Manufacturing quoting software: which kind fits your shop, and what each costs
By Touko Ursin, co-founder of QuotedPart
Comparing quoting tools? Try QuotedPart on one of your own parts first: drop a STEP or PDF below, no account.
Sample: Box housing, $852.09 each at 10 on default US rates. No account., no account
Short answer: Manufacturing quoting software comes in four kinds. Estimating tools price a custom part from its drawing or 3D model (Paperless Parts, Machine Research, Toolpath, CloudNC Quote Agent, Uptool, QuotedPart). Storefronts quote a buyer's upload online (DigiFabster). CPQ prices a configured product from rules. An ERP quote module prices a routing someone enters (JobBOSS², ProShop). Published paid plans start at $20 a month for 8 parts (CloudNC) and $40 per seat a month (Toolpath); checked October 30 to November 6, 2026.
We make QuotedPart, one of the tools compared here. Facts about other tools come from their own pages, with the date we read them. Something wrong? Email support@quotedpart.com.
Manufacturing quoting software is one name for four different jobs. For a shop that makes custom parts to a customer's drawing, it means an estimating tool: software that reads the model or the print, builds the operations and prices every quantity at the shop's own rates. For a shop that sells online, it means a storefront where the buyer uploads a file and sees a price. For a company with a configurable product of its own, it means CPQ. Inside an ERP it means a quote screen where a person enters the routing. This page sorts the named tools into those four, shows what each estimating tool reads and charges, and works out one month's bill for a shop that quotes 100 parts with two estimators. Every vendor fact comes from that vendor's own page, read between October 30 and November 6, 2026.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
The four kinds of quoting software for manufacturers
Start with what you quote, not with a feature list. If the customer sends a drawing of a part you have never made, the hard step is turning that drawing into setup and run minutes, and only the first kind does it. If you make your own product in variants, nobody needs to read a drawing; the options decide the price, and CPQ is built for that. Buying the wrong kind is the most common mistake, because all four are sold with the same words.
Many shops end up with two: an estimating tool for new parts and the ERP for the order, the job and the invoice. That works when a won quote reaches the ERP without retyping.
| Kind | Prices from | Fits | Named tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimating for custom parts | The customer's drawing, 3D model or RFQ email, at the shop's rates | Job shops and contract manufacturers quoting parts they have not made before | Paperless Parts, Machine Research, Costimator, Toolpath, CloudNC Quote Agent, Uptool, Spanflug MAKE, Asytra Quote, QuotedPart |
| Instant quote storefront | A buyer's uploaded CAD file, by rules the shop sets | Shops selling cut, printed or simple machined parts online | DigiFabster; Tempus Tools for laser and sheet cutting |
| CPQ (configure, price, quote) | Options and rules for a product the company designs | Makers of configurable products such as pumps, enclosures and machines | Sold as its own product; Epicor lists it apart from estimating |
| ERP quote module | A routing and bill of material a person enters | Repeat work, and shops that want one system for quote, job and invoice | JobBOSS², ProShop ERP, Global Shop Solutions, Epicor Kinetic |
Estimating tools for custom parts: what each reads and what it charges
Two columns decide most of it. The first is what the tool reads: a 3D model alone misses what is written only on the print, such as material, finish, threads and tolerances. The second is whether the price is published. Six of these nine publish one; for the rest the price follows a demo.
QuotedPart is our product, so read its row with that in mind. It reads the RFQ email, the STEP file and the PDF drawing, proposes a routing on your machines and prices every quantity in under a minute; the estimator edits any line before sending.
| Tool | What it reads | Published price | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperless Parts | 2D and 3D CAD files and PDFs, viewed without native CAD software | No blanket price or price range; priced by modules, integrations, onboarding and contract length, not by seats | No self-serve trial found; the site offers a free demo |
| Machine Research | STEP, CATIA, Parasolid, SLDPRT and 10 more CAD types; CAD, PDF or drawing files uploaded individually or in batches; STEP, SLDASM, CATPRODUCT and NX assemblies | Price not published; the pricing page is a form to request pricing | Free trial with full access and no credit card; length not stated |
| Costimator | Feature-based cycle-time and cost models cover machining, sheet metal, laser cutting and welding; optional 3DFX reads solid-model features. | Pricing is supplied after a demo based on modules, user count and configuration; no dollar list price appears on the demo/pricing page. | Free specialist-led demo can use your own CAD files or drawings and shop rates. |
| Toolpath | Cycle time, material and cost estimates generated automatically from an uploaded model, with DFM review | Core $40 per seat a month billed annually or $50 month-to-month: cost and cycle-time estimating, quotes by email and PDF, QuickBooks integration, unlimited part uploads | Free trial of paid plans, no credit card |
| CloudNC Quote Agent | RFQs forwarded by email, or uploaded CAD files, PDFs and drawings; no specific CAD formats named | Professional: $200/month for 83 parts, $500 for 208 or $1,000 for 416; multi-user; $2.40 per part, overage $3.60 per part | Free plan at $0/month with 3 AI parts a month plus 10 parts at signup, no card; manual quoting without AI uses no parts |
| Uptool | Reads CAD, drawing and BOM formats; real-time email and QuickBooks sync | Starts at $195+ a month, depending on total employees and ITAR; month-to-month, no upfront cost | Free 1-week trial for U.S. shops under 100 people |
| Spanflug MAKE | CAD models and drawings feed turning/milling estimates, programming/setup/manufacturing times, stock selection, operational plans and quote PDFs; the vendor also describes ERP export without naming a connector on this page. | Free: five parts/month and one license. Pro monthly: €399/month plus €79.80 for each additional license. Pro annual: €3,990/year plus €798/year per additional license; the headline rounds its monthly equivalent to €333. | Free plan with five parts a month |
| Asytra Quote | STEP files; a free browser viewer opens STEP, IGES and BREP | Dashboard (internal calculator) $129/month, 1 user, unlimited internal quotes, STEP upload and feature detection, milling and turning cost engine, PDF quote export; extra users $10/month, DFM +$30/month | Dashboard: 7-day free trial, no card; Widget: 7-day trial with card at checkout |
| QuotedPart | STEP/IGES models measured in the browser, DXF flat patterns, PDF drawings read; a part can be priced from the PDF drawing alone | $399/mo per shop ($199 for the first 20 shops), billed monthly | 14-day trial, every feature, no card |
Opens a sample quote (box housing, milled) with every setup, run minute and quantity break. One click, no account.
What 100 quoted parts a month costs with two estimators
List prices are hard to compare because each vendor charges for something different: a seat, a part, a license, the shop's headcount, or the whole shop. So here is one shop priced on each: 100 parts quoted in a month by two people. The sums use only the published prices in the table above.
Read the result as a floor, not a bid. A per part plan grows with RFQ volume, a per seat plan grows with the team, and a flat plan stays where it is. Toolpath's figure covers milling. DigiFabster's leaves out its fee on orders, which depends on what you sell, and Tempus Tools is not in the sum because it prices laser and sheet cutting jobs. Three vendors publish no price at all, so their row is a quote to request.
| Tool | Plan that covers it | Sum | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toolpath | Core, two seats, month to month (CNC milling) | 2 × $50 | $100, or $80 billed annually |
| Asytra Quote | Dashboard and one extra user (STEP files) | $129 + $10 | $139 |
| CloudNC Quote Agent | Professional, 83 parts included | $200 + 17 × $3.60 | $261.20 |
| Uptool | Priced by the shop's headcount, not by parts | From $195; the vendor says most shops pay $195 to $495 | $195 to $495 |
| Spanflug MAKE | Pro monthly and one extra license | €399 + €79.80 | €478.80 |
| DigiFabster | Bare Essential, one technology; multi-user access is listed on Enterprise only | $415 billed annually, and a 4.99% processing fee on orders | $415 and fees |
| QuotedPart | One plan: unlimited users, quotes and parts | Flat | $399/mo per shop ($199 for the first 20 shops) |
| Paperless Parts, Machine Research, Costimator | Priced on request | No public price | Ask for a written quote |
Quoting inside the ERP
Every job shop ERP quotes. The question is where the routing comes from. In the four below, a person builds it: the estimator picks work centers and types setup and run times, and the system applies rates, quantity breaks and margin. That is quick for a repeat part and slow for a new drawing, which is why ProShop lists an estimating tool, Paperless Parts, among its integrations.
If you keep the ERP and add an estimating tool in front, check the handoff before anything else. QuotedPart's side: Connects to QuickBooks Online, JobBOSS², JobBOSS Classic, ProShop, Plex, Fulcrum, Epicor Kinetic, Odoo and MRPeasy (the newest in beta: connect and test today, order push switched on once the connection is checked); CSV and Excel export for any other system. What each connection writes is on the JobBOSS page and in the Epicor Kinetic quoting guide.
| ERP | How it quotes | Drawings and CPQ, in its own description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| JobBOSS² | Rate-based estimating: pre-set burden and labor rates, quantity breaks, setup and run/cycle time, outside services and sales commission; estimates priced by markup or profit percentage; quotes created from estimates in one click and converted to sales and work orders | The quotes feature page does not mention reading drawings, PDFs or CAD models; setup and run times are pre-set rates the estimator applies | No list price; pricing is tailored to the shop's scale and the functionality it needs |
| ProShop ERP | Template-driven quotes with the shop's labor, material and vendor costs, profit guards and quantity breaks based on actual job costs; awarded quotes convert to customer POs and work orders | The estimating and quoting page does not mention reading drawings, PDFs or CAD models | Pricing customized per shop; standard and government options; request a proposal by form |
| Global Shop Solutions | Estimates use single-level or BOM routers; won quotes generate sales orders; repeat quotes reuse system data; estimated and actual time can be compared by job sequence. | The estimating and quoting page does not describe reading drawings; a CAD Interface is listed separately in the site navigation | No dollar subscription, license, implementation or renewal price was shown on the home and estimating pages checked; request a written proposal. |
| Epicor Kinetic | Sales Management describes RFQ tracking, estimating and quotation management, order management and quantity/value discounts. | Configure Price Quote is listed separately from Estimating and Quotation Management on the Sales Management page. | No dollar list price is displayed on the Kinetic product page. Bundle selection covers platform core, cloud package and concurrent users. |
How to choose in an afternoon
A demo on the vendor's sample part proves little. Use your own RFQs and a clock.
- Count last month's RFQs by kind: new drawings, repeats, configured products. The largest group names the kind of software you need.
- Pick five parts you have already made and know the hours for. Use the files exactly as the buyer sent them, PDF included.
- Time each tool from the RFQ arriving to a quote you would send. Note what you had to type that was already on the print.
- Check that setup is charged once per lot and run time per piece, at 1, 10 and 100 pieces. A tool that spreads setup wrong is wrong at every quantity but one.
- Price it at your real volume and team size, with the table above as the method, and ask what the contract term is.
- Ask how a won quote reaches your ERP or accounting system, and see it happen once.
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
Competitor prices here are labeled as a shop's reported quote, the vendor's published price or a third-party estimate; see how we source and label competitor prices.
- Paperless Parts: 2D and 3D CAD files and PDFs, viewed without native CAD software (their words: “View PDFs & 3D CAD files without native CAD software.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Paperless Parts: No blanket price or price range; priced by modules, integrations, onboarding and contract length, not by seats (their words: “Paperless Parts does not have a blanket price range.”) — source (checked 2026-11-05)
- Paperless Parts: No self-serve trial found; the site offers a free demo (their words: “Book Free Demo”) — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- Paperless Parts: Analyzes part geometry and automatically calculates cost and price with the shop's operations, rates and pricing logic; estimators review and can adjust every quote (their words: “then automatically calculates cost and price using your shop’s operations, rates, and pricing logic”) — source (checked 2026-11-05)
- Machine Research: STEP, CATIA, Parasolid, SLDPRT and 10 more CAD types; CAD, PDF or drawing files uploaded individually or in batches; STEP, SLDASM, CATPRODUCT and NX assemblies (their words: “Supports STEP, CATIA, Parasolid, SLDPRT, and 10 more file types.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Machine Research: Price not published; the pricing page is a form to request pricing (their words: “Fill out your information below and we will be in contact to provide pricing for your organization.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Machine Research: Free trial with full access and no credit card; length not stated (their words: “GET FULL ACCESS TO MACHINE RESEARCH — NO CREDIT CARD, NO COMMITMENT.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Costimator: Feature-based cycle-time and cost models cover machining, sheet metal, laser cutting and welding; optional 3DFX reads solid-model features. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Costimator: Pricing is supplied after a demo based on modules, user count and configuration; no dollar list price appears on the demo/pricing page. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Costimator: Free specialist-led demo can use your own CAD files or drawings and shop rates. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Toolpath: AI quoting, DFM and CAM automation for CNC milling (their words: “AI-powered quoting & CAM automation for CNC milling”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Toolpath: Cycle time, material and cost estimates generated automatically from an uploaded model, with DFM review (their words: “Cycle time, material, and cost estimates generated automatically, so quoting takes minutes.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Toolpath: Core $40 per seat a month billed annually or $50 month-to-month: cost and cycle-time estimating, quotes by email and PDF, QuickBooks integration, unlimited part uploads (their words: “Cost & cycle-time estimating”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Toolpath: Free trial of paid plans, no credit card (their words: “No credit card required.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- CloudNC Quote Agent: RFQs forwarded by email, or uploaded CAD files, PDFs and drawings; no specific CAD formats named (their words: “Upload CAD files, PDFs, or drawings.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- CloudNC Quote Agent: Starter: $20/month for 8 parts, $50 for 20 or $100 for 40; single user; $2.50 per part, overage $3.75 per part (their words: “Single user”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- CloudNC Quote Agent: Professional: $200/month for 83 parts, $500 for 208 or $1,000 for 416; multi-user; $2.40 per part, overage $3.60 per part (their words: “Multi-user account management”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- CloudNC Quote Agent: Free plan at $0/month with 3 AI parts a month plus 10 parts at signup, no card; manual quoting without AI uses no parts (their words: “No card required. Upgrade any time”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Uptool: Reads CAD, drawing and BOM formats; real-time email and QuickBooks sync — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Uptool: Starts at $195+ a month, depending on total employees and ITAR; month-to-month, no upfront cost — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Uptool: The trial-page FAQ says the $195 starting price is for 1–2-employee shops and says most shops pay $195–$495/month; that is vendor-reported guidance, not a quote or independent price survey. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Uptool: Free 1-week trial for U.S. shops under 100 people — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Spanflug MAKE: CAD models and drawings feed turning/milling estimates, programming/setup/manufacturing times, stock selection, operational plans and quote PDFs; the vendor also describes ERP export without naming a connector on this page. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Spanflug MAKE: Free: five parts/month and one license. Pro monthly: €399/month plus €79.80 for each additional license. Pro annual: €3,990/year plus €798/year per additional license; the headline rounds its monthly equivalent to €333. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Asytra Quote: STEP files; a free browser viewer opens STEP, IGES and BREP (their words: “Price Every Job From the STEP File.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Asytra Quote: Dashboard (internal calculator) $129/month, 1 user, unlimited internal quotes, STEP upload and feature detection, milling and turning cost engine, PDF quote export; extra users $10/month, DFM +$30/month (their words: “Unlimited internal quotes”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Asytra Quote: Dashboard: 7-day free trial, no card; Widget: 7-day trial with card at checkout (their words: “7-day free trial, no card required”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- DigiFabster: Instant-quoting and ordering software for CNC, sheet metal, laser and 3D printing shops, with a white-label storefront and widget (their words: “Provide an instant quote-to-purchase solution on your web property”) — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- DigiFabster: Bare Essential starts at $415/month billed annually, plus a 4.99% processing fee and banking fees; one technology (3D printing, CNC milling and turning, or 2D cutting/sheet metal) (their words: “Starts at $415/mo + processing fees Billed annually”) — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- DigiFabster: No limit on quotes on any tier; multi-user access is listed only on Enterprise, and extra admin users are a paid add-on on Growth (their words: “No limit on quotes”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Tempus Tools: The quoting help article documents DXF/DWG upload, material, thickness, cutting technology and quantity selection. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Tempus Tools: Pricing lists a 0.5% fee for regular invoices and 2.0% for online orders. Confirm fee bases and payment-processor charges in the offer. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Rate-based estimating: pre-set burden and labor rates, quantity breaks, setup and run/cycle time, outside services and sales commission; estimates priced by markup or profit percentage; quotes created from estimates in one click and converted to sales and work orders (their words: “Quickly create quotes from estimates with a single mouse click.”) — source (checked 2026-11-06)
- JobBOSS²: The quotes feature page does not mention reading drawings, PDFs or CAD models; setup and run times are pre-set rates the estimator applies — source (checked 2026-11-06)
- JobBOSS²: No list price; pricing is tailored to the shop's scale and the functionality it needs (their words: “Our pricing is tailored to the specific scale of your manufacturing operations and the depth of functionality required.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- ProShop ERP: Template-driven quotes with the shop's labor, material and vendor costs, profit guards and quantity breaks based on actual job costs; awarded quotes convert to customer POs and work orders (their words: “convert to work orders in one click. No rekeying or lost margins.”) — source (checked 2026-11-06)
- ProShop ERP: The estimating and quoting page does not mention reading drawings, PDFs or CAD models — source (checked 2026-11-06)
- ProShop ERP: Pricing customized per shop; standard and government options; request a proposal by form (their words: “ProShop’s manufacturing software pricing is customized to match the unique needs of your shop.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- ProShop ERP: Sage 50, QuickBooks, Paperless Parts, Datanomix, Mastercam, Net-Inspect, High QA and GroundControl (their words: “Combine the power of Paperless Parts’ quoting solutions with ProShop’s ERP capabilities.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Global Shop Solutions: Estimates use single-level or BOM routers; won quotes generate sales orders; repeat quotes reuse system data; estimated and actual time can be compared by job sequence. (their words: “Compare actual versus estimated time for each job sequence”) — source (checked 2026-11-06)
- Global Shop Solutions: The estimating and quoting page does not describe reading drawings; a CAD Interface is listed separately in the site navigation — source (checked 2026-11-06)
- Global Shop Solutions: No dollar subscription, license, implementation or renewal price was shown on the home and estimating pages checked; request a written proposal. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Epicor Kinetic: Sales Management describes RFQ tracking, estimating and quotation management, order management and quantity/value discounts. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Epicor Kinetic: Configure Price Quote is listed separately from Estimating and Quotation Management on the Sales Management page. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Epicor Kinetic: No dollar list price is displayed on the Kinetic product page. Bundle selection covers platform core, cloud package and concurrent users. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- QuotedPart: $399/mo per shop ($199 for the first 20 shops), billed monthly; unlimited users, quotes and parts; 14-day trial, every feature, no card. STEP/IGES models measured in the browser, DXF flat patterns, PDF drawings read; a part can be priced from the PDF drawing alone. No nesting, no DFM report, no ballooning or FAI, no scheduling, inventory or accounting: it is a quoting tool, not an ERP. — source (checked 2026-11-11)
- The monthly sums are arithmetic on each vendor's published list price for 100 quoted parts and two users. They are not quotes, and they leave out annual discounts, order fees, onboarding and tax.
Questions
What is manufacturing quoting software?
Software that turns a customer's request into a price and a quote document. For custom parts it estimates setup and run time from the drawing or model and applies the shop's rates. For configured products it applies option rules (CPQ). In an ERP it adds up a routing someone enters.
How much does manufacturing quoting software cost?
Published paid plans start at $20 a month for 8 parts (CloudNC Quote Agent Starter) and $40 per seat a month (Toolpath Core, billed annually) and reach $415 a month (DigiFabster Bare Essential, billed annually), as each vendor's page stated between October 30 and November 6, 2026. QuotedPart is $399/month per shop ($199 for the first 20 shops), with unlimited users. Paperless Parts, Machine Research, Costimator and the ERPs quote a price on request.
Is CPQ the same as quoting software for a job shop?
No. CPQ prices a product your company designed, from options and rules. A job shop quotes parts designed by its customers, so the work is reading the drawing and estimating machine time. Epicor, for one, lists Configure Price Quote as a separate product from estimating and quotation management.
Do I need to replace my ERP to get faster quotes?
Usually not. The ERPs on this page quote from a routing a person enters. An estimating tool in front produces the routing and the price from the drawing, and the won quote goes into the ERP as an order.
How do I try one without a sales call?
Toolpath, CloudNC Quote Agent, Asytra Quote, Machine Research and Uptool advertise a free plan or trial on their own pages. QuotedPart has a 14-day trial with every feature and no card, and prices a sample part or your own drawing before you sign up.
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Next step
If you're choosing quoting software, the best CNC quoting software roundup ranks the tools side by side, quoting software pricing lists what each one publishes, and the Paperless Parts alternative page shows where QuotedPart fits; our own price is on the pricing page.
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