Sealcoating and repaving are not two prices for the same job. They are different jobs. Sealcoat is maintenance for asphalt that is still structurally sound. Repaving is what you sell when the pavement itself has failed. A driveway only ever needs one of them, and reading which one is most of the estimate.
What sealcoating does and does not do
Sealcoat is a thin surface coating. It shields sound asphalt from UV and water, slows oxidation, and makes the surface black again. That is the whole job description. It does not add structure, does not level ruts, and does not repair a failed base. Selling sealcoat over failing asphalt buys the customer a nice-looking driveway that keeps falling apart underneath, and they will remember who sold it.
The math is not close
At the example rates from our calculators, a 600 sq ft driveway:
| Job | Example rate | 600 sq ft total |
|---|---|---|
| Sealcoating, 1 coat | $0.20 / sq ft | $120 |
| Sealcoating, 2 coats | $0.32 / sq ft | $192 |
| New driveway, 2 in | $4.50 / sq ft | $2,700 |
| New driveway, 3 in | $6 / sq ft | $3,600 |
Example rates, not market prices, but the shape holds anywhere: sealcoating costs a small fraction of repaving. That is exactly why maintenance coats are an easy sell on sound asphalt and a dishonest one on failed asphalt. Run your own numbers on the sealcoating calculator and the asphalt driveway calculator.
Alligator cracking is the tell
Walk the driveway before you quote. Isolated straight cracks are fine: fill them, then sealcoat. A patch of interconnected cracks that looks like reptile skin is different. That pattern means the base under the asphalt has failed and is moving, and so do spots that flex underfoot and low areas that pond water. Those driveways need patching at minimum, and full-depth repaving if the failure is widespread.
The clean way to say it to a customer: sealcoat protects what is still sound. It cannot bring back what is already gone.
Quoting both honestly
Price sealcoating by the square foot with crack filling as its own line by the linear foot, and price repaving as its own complete quote, the method in how to price sealcoating and asphalt jobs. The two smallest jobs get confused most, so sealcoating vs crack filling draws that line. PriceDesk runs both with your own rates, so either answer goes out by text while you are still standing on the driveway. Free for 14 days.