Joist vs Knowify
Head-to-head comparison of pricing, features, integrations, and use-case fit.
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
Knowify
Construction and contractor management built on QuickBooks
- Starting price
- From $99/mo
- Aggregate rating
- 4.5 / 5
- Best team size
- 5-50
- Free trial
- 14 days
What actually separates them
Only the points where Joist and Knowify genuinely differ, from our verified data. Everything they share is further down.
- → Entry price: Joist starts at From $10/mo, Knowify at From $99/mo, so Knowify is 9.9x the entry cost.
- → Trades served: Joist covers Handyman Services. The other does not.
- → Integrations: only Joist connects to intuit payments; only Knowify connects to quickbooks desktop, stripe.
- → Features the other lacks: Joist has estimates, invoicing, credit_card_payments; Knowify has job_costing, change_orders, aia_billing.
Quick verdict
Joist: Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing.
Knowify: Small-to-mid contractors deep on QuickBooks who need AIA billing and change orders.
User ratings favor Joist (4.5 vs 4.5).
Joist has a lower starting price (From $10/mo).
Decision matrix — which one is right for you?
Pick Joist if…
- → Your situation matches Joist's target profile: Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing
- → Budget is the constraint — Joist starts at $10/mo vs $99/mo for Knowify
Pick Knowify if…
- → Your situation matches Knowify's target profile: Small-to-mid contractors deep on QuickBooks who need AIA billing and change orders
Pricing side-by-side
| Tier | Joist | Knowify |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Free — Free | Essentials — $186/mo |
| Tier 2 | Pro — $13/mo | Advanced — $312/mo |
| Tier 3 | Pro+ — $26/mo | Premium — $583/mo |
Joist starts at $10/mo on Free and scales to $26/mo on Pro+. Knowify starts at $99/mo on Essentials and scales to $583/mo on Premium. Joist is $89/mo cheaper at the entry tier. At scale (5+ users), both platforms typically converge in price as you climb the tier ladder.
Pros & cons
Joist
- + Lower entry price — From $10/mo
- + 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
- − No scheduling, no dispatching, no team management — quote-and-invoice only
- − Outgrown quickly past 3 techs
Knowify
- + 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- + Native QuickBooks integration (bidirectional sync)
- + Built-in Stripe payment processing
- + Covers 5 trade verticals — strong multi-vertical fit
- + 13 years of product maturity (founded 2013)
- − QuickBooks-required
- − Limited mobile app
- − UI feels engineering-driven not contractor-driven
Implementation timeline comparison
Joist
1-3 weeks self-service onboarding
Knowify
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 Joist
- + estimates
- + invoicing
- + credit card payments
- + client signatures
- + photo attachments
Both have
Only in Knowify
- + job costing
- + change orders
- + aia billing
- + scheduling
- + time tracking
- + quickbooks sync two way
- + purchase orders
Integrations
Only in Joist
- + intuit payments
Both integrate with
- ✓ quickbooks online
Only in Knowify
- + quickbooks desktop
- + stripe
Which fits better in each trade
| Trade | Joist fit | Knowify fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 4 / 10 | 6 / 10 | Knowify |
| Plumbing | 4 / 10 | 6 / 10 | Knowify |
| Electrical | 4 / 10 | 6 / 10 | Knowify |
| Roofing | 6 / 10 | 8 / 10 | Knowify |
| General Contractors | 6 / 10 | 9 / 10 | Knowify |
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, Joist or Knowify?
Neither is universally better — they target different buyers. Joist is best for Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing. Knowify is best for Small-to-mid contractors deep on QuickBooks who need AIA billing and change orders. 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 Joist cheaper than Knowify?
Joist has a lower starting price (From $10/mo vs From $99/mo). However, total cost depends on team size, features needed, and tier — see the full pricing breakdown above.
Can Joist and Knowify integrate with QuickBooks?
Joist integrates with QuickBooks natively. Knowify integrates with QuickBooks natively. Both work with QuickBooks Online; confirm QuickBooks Desktop support before signing if your accountant uses Desktop.
Do Joist or Knowify offer a free trial?
Joist: 30-day free trial, no credit card required. Knowify: 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
How long does Joist vs Knowify take to implement?
Joist: 1-3 weeks self-service onboarding. Knowify: 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 Joist to Knowify (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.
Joist vs Knowify: which has better customer support?
Both Joist and Knowify 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 (Joist) 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 Joist and Knowify 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.