Best AV Quoting Software for Small Integrators (2026)

Most AV integrators still quote with spreadsheets. Not because spreadsheets are good for quoting — they're terrible at it — but because the purpose-built alternatives have historically been either too expensive, too complex, or not actually designed for how small AV firms work.

That's changing. There are now several AV-specific quoting tools on the market, ranging from enterprise platforms that have been around for 20 years to newer entrants targeting smaller firms. But "more options" doesn't make the decision easier, especially when every platform's marketing page says roughly the same things.

This guide is written from the perspective of a small AV integrator — a 2–50 person shop looking for something better than spreadsheets without committing to enterprise software. We'll cover what each tool does, who it's actually built for, and where it falls short. No affiliate links, no sponsored placements.

Let's go through them.

1. D-Tools

The industry standard. Powerful, comprehensive, and built for larger operations.

D-Tools has been the default name in AV software since the mid-2000s. Their flagship product, System Integrator (SI), is a desktop application that covers the entire project lifecycle: system design (with Visio-style drawing tools and AutoCAD integration), quoting, procurement, project management, and service contracts. They also offer D-Tools Cloud, a browser-based version with a subset of SI's capabilities.

The product database is D-Tools' crown jewel. They maintain partnerships with hundreds of manufacturers, offering access to over 1.6 million products with detailed specifications, images, and accessory mappings. If you're doing complex system design work with Crestron processors, QSC Q-SYS cores, and Extron switching, having pre-mapped product data saves real time.

Strengths

• Deepest feature set in the AV software market — design, quoting, procurement, PM, service
• Massive manufacturer-maintained product database (1.6M+ products)
• System design integration (schematics, AutoCAD, Visio-style tools)
• Mature reporting and business analytics
• 20+ years of industry refinement

Limitations

• Enterprise pricing — per-seat licensing typically $150+/month, plus implementation costs
• Significant setup investment — data migration, template configuration, user training
• Desktop application (SI) requires Windows; Cloud version has reduced feature set
• Feature overhead for firms that only need quoting and proposals
• Steep learning curve, especially for SI

Best for: Mid to large AV firms (20+ employees) with dedicated operations staff, design teams, and the budget for enterprise software. If you need integrated system design tools and full lifecycle management, D-Tools is the most complete option.

2. Jetbuilt

Strong mid-market cloud option. Modern interface, manufacturer partnerships, team collaboration.

Jetbuilt launched in the mid-2010s as a cloud-first alternative to D-Tools, and they've built solid traction in the commercial AV space. The platform covers quoting, proposals, project tracking, and some light operations features, all in the browser. No desktop app to install.

Their manufacturer catalog partnerships are a real strength — direct relationships with major AV brands keep the product database current and detailed. The interface is modern and well-designed, and proposals look genuinely professional out of the box. Team collaboration features (role-based access, internal notes, shared projects) make it a natural fit for firms with multiple people touching the sales process.

Strengths

• Cloud-native — no installation, accessible from any browser
• Strong manufacturer catalog with direct partnerships
• Good team collaboration — roles, notes, shared workflows
• Polished, customizable proposals
• Integrations with QuickBooks, CRM tools, and manufacturer portals
• Project tracking beyond just quoting

Limitations

• Per-seat pricing — works out well for teams, less so for solo operators
• No permanent free tier (trial periods available)
• More feature depth than some small firms need
• Primarily focused on commercial AV — residential and event firms may find less tailored workflows

Best for: Mid-sized commercial AV firms (15–50 employees) with dedicated sales teams and operations staff. If you need manufacturer catalog depth, team collaboration, and QuickBooks integration, Jetbuilt is a strong contender.

3. XTEN-AV

Newer entrant combining project management with AV quoting. Cloud-based, worth watching.

XTEN-AV is a newer platform that takes a broader approach than pure quoting. They combine AV system design, quoting, and project management in a single cloud-based tool. The design component is notable — they offer floor plan and rack layout capabilities that go beyond what most quoting-only tools provide, though it's not at the level of D-Tools SI's full AutoCAD integration.

Their product database is growing, with manufacturer partnerships and a focus on keeping specs current. The project management side adds task tracking, timelines, and team coordination — useful if you want quoting and PM in a single platform rather than maintaining separate tools.

Strengths

• Combined quoting + project management in one platform
• AV system design capabilities (floor plans, rack layouts)
• Cloud-based, modern interface
• Growing manufacturer database
• Active development — features being added regularly

Limitations

• Newer platform — less industry track record than D-Tools or Jetbuilt
• Broader scope means more to learn, even if you only need quoting
• Product database is still growing compared to more established competitors
• Pricing and feature tiers may evolve as the platform matures

Best for: AV firms that want project management and quoting in one tool, and value design capabilities (floor plans, rack layouts) alongside their quoting workflow. Worth evaluating if you're currently using separate tools for quoting and PM.

4. WeQuote

Quoting-focused, simpler than enterprise tools. Not AV-specific but used by some integrators.

WeQuote is a general-purpose quoting tool — not built specifically for AV, but used by some integrators who want something simpler than the AV-specific platforms. It focuses on the core quoting workflow: build quotes, set pricing, generate proposals, track status.

The appeal is simplicity. If you've been frustrated by the complexity of AV-specific tools and just want a clean quoting interface, WeQuote strips things down. The trade-off is that it doesn't understand AV project structure — rooms, systems, equipment categories, labor types — the way AV-specific tools do. You're working with generic line items, not structured AV data.

Strengths

• Simple, clean interface — low learning curve
• Focused on quoting without feature bloat
• Works across industries, not locked into AV-specific workflows
• Reasonable pricing for small teams

Limitations

• Not AV-specific — no room/system structure, no AV product database, no AV-tailored proposals
• No manufacturer catalog integration
• Generic line-item structure may not reflect how you think about AV projects
• Proposals won't have the AV-specific formatting clients expect (room breakdowns, system summaries)

Best for: AV firms that want extremely simple quoting and don't need AV-specific structure. If your quotes are straightforward (flat equipment lists without room/system organization) and you want the simplest possible tool, WeQuote works. But you'll lose the AV-tailored structure that makes purpose-built tools valuable.

5. Portal.io

Proposal and document platform. Better for creating polished client-facing docs than structured AV quoting.

Portal.io is more of a proposal and client-facing document platform than a quoting tool. It's used across industries to create interactive proposals, collect e-signatures, and manage the client approval process. Some AV integrators use it because the output looks great — the proposals are modern, interactive, and impressive.

Where Portal.io falls short for AV work is on the quoting side. It doesn't have AV-specific data structures, product catalogs, or margin tracking. You're building the proposal document, not a structured AV quote. For firms where the proposal's visual impression matters more than structured margin tracking, that might be fine. For firms that need to know their margin on every line item, it's the wrong tool.

Strengths

• Visually impressive, interactive proposals
• E-signature and client approval workflows
• Content library for reusable proposal sections
• Modern, polished client experience
• Works across industries

Limitations

• Not an AV quoting tool — no room/system structure, no equipment databases, no margin tracking
• You build proposals, not quotes — the financial modeling happens elsewhere
• No AV product catalog or manufacturer data
• Doesn't replace your quoting process, just the proposal output step

Best for: AV firms that already have a quoting process (even if it's spreadsheets) and want a better-looking proposal output. Portal.io isn't a quoting replacement — it's a proposal upgrade. If client-facing presentation is your primary pain point and you'll keep doing the actual quoting in another tool, it can fill that gap.

6. QuoteAV

Built specifically for small AV shops. Free tier, flat pricing, focused on doing one thing well.

Full disclosure: this is our platform, so take this section with that context. We'll try to be as honest about our limitations as we were about everyone else's.

QuoteAV is built for the firms that fall between spreadsheets and enterprise software — 2–50 person AV integrators who need structured quoting, margin visibility, and professional proposals without the price tag or complexity of D-Tools or Jetbuilt. The platform is cloud-native, requires zero setup, and has demo data loaded on signup so you can start building real quotes within minutes.

Quotes are organized by room and system — the way AV projects are actually structured. A boardroom has a display system, a conferencing system, and control. Each system has equipment and labor with cost, sell price, and margin visible on every line item. The product catalog includes 3,000+ common AV products, and you can add your own. Proposals generate as one-click PDFs, branded with your company information.

Strengths

• Built specifically for AV integrators — room/system quote structure, AV product catalog, industry-specific workflows
• Permanent free tier: 10 active jobs, 50 products, 10 clients. No time limit, no credit card.
• Flat paid pricing: $29/month for unlimited everything. Not per seat.
• Zero setup time — sign up, demo data loaded, build your first quote in minutes
• Per-line-item margin visibility on every piece of equipment and labor
• One-click PDF proposals with room/system structure
• Works for residential, commercial, and event AV

Limitations

• Least powerful tool in this list — by design, but it means less feature depth
• No system design tools (schematics, floor plans, AutoCAD integration)
• Smaller product catalog than D-Tools or Jetbuilt (3,000+ vs. millions)
• Limited integrations currently — no QuickBooks or CRM connectors yet
• Newer platform — less industry track record than established players
• Team collaboration features are basic compared to Jetbuilt

Best for: Small AV firms (2–15 employees) where the owner or a sales lead personally handles quoting. Ideal for shops that want to get off spreadsheets without committing to enterprise software. If simplicity, price, and time-to-first-quote are your priorities, this is built for you.

Comparison table

How to choose

The right tool depends on three things: your firm size, your budget, and what you actually need the software to do.

If you're a large firm (20+ employees) with dedicated ops staff:

Look at D-Tools first. If you need system design integration, full lifecycle management, and deep reporting, nothing else in this list matches it. The cost and complexity are justified when you have the team to leverage the full platform. Jetbuilt is your cloud-first alternative if you want something more modern without a desktop app.

If you're a mid-sized firm (15–50 employees) with a sales team:

Jetbuilt is the natural fit. Cloud-based, strong manufacturer catalogs, good team collaboration, and integrations with your accounting software. XTEN-AV is worth evaluating if you want project management bundled with your quoting tool.

If you're a small firm (2–15 employees) where the owner or sales lead does the quoting:

QuoteAV is built for you. Free tier that covers most small firms' needs, $29/month for unlimited when you outgrow it. AV-specific structure without enterprise overhead. If you need something even simpler and don't care about AV-specific features, WeQuote is an option.

If your main problem is ugly proposals, not quoting structure:

Portal.io will make your proposals look great. But it's a proposal tool, not a quoting tool. You'll still need something for the actual quoting — even if that's just a spreadsheet feeding into Portal's document builder.

If you're not sure:

Try the ones with free tiers or trials. Build the same real quote in two or three platforms and see which one matches the way you think about your projects. The tool that gets you from "new quote" to "proposal sent" with the least friction is the right one for your shop. It doesn't matter what anyone else uses — it matters what works for how you work.

The AV industry is well-served at the enterprise level. The gap has been at the bottom — small firms that need something better than spreadsheets but can't justify enterprise software. That gap is closing. The tools exist now. The question is just which one fits your firm.