Jobber vs Joist for a one-truck contractor
Both are good software. They are built for different sizes of business, and the right one depends on what you run, not on the feature list. Prices below were read from each pricing page on September 20, 2026. Check theirs before you decide.
Jobber
Jobber is a full field-service platform: scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, client hub, marketing add-ons. It is excellent for a company with an office manager and crews. If it is just you, or you and a small crew, most of it sits unused while you pay for it.
Joist
Joist is a widely used estimating and invoicing app for contractors. It is good at line-item estimates and invoices, it takes card payments, and its lower plans cost less than BidWriter Pro. The difference is how the bid gets written and what happens after you send it.
| Feature | Jobber | Joist | BidWriter Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price for one person | Core, $49 a month billed monthly, or $29 a month on a $348 annual plan. | Pro, $17 a month billed monthly, Basics is $10 with a five-document cap. | $29 a month, charged monthly, or $290 a year. One plan. |
| Setup | Hours. Price book, templates, client import, team settings, and a learning curve across a dozen screens. | Minutes. It is an app on your phone. | About two minutes: company name and trade, then the first bid. Card payments are five more minutes with Stripe, when you want them. |
| Estimates and signing | Quotes with line items, optional add-ons and markups, client-hub approval with signature, automated follow-ups on paid plans. | Line-item estimates you build from items, sent by email, with signatures collected. Client activity tracking, your logo, photos, and line items start on the Pro plan; change orders and license details on Elite. | The proposal is written from the job as you typed it. Packages and extras the customer picks, photos, e-signature on their phone, automatic follow-ups on day 3, day 7, and before it expires. |
| Getting paid | Card and bank payments through Jobber Payments, deposits on quotes, invoicing after the job. | Cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, deposits on estimates, and third-party homeowner financing. | Deposit by card or Apple Pay when they sign, balance requested with one tap, invoice PDF. Or collect it yourself and record it. |
Pick Jobber if
- You have two or more crews to schedule and dispatch.
- You need invoicing, time tracking, and payroll-style reporting in one place.
- An office manager runs the software.
Pick Joist if
- You send fewer than five estimates a month and $10 is the right price.
- Your bids are long line-item lists priced from a saved item list.
- You want to offer homeowner financing, or take PayPal and Venmo through the app.
Pick neither if
- You write bids on your phone between jobs and want them out in two minutes.
- You want the customer to sign and pay a deposit without logging into anything.
- You want one flat price with nothing to add on.
That last list is what BidWriter Pro is for: the contractor who writes their own bids and needs them signed and paid, not scheduled and dispatched. It is $29 a month, free for 30 days, no card. Type a job and see the proposal without signing up.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Jobber or Joist?
For one person paying month to month, Joist (Pro, $17 a month billed monthly) is cheaper than Jobber (Core, $49 a month billed monthly). The gap closes on annual plans, and the plan that has the features you need may not be the cheapest one. Both change prices; check their pages before you decide.
Which is easier to set up?
Jobber: Hours. Price book, templates, client import, team settings, and a learning curve across a dozen screens. Joist: Minutes. It is an app on your phone.
Do both let the customer sign and pay on their phone?
Yes. Jobber: Quotes with line items, optional add-ons and markups, client-hub approval with signature, automated follow-ups on paid plans. Joist: Line-item estimates you build from items, sent by email, with signatures collected. Client activity tracking, your logo, photos, and line items start on the Pro plan; change orders and license details on Elite.
Is there a simpler option than either?
If what you need is to write a bid from your notes, get it signed on the customer's phone, collect the deposit, and have the follow-ups sent for you, BidWriter Pro does that for $29 a month with no scheduling or dispatch attached. If you need crews, dispatch, or recurring billing, pick one of the two above.
Each against BidWriter Pro: Jobber · Joist. What they cost, plan by plan: Jobber · Joist. Other pairs: Jobber vs Housecall Pro · Housecall Pro vs Joist