Updated September 29, 2026 by Chris Horton. Bid comparison, not an appraisal of any contractor. How we estimate costs
For homeowners holding two or three written roofing bids. Six steps. At the end you get one answer: are these contractors quoting the same roof? Plus the cost per square for each, every difference between them, and the questions to send everyone. Nothing is stored.
Have every bid in front of you. Read each field straight off the paperwork. Where a line is not on the paper, choose Not stated or leave it unticked. Each gap becomes a question for the contractor rather than a guess by us.
It compares up to three bids. It does not rate the contractors, it does not label a bid good or bad, it does not name a fair price, and it cannot tell you whether your roof needs replacing. Insurance and storm-damage claims follow different rules and are out of scope for this tool.
Step 1 of 6 · Project basics
The bids you are comparing
Squares come off each bid. One square is 100 square feet of roof surface. If different bids report different squares, that is already useful.
Bid A
Read straight off the paper. Do not fill in what you assume is included.
Bid B
Same fields, second contractor.
Bid C
Third contractor. Leave the whole step blank if you only have two bids and skip this step in setup.
Change-order exposure
These are the scope lines that most often turn into unexpected charges once the old roof is off. Tick the ones each bid handles with a written rate or an explicit allowance, not just a promise.
Do these bids describe the same roof?
Cost per square
Total divided by squares on the same bid. Only useful where a bid states its squares. A large gap here often means the contractors are pricing different roofs, not the same roof at different prices.
Scope matrix
Same means every bid prices the same on this line. Different means at least one bid prices something else. Unknown means at least one bid is silent. Not comparable means the line changes the job enough that the totals should not be set against each other until it is settled.
Missing scope, by bid
Change-order exposure
Questions to send back before you sign
Nothing is stored. This runs in your browser and resets when you close the page.
This tool needs JavaScript. The same framework is written out in full in our roof replacement quote checklist.
What this tool does, and what it does not
It can help you
- See whether every bid prices the same roof.
- Compute a cost per square from each total, when squares are stated.
- Separate the covering from the removal, the deck, the flashings, the ventilation and the warranty tier.
- Name every scope line each bid leaves unstated, bid by bid.
- Surface the change-order exposure hidden in the fine print.
- Go back to the contractors with specific written questions.
It cannot tell you
- Whether any price is fair, high or a bargain.
- Whether your roof needs replacing. Nobody can establish that without getting on it.
- Whether a contractor will do the work well.
- What is under the old covering until it comes off.
- Anything about an insurance or storm-damage claim. That is a separate subject with separate rules.
Where to go next
- Roof Quote Analyzer — one bid at a time, in more depth.
- Roof Replacement Cost Calculator — the drivers behind the number, before a bid exists.
- Roof replacement quote checklist — this framework written out in full.
- What really drives a roof replacement price.
- Roofing warranties explained — what the warranty lines actually mean.
- All roofing guides and how we estimate costs.
About the author
Chris Horton writes UpgradeWorth’s homeowner decision guides. He covers how replacement projects are scoped, quoted and warrantied, with a bias toward what a homeowner can verify in writing rather than what a salesperson says at the kitchen table. UpgradeWorth does not sell leads, rank contractors or accept placement fees.