Everything you need to know to set up your account, win more jobs with video estimates, send invoices, and collect payments.
VidBid is a mobile-first app available for both iOS and Android. Search for "VidBid" in the App Store or Google Play Store, or visit vidbid.app on your phone.
Tip: Use the email address you want customers to see on estimates and invoices. You can change this later in Settings.
After creating your account, VidBid walks you through a quick setup wizard. You can skip any step and come back to it later in Settings.
Skip Setup: You can skip the entire wizard by tapping "Skip Setup" in the top-right corner. Everything can be configured later in Settings.
Your dashboard is the home screen of VidBid. It shows a snapshot of your business at a glance:
You can import customers in bulk from a CSV file:
VidBid can sync with your phone contacts. When you create a new estimate, you can select from your phone contacts and VidBid will create a customer record automatically.
Your price book is your catalog of services and materials. Set it up once, then quickly add items to estimates without re-typing prices.
Group price book items into packages (e.g., "Kitchen Remodel — Basic"). When creating an estimate, you can add an entire package with one tap instead of selecting items individually.
Video estimates are VidBid's core feature. They let you show customers exactly what needs to be done, building trust and winning more jobs.
You can attach multiple videos to a single estimate. This is useful for large jobs with different areas (e.g., kitchen, bathroom, exterior):
You can require a deposit before work begins. Set the deposit amount on the estimate, and when the customer accepts, they'll be prompted to pay the deposit online before scheduling their appointment.
Tracking: VidBid tracks when the customer opens the estimate, watches the video, and views each section. You'll see these events in the estimate detail screen and receive push notifications.
When your customer opens the estimate link, they see a professional branded page with:
When a customer accepts an estimate, they can schedule an appointment from your available time slots:
Business Hours: Set your availability in Settings > Business Hours. Customers will only see time slots within your configured hours.
You can create invoices two ways:
Every invoice can be downloaded as a professional branded PDF. Open the invoice and tap the PDF icon.
VidBid lets your customers pay invoices online with a credit card or PayPal. All payments go directly to your Stripe or PayPal account — VidBid never touches your money.
Your money, your account. VidBid is not a payment processor. Customer payments flow directly to your own Stripe or PayPal account. VidBid only charges the monthly subscription fee for using the app.
Stripe supports credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and in-person card readers.
pk_live_)sk_live_)Webhooks let VidBid know when a payment is completed. This is required for invoices to automatically update to "Paid".
whsec_)PayPal supports PayPal balance, Venmo, and PayPal credit/debit cards for online payments.
No payment provider? If you don't connect Stripe or PayPal, your customers will not see a "Pay Now" button on invoices. You can still send invoices and collect payments externally (cash, check, Zelle, etc.), then record them manually in the app.
When you have Stripe or PayPal connected and online payments enabled:
For payments collected outside VidBid (cash, check, Zelle, etc.):
The invoice balance updates automatically. If the full amount is paid, the invoice status changes to "Paid".
VidBid supports partial payments. If a customer pays $500 on a $5,000 invoice, the balance due updates to $4,500 and the status changes to "Partial". The customer can pay the remaining balance at any time.
Every payment (online, in-person, or manually recorded) is tracked in the invoice's payment history. Open any invoice to see the complete timeline of payments with dates, amounts, and methods.
Collect card payments on-site using your iPhone or a Bluetooth card reader. This feature requires a Stripe account (PayPal does not support in-person terminals).
No extra hardware needed. Your iPhone becomes a contactless card terminal.
Use a compatible Stripe card reader (e.g., Stripe Reader M2) for chip, swipe, and tap payments.
VidBid sends push notifications to keep you informed in real time:
All notifications are also stored in the Notifications tab in the app, where you can review past events and tap to navigate to the relevant estimate, invoice, or appointment.
If you have employees or subcontractors, you can add them to your VidBid account.
Access Settings from the gear icon on the dashboard. Available sections:
Save time on repetitive jobs by creating estimate templates.
When creating a new estimate, tap Use Template to pre-fill all line items from a saved template. You can then adjust quantities and add/remove items as needed.
Track your business performance with built-in reports:
Access reports from the Reports tab in the main menu. Filter by date range to see trends over time.
VidBid offers three subscription plans:
Manage your subscription in Settings > Subscription. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time. See Pricing for current plan details.
No. VidBid never touches your customer payments. All payments go directly to your Stripe or PayPal account. Standard processing fees from Stripe (2.9% + 30 cents) or PayPal apply — these are charged by Stripe/PayPal, not VidBid.
Yes. You can use all features (video estimates, invoices, scheduling) without connecting Stripe or PayPal. Your customers just won't see an online "Pay Now" button — you'll collect payments externally and record them manually.
Videos are stored securely on Cloudflare Stream for as long as your account is active. They're accessible to you and your customers through the estimate links.
Yes, if you use Stripe. Stripe Checkout automatically supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets in addition to credit/debit cards.
Your account data is preserved but becomes read-only at the end of your billing period. Existing estimate and invoice links continue to work for your customers. You can reactivate your subscription at any time to regain full access.
Yes. VidBid uses industry-standard encryption for all sensitive data, including your payment API keys (AES-256 encryption). All connections use HTTPS/TLS. We never store credit card numbers — those are handled entirely by Stripe or PayPal.
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