Joist

What it does

Joist is a mobile-first estimating and invoicing app for independent contractors and small trades businesses - enabling contractors to create professional estimates, collect deposits, send invoices, and take payments from their phone. AI capabilities include AI quote assistant that generates detailed estimates from brief job descriptions, intelligent line item suggestions based on job type and historical pricing, automated follow-up reminders for outstanding estimates and unpaid invoices, smart client management that tracks job history and communication, and business analytics surfacing revenue and payment trends.

Strengths

• Small trades companies use Joist for systematic quoting and payment collection - automated follow-ups reducing lost bids and unpaid invoices.
• Solo contractors use Joist for professional estimates and invoicing - AI quote generation enabling fast, accurate bids from mobile without office software.
• Joist is a mobile-first estimating and invoicing app for independent contractors and small trades businesses - enabling contractors to create professional estimates, collect deposits, send invoices, and take payments from their phone.

Watch-outs

• Jobber offers more comprehensive field service management: Jobber provides broader field service capabilities including scheduling and CRM — contractors needing more than estimating and invoicing should evaluate Jobber.
• Limited to estimating and invoicing — not full business management: Joist is focused on financial operations — contractors needing scheduling, routing, and team management need additional tools alongside Joist.

Pricing

Free plan available. Pro at $14/month. Premium at $29/month. Annual billing saves 20%.