What the table shows
- The totals, and whether each one says GST is in it. A “plus GST” total is 10% more than it looks next to an “including GST” one.
- Lines matched across quotes — the same work under different words — with the lowest price on each line marked.
- Lines one quote prices and another does not. This is the finding that matters. A line missing from the cheapest quote is either excluded, bundled into another line, or forgotten — and only the tradie can tell you which.
- Labour, materials and fees added up per quote, where the quotes split them out.
- What each quote never says — the same fourteen facts our quote checker looks for on a tradie's own quote: an ABN, GST, exclusions, what the price assumes, how extra work is priced, the deposit, terms, how long the price holds, when the work happens, how to accept it.
The 30-second check
Before you choose a quote, see how many of these you can tick.
0 of 10 ticked.
Read a quote line by line →Make them quote the same job
Three prices are useless if each person priced something different.
Write the job down once. Send the same brief, photos and choices to each tradie. For bigger or messy jobs, get them on site before treating the number as firm. Write it down once and send that.
Ask for it itemised: labour, materials, call-out, removal, on separate lines. One number with nothing under it cannot be compared with anything, and you can ask for the split — before you accept, and by law after you are billed (the itemised-bill rule).
“Is there anything in this job that another tradie might price differently?”
Ask what is not included
This catches more than asking what is included.
- demolition and rubbish removal
- painting, patching or making good
- electrical, plumbing or waterproofing
- scaffolding, access or parking
- permits, certificates or inspections
- final clean-up
If one quote is $4,000 cheaper but leaves you organising two more trades, it may not be cheaper.
Yamate's quote guide shows where exclusions, allowances and GST usually sit on the page.
Check what they have allowed you to buy
“Tiles — $2,000 allowance” is not the same as naming the tiles you picked.
Same with taps, toilets, lights, appliances, doors and cabinetry. A low allowance can make a quote look cheap now and move later.
What is the allowance? What does it buy? What happens if I go over it?
Look at how the money moves
A deposit can be normal. A large deposit with no clear reason deserves a second look.
Payment stages should follow work or materials, not just dates on a calendar. And if the job changes, agree the extra cost before the extra work starts.
- Deposit: what is it for?
- Progress payments: what has to be finished before each one?
- Variations: who approves them, and when do you see the price?
- Final payment: what counts as finished?
Deposit rules differ by state and by the kind and value of work. Check the state-by-state deposit guide →
Reading the differences
Dearest on labour. Hours and rates differ, and so does what a tradie counts as labour. A quote that bundles removal, prep and travel into “labour” will read dearer on that line and cheaper elsewhere. Look at the total before the line.
Dearest on materials. The most common honest reason is a better product: a named brand against “250L unit”, a two-coat system against one. If the quote does not name the product, ask what the number buys. A fixed price with no model on it is a fixed price for the cheapest one that fits.
Only one quote has a call-out or a removal line. The others either include it in another line or have not priced it. Either way it is a sentence you want in writing before you choose.
One quote is an estimate. The word matters. A quote is the price; an estimate is a guess that is allowed to move. Compare it as a floor, not a total.
Red flags and green flags
You are choosing the person as well as the price.
Red flags
- The quote is vague and they will not clarify it.
- The deposit or payment terms keep changing.
- Pressure to transfer money straight away.
- Extra work can happen without your approval.
- The price is miles below the others and nobody can explain why.
- They will not put important promises in writing.
- A required licence cannot be matched to the business quoting you.
Green flags
- They ask plenty of questions before pricing.
- They tell you what they do not know yet.
- They explain what could change the price.
- They give cheaper and dearer options without pushing you.
- The payment stages make sense.
- They answer basic questions without getting defensive.
- They can show similar work or references.
Check the business, not just the PDF
A beautiful quote does not prove the work will be good.
Check a required licence on the regulator's register. Ask what insurance covers the job. Look at real examples of similar work. Reviews are useful for patterns, not proof.
Check a tradie's licence → Check their insurance →
The five questions worth saving
- What exactly is included in this price?
- What is not included?
- What could make the price change?
- If extra work comes up, do I approve the price before you do it?
- What do I pay upfront, during the job and when it is finished?
Still need another quote?
Describe the job once, then choose which local businesses to ask. No account needed. Nobody pays to jump the queue.
Find a tradie →One last thing
If two quotes are thousands apart, do not start with “which one is cheaper?”
Start with “what is different?” Once you know that, the price becomes useful.
Good questions. Plain answers.
Should I always get three quotes?
Not for every tiny job. For bigger work, two or three comparable quotes give you something useful to compare. Give each tradie the same brief.
Is the cheapest quote a red flag?
Not by itself. Ask why it is cheaper. The problem is a big price gap nobody can explain.
What if the tradie finds extra work after starting?
Ask them to explain the extra work and price before doing it. Keep the agreed variation in writing.
Can I check a licence myself?
Yes. Every state and territory has a public register. Yamate links to all of them here.
Related guides
General information for Australian home owners, not legal or financial advice, and not an opinion on whether any price is fair. This page reads the words and numbers in text you paste and lines them up; it can pair two lines that are not the same thing, miss two that are, or read a quantity as a price, and it knows nothing about your job, your state or what the work is worth. Yamate is software; it does not vet, rank or recommend any tradesperson, and no regulator has reviewed this page. Nothing you paste leaves your browser. Yamate sells software to tradespeople and lists them in its directory.
How this guide was put together
The comparison does what a builder's estimator does before picking a subcontractor: it levels the bids, lining every scope item up across every quote before comparing the money. The prior art is recorded in the repo's research notes. The parts about licences, deposits and insurance link to Yamate's state guides, which name the regulator page each rule was read from; no regulator has reviewed those pages either.