Joist vs Safe Invoice
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Joist
Streamline your contracting business with tools for creating professional estimates and invoices, managing jobs, and accepting secure payments. Keep all client and job details organized in one place, accessible from any device.
- Create professional estimates and invoices
- Manage jobs and client information
- Schedule work and track workload
- Accept credit card and PayPal payments
- Customize with company logo
- Convert estimates to invoices
- Export data to accounting programs
Read full descriptionHide full description
Win more jobs and get paid faster with Joist — the ultimate estimate, invoice & job management tool for contractors. Manage your business entirely from your iPhone or iPad. Create professional quotes in seconds, schedule work, accept secure payments, and stay ahead of the competition with the industry's most trusted tool for builders. Whether you are estimating on-site, scheduling upcoming work, or sending professional bills from the office, Joist saves time, keeps you organized, and helps you stay on top of your workday. Note: Payments functionality is currently available in the US & Canada. ——— WHY CONTRACTORS LOVE JOIST • SAVES TIME – Complete administrative work at the jobsite or on-the-go. Stop spending evenings catching up on paperwork, paper notes & digital receipts. • STAY ORGANIZED – Keep every job organized in one place. Connect customer details, estimates, invoices, notes, and schedules so you always know where work stands without digging through texts or spreadsheets. • PLAN WITH CONFIDENCE – See upcoming work in a simple calendar view, avoid scheduling conflicts, and always know what’s coming next. • WIN MORE JOBS – Send your client an estimate before you leave. Be the first to create an estimate & give them the opportunity to say YES on the spot. • SPEED UP ESTIMATING & INVOICING – Build estimates & invoices quicker by selecting from your list of commonly used materials + labor rates. • ACCEPT PAYMENTS – Accept Credit Card & PayPal payments directly through Joist. No more driving around to pick up checks. • EASILY MANAGE CLIENTS – Create, organize & store valuable info to access your clients' data anytime, on the go. • LOOK PROFESSIONAL – Show clients you are the contractor they should trust with customized estimates & invoices. ——— KEY FEATURES • Create & organize jobs, keeping notes, photos, estimates & invoices connected • Schedule visits for every job & track workload in a simple calendar view • Customize estimates & invoices with company info & logo • Attach a client contract & collect a signature on the spot • Accept Credit Card & PayPal payments directly through the app • Build a list of commonly used items, services & materials • Attach photos to your estimates & invoices • Preview, print, or email estimates & invoices on the spot • Create personal messages & digital receipts for your clients • Convert estimates into invoices ASAP • Keep track of customer payments & bills • Export data into your accounting program to reduce costs • Access all your info from any device or the web — Joist is cloud-based. ——— USE CASES & VERSATILITY • On-Site Estimates: Walk through a job & create a quote before leaving the property. • Smart Scheduling: Plan your workday, set up job site visits, and stay on top of active work. • Job Organization: Keep estimates, invoices, client notes & photos grouped neatly under each job. • Instant Invoicing: Convert approved quotes into professional bills & send instantly. • Mobile Payments: Accept payments immediately upon job completion. • Project Tracking: Use the estimator for accurate material & labor margins. ——— WHO USES JOIST General contractors, handymen, electricians, plumbers, builders, landscapers, roofers, painters, HVAC, flooring, remodeling, construction & more! ——— WHAT OTHER CONTRACTORS ARE SAYING "Now I can do quotes on the fly! I don't have to walk through the job & write everything down; it's all programmed into my iPad right from material cost to cost per square foot! This app is so awesome." ——— JOIST SUBSCRIPTIONS You can subscribe to Joist Pro or Joist Elite (Monthly/Annual). Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hrs prior to the end of the current period. Manage settings in App Store or iTunes. ——— Joist is FREE to Download & FREE to try! Available on iPhone, iPad & desktop. Get support FAST: hello@joist.com | www.joist.com | In-app live chat Terms: https://www.joist.com/terms/ Privacy: https://www.joist.com/privacy-policy/
Safe Invoice
Create professional invoices and estimates quickly and easily. Manage your business finances in one place, and send documents via email, text, or print. Offers customization and reporting features for a polished business image.
- Create invoices and estimates
- Professional invoice design
- Recurring invoices with notifications
- Built-in PDF generator
- Cloud sync
- Customizable reports
Read full descriptionHide full description
Safe Invoice is the easiest way to send professional invoices and estimates to your customers. It's perfect for small business owners, contractors and freelancers needing a fast, easy to use mobile invoicing solution. LOOK PROFESSIONAL Make your invoices look as professional as your business. INVOICE EASILY Get invoicing right away. Hands-down the easiest invoicing app available. GET ORGANIZED Manage all your business finances in one place. INVOICE ANYWHERE Email, text or print your invoice as soon as you finish a job. OTHER FEATURES - Create invoices & estimates - Prefix for invoice number - Recurring invoices with push notification - Built-in PDF generator for invoice, estimate, reports, etc - Professional Invoice Maker - Quick Estimates - Import/Export & Print - Cloud Sync - Reports -- Upgrade to Safe Invoice Premium for a more powerful experience ($5.99 monthly, $59.99 annually): • Create your invoices in a moment • Customize them with your logo and the colors of your business • Invoices in 23 different languages • Detailed and personalized reports for your clients in CSV Price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your account will be charged $5.99 (monthly) or $59.99 (yearly) for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. It will not be possible to immediately cancel a subscription. You can manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Refunds are not available for unused portions of a subscription. Terms and conditions: https://termsfeed.com/terms-conditions/786e56c3095f36f3ff2f71cbbd1ef70f Privacy policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/73313492
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Joist at 14K against Safe Invoice's 2. Joist also leads on chart position (#14 vs unranked) and review sentiment (61% vs 50%). Safe Invoice's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Joist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Safe Invoice sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Safe Invoice holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Joist has 14K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Joist's written reviews are positive against 50% of Safe Invoice's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Joist ships an update every 2 weeks, Safe Invoice every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Joist | Safe Invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #14 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 194 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joist Software Inc. | Miguel Munoz |
Customer experience
Joist
Safe Invoice
Bugs and requests
Joist
Reported bugs
4 issues- Freezing when removing photos
- Estimates and invoices not being delivered
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Issues with payment processing and funds being held
Requested features
5 requests- Offline mode
- Ability to customize invoices and estimates
- More payment options
- Integration with accounting software
- Better organization and search for past invoices
Safe Invoice
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Joist
- Quickbooks Sync Monthly$9.991 Month
- Joist Basics Monthly$9.991 Month
- Joist Pro Monthly$16.991 Month
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Joist Elite Monthly$31.991 Month
- Quickbooks Sync Annual$90.991 Year
- Joist Run Monthly$99.991 Month
- Joist Basics Annual$99.991 Year
- Joist Pro Annual$169.991 Year
- Joist Elite Annual$319.991 Year
- Joist Run Annual$999.991 Year
Safe Invoice
- Monthly subscription7 Days trial$5.491 Month
- Premium yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year
- Suscripción anual7 Days trial$53.991 Year









