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When to hide the price until after submission

· 4 min

Most Quotify forms show the price live as the customer fills them in. It’s the default for a reason: visible pricing massively boosts completion rates for most service businesses. But not every service benefits from on-screen pricing, and for some, hiding the price (and sending it by email after they submit contact details) is the higher-converting choice.

The default: show the price live

Worth understanding why this is the default before reasoning about when to break it:

  • Customers who watch the price update as they answer are mentally pre-committing to the number
  • A visible price signals confidence — “we know what this costs”
  • It pre-qualifies leads who’d otherwise drop off later when they hear the price by email
  • It removes the “is this going to be a hard sell?” hesitation

For 90% of service businesses, showing the price live is the right call.

When hiding the price wins

There are specific situations where the live-price default doesn’t fit. The main ones:

1. The price is genuinely negotiable

If your real-world quotes are heavily customised after a conversation (discounts for repeat customers, premium for tight deadlines, bundling across multiple services) showing a fixed number on the form misrepresents reality.

In these cases, the form captures the brief, and the price comes after you’ve reviewed it. The customer submits, you send the quote by email or call them back.

2. The work is bespoke and the form can’t capture it

Architecture, legal work, custom software, consulting. The form might ask “what kind of project?” but the real price depends on a conversation. Pretending otherwise sets you and the customer up for a mismatch later.

3. You’re a premium operator and your price scares people without context

For high-ticket work (wedding photography in the £5k+ bracket, premium renovation, exclusive catering) the raw number on a form can drop completion rates from 30% to 5%. A polished email or a follow-up conversation that frames the price (“here’s what’s included, here’s how we work”) converts much better.

4. You’re testing your pricing

If you’re not sure what to charge, hiding the price gives you flexibility to vary your quote per customer while you find the right level. Once your pricing settles, you can switch to live display.

5. Your service is regulated and quoted prices commit you contractually

Less common, but in some sectors (legal, financial, certain healthcare) a displayed price can have contractual implications. Hide the price and quote off-form, where you have more control over the framing.

What the form should do instead

If you’re hiding the price, the form’s job changes. It becomes a qualification form, not a pricing form. That means:

  • The contact step happens earlier. Without a price reward at the end, the customer has less incentive to fill in their details. Asking for name and email early (step 1 or 2) is the trade-off.
  • The “submit” CTA changes. Replace “Get my quote” with “Send my brief” or “Request a quote”, language that promises a reply, not an instant number.
  • The confirmation page sets the expectation. “Thanks, we’ll be back to you within X hours with your quote.” Specific times convert better than vague ones.
  • The confirmation email arrives quickly. Customers who didn’t see a price will be wondering when they’ll get one. An immediate confirmation buys you the hours you need.

The hybrid: hide the price, but give a range

Compromise: don’t show a live price, but give a range based on the form answers right at the end. “Based on what you’ve told us, your project will likely fall between £8,000 and £14,000. We’ll confirm the exact number within 24 hours.”

This:

  • Preserves the qualification element (people for whom £8k is laughably out of budget self-select out)
  • Removes the pressure of a fixed number
  • Keeps the customer feeling informed, not in the dark

See adding an estimate range for how to set the bounds.

When to switch back to live pricing

If you hid the price because you were testing, scared of scaring people off, or unsure of your numbers, try switching back once you’ve got some data. A lot of businesses default to hiding out of nervousness and lose conversions they could have had. Test both and pick the winner.

Signs you should switch to live pricing:

  • Most customers email asking for the price before you can reply (means they want it; you’re making them work for it)
  • Your pricing has settled and you’re not negotiating much
  • Competitors in your space are showing prices and winning the comparison
  • Your completion rate is below 30%, there’s a chance the unknown price is the deterrent