How QuoteScore Works

Full transparency on our scoring methodology, data sources, confidence levels, and privacy practices. If you want to know how we arrive at a score โ€” it's all here.

How Scoring Works

QuoteScore uses a combination of AI analysis and a database of pricing benchmarks to evaluate each line item in your quote. The overall score (0โ€“100) represents how fairly your quote is priced relative to market rates.

1
Extract line items
AI reads your quote and identifies every line item, including parts, labor, fees, and materials.
2
Match to benchmarks
Each item is matched against 14,700+ pricing benchmarks by category, item type, and region.
3
Assess each line item
Items are rated GOOD / FAIR / HIGH / RED_FLAG based on where they fall in the benchmark range.
4
Compute overall score
Items are weighted by price. Overpriced big-ticket items drag the score down more than minor items.

Score Interpretation

ScoreVerdictWhat it means
80โ€“100Great DealQuote is at or below fair market value. You're getting a good price.
70โ€“79Fair PricePricing is in the normal market range. No red flags.
55โ€“69Slightly HighSome line items are above normal. Negotiation may save 10โ€“20%.
40โ€“54OverpricedMultiple items are significantly above market. Push back firmly.
0โ€“39Red FlagQuote is substantially overpriced. Get competing quotes immediately.

Where Benchmark Data Comes From

Our benchmark database is built from multiple independent sources and is updated regularly. No single source is used in isolation โ€” we cross-reference to establish accurate fair-market ranges.

๐Ÿ  HomeAdvisor / Angi
Aggregated cost data from millions of home service projects nationwide
๐Ÿ”ง RSMeans
Construction industry cost database used by architects and estimators
๐Ÿš— Mitchell / AllData
Auto repair labor time and parts pricing (industry standard for shops)
๐Ÿช Retail Price APIs
Live parts pricing from AutoZone, RockAuto, Home Depot, Lowes
๐Ÿ“Š Crowdsourced Data
Anonymized price data from quotes submitted to QuoteScore (aggregated only)
๐Ÿค– AI Calibration
Gemini AI for context-aware pricing that adjusts for regional and seasonal factors

Benchmark data is curated and stored in our database. We do not share or sell raw quote data โ€” only aggregated, anonymized statistics are used to improve benchmarks.

Confidence Levels

Not all analyses are equally certain. Confidence depends on how much data we have for a given category and region, and how clearly the quote is structured.

FactorEffect on Confidence
Itemized quote with specific parts/SKUsโœ… High confidence โ€” direct benchmark match possible
Lump-sum quote with no line itemsโš ๏ธ Lower confidence โ€” AI must infer scope
Category with 100+ benchmark itemsโœ… High confidence โ€” robust price range
Rare or specialty categoryโš ๏ธ Lower confidence โ€” less comparison data
ZIP code providedโœ… Better โ€” enables regional adjustment
No location providedโš ๏ธ Falls back to national average benchmarks
Blurry or partially legible imageโš ๏ธ OCR errors may affect accuracy

Live Category Data

Real statistics from all analyses submitted to QuoteScore. Updated continuously as new quotes are analyzed. Sample sizes under 10 are marked as low-confidence.

Category Avg Score Avg Quote Sample Size Typical Verdict
Auto 49 /100 $3,009 756 Overpriced
Roofing 53 /100 $21,850 305 Overpriced
Plumbing 53 /100 $5,678 249 Overpriced
HVAC 61 /100 $10,789 209 Slightly High
Landscaping 58 /100 $15,183 180 Slightly High
Electrical 64 /100 $4,860 125 Slightly High
Construction 57 /100 $6,296,778 118 Slightly High
Painting 65 /100 $6,415 115 Slightly High
Windows 55 /100 $15,281 97 Slightly High
Concrete 56 /100 $11,099 94 Slightly High
Decks 58 /100 $14,881 92 Slightly High
Gutters 61 /100 $4,231 83 Slightly High
Other 61 /100 $896,878 78 Slightly High
Bathroom 56 /100 $12,226 77 Slightly High
Drywall 60 /100 $3,180 68 Slightly High
Kitchen 57 /100 $24,392 67 Slightly High
Flooring 62 /100 $8,153 66 Slightly High
Restoration 63 /100 $9,336 63 Slightly High
Garage Door 67 /100 $3,622 63 Slightly High
Pest Control 67 /100 $2,867 61 Slightly High
Paving 52 /100 $8,036 61 Overpriced
Siding 50 /100 $21,489 57 Overpriced
Fencing 58 /100 $8,623 57 Slightly High
Appliance Repair 61 /100 $646 57 Slightly High
Moving 57 /100 $2,341 55 Slightly High
Pool 68 /100 $20,747 54 Slightly High
Septic 57 /100 $11,349 53 Slightly High
Insulation 68 /100 $6,785 52 Slightly High
Cleaning 68 /100 $711 51 Slightly High
Chimney 59 /100 $7,917 50 Slightly High
Collision 54 /100 $3,611 33 Overpriced
Home Improvement 80 /100 $1,000 1 Fair

Data reflects all-time analyses. Averages are mean values; outliers may skew results for low-sample categories.

Privacy Practices

We take privacy seriously. Here's exactly what we do and don't do with your quote data.

Public Stats API

Bloggers, journalists, and developers can embed live QuoteScore stats using our public API endpoint:

GET https://quotescore.ai/api/stats/public

{
  "totalAnalyses": 1247,
  "averageScore": 64,
  "totalSaved": 892400,
  "categoryCounts": { "HVAC": 142, "Roofing": 98, ... },
  "topOverpricedCategories": [...],
  "monthlyTrend": [...]
}

No API key required and no rate limit — please be reasonable with automated requests. View live data โ†’

Prefer a bulk file? The category benchmarks above are published as a free open dataset (CC BY 4.0) with a field dictionary and a CSV download — see the dataset page.