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Joist alternatives for when you need more than the estimate.

Joist is a solid estimate and invoice app for small residential contractors. The question usually comes up when the work gets busier: you need a calendar, a list of jobs that are waiting on you, and somewhere to keep the follow-ups. Here's what fits.

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Who Joist is for, and where it stops

Joist is built for residential contractors with, in its own words, typically 1 to 3 employees: general contractors, remodelers, handymen, painters, electricians, plumbers, roofers and landscapers. Its estimates are strong, with sections, markups, your logo, contracts, change orders and e-signatures, and invoices take card, bank, Tap to Pay and PayPal, with deposits, milestone payments and customer financing.

Where people start looking is everything around the estimate. Joist is primarily an estimate and invoice tool. Job organization and visit scheduling sit only on its top plan, Run, which Joist's pricing page lists at $70 a month as a promotional price. The entry plan, Basics, is listed at $10 a month but caps you at 5 estimates or invoices a month. And Joist says its former free plan is no longer available.

So a painter doing 4 bids a month is well served. A handyman juggling 15 small jobs, a remodeler with three projects in flight, or anyone who wants a calendar without jumping to the top tier should compare. Straight comparison: Redline vs Joist.

An estimate and a calendar in the same place

Quote the Russo kitchen repaint. Walls and ceiling, two coats, about 420 sq ft of wall. Cabinets as a separate line. 30% deposit.
Redline

Quote for Angela Russo is ready to review:

Walls and ceiling, 2 coats: $1,450

Cabinet doors and boxes: $1,450

Total $2,900, with a 30% deposit of $870.

Find me a morning next week to walk it with her.
Redline

Tuesday 9am works, right before the Kim touch-up in the same town. Book it?

Example prices. Approved quotes save as drafts, and you email the customer from your own Gmail. Good, better and best options are built in the quote editor on Solo.

Joist alternatives

Redline

Estimates, calendar, pipeline and contacts on the Free plan, run by chat. Invoicing and card pay links are on Solo at $29 a month. Customers can't e-sign or approve quotes online yet, payments are card only, and there's no financing or QuickBooks sync.

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Invoice2go

A mobile invoicing app for independent contractors, with quotes and purchase orders. Its vendor pages don't document scheduling, so it's a sideways move if a calendar is what you're missing.

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Markate

Scheduling, dispatch, invoicing and payments in one plan, listed at $39.95 a month billed annually, which is less than Joist's Run promo price for a calendar.

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Kickserv

Built for handyman and home improvement businesses, with estimates and e-signatures, a pipeline, recurring appointments and QuickBooks sync.

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Jobber

A bigger system with quotes, scheduling, online booking and payments; its pricing page lists Core at $29 a month billed annually, $49 with no commitment.

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Side by side

Dollar figures only where the vendor's own pricing page confirmed them.

Built forPricing as publishedFree plan or trialFits a Joist user who
RedlineContractors and home-service businesses, solo up to about 10 peopleFree; Solo $29 a month; Team $129 with 3 seats; Team+ $299 with 10 seatsFree plan, no card. Solo has a 7-day trial on the webWants a calendar and job list without paying first
Invoice2goSmall businesses and independent contractors who mainly invoiceNot confirmed on the vendor's site. Check Invoice2go directlyCheck Invoice2go directlyReally only needs invoices, on a phone
MarkateSmall service businesses: cleaning, landscaping, painting, pressure washingMarkate's pricing page lists one plan at $39.95 a month billed annually ($49.95 monthly), plus $5 per employee for the appNo free plan. 14-day trial, no cardWants scheduling and dispatch in one flat plan
KickservSmall service businesses: handyman, cleaning, landscaping, locksmith, movingPlans tiered by user count (5, 10, 20 users). See Kickserv's pricing pageFree trial offeredRuns a handyman business and wants e-signatures kept
JobberHome and commercial service businesses, solo to multi-crewJobber's pricing page lists Core at $29 a month billed annually ($49 with no commitment), Connect $99 and Grow $149 for 1 user billed annuallyNo free plan. 14-day trial, no cardIs growing a crew and wants online booking
JoistSmall residential contractors, typically 1 to 3 peopleJoist's pricing page lists Basics at $10 a month (5 estimates or invoices a month) up to Run at $70 a month (a promo price) with schedulingNo free plan. 14-day trial, no cardFor reference

Joist to Redline: the trade-offs

You'd lose

  • E-signatures and online approval on estimates
  • Change orders as their own document
  • Bank, Tap to Pay and PayPal payments (Redline is card only)
  • Customer financing
  • QuickBooks sync (Redline exports a QuickBooks-format CSV)

You'd gain

  • A calendar and job pipeline on the Free plan
  • Quotes built by chat or from a site photo
  • Good, better and best options with a deposit % (quote editor, Solo)
  • Overdue invoice alerts at day 3, 7 and 14 (Solo)
  • Expenses and profit per job (Solo)

Questions contractors ask

Is there a free Joist alternative?

Redline's Free plan covers quotes by chat, contacts, the pipeline and the calendar with no end date. Invoices need Solo at $29 a month. ServiceM8 also lists a free plan, capped at 30 jobs a month.

Can my customer sign the estimate in Redline?

Not today. Quotes are saved as drafts, and you email them from your own Gmail. When the customer says yes, you move the job to Accepted. If signed estimates are a must, Joist or Kickserv is the better pick.

Can I bill a deposit before buying materials?

Yes, on Solo and up. Invoice the deposit amount by chat ("invoice Angela Russo $870, deposit on the kitchen repaint"), then invoice the balance when the job's done. Redline doesn't subtract the deposit for you, so you bill the remaining amount. See quotes and estimates.

Sources

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