Joist vs Jobber: Joist is the cheaper, simpler app for contractors who mostly send estimates and invoices from a phone, with plans from $12 a month and a new Run plan at $100 that adds job scheduling. Jobber costs more ($49 USD a month with no commitment for one user, or $29 billed annually) but is a full field-service system: scheduling and dispatch, a crew app, automated follow-ups, job costing on Grow and a website on every plan.
A solo renovator or painter who quotes and invoices is usually well served by Joist. Once you’re scheduling a crew, chasing quotes and juggling several jobs a day, Jobber (or another all-in-one) starts paying for itself. Every price below was checked on joist.com/pricing and getjobber.com/pricing in November 2026.
Quick verdict
| Joist | Jobber | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $12/mo (Basics, 5 documents a month) | $49/mo no commitment, $29 annual prepaid (Core) |
| Currency shown | “$”, currency not stated | USD, stated on the page |
| Unlimited estimates and invoices | Pro, $17/mo | ✓ All plans |
| Job scheduling | Run plan, $100/mo | ✓ All plans |
| Change orders | Elite and up | Not listed as a separate feature |
| Job costing | Not listed | Grow and up |
| Website | ✕ Not listed | ✓ All plans |
| AI call answering | AI Receptionist add-on, $49/mo | AI Receptionist add-on, $29/mo (included in Plus) |
| Homeowner financing | ✓ Listed on Basics and up | Not listed on the pricing page |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 14 days, no card |
| Free plan | ✕ No longer available | ✕ No |
Joist vs Jobber pricing
Joist
Joist’s pricing page lists four plans. It shows prices with “$” and doesn’t say whether that’s US or Canadian dollars. Annual billing gets two months free.
| Joist plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | $12 (shown as $10 when we checked) | $8.34 | Up to 5 documents a month, online payments, estimates to invoices, AI tools, homeowner financing |
| Pro | $17 | $14.17 | Unlimited documents and clients, your logo, line items and photos, work orders |
| Elite | $32 (shown as a 30%-off introductory price) | $26.67 | Licence and insurance on documents, change orders, reports, Joist Reviews |
| Run (new) | $100 | $58.33 (with an extra 30% off shown) | Organize jobs, schedule visits, link jobs to estimates and invoices |
Joist also lists an AI Receptionist at $49 a month, billed monthly. Its FAQ says the free plan is no longer available. The page doesn’t list a user or team-member count for any plan, so ask Joist how many people can log in before you plan around it.
Jobber
Jobber’s plans are priced by team size, in USD:
| Jobber plan | Users | No commitment | Annual prepaid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | 1 | $49 | $29 |
| Connect | 1 / 5 / 10 | $139 / $199 / $299 | $99 / $149 / $229 |
| Grow | 1 / 5 / 10 | $199 / $299 / $399 | $149 / $229 / $299 |
| Plus | 5 / 10 | $499 / $599 | $399 / $449 |
There’s also a 1-year commitment option billed monthly, priced in between (Core is $39). Extra users are $29 a month. Add-ons: Marketing Suite $99, AI Receptionist $29 and Pipeline $49, all included in Plus. The annual prepayment is non-refundable, per Jobber’s FAQ.
Both pages show promotional prices that change. Joist’s in-app (App Store) prices have differed from its website before. Screenshot what you sign up for.
The monthly bill at 1, 3 and 5 people
Worked examples on monthly billing, before card fees, for a contractor who wants unlimited estimates and invoices plus scheduling. Joist doesn’t publish per-user pricing, so the Joist column assumes one account covers your team; confirm that with Joist.
| Setup | Joist | Jobber |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person, estimates and invoices only | $17 (Pro) | $49 (Core) |
| 1 person, with job scheduling | $100 (Run) | $49 (Core) |
| 1 person, scheduling + AI receptionist | $100 + $49 = $149 | $49 + $29 = $78 |
| 3 people, scheduling + automated follow-ups | Run $100 (ask about users) | Connect 1 user + 2 × $29 = $197 |
| 5 people, with job costing and two-way texting | Not listed | Grow, 5 users: $299 |
The surprise for most people: once you need scheduling, Jobber Core is cheaper than Joist Run on monthly billing. Joist only wins clearly when you don’t need a schedule at all. Annual billing narrows the gap ($58.33 for Run vs $29 for Core).
Features compared
| Feature | Joist | Jobber |
|---|---|---|
| Estimates / quotes | All plans (5 a month on Basics) | All plans |
| Photos on estimates | Pro and up | Rich visuals on Grow and up |
| Online payments | All plans | All plans |
| Online booking requests | Not listed | All plans |
| Scheduling and dispatch | Run | All plans |
| Automated quote and invoice follow-ups | Not listed | Connect and up |
| QuickBooks sync | Listed in the comparison table | Connect and up |
| Change orders | Elite and up | Not listed |
| Business and sales reports | Elite and up | Built-in reporting on all plans; custom reports on Plus |
| Review requests | Joist Reviews on Elite | Reviews add-on (price not published) |
| Deposits and milestone payments | Listed | Not broken out on the page |
| Job costing | Not listed | Grow and up |
Joist is stronger where a renovation contractor lives: licence and insurance on documents, change orders, deposits and milestone payments, and homeowner financing. Jobber is stronger where a service crew lives: the schedule, the crew app, automatic reminders and follow-ups, and job costing.
Card fees on a $3,000 job
Card fees often cost more than the subscription. Here’s one $3,000 card payment, using each company’s published rate:
| Processor | Published rate | Fee on $3,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Joist Payments, US (Stripe, “up to”) | 3.49% + $0.49 | $105.19 |
| Joist Payments, Canada | 2.90% + $0.30 CAD | $87.30 |
| Jobber Payments, credit card | 2.9% + 30¢ | $87.30 |
| Jobber, US bank payment (ACH) | 1% | $30.00 |
Joist’s help centre lists those rates as effective August 2025. In the US, Joist’s maximum card rate is higher than Jobber’s; in Canada the two are the same. Joist lets you pass processing fees to clients, so check your province or state’s rules before you do. For more ways to cut fees and get paid sooner, see how to get paid faster as a contractor.
Who should pick which
Pick Joist if
- You’re solo and mostly need clean estimates and invoices from your phone.
- You do renovation work with change orders, deposits and milestone payments.
- You want homeowner financing on estimates.
- You don’t need a shared schedule yet.
Pick Jobber if
- You schedule several jobs a day or have a crew in the field.
- You want quotes and invoices followed up automatically.
- You want job costing and two-way texting (Grow).
- You want a website included at no extra charge.
One person, a handful of estimates a week: Joist Pro is enough.
Once someone else needs to see where they’re going tomorrow, compare Joist Run with Jobber Core or Connect.
You need follow-ups, job costing and a crew app. That’s Jobber Grow or an all-in-one.
Moving from Joist to Jobber
Most contractors who make this switch do it when the calendar, not the paperwork, becomes the problem. To move cleanly:
- Export your client list from Joist and import it during the Jobber trial.
- Rebuild your ten most-used line items with current prices first; the rest can wait.
- Finish open Joist invoices in Joist so payments don’t land in two places.
- Run both for one billing cycle, then cancel. Check Joist’s cancellation terms if you paid annually.
If you’re rebuilding your price list anyway, read how to write a contractor estimate first, or see our full list of Joist alternatives and Jobber alternatives.
A third option
Both Joist and Jobber sell call answering as an add-on, and neither handles your marketing on its base plan. If what you really want is more booked work, not just better paperwork, Contruva puts it in one plan, Contruva Pro, at one flat monthly price with no per-seat fees.
It includes an AI receptionist that answers and books calls, one inbox, an AI-built website with weekly SEO pages, quotes with e-signature and automatic follow-up, scheduling, a crew app, job costing, invoices with Stripe payments (no extra Contruva fee), review requests and marketing. It’s a Canadian company and bills Canadians in Canadian dollars.
Honestly: it costs more than Joist, so a solo contractor who just needs estimates should stay on Joist. It has a 7-day trial, not 14, and it isn’t accounting software. It suits a crew that would otherwise stack a job app, an answering service and a website builder.