Painter's Log

Painter's Log is back-office software for painting contractors, bringing estimates, timekeeping, job management, job costing, invoicing and close-out into one product. Estimates can include sections and line items, markup, tax and discounts. Customers can review an estimate through a direct link and approve it with an online signature; approved estimates can become jobs and invoices. Crews can split clock-ins across job sites using geofences, while timecards can be exported to CSV. The app reads photographed receipts into job materials and tracks paint brand, color, finish and quantity by room and surface. Job-costing reports compare estimated and actual labor and materials costs, with profitability and budget variance shown as work proceeds. An AI assistant can answer voice or text questions about jobs, customers and costs, create log entries, retrieve job details and summarize the day. Additional reports cover revenue, cash flow, receivables aging, labor utilization, production rates and estimate accuracy. Painter's Log works on Android, iOS and the web and is described as bilingual in English and Spanish. A free plan is available; Pro is listed at $149 a year.

Painter's Log combines estimating, field timekeeping, materials tracking and job-cost reporting for painting contractors. The free plan has usage limits, while Pro includes expanded capacity and priority support.

Painter's Log suits painting contractors who need to manage estimates, crews, materials, job costs and invoicing in one system. Its phone access and English and Spanish support may suit teams working in the field.

Painter's Log is back-office software built around the way painting contractors estimate, schedule, execute and close jobs. It suits owner-operators and small crews that want labor, materials and profitability in one record rather than a quoting app alone. The central choice is whether the Free plan's quotas are enough or whether growing volume justifies Pro's annual commitment.

Overview

Estimates are organized into sections and line items, with markup, tax and discounts. An approved estimate can become both a job and an invoice, reducing re-entry between sales and production. Customers receive a direct review link and can sign electronically; the approval record includes the signature date and IP address, useful when a contractor needs a clear acceptance trail.

Once work starts, crew clock-ins can be split between sites through geofences and exported as CSV timecards. Photographed receipts are read into job materials, while paint specifications can be recorded by room and surface with brand, color, finish and quantity. Cost reports compare estimated with actual labor and materials, expose profitability and show budget variance during the job instead of only after close-out.

Key features

The workflow covers estimating, scheduling, crew management, field capture, job costing, invoicing, payments and close-out. Stripe handles card and ACH payments. Painter's Log charges a 1% fee on payments collected in the Free plan; Pro charges 0%, an important distinction for contractors who process substantial volume through the app.

The AI assistant accepts voice or text questions about jobs, customers and costs, can create log entries, retrieve job details and summarize the day. That is most useful when an owner needs an answer or a quick record without navigating every job screen. Additional reporting includes revenue, cash flow, receivables aging, labor utilization, 1099 exports, production-rate analysis and estimate-accuracy reporting.

The product is bilingual in English and Spanish, including estimates. It runs on Android, iOS and the web. On a phone, contractors can use the browser or install the mobile app without an app-store download. Business data is kept separate by account and remains preserved after downgrade or cancellation. Pro includes priority support, and customers can contact the founder directly by email.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing and includes two users, five jobs per month, 20 documents per month (estimates, invoices and change orders), 25 receipts per month and 2 GB of storage. Each user receives 300k AI chat tokens and 10 voice minutes per month. The 1% payment fee applies to collections made through Painter's Log. This plan works for a very small operation or for evaluating a workflow, but five jobs and 20 documents can become restrictive as soon as several projects overlap.

Pro is $149 a year, billed at $149/mo annually, with $1,788 billed yearly. Four users are included; each additional active worker costs $24/mo billed annually. Pro removes limits on jobs, estimates, invoices and receipts, raises storage to 50 GB, provides 2M AI chat tokens and two hours of hands-free voice per user each month, and removes the payment fee. It is the more practical tier for a working crew that needs predictable capacity, but the annual billing requires a larger upfront commitment and extra workers add recurring cost. There is no free trial.

Platforms

Painter's Log supports Android, iOS and web access. The phone-browser option and app installation without an app-store download are useful for crews that need field access on managed or shared devices.

Who it's for

This is aimed squarely at painting contractors, particularly owner-operators and small teams managing estimates, crews and job finances themselves. Choose Free when activity stays within its monthly caps and payment volume is modest. Choose Pro when unlimited operational records, larger AI allowances, fee-free payments and priority support matter more than avoiding an annual bill. Businesses seeking only occasional quoting may find the broader back-office system unnecessary.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Connected job economics: estimated and actual labor and materials, profitability and budget variance are visible while work is underway.
• Strong field capture: geofenced split clock-ins, CSV exports and receipt reading tie crew activity and purchases to jobs.
• Documented approvals: online signatures include date and IP information, and approved estimates flow into jobs and invoices.
• Bilingual workflow: English and Spanish support extends through estimates.
• Pro payment economics: the 0% Painter's Log payment fee avoids the Free plan's 1% charge.

Cons

• Free-plan ceilings: two users, five jobs, 20 documents, 25 receipts and 2 GB storage leave little room for a busy crew.
• Annual Pro commitment: the $1,788 yearly bill is significant for a small contractor, and additional active workers cost extra.
• No trial period: prospects cannot use a time-limited trial before choosing a paid subscription.

Alternatives

PaintQuote Pro is a better fit when the priority is a small number of professional quotes and basic customer management rather than full job costing; its free offer starts with two quotes and its paid option can be purchased per quote.

Surfacely suits teams working across buildings and devices who need broader platform coverage, including macOS and Windows, with a two-seat, five-building starting tier.

PaintClarity is worth considering when unlimited jobs, quotes, painters and admin users are more important than Painter's Log's receipt, cost and profitability workflow.

PaintWiser fits a solo operator wanting a free plan with one user, 20 quotes per month, scheduling, invoicing and mobile/web access.

The EDGE is an alternative for businesses prepared to request a demo for a paid product.

DripJobs is a paid alternative with separate add-ons, including Chat at $25.00 per month and Job Costing at $49.00 per month.

InsightPaint suits contractors who prefer a paid starter tier with three team members, 25 active jobs, 50 estimates per month, customer portal, Google Calendar and payments.

Estimate Rocket is the alternative to consider when a paid, user-based estimating platform with a $139-per-month Launch plan and free trial matches your purchasing preference.

Verdict

Choose Painter's Log if you are a painting contractor who needs estimates, field time, materials, invoicing and live job profitability connected in one system. Its main reason to look elsewhere is the Free plan's tight capacity and Pro's $1,788 annual commitment, especially for a solo business that only needs occasional quotes.