Laser & CNC pricing guides · comparison
True Trade Cost laser engraving calculator vs Atelier Pilot: two pricing spreadsheets compared
Both are spreadsheets you buy once and fill with your own costs. True Trade Cost's Laser Engraving Pricing Calculator is the fuller shop system: shop setup, a dated price list, a customer-facing quote and a job log. Atelier Pilot is a lighter workbook focused on pricing one job correctly, including scrap, setup, fees and the real margin. Information on True Trade Cost comes from its public product page, checked on 19 October 2026.
At a glance
| True Trade Cost (Laser Engraving) | Atelier Pilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.95 one-time | €27, one-time |
| Works in | Excel and Google Sheets | Excel and LibreOffice Calc (no macros); Google Sheets not guaranteed |
| Structure | 6 tabs: Start Here, Shop Setup, Price List, Quote, Customer Quote, Job Log | 7 sheets: Read me, Calculator, Batches, Examples, Planned-vs-Actual, Checks, Sources |
| Shop overhead to hourly rate | Yes, break-even rate from rent, insurance, power and wages; a cost per running hour for each laser | You enter your machine rate and labour rate (our free hourly rate guide shows how) |
| Material | Price list of blanks with dated prices | Batch material cost plus a scrap rate (%) |
| Quantities | The quantity asked for plus three more | Batch sheet for 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 |
| Easy-to-miss costs | Checklist that must be answered before the quote is ready | Setup, scrap, packaging, other batch costs and fees as fixed lines |
| Customer-facing quote | Yes, printable, with terms and proof approval | No |
| Results after the job | Job Log with real hours | Planned-vs-Actual sheet |
| Invalid inputs | The publisher says its tests check that no cell shows an error on empty or zero inputs | No price shown, status "CHECK INPUTS" |
| CNC jobs | A separate "Machine Shop" edition is listed among its 40 trades | Same workbook for laser and CNC |
Sources: truetradecost.com/laser-engraving/ and truetradecost.com/trades/, read on 19 October 2026.
When True Trade Cost is the better choice
- You take logo orders from businesses and want a printable customer quote with terms.
- You run several lasers and want shop overhead turned into an hourly rate for each machine.
- You keep a price list of blanks and want stale prices flagged.
When Atelier Pilot is the better choice
- You want a lower one-time price and a shorter set-up: one sheet of inputs, one result.
- You prefer one batch material cost with a scrap rate to keeping a price list of blanks.
- You quote both laser and CNC work in the same file.
- You use LibreOffice (True Trade Cost's page lists Excel and Google Sheets only).
Our honest take
If you need a full quoting system for business customers, True Trade Cost offers more. If you mainly want each job priced correctly, with scrap, setup, fees and a true margin, Atelier Pilot does that for a lower one-time price.
Not sure which inputs to use? Read how much to charge for laser engraving, with a worked quote.
Last checked: 19 October 2026. Prices and features change; follow the source links before you decide.
Get the Atelier Pilot quote calculator — €27, one-time
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Frequently asked questions
How much is True Trade Cost's laser calculator?
$49.95 one-time on its product page (checked 19 October 2026).
Do both work in Google Sheets?
True Trade Cost's page lists Google Sheets. Atelier Pilot is built for Excel and LibreOffice; Google Sheets is not guaranteed.
Which one creates a quote I can send to a customer?
True Trade Cost includes a Customer Quote tab. Atelier Pilot gives you the price to put in your own quote.
Is there a subscription with either?
No. Both are one-time downloads.
Sources
- truetradecost.com/laser-engraving (read 19 Oct 2026)
- truetradecost.com/trades (read 19 Oct 2026)