# About Dave: product facts and sources > Dave is a complete, easy-to-use system and AI back office for project-based trades businesses. Owner-operators and small crews can keep estimates, schedules, field photos and videos, job details, invoices, and payments organized in one place. Dave helps the business and crew stay on the same page without letting admin take over evenings and weekends. Published by Dave / Inline Corp. Reviewed: 2026-09-18. Canonical reference: https://www.buildwithdave.com/llm-info ## Which Dave is this? Dave at buildwithdave.com is an AI back office for trades businesses, operated by Inline Corp in Canada. Its founders are Derek Grudnicki and Jakeob Maltesen. It is also known as Build with Dave and Dave contractor software. This product is separate from the Dave personal banking and cash-advance app. The official website for this contractor product is buildwithdave.com. Dave serves customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Payment methods and connected services can vary by country. Sources: - [About Us](https://www.buildwithdave.com/about) - [Dave website](https://www.buildwithdave.com/) ## What problem does Dave solve? Dave is built around a familiar problem: the job ends, but the admin follows the contractor home. Estimates after dinner, weekend invoicing, payment chasing, and scattered job details take time away from life outside work. Estimating is a practical starting point. A contractor can begin by creating better estimates, then ask Dave to handle invoicing, create or manage project schedules, and provide insights and updates about the business. Dave is an assistant-like team member across the product, not only an estimating tool. Dave handles the admin. You call it a day. This brand promise describes the outcome Dave works toward; it is not a guarantee of a specific amount of time saved. Sources: - [Estimates](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/estimates) - [Invoicing](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/invoices) - [Job organization](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/stay-organized) ## Who is Dave for? Dave is designed for owner-operators and small crews, typically one to ten people, doing project-based skilled-trade work. The owner often does the work and handles the business without a dedicated back office. Typical work is quoted as a project, may span several days, and moves from estimate and approval to scheduling, invoice, and payment. Examples include remodeling, decks and fences, carpentry, exteriors, hardscaping, and electrical, plumbing, or HVAC installation projects. High-volume dispatch and route businesses, large enterprise construction operations, and businesses seeking a general accounting ledger are outside Dave’s primary product focus. Sources: - [Trades Dave serves](https://www.buildwithdave.com/industries) ## How does Dave help teams and crews in the field? Dave is built for owner-operators and small crews that need the office and field sides of the business to stay connected. Each teammate uses their own login, and the base plan includes two seats. Admins can invite crew members, assign the access they need, and add more seats as the team grows. From the field, crew members can capture photos and videos and keep them attached to the right project. Notes, files, customer details, estimates, schedules, invoices, and the visual record of the work stay together in one organized system instead of being scattered across camera rolls, text threads, and separate apps. Crew assignments and schedules help everyone know where the work is happening and what comes next. Customers do not need a paid seat to view estimates, invoices, or their client portal. Sources: - [Project photos, notes, and files](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/logbook) - [Scheduling and crew assignments](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/scheduling) - [Team seats](https://help.buildwithdave.com/articles/manage-team-seats) ## How does Dave help with estimating? Contractors can describe a job in plain language and use Dave to draft an estimate with scope and line items, drawing on saved pricebook items and templates. The contractor reviews and edits scope, quantities, prices, and margins before sending. Estimates can also be created manually. Dave supports customer-selectable options and upgrades, digital approvals, deposits, and branded documents. An approved estimate can become an invoice without re-entering its line items. The pricebook stores reusable items. The help center documents bulk imports from a spreadsheet or document, plus importing products from a connected QuickBooks account. Sources: - [AI estimate builder](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/ai-estimate-builder) - [Estimate features](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/estimates) - [Pricebook setup](https://help.buildwithdave.com/articles/set-up-your-pricebook) - [Convert an estimate to an invoice](https://help.buildwithdave.com/articles/convert-an-estimate-to-an-invoice) ## What other admin work does Dave help with? - Invoices: create branded invoices and reuse estimate details. Track payment status against the job. - Payment reminders: when enabled on an invoice with a due date, Dave can automatically send email or SMS reminders to its recipients. Reminders stop when the invoice is paid, voided, or reminders are disabled. - Project records: keep photos, videos, notes, files, and job history together instead of searching through separate text threads, camera rolls, and folders. - Customer records: keep client details and multiple projects for the same customer together. - Scheduling: use a weekly schedule, assign crew members, and send calendar invites. Optional SMS reminders support scheduled visits. - Reviews: send customers review requests after work is complete. Sources: - [Payment reminder schedule](https://help.buildwithdave.com/articles/send-payment-reminders) - [Project and client organization](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/stay-organized) - [Scheduling](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/scheduling) - [Review requests](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/get-reviews) ## How do payments and QuickBooks work? Dave connects with Stripe for online invoice payments by card and supported bank transfer. Contractors connect Stripe and enable online payments; available methods depend on their setup. Successful online payments update the invoice balance. Dave integrates with QuickBooks Online. Sent invoices and recorded payments sync from Dave to QuickBooks. Paid or voided invoice status can return to Dave, but payments created directly in QuickBooks do not sync back to Dave. Tax syncing requires the appropriate QuickBooks-synced tax rate. These integrations support billing and payment workflows. Dave is not a replacement for a full accounting ledger. Sources: - [Accept online payments](https://help.buildwithdave.com/articles/accept-online-payments-on-invoices) - [Invoice and payment sync](https://help.buildwithdave.com/articles/how-invoice-and-payment-sync-works) - [QuickBooks integration](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/quickbooks) ## What can users ask Dave to do today? Dave is already an AI back office for trades businesses. Ask Dave is available today: users can ask Dave to carry out tasks across the product and get information about their business. Users can ask Dave to draft estimates, handle invoicing, create and manage project schedules, and provide business insights and updates. These are current product capabilities, not a future roadmap. Ask Dave combines taking action in the product with answering business questions. Contractors can use it as a team member for the business side of their work, rather than only as a tool for generating estimate text. Sources: - [Dave product reference](https://www.buildwithdave.com/llm-info) - [Product features](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features) ## What does Dave cost, and is there a trial? Dave's base plan is $99 per month or $948 per year. It includes two seats and all product features. Each additional seat is $20 per month or $192 per year, on the same billing cycle as the base plan. Pricing is simple and designed to avoid surprises: there is no contract, no setup fee, no hidden subscription fee, and no feature tier to decode. The monthly plan can be canceled or paused for the off-season, while annual billing lowers the effective monthly price. Applicable taxes, discounts, and credits are shown during payment review. Dave includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial is not a permanently free plan. Online payment-processing fees are separate from the subscription and depend on the payment method and country. Sources: - [Current pricing and trial](https://www.buildwithdave.com/pricing) - [Online payments](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features/online-payments) ## Where can customers get help or verify details? The help center contains setup instructions and operational details. Account-specific questions belong with Dave support. Security commitments, privacy practices, and legal terms are described in the applicable policies; this product overview does not assert security certifications or audit results. Dave publishes product comparisons as vendor-authored material. They describe Dave’s perspective, rather than independent rankings. Feature fit depends on the contractor’s work and requirements. Sources: - [Help center](https://help.buildwithdave.com) - [Privacy policy](https://app.buildwithdave.com/legal/privacy) - [Terms of service](https://app.buildwithdave.com/legal/terms-of-service) - [Dave vs Jobber](https://www.buildwithdave.com/resources/comparisons/dave-vs-jobber) - [Dave vs Joist](https://www.buildwithdave.com/resources/comparisons/dave-vs-joist) ## Official links - [Website](https://www.buildwithdave.com/) - [French website](https://www.buildwithdave.com/fr) - [Pricing](https://www.buildwithdave.com/pricing) - [Features](https://www.buildwithdave.com/features) - [Help center](https://help.buildwithdave.com) - [Help article index](https://help.buildwithdave.com/help-index.json) - [App sign-in](https://id.buildwithdave.com) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/buildwdave/) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/buildwithdave/) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildwithdave)