A quotation, a price quote and a business quote are the same document, and a good one fits on a single page. The builder on this page is a free quote template: answer the steps on the left, then send the quote as a live link your client can accept, or as a PDF.
What a quote should include
A quote should include who it's from and who it's for, a quote number and date, the work with a price for each part, the total and what's due to start, dates and payment terms, a valid-until date and a way to accept. Here's what each part tells your client.
What a quote should include, and why | | What it says | Why it matters |
| Who and for whom | Your name, your client's name and company, an email for replies | Your client knows where to answer |
| Number and date | The word Quote, a number like Q-0001, the issue date | You both mean the same version |
| The project | Its name and the outcome, in one line | The price reads as a result |
| The work | Parts with a price each, and what isn't included | The total explains itself |
| Optional extras | Additions priced on their own, like rush delivery | Your client can spend more |
| Total and deposit | The total, any discount, what's due to start | No surprise on the first invoice |
| Dates and payment | When you start, how long it takes, when you invoice | Settled before the work starts |
| Valid until | The last day the price holds | Old quotes don't return at old rates |
| Extra work | Your rate outside the scope | Scope creep has a price |
| A short note | Two or three sentences in your words | It sounds like you |
| A way to accept | A button, a signature or a reply | The yes is in writing |
A sample quote, filled in
Here's a quote filled in with the builder's example: a website project in three parts, $4,800 in total, half of it due to start.
The sample quote as your client opens it from the live link. The PDF is the same page. The sample quote's fields, and what to change | | In the sample | What to change |
| The work | Discovery, design, build | Your own stages, three to five lines |
| Prices | $1,200, $2,400 and $1,200 | One per part; the total adds itself up |
| Extras | Rush delivery, copywriting, a revision round, maintenance | What clients ask for after the yes |
| Due to start | 50%, or $2,400 | A quarter to a half for new clients |
| Starts, takes | In ten days, for three weeks | Dates you can keep |
| Payment | 50% to start, the rest on delivery | All upfront, on delivery, or part to start |
| Valid until | 14 days after the quote | 7, 14 or 30 days |
How to price a quote
To price a quote for your services, pick the model that fits how clear the work is: a project fee when you can describe the result, hourly when the scope is still moving, a monthly retainer for ongoing work, or packages when you don't know the budget.
- Project fee: one price for the whole job, in a few parts, for a clear result like a logo or a website. If it takes longer, that's on you, so define the scope tightly.
- Hourly: your rate times the hours, with a cap so your client knows where it stops. The rate calculator suggests a rate from your service, experience and location.
- Monthly retainer: a set fee each month. Say what a month covers: "20 hours of design", not "ongoing support". Once it's accepted, Ruul can invoice it every month.
- Packages: two or three options that differ in what they include, not only in price. Your client picks one; mark the one you'd recommend.
Packages in the builder: each option gets a name, a price and what's included. Quote, estimate, proposal or invoice?
A quote is a set price for the work it describes, an estimate is a best guess that can move, a proposal argues for your approach before the price, and an invoice asks to be paid once the work is agreed or done.
Quote, estimate, proposal and invoice compared | | What it is | When you send it | The price |
| Quote | A set price for the work | Before the work, once the scope is clear | Holds until the valid-until date |
| Estimate | A best guess at the cost | Before the work, while the scope is open | Can move as the work unfolds |
| Proposal | A pitch: the problem, your plan, past work | Before the price, to win the project | A range, or a quote inside it |
| Invoice | A request for payment | After the yes, or when the work is done | The amount due, by a date |
An estimate says "about $3,400 for 40 hours, never more than $3,825"; a quote says "$4,800 for the three parts below, valid for 14 days". A quote with options and a short note can work as a one-page proposal.
Need an estimate instead?
Send an estimate when you can't price the work exactly yet; in this builder, that's the hourly model. Your rate is set, the hours are your best guess, and a cap tells your client where the estimate stops.
On the page, the tasks sit under "The estimate" with their hours, and the figure your client sees is labeled "Estimate": $3,400 for 40 hours in the example. Beside it, "Never more than" shows the cap, $3,825 for 45 hours, so they know the most it can cost. Once the scope settles, switch to a project fee: what you typed stays.
How to write a quote in seven steps
To write a quote, choose how you'll price it, add your client, set the price, offer extras, settle the terms, write a short note and add your details, then send it. The builder walks you through the same seven steps:
- Choose how you'll price it: project fee, hourly, retainer or packages.
- Add your client: a first name and the company are enough.
- Set the price: parts, hours, a monthly fee or options.
- Offer extras: optional additions your client can switch on.
- Settle the terms: start, duration, deposit, validity, discount and your rate for extra work.
- Write a short note: what you heard, and how you'll handle it.
- Add your details: your name, a logo or photo, and your email.
Then send it: on the live link your client picks an option, adds extras and accepts without an account. In the email, give the total, the work in one line and the valid-until date. The PDF is the same page.
What a quote doesn't cover
A quote settles price and scope; contract terms, the record of the yes and the payment live elsewhere:
- Contract terms: who owns the finished work, confidentiality, and what happens if the project stops halfway belong in a service agreement.
- A record of the yes: your client accepts by typing their name; the email that follows is your record.
- Payment: money moves with the invoice, after the quote is accepted.
From accepted quote to paid
Once a quote is accepted, you invoice it: first what's due to start, then the rest on delivery. With Ruul you can invoice clients in 190 countries, even without a registered company. Ruul issues the invoice, collects the payment and pays you out within one business day of your client paying. Your invoices and payouts stay in one place, ready for tax time.
Free quote templates for Word, Excel and PDF
Prefer a file? The same one-page quote is free for Word, Excel and PDF. The builder also adds up the totals, sends a live link and takes your client's yes online.
Questions about quotes
Is a quote the same as a quotation?
Yes. A quotation is the more formal word for a quote: a set price for the work it describes, good until a date. A business quote and a service quote are the same document.
What is a price quote?
Another name for a quote: a fixed price for a described piece of work, with what's included, when it starts and how long the price holds.
Is a quote the same as an invoice?
No. A quote comes before the work and offers a price; an invoice comes after the yes and asks for payment, with the same prices and terms.
What's the difference between a bid and a quote?
A bid is a quote sent in competition, usually to a tender where the client compares several offers against fixed requirements. A quote goes to one client who asked for it.
What's the difference between a quote and a proforma invoice?
A quote is an offer your client can accept or turn down. A proforma invoice comes after the yes and before delivery, often so the client can arrange payment; it doesn't ask for payment yet. Most freelance work needs a quote, then an invoice.
Is a quote a contract?
A quote is an offer. Once your client accepts it, its price and scope can become part of your agreement, but how far that goes depends on the law where you work. For ownership of the work, confidentiality or what happens if the project stops, add a service agreement.
Does a quote need to be signed?
Not always, but you want the yes in writing. On the live link your client accepts by typing their full name, and their email app opens a ready message to you. Once they send it, that email is your record.
How long should a quote be valid?
Two to four weeks is a good default: long enough for your client to decide, short enough that your rates and schedule still hold. The builder sets the valid-until date from the 7, 14 or 30 days you choose.
What happens when a quote expires?
After the valid-until date, the live link tells your client the quote has expired and can't be accepted online anymore. To give them more time, open the quote here again: it's dated today, so the new link has a new valid-until date.
Can I change a quote after sending it?
Yes: edit it here and send the new link or PDF. The old link keeps showing the old version, so tell your client which one is current.
How do I follow up on a quote?
Wait three to five working days, then send one short message: ask if they have questions, offer to adjust the scope, and mention the valid-until date if it's close.
Which currency should I quote an international client in?
The one your client pays in is simplest for them; US dollars or euros keep your price steady if your own currency moves. Agree on it before you send. The builder offers twelve currencies, and Ruul pays you out in more than 140.
Is this quote template free?
Yes. Build as many quotes as you like and send them as live links or PDFs, with no account to create. Each quote carries a small Made with Ruul line at the foot of the page.
Does my client need an account to accept?
No. They open the link in any browser, pick an option if you offered more than one, switch on the extras they want and accept.
