Joist vs Tradify
We give Joist a 2.6 GPA and Tradify a 2.2, out of 4.0. Joist grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Joist
Estimates, invoices and payments app for solo contractors
Tradify
Job management for trade businesses, priced per user
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAJoistGood | 2.2GPATradifyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CRun, the plan with visit scheduling, is $58.33 a month billed yearly ($70 monthly) at a 30% introductory price with no end date. Joist sells to solo contractors and doesn't say how many people a plan covers, so we can't say what a crew of three pays. | C$47 per user a month on Lite, so three of you pay $141 a month, and the bill grows with every login. That sits in the middle for this category. Timesheets and job costing need Pro, which is $51 a user. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial of Run with no card needed. The free plan has been discontinued. | CA 14-day trial with all features and no card needed. No free plan, so after two weeks you're paying for every user. |
| Features | CEstimates to invoices, online payments and deposits, homeowner financing, change orders on Elite and job scheduling on Run. Good at quoting and billing, but there's no dispatch, routing or crew management in its listing. | CQuotes with markups, a scheduler that syncs with Google Calendar, invoices, card payments and subcontractor jobs, plus timesheets and job costing on Pro. The gap: nothing in its listing shows online booking, live staff locations or route planning. |
| Ease of use | A4.75 from 14,362 App Store ratings. Turning an approved estimate into an invoice takes a few taps without retyping, which is the whole appeal. | CNo App Store rating on record for it. Quotes, the scheduler and your Xero or QuickBooks link all need setting up before it pays off, which is ordinary for this category. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, but the only integration listed is QuickBooks. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, linked to Xero, QuickBooks Online, Stripe and Google Calendar. That's a short list, and there's no desktop app. |
| Best for | solo contractors who quote from their phone | trades that quote first and use Xero |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Joist and Tradify. How we grade
Price against what you get
Joist starts at $8.34 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tradify starts at $47 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Joist scores higher and starts $38.66 a month lower. Of the other field service apps on the chart, none scores higher than Joist for less, and 4 score higher than Tradify for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Joist starts at $8.34 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly). Tradify starts at $47 per user / month.
- Joist also covers expense tracking and review collection.
- Tradify also covers time tracking.
At a glance
| Joist | Tradify | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8.34 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) | $47 per user / month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Run plan, no credit card required | 14-day free trial with all features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Joist, Inc. | Tradify Limited (The Access Group) |
| Price read from | joist.com | tradifyhq.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Joist
- Solo contractors who mainly need estimates, invoices and payments
- General contractors and handymen quoting from a phone on site
- Part-time contractors sending only a few documents a month
Tradify
- Electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors who quote before they work
- Small trade teams that use Xero or QuickBooks Online
- Businesses that hand work to subcontractors
Worth knowing
Joist
- Basics allows only 5 documents a month; unlimited estimates and invoices start on Pro.
- Scheduling and job organization are only on Run, whose 30% introductory discount has no stated end date.
- The free plan has been discontinued; the 14-day trial is the only way to try it free.
- The AI Receptionist is a $49-a-month add-on, and Joist Payments charges standard processing fees.
Tradify
- Every plan is priced per user, so the bill grows with each staff member who logs in.
- Timesheets, job costing, recurring jobs and progress invoicing need Pro; AI tools, purchase orders and reports need Plus.
- There is no free plan; an Instant Website is an add-on at $12 a month on any plan.
- Accounting sync is listed for Xero and QuickBooks Online only.
Key features
Joist
- Estimates to invoices
- Build estimates with line items and photos, then turn an approved estimate into an invoice in a few taps without retyping it.
- Online payments and deposits
- Clients pay online and you can request deposits; processing fees can be passed on to the client, and homeowner financing is offered on every plan.
- Change orders and reports
- Elite adds change orders, license and insurance details on documents, and business and sales reports.
- Jobs and scheduling on Run
- Run organizes work into jobs, schedules visits and links each job to its estimates, invoices and client.
- Expenses and QuickBooks
- Track expenses against jobs, see real-time reports, and sync with QuickBooks to keep the books current.
- AI Receptionist add-on
- For $49 a month, an AI receptionist answers missed calls while you work and records new leads for follow-up.
Tradify
- Quotes and invoices
- Build quotes and invoices with material markups. Pro adds quote options that customers accept online, deposits and progress invoices, and automatic reminders.
- Scheduling and subcontractors
- A scheduler syncs with Google Calendar. Pro sends customers appointment reminders and lets you give subcontractors work through a free, limited version of the app.
- Timesheets and job costing
- From Pro, staff log time against jobs and you record supplier bills, so costs flow onto invoices and you can see what each job made.
- Enquiry inbox
- Pro gives you a branded enquiry form and an email address that drop new customer requests straight into Tradify as jobs to quote.
- AI SmartTools
- On Plus, SmartRead captures supplier bills and their costs, and SmartWrite drafts and tidies job and quote descriptions.
- Payments and accounting sync
- Customers pay invoices online by card through Stripe, and invoices, payments and contacts sync with Xero or QuickBooks Online.
Plans
Joist
Basics$8.34
per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
$100 a year. Up to 5 documents a month, estimates to invoices, online payments, AI tools and homeowner financing.
Pro$14.17
per month, billed annually ($17 billed monthly)
$170 a year. Unlimited documents and clients, your logo, line items with photos, client activity tracking and work orders.
Elite$26.67
per month, billed annually ($32 billed monthly)
$320 a year. Adds license and insurance details, change orders, business and sales reports, Joist Reviews and social integrations.
Run$58.33
per month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly)
Introductory price, 30% off a crossed-out $100 a month, with no end date given. Adds job organization and visit scheduling.
Tradify
Lite$47
per user / month
Job management, scheduling with Google Calendar sync, quotes and invoices with markups, online card payments and Xero or QuickBooks Online sync.
Pro$51
per user / month
Adds an enquiry form and inbox, timesheets, job costing, recurring jobs, progress invoicing, quote options, reminders and subcontractor scheduling.
Plus$61
per user / month
Adds AI SmartTools, purchase orders, service reminders, job tasks, kit bundles, bulk invoicing, service reports and reporting.
CustomCustom
Everything in Plus for large teams with specific needs, priced on request.
Ways to pay less
Joist
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
Yearly billing costs $100 for Basics, $170 for Pro and $320 for Elite, against $10, $17 and $32 billed monthly.
Tradify
No public discounts listed.
