SoloBid vs Joist
Joist is a free estimating and invoicing app popular with solo contractors. It's a decent starting point, but once you're sending more than a couple of invoices a month or need to get paid online, the free plan stops being enough and you start hitting limits.
No credit card required · 14-day free trial
Joist is built for new or part-time solo contractors just getting started. If you're a one-person shop, here's what that means:
The free plan caps invoices, blocks online payments, and watermarks your PDFs.
Online payments only work on the paid plans — and they charge 2.9% + 30¢ anyway.
No trade-specific templates. You start every quote from a blank slate.
No recurring invoices, even on the paid plans.
Price book and client management are basic at best.
Side by side — what you actually get.
Monthly cost
SoloBid
$19/month
Joist
$0 / $13 / $28
Invoice limit
SoloBid
Unlimited
Joist
Limited on free plan
Watermark on PDFs
SoloBid
No
Joist
Yes (free plan)
Online payments
SoloBid
Yes (Stripe)
Joist
Paid plans only
Trade templates
SoloBid
Yes (26+ trades)
Joist
No
E-signatures
SoloBid
Yes
Joist
Yes
Recurring invoices
SoloBid
Yes
Joist
No
Overdue reminders
SoloBid
Automatic
Joist
Manual only
Price book
SoloBid
Yes
Joist
Basic
SMS invoice sending
SoloBid
Yes
Joist
No
Reports & analytics
SoloBid
Yes
Joist
Limited
CSV export
SoloBid
Yes
Joist
Paid plans only
Best for
SoloBid
Working solo contractors
Joist
Brand new / part-time contractors
We're not trying to replace Joist. If you run a big operation, use Joist. But if you're a solo contractor, here's why SoloBid makes more sense.
Great features — for companies with employees.
Built for the one-person shop.
Joist: Free (limited) or $13/month (Pro) or $28/month (Pro Plus).
SoloBid: $19/month. Everything included.
Pro
$19/month
or $149/year (save 37%)
14-day free trial · No credit card required
Quote it. Send it. Get paid. That's it. Start your free trial and see why solo contractors are switching to SoloBid.
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