Which tool to choose
The difficulty with quotes isn't the final price, it's that each one is structured its own way. The tool depends on the format.
- Quotes on paper or as photos: the AI app that reads images. You photograph each quote, load it and the AI extracts the items. The right way when they arrive printed or as photos on your phone.
- Quotes in PDF or text: the AI assistant that accepts files. You load the documents and ask for the comparison table. More accurate, because it reads the exact text instead of interpreting it from a photo.
- Many quotes or technical items: the same assistant, loading them all together and asking it to also flag what's missing in one quote but present in another. That's where the real differences hide.
How to do it
- Collect all the quotes in the same format as much as possible (all photos, or all PDFs). The more readable they are, the more accurate the table will be.
- Load them into the AI and ask for the structured comparison. The operational syntax:
I'm giving you several quotes for the same job. Compare them in a table: one column per supplier, one row for each cost item. Normalize items that are called differently but mean the same thing. Flag separately: what's included only in some, what's excluded, the payment terms and the timelines. Don't calculate discounts or totals that aren't written: if a figure is missing, write "not specified".
- Check the table against the originals on two or three items: this ensures the AI read correctly before you trust the rest.
- Look at the "excluded" and "not specified" rows: that's where the cheapest quote often hides the costs that will come later.
- Check: in the end you must be able to say not just "this costs less", but "this costs less and includes the same things". If you can't, ask the AI to list the questions to ask each supplier to even out the comparison.
If the AI misreads a photographed quote, don't insist with the photo: type the items of that quote yourself into the message. The numbers and the labels are enough; it builds the comparison anyway.
A concrete example
You need to redo the bathroom and you have three quotes from different plumbers: one for 4,200, one for 3,800, one for 5,100 euros. At a glance you pick the second. You load the three into the AI with the prompt above. The table reveals that the 3,800 quote doesn't include disposal of materials and the fixtures, while the 4,200 one does. Once the missing items are added, the "cheapest" becomes the most expensive. Without the table you'd have chosen on the big number at the bottom, which was the least comparable of all.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI misreads numbers or items from a photo
Small characters, crooked scans and handwriting trip it up. Fix: always verify the key figures on the original, and for barely legible quotes type the items yourself into the message. The table is useful only if the data it contains is right: you check the numbers.
If the quotes are for jobs that aren't identical
Sometimes suppliers propose different solutions, not the same job at different prices. Fix: ask the AI to highlight where the proposals diverge in content, not just in price. Comparing cost makes sense only when you're buying the same thing; otherwise you're choosing between different things.
If a decisive figure is missing in all the quotes
Often no one writes down an important item (warranty, real timelines, what happens if they overrun). Fix: have the AI give you the list of the missing questions, the same for everyone, send it to each supplier and complete the table with the answers. The best comparison is the one you build yourself, by asking for what the quotes leave unsaid.
A tip from someone who really uses it
Look first at the rows of exclusions, not the one with the total. The final price is the only thing everyone writes in big letters, and it's also the most misleading, because a low total often just means many items ended up among the exclusions. The table serves precisely to bring to the surface what suppliers leave at the bottom or omit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I trust the table to choose who to give the job to?
Trust the structure, yes; the numbers only after verifying them against the originals. The AI is excellent at organizing scattered items into a readable comparison, but it can misread a figure from a photo. Use the table to understand where to look and what to ask; make the decision to sign on the real documents.
Can the AI tell me which quote to choose?
It can tell you which is more convenient for the same content, and flag the hidden risks. But "worth it" also depends on things it doesn't know: trust in that supplier, reviews, word of mouth, the feeling they gave you in person. The AI levels the field, the final choice also weighs factors that don't fit in a table.
Is comparing quotes with a table only for big expenses?
It's worth it any time the offers are structured differently, even for small amounts: an insurance policy, a subscription, an annual service. Where there's a low price on display and hidden terms underneath, the table saves you more than the time it takes to build it.