1. Vidaset
Budgeting and quoting software for video production companies, agencies and independent producers. You cost the job line by line from 286 crew, equipment and post items (or a Simple list of 55), at your own rates, add a production fee, insurance and up to three markups, and send the client a PDF quote in your brand colors. After the shoot you can enter actual costs next to the quote and see the margin you really kept. Seven languages and any of 158 currencies. Free plan with three quotes in total, Pro from €15 a month billed yearly.
Pick it when
- Most of your work is commercials, brand films and corporate video for direct clients.
- The quote is what wins the job, so it has to look like your company.
- You want to offer the client two or three options instead of one number.
- You work outside the US, or need the quote in another language or currency.
Look elsewhere when
- You need purchase orders, approvals and payments during the job.
- Your clients require an AICP bid form.
- You budget feature films or union productions.
2. Excel or Google Sheets
Still the most common way to quote a production: a template built over the years, copied from the last job. Google Sheets is free, Excel comes with Microsoft 365. Everything is possible and everything is manual: formulas, fees calculated from the right subtotal, page breaks in the PDF.
Pick it when
- You quote a few jobs a year and your template already looks right.
- An agency sends you its own bid sheet to fill in.
Look elsewhere when
- You rebuild each quote from the last one and lose time on formulas.
- Fees or discounts have ended up calculated on the wrong lines.
Full comparison with Vidaset · Free video production budget templates
3. Hot Budget
Budgeting software for commercials, promos and music videos that runs inside Microsoft Excel, on Mac or Windows. It is known for its AICP bid form, the layout many US advertising agencies expect, and keeps a running budget with actual costs logged against the original bid.
Pick it when
- You bid for US advertising agencies that expect the AICP form.
- Your team already lives in Excel.
Look elsewhere when
- You quote brands directly and want a branded quote rather than a standard form.
- You work outside the US or in another currency.
Website: hotbudget.com · Full comparison with Vidaset
4. Saturation
A production finance platform for film, TV, commercials and other productions. Budgets, real-time actual costs, purchase orders, expense cards, receipts and bill pay live in one system, with budget PDFs (including AICP bid forms) and share links for clients. There is a free plan.
Pick it when
- You need cost reports, purchase orders and spending approvals on every job.
- Your team pays crew and vendors from the same system.
- Your clients expect an AICP bid form.
Look elsewhere when
- You mainly need the quote that wins the job, and run payments in your accounting software.
Website: saturation.io · Full comparison with Vidaset
5. Movie Magic Budgeting
Entertainment Partners’ budgeting tool, long the standard for feature film and TV budgets, as a desktop app for Mac and Windows with budgets stored online. Actual costs are tracked through EP’s accounting software, and scheduling is a separate product, Movie Magic Scheduling. Showbiz Budgeting from Cast & Crew is the other established desktop option in this category.
Pick it when
- You budget features or series in the film and TV format your financiers and studios expect.
- You work with union rates and fringes.
Look elsewhere when
- You quote short-form work to clients and need a client-facing quote rather than a film budget.
Website: ep.com
6. StudioBinder
Production management in the browser: call sheets, stripboard schedules, script breakdowns, shot lists and storyboards. Budgeting and client quotes are not part of the plans described on its site, so producers usually pair it with a separate quoting tool.
Pick it when
- Your pain is planning the shoot, not pricing it.
- You send call sheets to large crews and want delivery tracking.
Look elsewhere when
- You need to cost the job and send a quote.
Website: studiobinder.com
7. Yamdu
A production management platform for film, TV, commercials and documentaries: breakdowns, schedules, call sheets, time cards, and budgets linked to the schedule. Client-facing quotes are not described on its site.
Pick it when
- You manage a whole production team in one place, from breakdown to time cards.
- You want the budget to follow the shooting schedule.
Look elsewhere when
- You are a small team that mostly needs to quote quickly.
Website: yamdu.com
8. HoneyBook and Bonsai
Business platforms for freelancers and small service businesses: CRM, proposals, contracts with e-signature, invoices and payments. They are not built around production line items such as crew days, kit and post, or fees calculated from a production subtotal. HoneyBook is available to businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
Pick it when
- You want one tool for leads, contracts, invoices and payments.
- Most of what you sell is a fixed package, not a production with crew and kit.
Look elsewhere when
- Your quotes are built from crew, equipment and post line items.
Website: honeybook.com · Website: hellobonsai.com · Full comparison with Vidaset
9. Qwilr
Proposal software for sales teams that turns proposals and quotes into interactive web pages, with e-signature, payments and notifications when the buyer opens them.
Pick it when
- You run a sales team with a CRM and want proposals generated from it.
- Your clients are happy to sign and pay on a web page.
Look elsewhere when
- Your client forwards the quote to procurement as a PDF.
- You price shoots with crew, kit, fees and markups.
Website: qwilr.com · Full comparison with Vidaset