The best Joist alternatives in 2026 are Jobber (the most common next step for growing service crews), Housecall Pro (home service teams), ServiceM8 (pay per job, with a free tier), Tradify (trades job management), Kickserv (flat price for small teams), Invoice2go (invoicing only) and Contruva (an AI receptionist, quotes, scheduling, payments and marketing in one plan). If you’re solo and only send estimates and invoices, staying on Joist may still be the cheapest choice.
We’re talking about the Joist estimating app (joist.com), not floor joists. Every price below was checked on the company’s own pricing page in November 2026. Contruva is our product; we say where it isn’t the right pick.
Why contractors look for a Joist alternative
Joist built its name on fast, clean estimates and invoices from a phone. It’s still good at that. The reasons people shop around usually come down to one of these:
- The free plan is gone. Joist’s pricing page now says its free plan is no longer available. Every plan is paid after a 14-day trial.
- Scheduling sits in the top tier. Job scheduling and calendar sync are only in the Run plan. The cheaper plans are estimate and invoice tools.
- You hired a crew. Once you’re dispatching people, you need a shared schedule, job notes and a field app, not just documents.
- Paywalled features and app issues. App Store reviews we read mention features that used to be free now needing a paid plan, lost edits when switching apps, and slow, chat-only support.
- You need more work, not just paperwork. Joist sends the estimate once you have the lead. It doesn’t answer your phone or build your website.
How much does Joist cost now?
Joist lists four plans billed monthly on its website (checked November 2026). The page shows prices with “$” and doesn’t say whether that’s US or Canadian dollars.
| Joist plan | Monthly price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Basics | $12/mo | 5 documents a month, online payments, estimate-to-invoice, AI tools, homeowner financing |
| Pro | $17/mo | Unlimited documents and clients, logo, photos, client activity tracking, work orders |
| Elite | $32/mo (shown as a 30%-off introductory price) | Change orders, reports, Joist Reviews, licence and insurance on documents |
| Run (new) | $100/mo | Job organization, scheduled visits, calendar sync |
| AI Receptionist | $49/mo add-on | Answers calls for you |
Joist says annual plans get two months free. Prices inside the iPhone app are listed a little differently (for example, Basics at $9.99 a month on the App Store), and QuickBooks Sync is a separate in-app purchase there. Check which price you’ll actually be charged before you subscribe.
So a crew that wants scheduling plus an AI receptionist on Joist is looking at Run plus the add-on: $149 a month on monthly billing, before payment fees.
Joist alternatives side by side
| App | Starting price (checked Nov 2026) | Pricing model | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joist | $12/mo (Basics) | Per account, tiers by feature | ✓ 14 days, no card | Solo contractors who mainly estimate and invoice |
| Jobber | US$49/mo month-to-month (Core, 1 user) | Per plan, $29/mo per extra user | ✓ 14 days | Growing service crews |
| Housecall Pro | US$79/mo monthly, $59 annual (Basic, 1 user) | Plans by user count | ✓ 14 days | Home service teams |
| ServiceM8 | Free (30 jobs/mo); Starter US$29 | Per job, unlimited users on paid plans | ✓ 14 days | Low-volume or seasonal crews |
| Tradify | US$47 per user/mo (Lite) | Per user | ✓ 14 days | Trades job management |
| Kickserv | $60/mo (Start, 5 users) | Flat price by user band | ✓ 30 days | Small teams on a budget |
| Invoice2go | Not shown on its pricing page | Plans by invoices per year | Card required | Invoicing only |
| Contruva | $249.99 CAD / US$179.99 a month | One plan, no per-seat fees | ✓ 7 days, no card | Contractors who want more booked jobs, not just paperwork |
1. Jobber
Jobber is the most common move up from Joist. It covers quotes, scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, a client hub and online booking. Core is US$49 a month month-to-month for one user ($39 with a one-year commitment, $29 billed annually). Connect starts at $139 and Grow at $199 month-to-month for one user. Extra users are $29 a month each, and Jobber says all prices are in USD.
Good fit if: you have a crew and want a proven field-service app. Watch for: the per-user fee adds up as you hire. Our Jobber pricing breakdown works through the real cost by team size.
2. Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is a full home-service platform. Basic is US$79 a month monthly or $59 annual for one user, Essentials $189 or $149 for five users, and Max $329 or $299 for eight users plus $35 a month per extra user. It was running introductory first-month promos when we checked.
Good fit if: you run a home-service team and want marketing tools in the same app. Watch for: many features sit in higher tiers. See Housecall Pro pricing for the details.
3. ServiceM8
ServiceM8 charges by job, not by user. The Free plan covers one user and 30 jobs a month. Starter is US$29 for 50 jobs, Growing $79 for 150, Premium $149 for 500 and Premium Plus $349 for 1,500 jobs, with unlimited users on the paid plans.
Good fit if: you have several people but a modest number of jobs, or your work is seasonal. Watch for: busy months push you into a higher job band.
4. Tradify
Tradify is job management built for trades: quotes, scheduling, timesheets and invoices. It charges per user: Lite US$47, Pro $51 and Plus $61 per user per month.
Good fit if: you want trade-focused job management and a small team. Watch for: per-user pricing means a five-person crew on Pro is $255 a month. More in our Tradify alternatives guide.
5. Kickserv
Kickserv sells plans by team size with no per-user fee inside each band: Start $60 a month for 5 users, Run $119 for 10 and Scale $199 for 20. It says annual billing saves 20% and offers a 30-day trial. The page doesn’t name a currency.
Good fit if: you want scheduling and invoicing for a small team at a flat price. Watch for: compare its mobile app against Joist’s, since that’s what you’ll use most.
6. Invoice2go
Invoice2go is the closest like-for-like swap if you only want invoices. Its plans are set by how many invoices you send a year: Starter (30), Professional (100) and Premium (unlimited), all with unlimited team members. Its pricing page didn’t show prices when we checked, and its 30-day trial asks for a card.
Good fit if: invoicing is all you need. Watch for: it’s lighter than Joist on estimates, and has no scheduling.
7. Contruva
Contruva does more than Joist and costs more, so it only makes sense if you’ll use the extra. It answers your calls with an AI receptionist and books jobs into real open slots. It sends quotes with e-signature and a deposit, and follows them up automatically. Jobs go on a shared schedule with a crew app and job costing. Invoices go out with card payments and automatic reminders. It also builds your website, asks for reviews, and runs social posts and email. You can text Contruva AI to get things done from the job site.
It’s one plan at $249.99 CAD or US$179.99 a month with no per-seat fees, and a 7-day free trial with no card. It’s a Canadian company and bills Canadians in Canadian dollars. Not a fit if: you’re solo and just need estimates; Joist Pro at $17 is cheaper. It also isn’t accounting software and doesn’t do GPS tracking.
Payment fees: the cost people forget
The subscription is the small number. Card fees on your invoices usually cost more. Joist’s help centre lists its card fee (effective August 2025) as up to 3.49% plus $0.49 in the US, and 2.90% plus 30 cents CAD in Canada. Contruva runs payments through Stripe and adds no Contruva fee, so you pay Stripe’s rate; Stripe’s standard published domestic card rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents.
| $2,000 invoice paid by card | Fee |
|---|---|
| Joist, US, at the listed maximum (3.49% + $0.49) | $70.29 |
| Joist, Canada (2.90% + $0.30 CAD) | $58.30 |
| Stripe standard rate (2.9% + $0.30) | $58.30 |
On $20,000 a month of card payments in the US, a 0.59-point difference is about $118 a month. Check each app’s current rate for your country before you compare subscriptions. Our guide on getting paid faster as a contractor covers when card fees are worth it.
Which one should you pick?
If all you send is estimates and invoices, a $12 to $32 app is enough.
You need a shared schedule and a field app. Price each at your real headcount and job count.
If missed calls, slow quotes and no follow-up are what’s costing you, pick the app that answers the phone and chases the quote.
Run one job from first call to final payment in each app before you move your client list.
Moving from Joist? Export your client list first, then rebuild your most-used line items as a price book. Comparing full job apps? See Jobber alternatives and the best contractor software in Canada.