Joist vs ContractorTools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Joist
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.
- 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
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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/
ContractorTools
Streamline your contracting business with tools for creating estimates, invoices, and managing payments. Sync data seamlessly with QuickBooks Online and collaborate with your team across multiple devices. Focus on your work while this app handles the paperwork.
- Estimating
- Invoicing
- Payment tracking
- QuickBooks Online sync
- Multi-device sync
- Offline functionality
- Job templates
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ContractorTools helps you estimate, invoice, and get paid, all from your iPhone or iPad. —————— WHY CONTRACTORS LOVE CONTRACTORTOOLS - SAVES TIME – Build estimates on the jobsite instead of at the kitchen table at night. Start from job templates and your own costbooks. - WIN MORE JOBS – Send the quote before you leave. Let customers sign on your phone or iPad and say YES on the spot. - GET PAID FASTER – Turn an approved estimate into an invoice in a tap and collect card payments through Stripe. No more chasing checks. - PRICE MATERIALS FAST – Add Home Depot products straight to your estimates with live pricing and inventory from your local store. Use your ProXtra account for discounts, then have materials delivered or pick them up. - KNOW YOUR COSTS – Add Craftsman costbooks (optional) for 40,000+ construction cost items, localized by zip code in the US or postal code in Canada. - WORK ANYWHERE – ContractorTools is a native app that works fully offline. Keep working in a basement or at a remote site, and your data syncs when you're back online. - RUN YOUR TEAM – Sync between multiple users and devices so everyone sees the same jobs, estimates, and invoices. - KEEP YOUR BOOKS CLEAN – Sync estimates, invoices, and payments to QuickBooks Online and skip the double entry. —————— KEY FEATURES - Estimates and quotes, sent by PDF via email or text message - Customer signatures on your phone or iPad - Invoicing and card payments - Change orders and credits - Draw schedules - Job costing - Job templates - Custom costbooks - Craftsman costbooks (optional in-app purchase) - Home Depot products with live pricing - QuickBooks Online sync - Multi-user, multi-device sync on iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Full support for international currencies and units —————— WHO USES CONTRACTORTOOLS General contractors, handymen, plumbers, electricians, roofers, HVAC, remodelers, concrete specialists, home builders, fencing specialist, landscapers, painters, and other trades. —————— WHAT CONTRACTORS SAY "I can honestly say this is the best program we have ever used. Especially when you compare price, ease of use, Home Depot integrations, QuickBooks sync, and developer support. I've seen our customers respond to the estimates in such a positive way that it's helping us close more deals faster. Our speed and estimating accuracy have improved dramatically." —————— PRICING Try ContractorTools free for 30 days then subscribe to our Basic, Essentials, or Pro plan. Prices are in USD and may vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account after the free trial ends. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. —————— ContractorTools is FREE to try out! Got Questions? We're here to help: Call (888) 802-1040 or email support@contractortools.com. Privacy Policy: https://contractortools.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://contractortools.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
Joist and ContractorTools both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of ContractorTools's written reviews are positive against 62% of Joist's. Joist's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (14K vs 1.8K). On price, rating, 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 ContractorTools sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Joist against 4.7 for ContractorTools. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Joist has 14K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Joist's written reviews are positive against 82% of ContractorTools's.
Joist ships an update every 2 weeks, ContractorTools every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | Joist | ContractorTools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) | 4.7 (1.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | 81.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 1.8K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #15 — better | #186 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 192 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joist Software Inc. | Contractor Tools |
Customer experience
Joist
ContractorTools
User reviews
Joist
From 14K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Professional-looking invoices
- 🚀 Convenient for small businesses
- 🚀 Helpful for organizing estimates and invoices
- 🚀 Great customer service
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔒 Security and payment processing issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🔒 Locking users out of their data
- 🤯 Removing previously free features
ContractorTools
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great solution for estimating
- 👍 Easy to learn and operate
- 🚀 Convenient and professional
- 👍 Seamless access across devices
- 👍 Integrates with QuickBooks
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive for small contractors
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🔒 Limited payment processor options
- 📄 Limited customization for invoice templates
- 🔒 Frequent layout/hierarchy changes
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
ContractorTools
Reported bugs
3 issues- Deleting items from estimates causes issues with invoices
- Syncing problems leading to incorrect data
- App crashing and becoming unusable
Requested features
5 requests- Option to show labor and materials costs separately
- Ability to copy/paste entire sections in estimates
- Quarterly updates for cost books
- Stage manager support
- Basic company financial reports
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
ContractorTools
- Craftsman Costbooks1 Month trial$12.991 Month
- Basic Plan1 Month trial2 variants$24.991 Month
- Essentials Plan1 Month trial2 variants$34.991 Month
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Pro Plan1 Month trial2 variants$64.991 Month
Questions
Is Joist free?
Is ContractorTools free?
Which has better reviews, Joist or ContractorTools?
Do Joist or ContractorTools have ads?
Which is updated more often, Joist or ContractorTools?
Which is more popular, Joist or ContractorTools?
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