Joist

Overview

Joist currently brands itself as the “#1 Estimate, Invoice, Payment App for Contractors” on its homepage, and the footer identifies the company as Joist Inc. The product sits in the small-contractor lane: it is built to get estimates out fast, convert them into invoices, and collect payment without the overhead of a full dispatch or service-management system. The live site also highlights plumbing, electrical, roofing, HVAC, and handyman use cases, which is a good fit for trade businesses that are still simple enough to run from a lightweight back office.

Pricing

Joist’s pricing page shows three published tiers: Basics at $10/mo, Pro at $17/mo, and Elite at $32/mo. The page also advertises a 14-day free trial and says annual billing comes with 2 months free. The included feature table is straightforward: all plans include estimates, invoicing, payments, client management, mobile access, and financing. Higher tiers add capacity and workflow depth such as unlimited documents, QuickBooks sync, project templates, work orders, license and insurance tracking, deposit and payment schedules, custom contracts, client activity tracking, expense tracking, change orders, business reports, priority support, and the ability to book time with a Joist expert.

Strengths and weaknesses

Joist’s biggest strength is simplicity. It gives small contractors a clean path from estimate to invoice to payment, with transparent pricing and enough mobile support to work well in the field. The downside is scope: if you need deep dispatching, technician scheduling, maintenance agreements, or broader service-management tooling, Joist is not trying to be that product. It is best viewed as a fast, low-friction financial workflow tool for small teams rather than a replacement for a more complete FSM platform.

When to pick Joist (and when not to)

Pick Joist if you are an owner-operator or a small trade business that wants a polished estimate/invoice/payment workflow with QuickBooks sync and you do not need heavy dispatch or enterprise workflow control. Skip it if your business already relies on multi-tech scheduling, service agreements, or large-scale reporting — at that point, a fuller construction or FSM platform will fit better.