Joist Review
Estimating and invoicing app for solo contractors
Score
Score
▸ How we scored Joist: 7.2/10
| Factor | Weight | Sub-score |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical fit | 40% | 7.0/10 |
| User ratings (G2 + Capterra) | 30% | 9.0/10 |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 10.0/10 |
| Feature depth | 10% | 5.0/10 |
| Integration coverage | 10% | 2.0/10 |
Weighted composite, applied identically to every vendor — no vendor pays to change it. Full Fit Score methodology →
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Quick verdict
Joist is best for Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing. Pricing starts at $10/mo. Strongest fit: Handyman Services. 4.5 / 5 aggregate user rating. 30-day free trial available.
About Joist
Joist is the leading estimating and invoicing app for solo contractors and 1-3 person trade operations, founded in 2011 in Toronto and now serving hundreds of thousands of solo contractors across North America. The product targets the smallest segment of the trades software market — operations where the owner does all the field work, billing, and customer communication — with a focused feature set covering quotes, invoices, payments, and signatures.
What separates Joist from broader FSM platforms is the deliberate narrow focus and price point. Joist isn't trying to handle scheduling, dispatching, team management, marketing automation, or any of the operational features that larger operations need. Instead, it does estimating + invoicing + payments exceptionally well at the lowest entry price in the trades software market. The free tier is genuinely free (limited features but functional), Pro at $13/month is the cheapest paid tier in the entire trades software category, and Pro+ at $26/month adds advanced features for slightly larger operations.
The platform integrates with QuickBooks Online for accounting sync and Intuit Payments for credit card processing — that's the entire integration list, reflecting the focused positioning. The integrations cover the essentials for solo contractors without forcing them to evaluate broader platform decisions.
Key features include estimates with photo attachments, invoices with client signature capture, credit card payment processing through Intuit Payments, and customer self-signature workflows. The 30-day free trial on Pro tiers allows full evaluation before committing to $13/month.
The trade-off: Joist outgrows quickly. Past 2-3 person operations, Joist's lack of scheduling, dispatching, team management, and marketing automation becomes a real limitation. Operations growing beyond solo typically migrate to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or Workiz. For solo contractors and 1-2 person operations specifically — handyman, solo HVAC, solo electrical, solo plumbing — Joist is the right starting point at the right price.
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Entry tier |
| Pro | $13/mo | |
| Pro+ | $26/mo | Top tier |
Free tier discontinued; Basics $10/mo (limited documents/mo) is the entry plan, Pro $17/mo, Elite $32/mo; ~2 months free on annual billing.
Joist starts at $10/mo on the Free tier and scales to $26/mo on Pro+. The Free → Pro → Pro+ ladder places it in the budget-friendly entry tier segment of the FSM market. At this price point you're getting core scheduling, invoicing, and a mobile app — but expect to upgrade once you need advanced features like dispatch optimization, automated reminders, or recurring-service contracts. 30-day free trial available — no credit card typically required.
Pricing verified 2026-07-10. Vendors change pricing without notice; verify with Joist before purchasing.
Estimate uses the published starting tier and detects per-user vs per-company pricing automatically. For an exact quote at your team size and feature requirements, request a quote from Joist.
Key features
Integrations
Pros
- + Genuinely free tier
Free tier covers basic estimating and invoicing with no time limit. Cheapest entry point in the trades software market; the only viable free option for solo contractors actively running quotes and invoices.
- + Lowest paid tier in the category
Pro at $13/month is decisively the cheapest paid tier in the entire trades software directory. For solo contractors who outgrow the free tier, the upgrade cost is negligible.
- + Focused feature set works for solo operators
Estimating + invoicing + payments + signatures is exactly what solo contractors need. No overwhelming feature ladder, no upsell pressure for unused features.
- + Strong mobile experience for field use
Built mobile-first for solo contractors doing quotes and invoices on-site. Photo attachments, client signatures, payment collection all work cleanly from the mobile app.
- + 30-day free trial on Pro tiers
Allows full evaluation including Intuit Payments integration setup. Longer trial than most FSM platforms (typically 14 days).
- + Intuit Payments integration
Credit card payment processing through Intuit at competitive rates. Important for solo contractors collecting on-site payments without setting up separate Stripe accounts.
Cons
- − No scheduling or dispatching
Joist is quote-and-invoice only. No appointment scheduling, no dispatch workflow, no calendar management. Operations needing scheduling need to evaluate Jobber, Housecall Pro, or Workiz instead.
- − No team management features
Single-user platform design. Past 2-3 person operations, no way to manage team schedules, assign jobs to specific techs, or track multi-user activity.
- − Outgrown quickly past 3 techs
Joist's deliberate narrow focus means operations grow out of it within 6-18 months as they scale. The migration to broader FSM is inevitable for growing operations.
- − Limited integration ecosystem
QuickBooks Online and Intuit Payments only. No CRM integrations, no marketing automation, no calendar sync, no parts management. Reflects the focused positioning.
- − No marketing or customer communication features
No review request workflows, no email marketing, no customer portal beyond invoice viewing. Operations doing active marketing need separate tools or broader FSM platforms.
Implementation timeline
1–3 weeks for a small team
Plan for 1-3 days for full deployment. Joist's onboarding is self-service with in-app guidance and email support. Realistic timeline for a solo contractor: Day 1 download app, create account, configure business details (business name, logo, services, pricing). Day 2 first estimates and invoices created on real customers, Intuit Payments setup if collecting credit card payments. Day 3 first invoice paid through the platform, QuickBooks Online integration setup if accounting sync needed. The setup simplicity reflects Joist's focused positioning — there's nothing complex to configure because the platform is intentionally narrow. Solo contractors typically go from download to first sent invoice within 1-2 hours. For solo contractors migrating from paper-based estimating/invoicing, the migration is just starting fresh — no historical data to import. For solo contractors migrating from broader FSM platforms (rare but happens when scaling back), only customer list and active invoices need to migrate; historical data typically gets left in the prior platform. For operations approaching 3+ techs, plan migration to Jobber or Housecall Pro before outgrowing Joist becomes operationally painful. Migration triggers typically include: needing to schedule appointments across multiple techs, needing customer portal features, or needing marketing automation.
Best for / Watch out for
Best for
Solo contractors and small 1-2 person operations needing only estimates and invoicing
Watch out for
No scheduling, no dispatching, no team management — quote-and-invoice only. Outgrown quickly past 3 techs.
Available for these trades
WrenchStack Awards
Editorial recognitions Joist received in our 2026 awards. See full methodology →
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User reviews
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Frequently asked questions
Is Joist's free tier actually free?
Yes — genuinely free with no time limit. The free tier covers basic estimating and invoicing with limited features (no credit card payments, limited customization, Joist branding on invoices). Functional for solo contractors actively quoting and invoicing; most upgrade to Pro at $13/month within 1-3 months for the additional features.
How does Joist compare to Jobber or Housecall Pro?
Joist is quote-and-invoice only; Jobber and Housecall Pro are full FSM platforms with scheduling, dispatching, team management, and marketing automation. For solo contractors needing only estimates and invoices, Joist at $13/month wins decisively on cost ($29-$169/month for Jobber, $79-$300/month for Housecall Pro). For operations needing scheduling, dispatching, or team management, Jobber or Housecall Pro fit better despite higher cost.
When should I migrate away from Joist?
Typical migration triggers: (1) hiring your first employee or subcontractor who needs scheduling and dispatch; (2) needing a customer portal for self-service appointment booking; (3) wanting marketing automation (review requests, email campaigns); (4) growing past 3 techs where multi-user workflows become essential. Most solo contractors outgrow Joist within 12-24 months of growth.
Does Joist integrate with QuickBooks Desktop?
No — Joist integrates with QuickBooks Online only. Solo contractors on QuickBooks Desktop need to either migrate to QuickBooks Online or skip the integration entirely. Many Joist users skip accounting integration and manually enter invoices in their accounting software, which works at solo-operator scale.
Can Joist handle credit card payments?
Yes — through Intuit Payments integration on Pro and Pro+ tiers. Solo contractors can collect credit card payments on-site through the mobile app, with funds depositing to their bank account in 1-2 business days. Processing rates are competitive with Stripe or Square; the Intuit Payments integration is the simplest setup option for solo contractors.
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