Comparison
Vidaset vs Hot Budget
Hot Budget is the tool many US commercial producers grew up on. It runs inside Excel, opens with the AICP bid form and follows the job into actual costs. Vidaset is built for a different client: the brand or company that hires you directly and judges you partly by the quote they receive.
| Hot Budget | Vidaset | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Budgeting software for commercials, promos and music videos | Production costing and quoting, from the estimate to the client PDF |
| Where it runs | Inside Microsoft Excel, on your computer | In the browser, on your account |
| Bid format | AICP bid form built in, the layout US agencies expect | Ten quote layouts in your brand colors. No AICP form yet |
| After the bid | Running budget and actual costs compared to the original bid | Actual costs per line next to the quote, with the variance and the actual margin |
| Line items | AICP structure | 286 items from commercial and corporate work, priced at your own rates |
Information about Hot Budget comes from hotbudget.com, checked on 3 October 2026, and a published review from February 2024. Check their site for the current state.
When Hot Budget is the better choice
- You bid for US advertising agencies that expect the AICP form.
- You need a running budget in AICP format, kept in Excel for the whole job.
- Your team works in Excel every day and does not want another tool.
When Vidaset is the better choice
- You quote brands and companies directly, not through an agency bid process.
- The quote has to look like your company, not like a standard form.
- You want to show the client two or three options instead of one number.
- You work outside the US, or need the document in Polish.
Questions
Can Vidaset produce an AICP bid?
Not yet. If an agency requires AICP, use Hot Budget or another tool that has it.
Do I need Excel for Vidaset?
No. Vidaset runs in the browser. You can paste rows from Excel into the estimate, and save any quote as a file.
Does Vidaset track actual costs?
Yes, line by line. After the shoot you enter the actual days, rates and costs that were not in the quote, and next to them you see what you quoted, the variance and the margin you kept. The client never sees it. Only the quote goes into the PDF.
Where is Vidaset data stored?
On your account, in a database on servers in Frankfurt. Turn on encryption in your account settings and they are encrypted in your browser first, so nobody but you can read your quotes, not even us.
See what your next quote looks like
30 days of Pro for every new account. No card required.