanish on the client’s phone, titled Presupuesto, with Spanish labels and lines

Changes, resends and old links

If a client asks for changes after you’ve sent an estimate, revise it. BuildWell keeps the original, retires its link so the old price can’t be signed by mistake, and gives you a new version to send for a fresh signature.

An invoice you void shows as voided when the client opens its link. Resending is simple too:

  • Send each estimate or invoice up to five times in total, counting the first
  • Send by text, email or a copied link
  • Enough for a gentle reminder or a client’s new number, without burying anyone
  • The Inbox’s Send reminder button re-shares the link for you to send
A sent estimate on a phone with Send again, after the client viewed it 3 times
How it works

From sent link to signed

  1. 1

    Send the link

    Text or email it from your own number or address, or copy it anywhere.

  2. 2

    They open it

    It opens in any browser with your look, in English or Spanish.

  3. 3

    They sign or pay

    Accept with a name and signature, decline, or pay by card or bank.

  4. 4

    You get a notice

    Views, signatures and payments show up on your phone and in the Inbox.

By hand vs with BuildWell

Getting a client’s answer on an estimate, the old way with attachments and a printer, and with BuildWell.

The jobBy handWith BuildWell
Sending the estimateAttach a PDF and hope it doesn’t land in spam.A link texted from your own number.
Knowing it was readCall and ask whether they got it.See how many times it was viewed and when.
Getting it signedPrint, sign, scan and send back, or meet in person.They sign with a finger on their phone.
Hearing a noSilence, sometimes for weeks.A Decline button, and a notice when they tap it.
Collecting paymentWait for a check, or take card numbers over the phone.Pay buttons on the invoice page.
Spanish-speaking clientsTranslate it yourself, or send it in English anyway.Client pages in Spanish, with your lines translated.

Built for your trade

Line items, labor hours and local prices for the work you actually do.

Bathroom remodelingCarpentryCleaningConcreteDeck buildingDrywallElectricalFencingFlooringFramingGeneral contractorHandymanHVACKitchen remodelingLandscapingLawn carePaintingPlumbingRoofingSidingTileWindow and door
Pricing

One plan. Every feature.

Weekly
$7.99 / week
Billed weekly. Cancel anytime.
  • AI estimates priced for your area
  • Estimates, invoices, clients and projects
  • Clients sign on any phone
  • Card and bank payments, no extra BuildWell fee
  • iPhone, Android and the web
Start free trial
Best value
Annual
$79.99 / year
About $6.67 a month, billed yearly
  • AI estimates priced for your area
  • Estimates, invoices, clients and projects
  • Clients sign on any phone
  • Card and bank payments, no extra BuildWell fee
  • iPhone, Android and the web
Start free trial

Both plans include every feature and start with a 3-day free trial. Add a card to start; you’re not charged until the trial ends. Cancel anytime.

Free tools to go with it

Generators, templates, calculators and guides. No sign-up.

Estimate generatorMake one free Invoice generatorMake one free Estimate templatesDownload Scope of work guideRead the guide Payment terms guideRead the guide

Client portal FAQ

01Does my client need an app or an account?
No. Every estimate and invoice has its own link, and it opens in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Your client never makes an account or remembers a password. They tap the link you sent, and the document is right there.
02Is it a portal where clients see all their jobs?
No. Each estimate and invoice has its own link rather than a login page. On your side, each client’s page in BuildWell lists their estimates and invoices with their outstanding balance, so you still see the whole relationship in one place.
03How does a client sign?
They type their name, draw a signature with a finger in the box, and tap Accept. Both the name and the signature are required. BuildWell records the name, signature, date and time, and IP address, and sends you a notice.
04Is the signature legally binding?
Electronic signatures are generally valid in the US. BuildWell records the name, signature, date and time of each acceptance, and the signed PDF shows who accepted and when. For questions about your own contracts, ask a local attorney.
05Can clients decline an estimate?
Yes. A Decline button sits next to Accept. BuildWell records the date and sends you a notice. It doesn’t ask the client for a reason, so a quick call is the best way to find out what would change their mind.
06Can I see if a client opened it?
Yes. Each estimate and invoice shows how many times it’s been viewed and when it was last opened, and you get a notice when a client views it. If an estimate gets no response after three days, BuildWell reminds you to follow up.
07Can I resend the link?
Yes, up to five sends per estimate or invoice in total, counting the first, by text, email or a copied link. The Inbox also has a Send reminder button that re-shares the link for you to send from your own phone.
08Can clients pay from the link?
Yes. Connect Stripe, and invoice links show Pay by card and Pay by bank buttons. Payments are recorded on the invoice automatically. Your Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal and check details show on the page too, under “How to pay.”
09Can I sign a client in person instead?
Yes. Use Collect client signature on your phone, and the client signs right there with a finger. If the estimate is still a draft, BuildWell sends it first. It’s handy at the kitchen table, when the client is ready to say yes.
10How much does BuildWell cost?
BuildWell costs $7.99 a week or $79.99 a year, with a 3-day free trial. Client links, e-signatures and online payments are included, and your clients never pay anything to open, sign or read your documents.

More of BuildWell

E-signature app

Clients sign your estimates with a finger on their phone, from a link or in person. Name, signature and date go on the document. No app or account for them.

Learn more →

Online payments

Let clients pay invoices by card or bank transfer from a link. Payments go to your bank through Stripe. BuildWell adds no fee of its own. Zelle and check too.

Learn more →

Spanish estimates

Use BuildWell in Spanish, and print any estimate or invoice in Spanish or English, whichever your client reads. Signing and pay pages follow the document.

Learn more →

Invoicing software

Turn a signed estimate into an invoice, bill deposits and progress payments, send a link clients pay from, and see what’s still owed. Built for contractors.

Learn more →

Deposits and progress payments

Ask for a deposit from 5% to 90% when you send the invoice, then bill the balance or the next payment. Every partial payment is recorded and added up for you.

Learn more →

Client management

Keep every client’s contact details, private notes, estimates and invoices in one list, and see who still owes you at a glance. Clients are added as you work.

Learn more →

Try BuildWell today

Estimates, invoices, e-signatures and payments in one place, on your phone and on the web.

Start for free →3-day free trial. Cancel anytime.