Joist alternatives for solo contractors
If Joist's price or limits stopped working for you, here's what the common alternatives charge. Every price below comes from that company's own public pricing page, checked on October 18, 2026, in US dollars before tax. Prices change, so check the linked page before you decide.
Full disclosure: we make Pencilslip, which is in development and not available yet. We've listed where other apps do things we don't, too.
What Joist costs now
According to Joist's pricing page, the free plan is no longer available (there's a 14-day free trial). Paid plans:
| Joist plan | Monthly | Billed annually | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | $12/mo | $8.34/mo | Up to 5 per month |
| Pro | $17/mo | $14.17/mo | Unlimited, plus logo, line items and document photos |
| Elite | $32/mo | $26.67/mo | Unlimited, plus reports and more |
So if you need photos on your estimates or more than 5 documents a month, Joist starts at $17 a month, or $14.17 a month paid yearly.
The alternatives, side by side
Invoice Simple
Starting price: $6.99/mo or $69.99/yr (Essentials)
Limits worth knowing: Essentials: up to 3 invoices a month. Photos are listed starting on Plus ($14.99/mo, 10 invoices a month). Unlimited invoices on Premium ($21.99/mo).
Good at: Very well-known, simple mobile app.
Zoho Invoice
Starting price: $0
Limits worth knowing: Up to 500 invoices a year and 2 users. Invoices carry "Powered by Zoho Invoice" branding. Per Zoho's data retention policy, data of accounts inactive for over 180 days is deleted in the following 20 days (users are told first).
Good at: Free, with a lot of features. Worth a look if you invoice year-round.
Estiquik
Starting price: $19.99/mo or $199.99/yr (Starter, US)
Limits worth knowing: Free plan keeps up to 3 estimates.
Good at: Built for contractors. Imports from Joist, Jobber, or any CSV on paid plans. Card payments through your own Stripe account. CSV and JSON export on every plan.
Pencilslip (in development)
Starting price: Planned: about $5/mo or $49/yr, one plan
Limits worth knowing: Not available yet. Features and price may change before launch.
Good at: Planned: photos and no document caps on the one plan, your own payment link on invoices, a winter pause that doesn't delete or lock anything, free export anytime, and import of Joist's clients and items CSVs.
Before you switch, check these five things
- The real document limit. Count your busiest month, not your average. A 3- or 5-document cap is easy to hit in spring.
- Photos. Several apps put photos on a higher tier than the entry price.
- How customers pay you. Some apps route card payments through their own processor. Others let you use your own Stripe, Square, or PayPal. Know which you're signing up for, and what the fees are.
- What happens in the slow season. If you stop paying or stop logging in for a few months, can you still see your old estimates and invoices?
- Getting your data out. Make sure you can export clients, your price list, and past documents before you need to.
Leaving Joist? Export first. Our Joist export guide shows what you can download and what doesn't come with it. Need to send something today? Use the free estimate template or free invoice template.
Want to hear when Pencilslip is ready?
Join the waitlist. Nothing is charged, and we'll email you only about the launch and founding access.