Joist

What Joist is

Joist does one job well: it turns a conversation on a jobsite into a professional-looking estimate and then an invoice, from a phone, in a few minutes. Payments and optional consumer financing are built in. There is no scheduling or dispatch, which is exactly why it remains one of the best first apps for a contractor who is not ready to buy a platform — though the free plan it was known for has now been retired.

What it does well

• Fastest path from conversation to signed estimate
• Cheapest paid entry point in the category
• Payments and financing offers built in
• Almost no learning curve

Integrates with

QuickBooks Online · Stripe · Wisetack

Integration lists change often and "integrates" can mean anything from a real two-way sync to a one-way push through Zapier. Ask the vendor which fields move, in which direction, and how often.

Before you commit

• Decide whether you need speed (same-day quotes from the truck) or depth (line-item takeoff from plans). Tools that do both well are rare.
• Make sure the sell price is driven by your overhead number, not a vendor default markup.
• If it includes a cost database, ask how often it is updated and whether it covers your region.
• Check that options and change orders survive a customer saying "what about the other finish?"
• Confirm the quote pushes into your job management system rather than needing re-entry.

How to judge it in a trial

Run one real job through it end to end — not the demo data. Quote it, schedule it, do it, invoice it, take the payment. Then ask the only question that matters on day 400: did the people who have to use this every day find it faster than what they do now? Friction you notice in week one compounds forever, and tool-hopping costs more than any feature gap.