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Free project estimator for freelancers and agencies.
Build a serious project estimate: work breakdown, risk, milestones and a printable report, all in your browser.
- No signup or cloud account.
- PERT, weighted, parametric, fixed and analogous estimates.
- Roles and rates, expenses, risks, milestones, timeline.
- Warns you when PM, QA, deployment or contingency is missing.
- Saved on this device, not in the cloud.
- Download a backup file and restore it any time.
- Printable A4 estimate with charts and signature blocks.
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Disclaimer: The estimator helps you produce structured project estimates from formulas and configurable rules. It is not legal, tax, accounting or contractual advice. Scope, assumptions, exclusions and any contractual terms remain your responsibility.
What is the free Project Estimator?
A free browser tool that produces a professional project estimate. PERT three-point estimates, weighted and parametric methods, risk register, contingency, milestones, simple Gantt timeline and a printable PDF report. Records stay in your browser; nothing is uploaded. Built for freelancers, consultants, agencies and project managers who need something stronger than a spreadsheet but lighter than enterprise software. Updated 2026-05-06.
Estimation methods built in
Pick the right method per task. Mix and match across the same estimate.
Six ways to estimate a task
- PERT three-point: expected = (optimistic + 4 x most likely + pessimistic) / 6. Standard deviation = (pessimistic − optimistic) / 6.
- Weighted: custom weights for optimistic, most likely and pessimistic (defaults 1:4:1). Use when your domain has its own bias.
- Parametric: quantity x hours per unit. Number of pages x hours per page; number of API endpoints x hours per endpoint.
- Analogous: reference project hours x similarity % x complexity multiplier. Useful for repeat work.
- Fixed: a flat amount, no hours. Useful for sub-contracted scopes and fixed-price line items.
- Three-point average: simple (optimistic + most likely + pessimistic) / 3 for fast, equal-weight planning estimates.
Estimate a project in 7 steps
Same flow for a freelance gig, a website project or a multi-month software platform.
- Open the project estimator.Open the tool in any modern browser. No account, no signup. Your estimates stay on your device.
- Pick an estimate profile.Choose Software, Website, Consulting, Tender, Freelancer or Custom. Each profile loads sensible default tasks, milestones and warning rules.
- Capture project info.Project name, client, currency, hourly rate, working hours per day, complexity, contingency, markup and VAT.
- Estimate the work.Use the work breakdown table to add phases and tasks. Choose a method per task: PERT, weighted, parametric, fixed, or analogous.
- Add expenses, risks and milestones.Capture hosting, licenses, subcontractors. Capture risks with probability and impact. Split payment into milestones.
- Review warnings, charts and timeline.The rule engine flags missing items (PM, QA, deployment, contingency, milestones not summing to 100%, timeline too short). Charts and a Gantt view are auto-generated.
- Print the report.Use the Report tab to print a professional A4 PDF estimate with cover, summary, line items, expenses, risks, timeline and signature blocks.
When you need more than a browser estimate.
Use this free tool when one person quotes one project at a time. When you need multi-user access, audit trails, integrations and an estimate-to-billing pipeline, you need a custom platform.
- BX1X business operationsA broader platform for billing, bookings, CRM, inventory, accounting and connected workflows.
- Custom platform applicationsEstimating, billing, CRM and audit trails, built around your specific business workflows.
- Built as a single page appBrowser-only. Your tool data stays in your browser. Built for micro to large businesses.
- Single page app developer in South AfricaRemote delivery across South Africa, in rand. Browser-only, API-connected and embedded app work.
For your technical person
How the project estimator is built
- A browser-only single page app (React). Estimates live in IndexedDB and localStorage; nothing is sent to a server.
- Script-driven: formulas, JSON rule lists and configurable options for the warning engine. No AI, no API calls.
- Full JSON export and import per estimate or as a full backup, for moving between devices or browsers.
- The A4 report and Gantt-style timeline render in the browser and print via the browser’s print dialog; there is no server-side PDF step.
- The standalone full-screen version is at /tools/estimator-app (not indexed).
Questions owners ask.
Is this project estimator free?
Yes. It is a free, no-signup browser tool. There is no trial, no paywall, and no account.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Your estimates are stored locally in your browser using IndexedDB and localStorage. Nothing is sent to a server. Use the Backup tab to export your data as JSON.
Which estimation methods are supported?
Three-point PERT (O + 4M + P) / 6, three-point average, weighted O/M/P, parametric (quantity times hours per unit), fixed cost, and analogous (reference project times similarity times complexity). Standard deviation and variance are computed for PERT lines.
Does it handle contingency, risk and reserves?
Yes. Configurable contingency %, management reserve %, plus a risk register where each risk has a probability and an impact in cost and hours. Risk exposure feeds into the project total.
Can I split the project into milestones?
Yes. Each milestone uses a percentage of the project total or a fixed amount. The summary checks that the milestones cover the total.
Does it generate a printable PDF?
Yes. The Report tab provides a print-friendly A4 layout with cover, summary, assumptions, exclusions, totals, line items, expenses, risks, timeline, milestone schedule and acceptance block. Use your browser’s "Save as PDF" in the print dialog.
Does it run any AI?
No. The estimator is script-driven: formulas, JSON rule lists and configurable options. No AI, no API calls.
What rules does it check?
Missing project management, missing QA on software work, no deployment allowance, no discovery/planning, no documentation, no client revisions, no contingency, no risk register, no warranty/support, browser/device testing on websites, security review on software, milestones not summing to 100%, timeline too short, high complexity with low contingency, pessimistic estimate too tight, fixed-price scope without exclusions, and tender estimate without assumptions.
Can I use it for a tender?
Yes. The tender profile loads tender-style defaults (mobilisation, deliverables, closeout) and the rule engine warns when assumptions and exclusions are missing.
Can I export and import estimates?
Yes. Export a single estimate or all estimates as JSON. Import on another device or after clearing browser data. Schema versioning is included for future migrations.
Need an estimate-to-billing pipeline? Tell me the problem.
+27 87 150 9305Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 20:00 SAST. Or email info@antondevilliers.com.