How to Create an Estimate in Xactimate
Xactimate is the insurance industry standard for property claim estimates, but it's expensive, complex, and overkill for most everyday contractor work. Here's how to create an Xactimate estimate, and when you should use a contractor-first tool like WinkScope instead.
Quick Walkthrough: Xactimate Estimate
- Open Xactimate → New Estimate
- Enter claim info: insured name, policy #, loss type, date of loss
- Build the sketch, draw the room/structure with measurements
- Add line items per room: pricing pulls from your local Price List (updated monthly)
- Apply Overhead & Profit (typically 10/10 or 20/20 depending on carrier)
- Generate the PDF report with sketch, photos, and line items
- Upload to the carrier's claim portal (Symbility, ClaimXperience, etc.)
When Xactimate Is the Right Tool
- Insurance claim work (water, fire, storm restoration)
- Carrier-mandated estimates
- Public adjuster scopes
- Restoration contractors who bill insurance daily
When Xactimate Is Overkill
- Standard residential remodels (kitchen, bath, basement)
- HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing replacements
- New construction
- Service-call quotes
- Anything where the client is the homeowner, not the carrier
Xactimate licenses run $170–$370+/mo, and the line-item pricing is built around insurance reimbursement, not your real margins. For everyday contractor work, you'll quote faster and protect margins better with a contractor-first platform.
WinkScope: The Everyday-Job Alternative
WinkScope handles the 90% of contractor estimates that aren't insurance claims, in one place:
- AI scope writing, type a few sentences, get a full line-item estimate
- Live vendor pricing, Home Depot, Lowe's, supplier integrations
- Branded PDF themes (8 styles) with photos, terms, and e-signature
- Standard + Advanced estimating modes, match the complexity to the job
- Estimates flow into projects, schedules, work orders, invoices, and time tracking
- Starts at $29.99/mo, fraction of an Xactimate license
Many restoration contractors run both: Xactimate for insurance work, WinkScope for retail/private-pay jobs.
FAQs
Can WinkScope replace Xactimate for insurance claims?
Not for carrier-required Xactimate estimates. WinkScope's Advanced Estimates produce detailed scopes with photos and contractor guides that work for many private-pay claims, but not all carriers accept non-Xactimate formats.
Is Xactimate worth the cost?
Only if insurance work is a significant share of your business. For general contractors, the price-per-estimate is hard to justify.
Quote everyday jobs in 10 minutes, not 2 hours. Try WinkScope free for 15 days.