Landscaping estimate software prices an install by area from the takeoff, the beds, the turf, the hardscape squares, converted to plants, soil, base and pavers at the supplier's price with the waste, then crew hours at a loaded rate and the equipment; a maintenance contract is priced on its own schedule as a retainer. A landscaper buying software should ask whether it prices by area and keeps a plant and material library, because that is where the takeoff time goes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited below, puts the median annual wage for cost estimators at $78,740 in May 2025; the free template on this site prices the install from the takeoff total, the hours and the markup.
By area, from a library
Square feet of bed, of turf, of paver: the takeoff is areas, and the library converts them to plants, soil, base and pavers at the supplier's price with the waste. Software that prices by item without areas leaves the estimator counting plants by hand.
Crew hours and equipment on their own lines
The install crew's loaded rate and the skid steer's day rate are separate lines a customer reads; the template on this site takes labor and equipment separately so they print separately. The free estimate template on this site prints the lines and the margin from your own takeoff and markup, and Markupbird Pro keeps the estimate against the customer and the job with the win or loss recorded against the markup.
Maintenance as a retainer, not an install
Mowing, pruning and seasonal visits are a schedule priced per visit and billed monthly; software that prices maintenance like an install misprices both. Pro keeps install estimates and maintenance retainers as different records.
Questions people ask about landscaping estimate software
Is there free landscaping estimating software?
The estimate template on this site prices a job from your own takeoff, rate, overhead and markup, free and with no account, and prints the estimate. Markupbird Pro adds the rate tables, the estimates kept against customers and jobs, and the wins recorded against the markup.
What markup should the estimate carry?
Whatever covers the overhead share and leaves the profit the company needs, chosen with the margin in front of you; the template prints the margin the total carries at any markup you try.
What quantities does a landscaping estimate need?
Areas into square feet and then into cubic yards or tons from depth with waste, plants by species and size, hardscape by area and length with a cut allowance, and irrigation by the zone.