A quote, or quotation, is a written offer: it tells your client what you'll do, what it costs and how to say yes, before any work starts. A good one does it on a single page, in plain words, with nothing left to guess. Your client may read it days after the call, next to other quotes, so the page has to make your case without you in the room.
What to include in a quote
A professional quote should include who it's from and who it's for, a quote number and date, the work in priced parts, optional extras, dates, payment terms, a rate for extra work, a valid-until date and a short note. Everything your client needs to decide belongs on the page:
- Who it's from and who it's for: your name, your client's name and company, and an email their answer can reach.
- A quote number and date: so you can both refer to it later and nobody acts on an old version.
- The work, in parts: a few lines with a price each, so the total explains itself. "Logo, type and color palette" says more than "Design services".
- Optional extras: additions your client can choose, priced on their own. They raise the value of the deal without raising the base price.
- Dates: when you can start and how long the work takes.
- Payment terms: what's due before you start, and when the rest is invoiced.
- A rate for extra work: what anything outside the scope costs. It settles scope creep before it starts.
- A valid-until date: how long the price holds, so an old quote doesn't come back at an old rate.
- A short note: two or three sentences in your own words: what you heard, and how you'll handle it. It's the part that sounds like you.
How to price a quote
To price a quote for your services, first 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. Then set the numbers:
- Project fee: one price for the whole job. Best when you can describe the result: a logo, a website, a report. Your client knows the total up front; if the work takes longer, that's on you, so define the scope tightly.
- Hourly: your rate times the hours. Best when the scope is still moving, like ongoing fixes or research. List the tasks with their hours and add a cap, so your client knows where the estimate stops. Not sure what to charge? The rate calculator suggests a rate from your service, experience and location.
- Monthly retainer: a set fee each month for ongoing work, like content, design on call or support. Say exactly what a month covers: "20 hours of design" is easier to agree to than "ongoing support". Once it's accepted, Ruul can invoice it every month.
- Packages: two or three options at different prices, and your client picks one. Best when you don't know the budget. Make the options differ in what they include, not just in price, and mark the one you'd recommend.
Quote vs estimate vs invoice
A quote is a set price for the work it describes, good until the date on it. An estimate is a best guess that can move as the work unfolds. An invoice comes after the yes and asks to be paid for work agreed or done.
Quote, estimate and invoice compared | | Quote | Estimate | Invoice |
| What it is | A set price for the work | A best guess at the cost | A request for payment |
| When it's sent | Before the work starts | Before the work, while the scope is open | After the yes, or when the work is done |
| The price | Holds until the valid-until date | Can move as the work unfolds | The amount due |
| Your client | Accepts it | Plans a budget with it | Pays it |
Hourly quotes sit between a quote and an estimate: the rate is set, the hours are an estimate, and a cap tells your client where the estimate stops.
A proposal is a longer pitch than a quote: it argues for your approach, with the problem, the plan and past work, before the price. When your client already knows what they need, a quote is enough, and a quote with options and a short note works as a one-page proposal.
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 as a live link or a PDF. The builder on this page walks you through the same seven steps:
- Choose how you'll price it: a project fee, hourly, a monthly retainer or packages. You can switch later without losing what you typed.
- Add your client: a first name and the company are enough. Their name leads the page.
- Set the price: the parts of the job, your rate and hours, what a month covers, or your options.
- Offer extras: optional additions your client can switch on from the live link.
- Settle the terms: start date, how long it takes, what's due to start, how long the quote is valid, any 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 photo or logo, and the email where your client's answer should land.
Then send it. On the live link your client picks an option, adds extras and accepts, no account needed. The PDF is the same page, for clients who'd rather have an attachment.
Tips for a quote that gets a yes
A quote gets a yes when it arrives soon after the call, says exactly what's included, offers two or three options, asks for a deposit on new or long projects and gets one follow-up:
- Send it soon: a quote that arrives the day after the call still has the conversation's momentum.
- Be specific: say what's included, and what isn't.
- Offer options: with two or three packages, your client chooses how much to spend instead of whether to hire you.
- Ask for a deposit on new or long projects: a quarter or a half up front covers your first weeks and shows commitment.
- Follow up once: if a few days pass without an answer, a short message asking whether they have questions is enough.
What a quote doesn't cover
A quote settles price and scope. Contract terms belong in a service agreement, the record of the yes is your client's email, and the payment comes with the invoice:
- 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, and their email app opens a ready message to you. Once they send it, that email 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
If you'd rather fill in a file, there's a blank version of the same one-page quote for Word, Excel and PDF, free to download. The builder on this page does more on its own: it adds up the totals, sends a live link and lets your client accept online.
Frequently asked questions
Is this quote template free?
Yes. Build as many quotes as you like, send them as live links or download them as PDFs. There's no account to create.
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, a price quote and a service quote are the same document too.
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.
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 date from the number of days you choose.
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.
