QuickEstimate vs Joist

QuickEstimate vs Joist: The Fundamental Difference

Joist and QuickEstimate are closer than most comparisons. Both help contractors build estimates and get clients to sign online. Joist is an all-round, low-cost app: estimates, invoices, online payments and homeowner financing, with scheduling on its top plan. QuickEstimate goes deeper on the price itself: your overhead percentage and target profit margin go into every estimate, and the proposal can offer the client good, better and best options.

If you want the cheapest way to send estimates and invoices and get paid, Joist is hard to beat on price. If you've been winning jobs but not keeping enough of what you charge, QuickEstimate is built for that problem. Every Joist detail below comes from Joist's own pricing and estimates pages, checked on 9 November 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on Joist's site before you decide.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Each row is a difference we could check on the vendor's own site or in the product, not a claim that one product is better at everything.

Pricing a Job: Markups vs Overhead and Margin

Both products aim to protect your profit. They go about it differently.

According to Joist's estimates page, you build estimates from line items and apply markups and taxes so every cost is covered. That works well when you know the right markup for each item.

QuickEstimate starts from your business instead of the line item. You set your overhead percentage and target profit margin once; every estimate then adds them to your materials, labor, equipment and subcontractor costs and shows the margin before you send, so a job that would make too little stands out. If you're not sure of the numbers, the free overhead calculator and markup calculator work them out, and markup and margin aren't the same thing: a 25% markup is only a 20% margin.

Estimates & Proposals

Both let your client review and sign online. QuickEstimate adds choice.

Joist's estimates page says customers view and sign estimates online, and the Pro plan adds your logo, line-item photos and tracking of client activity. Estimates convert to invoices in one click.

On paid plans, QuickEstimate turns one estimate into a proposal with up to three priced packages (by default Good, Better and Best), so the client chooses a level rather than a yes or no. They approve and sign on any device without creating an account, and you can see when they've opened it. We didn't find tiered options described on Joist's pricing or estimates pages, so we're not claiming either way.

Price & Trial Comparison

Joist's paid plans cost less. QuickEstimate has a permanent free plan.

According to Joist's pricing page on 9 November 2026, Joist costs $10 a month for Basics (up to 5 documents a month), $17 for Pro (unlimited documents), $32 for Elite and $70 for its new Run plan (an introductory price, down from $100), billed monthly, with two months free on annual billing. Every plan has a 14-day trial with no credit card. Check Joist's pricing page for current numbers.

QuickEstimate's Free plan includes 5 sent proposals a month, for as long as you like. Paid plans are Basic at $29 a month (1 user), Gold at $79 (3 users) and Premium at $149 (5 users), with lower rates for yearly billing, and the same 14-day trial with no card. See pricing for current figures.

Workflow & Scope: Getting Paid vs Getting the Price Right

The honest summary: Joist covers more of the paperwork, QuickEstimate goes deeper on the price.

Joist runs from the estimate through to payment: invoices, online payments, homeowner financing and QuickBooks sync, with change orders and business reports on Elite and job scheduling on Run. For a solo contractor who wants one cheap app for the whole paper trail, that's a real advantage.

QuickEstimate focuses on the estimate and the proposal: your overhead and margin in every price, a check before you send, good-better-best packages and an online signature. It doesn't do homeowner financing, scheduling or QuickBooks sync.

Who Should Choose QuickEstimate?

QuickEstimate is likely the better fit if you mainly need:

• Your overhead and profit margin in every price, set once and applied automatically
• A check on the margin before an estimate goes out
• Good, better and best options in one proposal so clients choose a level
• Online approval and signature, with a record of when the client opened it
• A free plan you can keep using, with paid plans from $29 a month

Who Should Choose Joist?

Joist may be the better fit if you want:

• The lowest monthly price for estimates and invoices
• Invoices straight from estimates, plus online payments
• Homeowner financing to offer your clients
• QuickBooks sync, and job scheduling on its Run plan
• One app for the whole paper trail, from estimate to payment

If getting paid and keeping costs down matter more to you than building overhead and margin into each price, Joist is worth a close look on its own site.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common questions from contractors comparing QuickEstimate and Joist.

Joist details checked on 9 November 2026 on Joist's pricing and estimates pages. Joist sets its own prices and features and they may change; always verify on Joist's pricing page. Joist is a trademark of its owner; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Joist.