GuideGetting startedUpdated 2026

How to use QuoteIQ: setup to first paid invoice

This is the order we'd set QuoteIQ up in if we were starting again: account, services, payments, then a real estimate, a booked visit and an invoice that gets paid. It follows QuoteIQ's own documented onboarding and adds what the sign-up screens don't tell you.

By the QuoteIQ Review editorial teamPricing checked Oct 2026

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Short answer

Sign up, pick the plan you would really pay for, then spend your first two days on the price book and payments. Everything else in QuoteIQ (the AI Estimator, the calendar, invoices) gets faster once your services and prices are saved. Use the 250 trial credits on test estimates, not on the AI receptionist.

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Step 1: create the account

QuoteIQ's help article How to set up your account lists the sign-up flow.:

Click "Try It for Free" and enter an email and password.
Add your first name, last name and phone number.
Enter the company name and choose your industry.
Optionally upload a logo, add your website and enter the business address.
Choose a currency and say how you heard about QuoteIQ.
On the dashboard, select a plan and start the 14-day trial. This is where the card is required.

Two things to know before step 6. First, a trial runs on the plan you choose, with that plan's limits, so a feature you never see on Essentials may simply be a Pro or Elite feature. Second, changing plans mid-trial ends the trial and bills immediately, per QuoteIQ's terms. If you're unsure which tier you need, read our pricing breakdown first.

Step 2: build the price book

The price book is QuoteIQ's list of saved services. When you quote, you tap a saved service, enter a quantity and the totals update. It's on every plan, and it's the single thing that decides whether quoting feels fast or slow.

Start with your top 15 to 20 services. The jobs you quote every week, with your real unit price and a short customer-facing description.
Set default pricing and tax. QuoteIQ's Account & Setup collection has separate articles on adding services and default pricing.
Add materials and markups if you sell parts, so estimates show them as lines rather than burying them in labor.
Coming from another CRM? AI Smart Import reads a CSV export and maps the columns, including services and price book. Our Jobber switching guide walks through it, and the help center covers importing contacts.

Step 3: connect payments

Do this before your first invoice, not after. QuoteIQ's payments setup article walks through connecting the processor, and there are separate Stripe set-up guides for the US, Canada and international accounts. Once connected you can take cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), ACH, Apple Pay and Google Pay on every plan, plus tips and customer financing.

Know that processing fees are separate from the subscription and QuoteIQ doesn't publish the rates on its payments page. Its terms also say new subscriptions process through Whop, with Stripe for legacy users, so check which one your account uses and read that provider's rates before you send a big invoice.

Step 4: your first estimate with the AI Estimator

Contractor photographing a house exterior to build an estimate — Illustration: the AI drafts from what you give it, so good photos and a clear description matter.

The AI Estimator is on every plan. The flow QuoteIQ describes:

Describe the job by text or voice and attach up to five photos (or MapMeasure Pro measurements on Beginner and up).
Answer the five follow-up questions the AI asks about the job.
Review the line items it returns. Each line carries a High or Medium confidence score, and suggested add-ons appear alongside.
Edit anything that's wrong in the normal estimate editor, then send by email or text.

It typically costs 5 to 15 IQ Credits per estimate, and the balance shows before you generate. QuoteIQ's own caveat is the right rule: the AI only works from what you've told it about the site, so check quantities and prices against what you saw. For repeat jobs, a plain estimate from the price book is often quicker than the AI.

Before sending, decide on three settings: the estimate type (Standard, Quick, Options for good/better/best, or Package for bundles), whether to require a deposit, and the expiry date. Customers can sign on their phone, ask for changes or decline with a reason. If you edit an estimate after sending it, the pending signature is voided, which protects you from someone signing an old version.

Step 5: put the job on the calendar

The scheduling calendar has day, week and month views, a job map and a day-as-a-list view. On a computer you drag a job to a slot and drag to reschedule, with a five-second undo, and QuoteIQ warns you about conflicts. Recurring visits, "Schedule Later" and mass rescheduling are all on the base plan.

What depends on the tier: Google Calendar two-way sync starts at Beginner (and uses credits per event synced), assigning team members and "On The Way" texts start at Pro, and route optimization and customer self-booking start at Elite. More on that in our scheduling and dispatch review.

Step 6: invoice and get paid

When the work is done, convert the estimate to an invoice so nothing is retyped, then send the payment link by text or email. Set terms (due on receipt, or Net 15 to Net 90), and turn on payment reminders, which can go out an hour, a day, a week or a month after sending. Invoice subscriptions handle maintenance plans, and mass invoicing arrives on Beginner. If you keep books in QuickBooks Online, the sync starts on Pro; QuickBooks Desktop isn't supported. Our invoicing and payments page has the detail.

First-week checklist

Day	Do this	Why
1	Account, logo, address, plan choice	Branding prints on every document
1–2	Top 15–20 services, tax, default terms	Makes every quote faster
2	Connect payments; send yourself a $1 invoice	Find payout problems before a customer does
3	Import or add customers	Check email opt-ins before automations run
3–4	Three AI estimates on real jobs	Compare against your own pricing
4–5	Schedule real visits; add a user if you have one	Shows whether your plan covers your team
6–7	Invoice and collect on a real job	The full loop, before the trial ends

One import gotcha from QuoteIQ's help center: since the October 2026 update, newly imported contacts are opted in to automated emails by default, and CSV imports also get text campaigns. Check those settings before switching on any automation.

What to leave until week two

The AI receptionist, review requests, proposals and the website builder can all wait. The Virtual Call Team uses 125 credits per minute, so the 250 trial credits cover about two minutes of calls. Proposals cost 100 credits each to send on Essentials, Beginner and Pro (free during the trial). Automated review requests need Elite. Our IQ Credits guide explains how to budget for all of it.

If the week went well, decide on monthly or annual billing before the trial converts; our annual vs monthly guide does the math. If it didn't, here is how to cancel QuoteIQ before you're billed.

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How to use QuoteIQ: common questions

Is QuoteIQ hard to learn?

The basics are not. Reviewers on the app stores and Capterra mostly call it easy to navigate, and quoting is quick once your services are saved. The common complaint is the opposite problem: there are a lot of features, so setup takes time. Ignore everything except services, payments, estimates and the calendar for the first week and it stays manageable.

Do I need to pick a plan before I can use QuoteIQ?

Yes. After the sign-up questions, QuoteIQ takes you to the dashboard, where you choose a plan and start the 14-day trial. A credit or debit card is required at that point. Pick the plan you would actually pay for, because changing plans during the trial ends the trial and bills you straight away.

Can I use QuoteIQ on my phone and computer?

Yes. There are native apps for iPhone, iPad and Android plus a web app that runs in any browser, and the data syncs between them. In practice most owners build the price book and settings on a computer, then quote, schedule and take payments from the phone in the field.

How many IQ Credits do I get during the trial?

A flat 250 IQ Credits on every plan, whatever tier you trial. The AI Estimator typically uses 5 to 15 credits per estimate, so that covers plenty of test quotes. AI phone answering burns credits much faster, at 125 per minute, so test the Virtual Call Team with a few short calls rather than leaving it on the main line.

Where can I get help while setting QuoteIQ up?

QuoteIQ's help center runs on Intercom and has an Account & Setup collection plus video tutorials. Live email and text support runs every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central on every plan, with AI help around the clock. That support comes from QuoteIQ itself; we're an independent review site and can't access your account.