Compare→Insta Quotes vs Buildxact
HONEST COMPARISON
Insta Quotes vs Buildxact
Buildxact is estimating and job-management software for residential builders and renovators.
The short verdict
It offers plan takeoff, supplier price lists, schedules, purchase orders and a client portal, plus a set of AI assistants it calls Blu. Insta Quotes is a lighter, cheaper tool for trades who want a priced quote from a description, voice note or photo, then an invoice, a deposit and a Xero push without running a full build-management system. If you measure off plans and manage whole builds, Buildxact does more; if you mainly need to get accurate quotes out fast, Insta Quotes costs a fraction of the price.
Side by side
| Insta Quotes | Buildxact | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly billing) | ✓ A$29/mo, GST included | $199/mo on Foundation, excluding GST source |
| Users | 1, 2 or 5 users depending on tier | ✓ Unlimited users on every plan source |
| AI | AI drafts the quote on every plan, from text on all tiers and from voice, photo or PDF on Tier 2 and up | Blu AI assistants: Recipe Assistant on all plans; Estimate Generator, Takeoff Assistant and Estimate Reviewer by plan or as paid add-ons source |
| Plan takeoff | Not offered as a takeoff tool | ✓ Digital takeoffs on all plans; Blu auto-measures uploaded plans on Master or as an add-on source |
| Supplier pricing | Your own rate card (CSV import or learned from past quotes) | ✓ Real-time prices from supplier price lists source |
| Invoicing | ✓ Invoices and online deposits on every plan; progress claims on Tier 2+ | Invoicing on Pro and Master source |
| Accounting | Xero push on Tier 2+ | ✓ Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks sync; accounting integrations on Pro and Master source |
| Change orders / variations | Change orders the client accepts online | Change Orders on Pro and Master, with variation approvals shown on invoices source |
| Scheduling, POs, timesheets | Not offered | ✓ Schedules, purchase orders and timesheets (Pro and Master; POs on all plans) source |
| Free trial | 7 days or 7 quotes, no card needed | 14-day free trial source |
Buildxact pricing in AUD
| Buildxact plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | $199/mo paid monthly, $169/mo paid annually source | Billed annually at $2,030. Unlimited users. |
| Pro | $399/mo paid monthly, $339/mo paid annually source | Billed annually at $4,070. Unlimited users. |
| Master | $599/mo paid monthly, $509/mo paid annually source | Billed annually at $6,110. Unlimited users. |
| Annual discount | 15% off source | Buildxact says annual plans get a 15% discount and "require a 12-month commitment". |
| Estimate Generator add-on | +$99/mo source | On Foundation. AI features cost extra below Master. |
| Takeoff Assistant add-on | +$99/mo source | On Pro. |
| Estimate Reviewer add-on | +$149/mo source | On Pro. |
| GST | Excluded source | Buildxact states that all base plans and add-ons "exclude and are subject to GST, where applicable". |
| Currency | Not labelled source | The Australian page shows prices with a "$" sign and does not label the currency. |
Checked on 29 September 2026.
Insta Quotes plans are monthly: Tier 1 is A$29/mo (30 quotes a month, 1 user), Tier 2 is A$59/mo (60 quotes a month, up to 2 users) and Tier 3 is A$99/mo (unlimited quotes, up to 5 users). Insta Quotes prices are in Australian dollars and include GST where applicable. Extra quotes cost A$15 for 10.
Comparing like with like. Buildxact quotes prices before GST and Insta Quotes quotes them after GST, so add 10% to Buildxact's figures before comparing. On that basis Buildxact Foundation is about A$218.90 a month, paid monthly.
New Zealand. Buildxact's NZ pricing page shows the same figures with no currency label, so check with Buildxact whether NZ prices are in NZD. Insta Quotes subscriptions are billed in AUD in both countries.
Choose Buildxact if…
- You price jobs by measuring off plans and want digital takeoff built in.
- You want live prices from your supplier's price list in every estimate, and to send purchase orders straight to that supplier.
- You run whole builds and need schedules generated from your estimate, timesheets and cost tracking against budget.
- Your team is large. Every Buildxact plan has unlimited users, while Insta Quotes tops out at 5.
- You use MYOB or QuickBooks rather than Xero.
- You want a branded client portal where clients approve quotes, invoices and variations and make selections.
Choose Insta Quotes if…
- You're a trade (sparky, plumber, painter, tiler and so on) who mainly needs quotes out quickly, not a full build-management system.
- You want to describe the job in words and get an itemised, priced draft. On Tier 2 and up you can also use a voice note, a photo or a PDF.
- You want invoicing and online deposits at the entry price. Buildxact lists invoicing on Pro and above.
- You're on Xero and want invoices pushed to it (Tier 2 and up).
- Budget matters. Insta Quotes' top tier is A$99 a month including GST, well under Buildxact's entry plan.
- You want to try it without a card: the trial is 7 days or 7 quotes.
Switching from Buildxact to Insta Quotes
- Export your catalogues from Buildxact. In Buildxact, open Catalogs and click "Export to Excel" on each catalogue you want. Buildxact says the same works for assemblies and recipes.
- Export any estimates you want to keep. In an estimate's costings screen, click the settings cog, then "Export to Excel". Buildxact's help centre says estimates and job costings export as a formatting-free Excel file.
- Bring your prices into Insta Quotes. You have two ways to do this. Rate card import: in Settings, go to Rate card, download the CSV template and copy your items into its columns (name, category, unit, unit cost and hours per unit), then use Import CSV. You'll see a preview before anything saves. Train on past quotes: upload an Excel or CSV file of past prices under "Train on past quotes". The AI reads the lines and you tick the ones to keep. We haven't tested a Buildxact export file through either importer, so expect to tidy column names first, and remove commas inside cells before a CSV import.
- Set your defaults. Enter your labour rate per hour and materials markup in Settings so new quotes start from your numbers.
- Connect Xero (Tier 2 and up) and add your logo and bank or PayID details for invoices.
- Quote your next job in both during the trial and compare the result before you cancel anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Insta Quotes or Buildxact better for quoting in Australia?
It depends on what you need. Insta Quotes is an AI quoting app for Australian and New Zealand tradies that turns a job description into an itemised, GST-ready quote in under 30 seconds; plans start at $29 AUD a month. Choose Buildxact if you price jobs by measuring off plans and want digital takeoff built in.
How much does Buildxact cost in AUD compared with Insta Quotes?
Buildxact lists Foundation $199/mo paid monthly, Pro $399/mo paid monthly and Master $599/mo paid monthly on its Australian pricing page (GST excluded, currency not labelled, checked 29 September 2026). Insta Quotes plans are Tier 1 $29 AUD, Tier 2 $59 AUD and Tier 3 $99 AUD a month.
Does Buildxact use AI?
Yes. Buildxact markets a set of AI assistants called Blu. The Takeoff Assistant auto-scales and measures uploaded plans. The Estimate Generator builds an editable estimate from a project description or project type and location. The Estimate Reviewer checks an estimate for missed items. The Recipe Assistant helps with repeatable estimates. Recipe Assistant is on every plan. The others are included on higher plans or sold as monthly add-ons. Insta Quotes includes AI quote drafting on every plan.
Is Buildxact cheaper than Insta Quotes?
No, not on published list prices. Buildxact starts at $199 a month paid monthly, or $169 a month on a 12-month annual plan, before GST. Insta Quotes starts at A$29 a month including GST, and its top tier is A$99. Buildxact includes unlimited users on every plan, though, so the gap narrows for a larger team that needs many logins.
Can Insta Quotes do takeoffs from plans like Buildxact?
No. Insta Quotes accepts a PDF on Tier 2 and up and reads it to draft a quote, but it is not a measuring tool. Buildxact includes digital takeoffs on every plan, and its Blu Takeoff Assistant auto-measures plans on Master or as an add-on. If your pricing depends on measured quantities from drawings, Buildxact is built for that.
Does Buildxact do invoicing and Xero?
Yes, on Pro and Master. Buildxact's pricing chart lists Invoicing and Accounting Integrations on those two plans but not on Foundation. Its financial-tools page says it connects to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks to sync invoices and purchase orders. Insta Quotes includes invoices on every plan, with Xero push from Tier 2.
Can I bring my Buildxact prices into Insta Quotes?
Yes, with some tidying. Buildxact's help centre documents exporting item catalogues, assemblies and recipes, and estimates to Excel. Insta Quotes can import a rate card from CSV using its template columns, or read a spreadsheet of past prices and let you choose which lines to keep. Neither tool imports the other's format directly.
Does Buildxact work in New Zealand?
Yes. Buildxact has a New Zealand site with its own pricing page, which lists the same plans and figures as Australia and says prices exclude GST. The currency isn't labelled, so confirm NZ pricing with Buildxact. Insta Quotes runs a dedicated NZ site and quotes your clients in NZD with 15% GST.
Disclosure. This comparison is written by Insta Quotes. Buildxact details were checked on 29 September 2026 from Buildxact's own website; plans and prices change, so check their site before deciding.
Buildxact features and pricing were researched in 2026 from the sources below and change over time. Confirm current details on Buildxact's own site before deciding.
- Buildxact AU pricing, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact NZ pricing, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact Blu AI assistant, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact financial tools, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact supplier connection, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact customer management, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact job management, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact help: estimate/job data export, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact help: export estimates or job costings, checked 29 September 2026
- Buildxact help: export catalogues to Excel, checked 29 September 2026