Buildertrend vs Joist
Head-to-head comparison of pricing, features, integrations, and use-case fit.
Buildertrend
Construction project management for builders and remodelers
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Aggregate rating
- 4.4 / 5
- Best team size
- 5-100
- Free trial
- No
Joist
Estimating and invoicing app for solo contractors
- Starting price
- From $10/mo
- Aggregate rating
- 4.5 / 5
- Best team size
- 1-3
- Free trial
- 30 days
What actually separates them
Only the points where Buildertrend and Joist genuinely differ, from our verified data. Everything they share is further down.
- → Price transparency: Joist publishes a starting price (From $10/mo). Buildertrend does not, so comparing them costs you a sales call.
- → Trades served: Joist covers Handyman Services. The other does not.
- → Free trial: Joist runs a 30-day trial. Buildertrend has none, so you evaluate it on a demo.
- → Integrations: only Buildertrend connects to quickbooks, xero, the home depot, lowes; only Joist connects to quickbooks online, intuit payments.
- → Features the other lacks: Buildertrend has project_management, scheduling, selections; Joist has estimates, invoicing, credit_card_payments.
Quick verdict
Buildertrend: Custom home builders, remodelers, and specialty contractors running multi-month projects.
Joist: Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing.
User ratings favor Joist (4.5 vs 4.4).
Decision matrix — which one is right for you?
Pick Buildertrend if…
- → Your situation matches Buildertrend's target profile: Custom home builders, remodelers, and specialty contractors running multi-month projects
- → You want broader feature coverage — Buildertrend ships 8 core features vs Joist's 5
- → Integration ecosystem matters — Buildertrend has 4 native integrations vs Joist's 2
Pick Joist if…
- → Your situation matches Joist's target profile: Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing
- → You want to try before buying — Joist offers a 30-day free trial; Buildertrend requires a demo
Pricing side-by-side
| Tier | Buildertrend | Joist |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Essential — $199/mo | Free — Free |
| Tier 2 | Advanced — $499/mo | Pro — $13/mo |
| Tier 3 | Complete — $799/mo | Pro+ — $26/mo |
Buildertrend uses custom-quoted pricing (typically $250-$800/user/mo for enterprise FSM platforms); Joist has transparent public pricing starting at $10/mo. If budget predictability matters, Joist wins on transparency alone. If you need enterprise-tier features and don't mind the sales process, Buildertrend's custom pricing reflects the deeper feature set.
Pros & cons
Buildertrend
- + Native QuickBooks integration (bidirectional sync)
- + Covers 5 trade verticals — strong multi-vertical fit
- + Broad feature coverage (8 core features)
- + 20 years of product maturity (founded 2006)
- + Flat per-company pricing — unlimited users at every tier
- − Annual contracts (no monthly option)
- − Steep learning curve
- − Overkill for pure service work
- − No free trial (Joist offers 30 days)
- − No public pricing — sales call required for a quote
Joist
- + 30-day free trial, no credit card required
- + Higher aggregate user rating (4.5 / 5)
- + Native QuickBooks integration (bidirectional sync)
- + Covers 6 trade verticals — strong multi-vertical fit
- + 15 years of product maturity (founded 2011)
- − No scheduling, no dispatching, no team management — quote-and-invoice only
- − Outgrown quickly past 3 techs
Implementation timeline comparison
Buildertrend
Not published; the vendor quotes per account, so ask for the onboarding plan in writing before signing
Joist
1-3 weeks self-service onboarding
Enterprise-tier platforms ($250+/user/mo) typically require 3-6 months with dedicated admin time, custom pricebook setup, and phased rollout to field techs. Mid-tier platforms reach operational status in 4-8 weeks with optional paid onboarding. Entry-tier platforms are designed for self-service onboarding in 1-3 weeks. Always plan for 2-4 weeks of parallel operation with your existing system before cutting over.
Feature comparison
Only in Buildertrend
- + project management
- + scheduling
- + selections
- + change orders
- + client portal
- + subcontractor management
- + daily logs
- + rfi management
Both have
Only in Joist
- + estimates
- + invoicing
- + credit card payments
- + client signatures
- + photo attachments
Integrations
Only in Buildertrend
- + quickbooks
- + xero
- + the home depot
- + lowes
Both integrate with
— No common integrations —
Only in Joist
- + quickbooks online
- + intuit payments
Which fits better in each trade
| Trade | Buildertrend fit | Joist fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Contractors | 10 / 10 | 6 / 10 | Buildertrend |
| Roofing | 8 / 10 | 6 / 10 | Buildertrend |
| HVAC | 6 / 10 | 4 / 10 | Buildertrend |
| Plumbing | 6 / 10 | 4 / 10 | Buildertrend |
| Electrical | 6 / 10 | 4 / 10 | Buildertrend |
Vertical-fit scores combine feature coverage, customer base concentration, and the tool's own positioning for the trade. See methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Buildertrend or Joist?
Neither is universally better — they target different buyers. Buildertrend is best for Custom home builders, remodelers, and specialty contractors running multi-month projects. Joist is best for Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing. See the decision matrix above for situation-specific guidance, or jump to the per-vertical winner table if you're in a specific trade.
Is Buildertrend cheaper than Joist?
Both Buildertrend and Joist use custom pricing or have similar entry costs — request quotes from both to compare apples-to-apples for your specific team size.
Can Buildertrend and Joist integrate with QuickBooks?
Buildertrend integrates with QuickBooks natively. Joist integrates with QuickBooks natively. Both work with QuickBooks Online; confirm QuickBooks Desktop support before signing if your accountant uses Desktop.
Do Buildertrend or Joist offer a free trial?
Buildertrend: no free trial advertised; demo on request. Joist: 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
How long does Buildertrend vs Joist take to implement?
Buildertrend: Not published; the vendor quotes per account, so ask for the onboarding plan in writing before signing. Joist: 1-3 weeks self-service onboarding. Implementation length scales with pricing tier — enterprise platforms ($250+/user/mo) require 3-6 months with dedicated admin time; mid-tier platforms typically reach operational status in 4-8 weeks with optional paid onboarding.
Can I migrate from Buildertrend to Joist (or vice versa)?
Yes, but expect data normalization work. Customer records and active jobs typically import cleanly via CSV. Historical job data, recurring service agreements, and custom pricebooks rarely transfer perfectly — most shops leave historical data in the source system as archival reference rather than migrating it. Budget 2-4 weeks of parallel operation between the two systems during the cutover.
Buildertrend vs Joist: which has better customer support?
Both Buildertrend and Joist offer email support across all tiers, with phone and live chat typically reserved for higher tiers. Response time SLAs vary by tier — entry-tier customers usually get 24-48 hour email response; enterprise customers get dedicated account managers with same-day response. Read recent G2 reviews specifically for support-quality signals before committing.
Which is better for solo contractors vs growing teams?
For solo contractors and 2-3 person teams, the lower-priced option (either) typically wins on cost without sacrificing core features. For growing teams (5-15 employees), evaluate based on which platform's upper tiers include the features you'll need at your 12-18 month projected scale rather than buying for today's team size. For established 15+ employee operations, the depth of enterprise features (reporting, multi-location, marketing attribution) matters more than entry-tier price.
Need a deeper look?
See our full reviews with detailed pricing tiers, integration depth, and weaknesses.
Should your product be in this comparison?
We review Buildertrend and Joist against their own published pricing and terms, and we publish the cons next to the pros. If you build a competing product and it is not covered here, send it to us and it gets the same treatment.
Listings are free. No vendor can pay for placement, for a score, or to have a documented con removed. Read this page first and decide whether you want that.