Should the app handle invoicing and payments too?

Not in version one. Quoting is a self-contained problem you can be genuinely good at, while invoicing drags in tax handling, payment processing, and accounting integrations that each carry their own compliance surface. Win the quote screen first; most traders already have something for invoices and will not switch until you are the better quoting tool.

How long does it take to build a quoting app?

The price list, the line-item builder, and the client-facing quote generate in a day or two with an AI builder. The week goes on the details that decide whether it gets used on site: search that finds a price item from three letters, sensible defaults for quantity, and a total that stays visible while the keyboard is up.

How to Build a Trade Quote App with AI (2026)

What a trade quote app needs

Saved price list of labour rates and common materials
Build a quote from line items in under two minutes
Photos from the site visit attached to the quote
Send as a link the client accepts or declines in one tap
Accepted quotes become jobs with a scheduled date

The screens

Screen	What it does
Quotes	Sent, accepted, declined, and expiring quotes with totals
New Quote	Pick a client, add line items from the price list, attach photos
Quote Preview	What the client sees — itemised, with terms and validity
Price List	Labour rates and materials with default quantities
Jobs	Accepted quotes scheduled into a working week

The data model

Trader: businessName, logoUri, vatNumber, defaultTermsText, quoteValidityDays
Client: traderId, name, phone, email, address, notes
PriceItem: traderId, description, unit, unitPrice, category, isLabour
Quote: traderId, clientId, reference, status, issuedAt, validUntil, notes, photoUris
QuoteLine: quoteId, priceItemId, description, quantity, unitPrice, taxRate
Job: quoteId, scheduledFor, status, completedAt

The build prompt (copy this)

Paste this into ShipNative and it becomes a working React Native app with these screens, navigable in a live preview, in about two minutes:

“A quoting app for a self-employed tradesperson — plumber, electrician, or builder. The trader sets up a price list once: labour rates and common materials, each with a unit, a unit price, and a category. Quoting happens on site, so New Quote must be fast and usable one-handed: pick or create a client, then add line items by searching the price list, adjusting quantity, and overriding the price when the job is unusual. The running total and tax update live at the bottom of the screen. Photos taken during the visit attach to the quote. Quote Preview shows exactly what the client will see — the business name and logo, itemised lines, total, terms, and a validity date — and sends it as a link the client opens and accepts or declines with one tap, which notifies the trader. A quote list shows what is outstanding, what is about to expire, and what has been won. Accepting a quote creates a job that can be scheduled into a week view and marked complete. Screens: Quotes, New Quote, Quote Preview, Price List, Jobs. Needs an account per trader, and quotes must be private to the trader who wrote them.”

Then iterate with small, screen-specific prompts (“make the primary button bigger”, “add an empty state”), preview on your own phone, and export the full Expo project whenever you want. The full method: how to build an app with AI.

How it makes money

A flat subscription of about $10–20 a month, with a free tier of three quotes so someone can win a job before paying. Do not take a percentage of quote value — trades price-check aggressively and a cut on their revenue reads as a tax, whereas a fixed monthly fee reads as a tool. The upgrade moment is the first quote they win from their van.

Implementation and the revenue math for every model: how to make money from an app. When you’re ready to ship: App Store and Google Play publishing guides.

Build it now

The prompt above is free to run at shipnative.dev — working trade quote app on your phone today, full code export, no credit card.

How to Build a Trade Quote App with AI