How to Make a Quotation Online — Free, in Under 5 Minutes
A client says "send me a quotation" — and suddenly you're fighting Word margins at 11pm. Making a quotation online is faster and comes out cleaner: here is the complete process, using a free tool, from blank page to a PDF in your client's WhatsApp.
Quick answer: open a free online quotation maker, fill in your business and client details, add each piece of work as a line item with a rate, pick GST if you're registered, set the validity and payment terms, and download the PDF. The whole thing takes about five minutes: start here, no sign-up.
Before you start: keep these 5 things handy
- Client's exact name and address (company name if it's a company)
- The work broken into 2–8 items, each with a price
- Your GSTIN, if registered
- Your payment split — e.g. 50% advance, 50% on delivery
- How long the price holds — 15 or 30 days is typical
Step-by-step: making the quotation online
- Open the quotation maker. The free DealInSec quotation maker runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded, and there's no account wall before the download.
- Add your business identity. Name, address, GSTIN if you have one, and a logo if you want the quotation on your letterhead. This is what makes the PDF look like your document.
- Number and date it. Use a running series (QUO-2026-014) and today's date, then set the valid-until date. Never skip validity — it's what stops a client accepting your old price after your costs change.
- Add the client. Legal name and address. Quoting "Ashiyana Properties Pvt Ltd" reads very differently from quoting "Rahul sir".
- Itemise the work. One line per deliverable with quantity and rate — the tool totals each row and the subtotal live. Specific rows ("Concept design & 3D views — ₹60,000") justify your price; one fat row invites haggling.
- Handle GST. Registered? Pick your rate — most services are 18% — and the correct split: CGST + SGST for a client in your state, IGST for another state. The tool computes it. Not registered? Choose "No GST" and the quotation stays clean.
- Set the terms. Tick the standard terms that apply — validity, advance percentage, balance timeline, revision limits — and add anything project-specific. These same terms should later appear in your agreement, so keep them consistent.
- Download the PDF and send it. Check the live preview, then download. Send the PDF by email with a two-line message, or straight on WhatsApp — PDF, not a screenshot.
Here's the kind of document you end up with:
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept design & 3D visualisation — 2BHK show flat | 1 | ₹60,000 | ₹60,000 |
| Site supervision & execution management (3 months) | 3 | ₹15,000 | ₹45,000 |
| Material selection & vendor coordination | 1 | ₹30,000 | ₹30,000 |
| Subtotal | ₹1,35,000 | ||
| CGST (9%) | ₹12,150 | ||
| SGST (9%) | ₹12,150 | ||
| Total | ₹1,59,300 | ||
- This quotation is valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
- 50% advance payment is required to confirm the project.
- The remaining 50% is due within 7 days of final delivery.
- Prices are exclusive of any work not listed above.
A sample service quotation. You can recreate this exact layout with the free quotation maker — no sign-up needed.
Line items, GST split and amount-in-words computed for you. PDF in minutes, no sign-up.
After you hit send
- Follow up once, politely, before validity expires. "Sharing a reminder that quotation QUO-2026-014 is valid till 12 Sep" is enough.
- If they negotiate, revise the document — send QUO-2026-014-R1 with the new figure. Never leave the final price only in a phone call; the document the client accepted is the one that should match your agreement and invoice.
- On acceptance, get it in writing — even a one-line email reply ("Approved, please proceed") converts your offer into something you can rely on. For serious projects, move to a signed agreement: our free service agreement template is the next step, and inside DealInSec the accepted quotation becomes an e-signable agreement and then an invoice with the same figures carried through automatically.
Mistakes that make online quotations look amateur
- Screenshot instead of PDF — blurry, unprintable, and it signals improvisation.
- Math errors — a subtotal that doesn't match the rows is the fastest way to lose trust. (This is the strongest argument for making the quotation online rather than in Word.)
- Missing validity or payment terms — the two fields clients exploit, deliberately or not.
- Quoting from a personal email with no business identity — a letterhead PDF from a numbered series reads like a business; a paragraph of prices typed into chat does not.
Related reading
Not sure what goes into the document? See the full quotation format guide — all 9 fields with a sample. And if you've been asked for a "sample" or dummy quotation, read when a sample quotation is fine and when it's fraud first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a quotation online for free?
Yes. DealInSec's free quotation maker runs in your browser with no sign-up: add your details, line items, optional GST and terms, and download the finished quotation as a PDF. Everything stays on your device.
What details do I need to make a quotation?
Your business name and contact details (plus GSTIN if registered), the client's name and address, a description of each piece of work with quantity and rate, your payment terms, and a validity period — 15 to 30 days is typical.
What file format should I send a quotation in?
PDF. It looks identical on every device, can't be edited casually, and prints cleanly. Avoid sending editable Word or Excel files — and avoid screenshots, which look unprofessional and are hard to read.
Should I make a quotation in Word or online?
Word gives you layout control but you compute totals, tax and amount-in-words by hand — the classic source of embarrassing math errors. An online maker does the calculations automatically and produces a consistent format every time, which is faster once you send quotations regularly.
How should I number my quotations?
Use one running series that never restarts, like QUO-2026-001, 002, 003. The year in the prefix keeps the series tidy, and unique numbers make follow-up emails and revisions unambiguous.