Joist Alternatives and Free Estimate Apps (2026)

Joist made its name as the app you could write an estimate on in the customer's driveway, for free. Contractors loved it for that. Then the free plan went away in 2024, the logo and photos moved to the paid Pro plan, and prices went up a few times after that. Today Joist starts at $10 a month, and scheduling only comes with its top plan.

So the search for a Joist alternative is usually one of two things. Some contractors want a free estimate app again. Others have grown past one truck and want estimates tied to a schedule, a crew and the invoice, without paying for four separate apps.

This guide compares six options, free and paid. We make Clevra, so it's listed first. We'll also say where Joist and the others do better, because on writing estimates from a phone app, financing and Tap to Pay they do.

Prices were checked on each company's own site on October 28, 2026.

Joist alternatives in one minute

• Clevra: contractors and small crews that want estimates, scheduling, invoices and card payments in one app, with a free plan for one user.
• Square Invoices: free, unlimited estimates and invoices for anyone already taking payments with Square.
• Invoice Simple: a simple invoice app for any small business; Joist's sister company.
• Contractor+: an all-in-one contractor app with a small free plan and AI estimating on its top tier.
• Markate: home service software with estimate options, financing and an AI receptionist billed per call.
• Housecall Pro: full field service software with financing, online booking and a one-user plan.

What Joist costs now

• Basics: $10 a month for 5 documents a month, online payments and AI writing help.
• Pro: $17 a month for unlimited documents, your logo, photos, work orders and e-signatures.
• Elite: $32 a month, adding change orders, business reports and reviews.
• Run: $100 a month list ($70 intro), adding job scheduling and visits.
• Payments: US cards up to 3.49% + $0.49; ACH 1%, capped at $15.
• AI Receptionist: an add-on from $49 a month, launched July 2026.
• Free plan: none. Joist says its free plan "is no longer available." Run has a 14-day trial.

Joist is owned by EverCommerce, which also owns Invoice Simple.

Why contractors look past Joist

The complaints in Capterra and App Store reviews follow the price changes:

• Paywalls. Features that used to be free, like your logo and photos, now need Pro.
• No schedule, until recently. Before the Run plan, reviewers asked for a calendar and job assignment, and Run now costs $70 to $100 a month.
• Editing gaps. No undo or edit history, and change orders that are hard to adjust.
• Support that's slow to answer.
• Payment fees and the odd delay getting paid out.

Estimate apps at a glance

• Clevra: Free $0 for 1 user; Pro $49/mo or $39 billed yearly for up to 5 users; Business $99/mo or $79 yearly for up to 15; Custom on request. No Clevra platform fee on card payments.
• Joist: $10, $17, $32 or $100 a month. No free plan.
• Square Invoices: Free with unlimited estimates and invoices (cards 3.3% + 30¢ online); Plus $20 a month (2.9% + 30¢).
• Invoice Simple: Essentials $6.99 a month for 3 invoices a month; Premium $21.99. No free plan.
• Contractor+: Freedom $0 for 5 estimates or invoices a month; Pro Team $58 a month for 2 users, plus $20 per extra user.
• Markate: $49.95 a month ($45.95 billed yearly), plus $5 per employee; many features are $10 add-ons.
• Housecall Pro: Basic $59 a month billed yearly ($79 monthly) for 1 user. No free plan.

Six options, in detail

1. Clevra: free estimates and invoices, with a schedule attached

Clevra is one web app that takes a job from the first call to the paid invoice. It's built for 1 to 15 people: a handyman working alone, or a painting crew with four people and someone doing the books.

The estimate. Build line items from your price book, add tax, discounts and photos of the rotted fascia, and email the estimate. The homeowner approves it online with their typed name and an optional drawn signature, or declines it. The approved estimate turns into a job with one click.

The schedule. Unlike most estimate apps, Clevra has a calendar on every plan, including Free: day, week and month views, a map, and reminders to the client the day before.

The invoice and payment. Generate Invoice on the finished job, and the client pays by card from the link or their client portal. Clevra adds no platform fee on top of the card processing. Cash and cheques get recorded by hand.

When you hire. Pro adds four more users, your own logo, automatic estimate follow-ups, texts to clients, job checklists and QuickBooks Online. The AI Receptionist is an add-on for Pro and Business; book a demo to switch it on.

Pricing. Flat per company (compare plans):

• Free: $0 for 1 user, no time limit, with Clevra branding on estimates and invoices
• Pro: $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, up to 5 users
• Business: $99 a month, or $79 billed yearly, up to 15 users
• Custom: unlimited users, pricing on request

Where Clevra falls short. You write estimates in the web app, on a laptop or your phone's browser; the Technician app (iOS beta) doesn't do estimates yet. There are no good-better-best options, deposits on estimates, change orders or financing. There's no Tap to Pay or ACH, and card payments are in US dollars only. The Free plan shows Clevra branding on your documents.

See the full Clevra vs Joist comparison, or try our free estimate template and invoice generator.

2. Square Invoices

Square Invoices is the closest thing left to free Joist. The free plan sends unlimited invoices, estimates and contracts, with e-signatures, deposits and reminders. Online card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, or 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus at $20 a month. Plus adds estimates with several package options, milestone payments and automatic estimate-to-invoice.

It's built for small businesses of every kind, not contractors. There's no job schedule or crew calendar; "schedule" in Square Invoices means recurring billing.

3. Invoice Simple

Invoice Simple has been around since 2014 and, like Joist, belongs to EverCommerce. It does estimates with client signatures, invoices, deposits on Premium, and payments through Stripe or PayPal.

Essentials is $6.99 a month for 3 invoices a month, and Premium is $21.99 for unlimited. There's no free plan, and no scheduling or team features.

4. Contractor+

Contractor+, founded in 2020, is an all-in-one app for build and service contractors. It covers estimates, client agreements, card and ACH payments, scheduling on paid plans, job costing and financing. Its free Freedom plan allows 5 estimates or invoices a month and 250 clients.

Pro Team is $58 a month for 2 users, plus $20 for each extra user, and MAX is $500 a month with unlimited users and AI estimating. Some of its help pages still show older prices, so confirm before you sign. See Clevra vs Contractor+.

5. Markate

Markate is a Scottsdale company that's been around since 2015. Estimates come with options and packages, e-signature and change-order approvals, and it has scheduling, job costing, time and location tracking, and Wisetack financing. Its Kate AI Receptionist costs $1 per call.

The Owner Operator plan is $49.95 a month, or $45.95 billed yearly, and each employee adds $5. Online booking, the branded customer portal and review requests are $10 a month each, so the real price climbs.

6. Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro is full field service software, and its Basic plan covers one user: online booking, scheduling and dispatch, estimates, invoices, job costing and consumer financing. Card payments start at 2.59%.

Basic is $59 a month billed yearly, or $79 monthly, and QuickBooks sync starts on Essentials. There's no free plan; the trial is 14 days. See our Housecall Pro alternatives guide.

Free estimate apps for contractors

If free is the whole point, here's what each free plan really gives you:

• Square Invoices Free: unlimited estimates and invoices, no schedule.
• Clevra Free: estimates, invoices, card payments, a schedule and a client portal for one user, with Clevra branding.
• Contractor+ Freedom: 5 estimates or invoices a month.
• Joist, Invoice Simple, Markate and Housecall Pro: trials only.

The catch with free estimate apps is the day you add a helper. Check what the second user costs before you put two years of clients into one.

How to pick

• You only need estimates and invoices, free: Square Invoices.
• You want the simplest invoice app and send a few a month: Invoice Simple.
• You sell bigger jobs with options and financing: Markate or Housecall Pro.
• You want an all-in-one with a small free tier: Contractor+.
• You want estimates, a schedule, invoices and payments free for one person, and a flat price when you hire: Clevra.

Joist alternatives FAQ

What is the best Joist alternative?

For free estimates and invoices only, Square Invoices. For estimates tied to a schedule and invoices, free for one user, Clevra. For financing and estimate options, Markate or Housecall Pro.

Is Joist still free?

No. Joist's free plan ended in 2024. Plans now start at $10 a month for 5 documents a month, and the Run plan with scheduling is $70 to $100 a month.

How much does Joist cost?

Basics is $10 a month, Pro $17, Elite $32 and Run $100 at list price ($70 intro). Yearly billing gives two months free. US card payments cost up to 3.49% + $0.49.

What is the best free estimate app for contractors?

Square Invoices has unlimited free estimates and invoices but no schedule. Clevra's free plan adds scheduling, a client portal and card payments for one user.

Who owns Joist?

EverCommerce, which also owns Invoice Simple and other contractor software. Joist was founded in Toronto.

Can I move my clients from Joist to Clevra?

Yes. Put your client list in a CSV or Excel file and import it into Clevra, up to 5,000 rows at a time. Most people are sending estimates the same day.

Send your next estimate from Clevra

Write one estimate, get it approved online, book the job, invoice it and take the card payment, all on the Free plan. Pro or Business are free for 14 days, no card, when you're ready to add a crew.

Get Started for Free or Book a Demo