Joist has been a favourite of contractors for years, mostly because its estimate-to-invoice workflow was free. That changed: Joist's pricing page now says its free plan is no longer available. Contractors who only used Joist to send a few invoices a month are now looking at a subscription, and some are asking whether they need everything Joist offers.
Quick Comparison at a Glance
- Free use: Joist no longer has a free plan; it offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card. InvoiceNexora's Free plan is permanent.
- Document limits: Joist's Basics plan allows up to 5 documents a month (estimates and invoices); unlimited documents start with Pro at $17/month billed monthly. InvoiceNexora has no limit on any plan.
- Contractor tools: Joist includes estimates, homeowner financing, and on higher plans work orders, change orders, reports and scheduling. InvoiceNexora focuses on invoices, clients and a saved catalog of labour and materials.
- Payments: Joist supports online payments with standard processing fees. InvoiceNexora doesn't process payments; clients pay you directly.
- Offline: InvoiceNexora creates invoices and PDFs with no connection after one sign-in. Joist doesn't advertise an offline mode.
- Platforms: Joist runs on iOS, Android and the web. InvoiceNexora is on Android, with iOS coming.
What Joist Costs Now
Joist lists four plans: Basics, Pro, Elite and Run, with annual billing giving two months free. Basics is the entry point but is limited to 5 documents a month, so a contractor who sends an estimate and an invoice for each job hits the cap after about two or three jobs. Pro removes the document limit at $17 a month on monthly billing. Elite and Run add change orders, reports, job organisation and scheduling.
InvoiceNexora is free for unlimited invoices and clients, with 7 templates. The optional Pro plan ($9.99/month or $89.99/year) adds cloud backup, multi-device sync, all 16 templates and an ad-free app.
Where Joist Wins
- Estimates to invoices: Quote the job, get approval, then turn the estimate into an invoice without retyping.
- Homeowner financing: Offering financing can help you win larger residential jobs.
- Job management on higher plans: Work orders, change orders, scheduling and reports suit growing crews.
- iPhone and web: Joist is available on iOS and in a browser today.
Where InvoiceNexora Wins
- Free and unlimited: No monthly document count, no trial deadline, no card.
- Built for job sites with no signal: Create the invoice, add your signature and generate the PDF in a basement or a new build with zero bars. See our guide for contractors and handymen.
- Saved labour and materials: Keep your hourly rates and common parts in a catalog and add them to an invoice in a few taps.
- No processing cut: Clients pay you by bank transfer, cheque or another method you choose, and you keep the full amount.
- Ready-made trade templates: Start from the free contractor, plumber, electrician or handyman invoice templates.
Which Should You Choose?
- Choose Joist if: Estimates, financing and job management are part of how you win and run work, and the subscription pays for itself.
- Choose InvoiceNexora if: You quote by phone, text or a separate document and just need a fast, professional invoice before you leave the site, without a monthly fee.
Some contractors use both: a quoting tool when they need a formal estimate, and InvoiceNexora for day-to-day invoices. Not sure which document to send when? Read invoice vs receipt vs quote.
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