A popular free estimating & invoicing app for contractors.
Joist deserves real credit: it made professional-looking estimates and invoices free for a generation of contractors, and as of 2026 the basic app remains a genuinely good way to start. If your business is brand new and cash is tight, starting on Joist is a reasonable call.
The tradeoff shows up as the business grows. Joist is focused on the documents — estimates and invoices — while the rest of the job (scheduling, customer follow-up, bookkeeping, mileage, taxes) typically lives somewhere else, and features like e-signed contracts sit behind Pro subscriptions. Job Assistant covers the whole job cycle in one $25/month app, so the paperwork, calendar, and books stop being three separate problems.
When Joist is the better pick
Brand-new contractors who need free, basic estimates and invoices today and aren't ready to pay for software yet.
| Feature | Job Assistant | Joist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $25/mo flat | Free basic; Pro costs extra |
| Built for | Running the whole business | Estimates & invoices |
| Estimates & invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
| Online card payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Digital contracts / e-sign | ✓ Included | Typically Pro |
| Scheduling & self-booking | ✓ | ✗ Not a scheduling tool |
| Change orders | ✓ | Limited |
| Built-in bookkeeping | ✓ Included | Limited |
| Mileage log + IRS deduction | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| Quarterly tax estimate | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| Bilingual (English/Spanish) | ✓ | English-first |
Joist pricing as of 2026. Subject to change. Comparison reflects our understanding of publicly available information.
14 days free. No credit card. Import your customers in minutes.
Start your free trialIs Joist really free?
The basic estimating and invoicing app is free as of 2026, with payment processing fees when customers pay by card and Pro subscriptions for advanced features. For basic documents on a new business, it's a fair deal.
When does Job Assistant make more sense than Joist?
When the paperwork isn't the whole problem anymore — you also want scheduling, customer follow-up, change orders, bookkeeping, and mileage in one place. That's the point where one $25/month app beats a free app plus spreadsheets.
Can I move from Joist to Job Assistant?
Yes. Export your customer list as a CSV and import it into Job Assistant, then recreate your common line items once as saved templates.