# Joist vs clipa

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Joist at 61% against clipa's 0%. Joist also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.3) and ratings volume (14K vs 3). clipa's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Joist sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and clipa sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.95 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Joist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Joist has 14K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Joist's written reviews are positive against 0% of clipa's.

Joist ships an update every 2 weeks, clipa every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Joist | clipa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joist-estimate-invoice-maker/id592163563/reviews)** | [2.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clipa/id6740476941/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **61.5% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 193 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Joist Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/512868153) | [clipa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1790153668) |

## What reviewers say

### Joist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joist-estimate-invoice-maker/id592163563)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Grossing · Business (US App Store)

Streamline your contracting business with this app. Create professional estimates and invoices quickly, accept payments, and manage client information all from your mobile device. Save time and win more jobs with organized project management.

**Highlights:** Create professional estimates and invoices, Accept credit card and PayPal payments, Manage client information, Convert estimates to invoices, Attach photos and contracts, Export to accounting software

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quickbooks Sync Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Joist Basics Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Joist Pro Monthly | $16.99 | per month |
| Joist Elite Monthly | $31.99 | per month |
| Quickbooks Sync Annual | $90.99 | per year |
| Joist Run Monthly | $99.99 | per month |
| Joist Basics Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Joist Pro Annual | $169.99 | per year |
| Joist Elite Annual | $319.99 | per year |
| Joist Run Annual | $999.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Professional-looking invoices
- 🚀 Convenient for small businesses
- 🚀 Helpful for organizing estimates and invoices
- 🚀 Great customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔒 Security and payment processing issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🔒 Locking users out of their data
- 🤯 Removing previously free features

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing when removing photos
- Estimates and invoices not being delivered
- Inconsistent behavior across devices
- Issues with payment processing and funds being held

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- Ability to customize invoices and estimates
- More payment options
- Integration with accounting software
- Better organization and search for past invoices


### clipa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clipa/id6740476941)

Streamline your Christmas light installation estimates with this professional tool. Quickly build detailed proposals, including labor and materials, with on-site or remote capabilities. Designed for holiday lighting experts, it simplifies the entire estimating process.

**Highlights:** Streamlined estimating process, On-site and remote capabilities, Add photos to estimates, Itemize labor and materials, Generate polished proposals, Tailored for holiday lighting industry

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clipa Basic | $19.95 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Joist free?

Joist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is clipa free?

clipa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Joist or clipa?

Joist is rated higher. Joist averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while clipa averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Joist or clipa have ads?

Neither Joist nor clipa shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Joist or clipa?

Joist ships an update every 2 weeks, and clipa every 5 days. Most recently, Joist was updated on October 24, 2026 and clipa on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*