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Roof measurement software for contractors

What a roof takeoff should actually contain, the three ways to capture one, and when each is the right call. Written for people who bid roofs, not for search engines.

The short version

Roof measurement software replaces two things: the tape measure and ladder, and the per-report measurement services that charge $50 to $80 every time you want a number to bid with. Instead of ordering a report and waiting, you trace the roof yourself from overhead imagery and get squares, pitch and edge lengths in about two minutes.

RoofMetric does this for $29 a month with no per-roof charge, and the measurement feeds straight into an estimate rather than landing in your inbox as a PDF you then retype. There is a full pricing breakdown and a 14-day trial that does not ask for a card.

The three ways to measure a roof

No single capture method covers every property, which is why software that only does one of them pushes you back to a ladder or a paid report the moment conditions are not perfect.

Method Best for Where it fails
Satellite trace
Overhead imagery, traced with AI facet detection		 Most residential bids. About two minutes, no site visit, and you can measure a property before deciding whether it is worth driving to. Imagery that is a few years old misses additions and new construction. Dense tree cover hides facets. Pitch is inferred, so it is the value most worth confirming.
Manual sketch
Outline the roof, snap interior lines, auto facet detection, per-facet pitch		 Older or rural properties where the imagery is stale or low resolution, and anything recently built. You need to know the roof shape, so it works from a site photo or a walk, not from nothing.
iPhone LiDAR and AR
Apple RoomPlan scan, plus AR distance measure for runs		 Measuring while you are already on site, without a ladder. Gutter runs, downspouts, fascia and valleys. Interior rooms for remodel work. Requires an iPhone with LiDAR and requires being at the property. Bright sun, glass, water and long distances degrade the reading.
The practical workflow most contractors settle into: trace from satellite to bid, then confirm pitch and anything obstructed when you are on site. That is one measurement, captured twice, and it is why having both in one app matters more than either being perfect on its own.

What a roof takeoff should include

A measurement you can order material from needs more than a square-foot total:

Measuring software versus paying per report

These are different products and it is worth being clear about it. A per-report service sells you a certified third-party document. Measurement software sells you the tool and you do the measuring. When an insurance adjuster or a public agency expects a sealed report, price is not the deciding factor and you should order one.

What changes with flat pricing is which jobs you bother to quote. At $60 a report, a contractor bidding 20 roofs a month at a 30% close rate spends around $840 a month on jobs they do not win, and the rational response is to stop quoting long shots. At a flat monthly price that calculation disappears.

Detailed comparisons: RoofMetric versus EagleView for per-report aerial measurement, and RoofMetric versus HOVER for phone-photo capture. If you are still working out what to shortlist, there is a longer piece on what to look for in roof measurement software.

From measurement to signed estimate

A measurement is only useful once it becomes a number a homeowner can say yes to. In RoofMetric the takeoff drops into the estimate builder, your pricebook applies material and labor rates, the estimate renders as a branded PDF with your logo, and the homeowner signs it in a browser with no account to create. The signed copy attaches back to the job.

If you want the method rather than the tool, there is a walkthrough of how to estimate a roof, and the AI roof measurement page covers how the facet detection works.

Common questions

Short answers, including the ones that make us look worse.

What is roof measurement software?

It is software that produces a roof takeoff, meaning squares, pitch and edge lengths broken out by ridge, hip, valley, eave and rake, without anyone climbing on the roof. Most of it works by letting you trace the roof on overhead satellite imagery, with facet detection filling in the geometry. The distinction worth understanding is between software you measure with, priced monthly, and a report service that measures for you and charges per roof.

How much does roof measuring software cost?

RoofMetric is $29 a month for one user with unlimited measurements, $49 for up to five users, $99 for up to ten and $199 for up to twenty. Per-report measurement services are priced differently, usually $50 to $80 for each individual roof, so the comparison depends entirely on volume. At more than one roof a month, flat pricing is cheaper. At one roof a year, it is not.

Can I measure a roof without going to the property?

Yes, for most residential properties. You find the address, trace the roof on current satellite imagery, and get the takeoff without leaving your desk. The exceptions are consistent and easy to spot: heavy tree cover, recent construction that the imagery predates, and additions built since the last capture. In those cases you either sketch the roof manually or measure on site.

Is satellite measurement accurate enough to order material from?

On a clear, current, high-resolution image of a typical residential roof, yes, and it is how most contractors bid. It degrades in predictable ways rather than randomly, which is what makes it usable: stale imagery, obstruction and inferred pitch are the three things to check. Confirm pitch on site if the roof is cut up, and treat a heavily shaded roof as a sketch job rather than a trace.

Does it work on a phone, or do I need to be at a computer?

Both. The full app runs in a browser on any device, and there are native apps on the App Store and Google Play that add AR distance measuring, room scanning, camera photo reports and push notifications. iPhone uses LiDAR, Android uses ARCore. The same login works everywhere, and the interface is available in English, Spanish and French.

Can I still use reports I order elsewhere?

Yes. Drop an EagleView or HOVER PDF into a customer file and the measurements extract automatically, so a report you paid for feeds the estimate instead of getting retyped. Most contractors end up doing both: flat-rate measuring for everyday bids, a certified report for the one or two jobs a month that require one.

The rest of the job, not just the measurement

Measuring the roof is the first twenty minutes of a job that runs for three weeks. The software you pick also decides what happens to the call that comes in while you are up a ladder, and what your expenses look like the following January.

Front Desk: a business line that rings your phone

A real business phone number for your company, built in. Place and answer calls, keep a shared call log the whole team can see, and text customers from a number that is not your cell. Incoming calls ring your iPhone with the standard call screen, on the lock screen, whether the app is open or closed. Every paid plan includes a real business phone number, free, with 120 minutes a month. See how Front Desk works.

Tax Central: expenses, receipts and W-9s

Track business expenses by job and by Schedule C category, so profit per job is a number you can see rather than one you work out in January. Scan a receipt with your camera, and collect a signed W-9 from every subcontractor you pay.

Timeclock: clock in from the truck, approve from the office

Your crew clocks in and out from the app with a location stamp on every punch, logs breaks as they take them, and submits each shift for approval when it ends. Owners, admins and team leaders approve or correct time for the people under them, and approved hours export as a CSV for payroll. Included with Platinum and Enterprise at no charge. On every other paid plan it is a flat monthly add-on for the whole company, not per user, and trials can use it during the trial. See what each plan includes.

Front Desk, Tax Central and Timeclock, answered

Does RoofMetric include a business phone number?

Yes. Every paid plan includes a real business phone number at no extra cost, with 120 minutes a month. You pick your own local number in about thirty seconds. Calls and texts run from the app or a browser and always show the business number rather than a personal cell, and every call files itself against the customer it came from.

What does the AI receptionist actually do?

Turn on the AI receptionist and she answers when you cannot. She knows your services, your hours and your service area, books estimates straight onto your calendar, takes a message when the caller needs a person, and emails you the recording and a summary. Both sides are told the call is recorded, and recording can be switched off. It is optional: the business line works on its own with your team answering.

Do incoming calls ring the phone when the app is closed?

Yes, on iPhone. Front Desk calls ring with the standard iPhone call screen, on the lock screen, whether the app is open, in the background or closed, and appear in Recents like any other call. An Android build is in development with no release date announced.

Can I track expenses and 1099 paperwork in RoofMetric?

Yes, in Tax Central. Track business expenses by job and by Schedule C category, scan a receipt with your camera to fill in the vendor, amount and category, and collect a signed W-9 from every subcontractor you pay. Taxpayer numbers are encrypted and shown only as the last four digits.

Does RoofMetric have a timeclock for my crew?

Yes. Timeclock lets each person clock in and out from the app, pick the job they are on, and log breaks as they take them, with a location stamp on every punch. Shifts are submitted for approval when they end; owners and admins see everyone, team leaders see the people under them, and employees request corrections rather than editing the record. Approved hours export as a CSV for payroll. Included with Platinum and Enterprise at no charge. On every other paid plan it is a flat monthly add-on for the whole company, not per user, and trials can use it during the trial.

Measure the next one yourself

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