What does Christmas light installation software actually do?

It takes a job from the address to a signed quote and a paid deposit. In GlowBid that means one canvas: you draw the runs on a photo you own, the footage and the materials list come from the drawing, and the price comes from your rate card. Then the homeowner signs on their phone and pays the deposit through Stripe.

Do I need to measure the house before I quote?

Not to send the quote. Set the scale from one known length in the photo, such as a garage door, and the runs are measured from it. Every run carries a reference-scaled or manual tag with a confidence level, and the quote says photo measurements are estimates confirmed on site. Add a materials buffer, 10 percent by default, if you want cover.

Can I use my own prices?

Yes. The rate card is yours: per-foot prices by run type and product line, peak and storey premiums, flat per-jump and per-peak charges, add-ons like controllers and timers, a minimum job, deposit rule and tax. GlowBid ships a default card as a starting point and you change every number.

Does it work for seasonal C9 jobs as well as permanent lighting?

Yes. The default rate card carries a track line, a no-track line, a seasonal C9 line and a seasonal service line for lights the homeowner already owns. Each line has its own per-foot prices, and you can add custom lines, run types and kits.

What happens after the homeowner signs?

The signed quote becomes an agreement with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the document. The deposit is collected through Stripe Connect, which carries Stripe processing plus a GlowBid platform margin under 1 percent, shown before you connect Stripe. The invoice follows with a payments ledger, so a partial payment is recorded, not lost.

How much does it cost and when can I start?

Core is $299 a year at the founding price, Pro $499 and Ultimate $699, in US dollars. Regular prices are $499, $899 and $1,299. There is a 7-day free trial with no card and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The full product opens November 1, 2026, with 100 founding places. The free measuring tool is open now.

Christmas Light Installation Software: Draw, Price, Sign

Christmas light installation software takes a job from the address to a signed quote and a paid deposit. GlowBid does it on one canvas. You draw the runs on a photo you own, and the footage, the materials list and the price come from the same lines. Change one run and all 3 change with it. The price comes from your own rate card, not ours. Core is $299 a year at the founding price.

Here is what is in the product today, and which package carries it.

GlowBid features by package
Feature	What it does	Package
Measure	Owned photo, one reference length, footage by run type with a source and confidence tag	Core
Mockup	Lights drawn on the same photo you measured, shown to the homeowner	Core
Rate card	Per-foot by run type and product line, premiums, flat jump and peak charges, add-ons, minimum job, deposit rule, tax	Core
Quote PDF	Drawing, footage by run, line items, scope block, estimate disclaimer	Core
E-sign	Signature on the customer's phone with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the signed document	Core
Stripe deposit	Deposit collected at signing through Stripe Connect	Core
Invoices	Invoice with a payments ledger for partial payments	Core
Pipeline CRM	Kanban with Takedown and Re-book stages, follow-up texts, quote-view tracking	Pro
Crew app	Production board, work orders, photo-gated checklists, homeowner sign-off	Ultimate

How does it work in 5 steps?

In job order, the same way you would do it at the door.

1
Type the address and add a photo
Address search shows a live Street View preview so you recognise the house. It is display only. The measuring canvas uses a photo you or the homeowner own, taken from the street or uploaded from the phone.
2
Set the scale from one known length
Tap the two ends of a door, a garage door or a tape measurement and enter the length. Every run you draw after that is scaled from it and carries a reference-scaled tag with a confidence level.
3
Draw the runs by type
Roofline, ridge line, peak, ground, tree and jump. Each run is a line on the photo. Footage adds up by type as you draw, and the bill of materials builds from the same lines.
4
Price from your rate card and send the quote
Your per-foot prices, premiums, add-ons and minimum job apply on their own. The quote PDF carries the drawing, footage by run, line items and a scope block. Send it by text or email.
5
E-sign, deposit, invoice
The homeowner signs on their phone. The signed document gets a SHA-256 fingerprint. The deposit runs through Stripe. The invoice carries a payments ledger so partial payments are never lost.

Why does one canvas matter?

Most quoting days break in the gap between apps. The mockup lives in one tool, the footage in another, the price in a calculator, and the quote in a fourth. Every hand-off is a place to drop a run or fat-finger a number. A wrong price is the one bug an installer cannot afford, so GlowBid removes the hand-offs instead of adding checks.

The rule is simple. The line you draw is the footage. The footage times your per-foot rate is the price. The bill of materials, footage by run with your buffer, the node count at your spacing, and the add-ons, comes from those same lines. There is no second copy of the measurement anywhere, so nothing can drift.

Measurement stays honest. Each run carries a source tag, reference-scaled or manual, and a confidence level. Runs angled away from the camera get a foreshortening warning. The quote says photo measurements are estimates confirmed on site. An optional materials buffer, 10 percent by default, is your choice and shown as yours.

How does it compare with other kinds of tools?

Three kinds of tool sell to lighting installers. Each was built for a different job. The honest question is what happens to the footage and the price after the part they do well. Named comparisons with verified prices are in our comparison of the best Christmas light installation software.

Kinds of tools installers use, and what to ask before buying
Kind of tool	Built for	Ask before you buy	GlowBid
Mockup-only apps	Showing the homeowner the look	Where does the footage go after the mockup, and who types the price?	The mockup is the measurement. Footage and price come from the same lines.
Generalist field service apps	Any trade, any job	Does the estimate know a roofline from a jump, or a peak premium from a storey premium?	Run types and premiums are the installer's words, on the rate card and on the quote.
Satellite tracers	Tracing a roof on map imagery	Whose imagery is being measured, and what do its terms allow?	Never measures Google imagery. Photos you own, scaled from a reference you set.

What does it cost?

One price per company. No per-seat charges, no per-text bills. The founding price is for the first 100 companies and holds while the subscription stays continuous. Pricing guides that show how the rate card turns into a total are in how to price Christmas light installation per foot.

Core

Quote at the door and get it signed.

$299a year, founding

Regular $499 a year or $69 a month.

Pro

Core plus the pipeline CRM.

$499a year, founding

Regular $899 a year or $119 a month.

Ultimate

Pro plus job management.

$699a year, founding

Regular $1,299 a year or $169 a month.

7-day free trial of the whole product. No card to start.
30-day money-back guarantee on the first year.
100 founding places. The founding price holds while the subscription stays continuous.
Priced per company, not per seat. US dollars, before tax.

The full product opens November 1, 2026. See the pricing page for what each package includes.

What do customers sign?

The quote carries your terms. GlowBid ships sample clauses for scope, deposit, weather, takedown window and storage, with a plain notice that they are not legal advice. You edit your own. The full wording is in our Christmas light installation contract template. Three agreement types are built in: permanent one-time, seasonal service on customer-owned lights, and a multi-year seasonal lease that creates each season's install and takedown job when it is signed. Package details are on the pricing page.

Questions installers ask

What does Christmas light installation software actually do?: It takes a job from the address to a signed quote and a paid deposit. In GlowBid that means one canvas: you draw the runs on a photo you own, the footage and the materials list come from the drawing, and the price comes from your rate card. Then the homeowner signs on their phone and pays the deposit through Stripe.
Do I need to measure the house before I quote?: Not to send the quote. Set the scale from one known length in the photo, such as a garage door, and the runs are measured from it. Every run carries a reference-scaled or manual tag with a confidence level, and the quote says photo measurements are estimates confirmed on site. Add a materials buffer, 10 percent by default, if you want cover.
Can I use my own prices?: Yes. The rate card is yours: per-foot prices by run type and product line, peak and storey premiums, flat per-jump and per-peak charges, add-ons like controllers and timers, a minimum job, deposit rule and tax. GlowBid ships a default card as a starting point and you change every number.
Does it work for seasonal C9 jobs as well as permanent lighting?: Yes. The default rate card carries a track line, a no-track line, a seasonal C9 line and a seasonal service line for lights the homeowner already owns. Each line has its own per-foot prices, and you can add custom lines, run types and kits.
What happens after the homeowner signs?: The signed quote becomes an agreement with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the document. The deposit is collected through Stripe Connect, which carries Stripe processing plus a GlowBid platform margin under 1 percent, shown before you connect Stripe. The invoice follows with a payments ledger, so a partial payment is recorded, not lost.
How much does it cost and when can I start?: Core is $299 a year at the founding price, Pro $499 and Ultimate $699, in US dollars. Regular prices are $499, $899 and $1,299. There is a 7-day free trial with no card and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The full product opens November 1, 2026, with 100 founding places. The free measuring tool is open now.

Christmas Light Installation Software: Draw, Price, Sign

How does it work in 5 steps?

Why does one canvas matter?

How does it compare with other kinds of tools?

What does it cost?

What do customers sign?

Questions installers ask

Read next