Tillage vs JoistThe contractor estimating and invoicing alternative

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Updated Nov 3, 2026. Every Joist fact links to its source.

Tillage

Joist

Monthly price

$0, unlimited users, quotes and invoices

No free plan; Basics $10/mo for 5 documents a month, Pro $17, Elite $32, Run $70 intro

Online payment fees

Your client can cover them

Cards up to 3.49% + 49¢; ACH 1% capped at $15; Tap to Pay 2.79% + 49¢

Margin on quotes

Variance buffer and profit margin on every line

Hidden markup on the whole document, or per line on Pro and above; no variance buffer

The short answer

Joist is a mobile-first estimating, invoicing and payments app for solo and small home contractors, with change orders, work orders, Tap to Pay and homeowner financing. It no longer has a free plan, and each account has one login. Tillage is free quote-to-cash software with unlimited users, margin on every line, contracts generated from approved quotes, and payment schedules that issue each invoice. If you quote from the truck and take payment on site, Joist’s phone app is the better fit. If you want a team on one account, margin built into every quote and no subscription, Tillage is.

Choose Tillage if

YesYou want $0/month instead of $10 to $70 a month
YesMore than one person writes quotes or sends invoices
YesYou want variance and profit margin on every line, and contracts from approved quotes
YesYou want payment schedules that issue each invoice for you

Choose Joist if

YesYou quote and invoice mostly from your phone on the job
YesYou take card payments in person with Tap to Pay
YesYou offer homeowner financing or need change orders and work orders
YesYou want simple visit scheduling in the same app

Tillage vs Joist, feature by feature

Feature comparison of Tillage and Joist
Feature	Tillage	Joist
Monthly price	Yes$0, unlimited users, quotes and invoices	PartlyNo free plan; Basics $10/mo for 5 documents a month, Pro $17, Elite $32, Run $70 intro
Online payment fees	YesStripe 2.9% + 30¢ (cards) or 0.8% capped at $5 (ACH), plus 1% capped at $50 per invoice	PartlyCards up to 3.49% + 49¢; ACH 1% capped at $15; Tap to Pay 2.79% + 49¢
Pass fees to clients	YesBoth Stripe and platform fees, set team-wide	YesCard and ACH fees, added to the price as markup; not Buy Now, Pay Later
Quotes and estimates	YesHours × rate, or itemized with units and sections	YesEstimates that convert to invoices; line item sections need Elite
Variance and profit margin on quotes	YesVariance buffer and profit margin on every line	PartlyHidden markup on the whole document, or per line on Pro and above; no variance buffer
Contracts with e-signatures	YesGenerated from approved quotes	YesPlain-text contracts on estimates with typed signatures; custom contracts need Pro
Deposits and milestone payment schedules	YesPercentages triggered by signing, dates or milestones	PartlyDeposits and split payments by amount or percentage; no date or milestone triggers found
Recurring invoices and retainers	YesWeekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months or yearly	PartlyJoist says it sends recurring invoices on a schedule; no help article or autopay found
Client pages with no login	YesSecure links to approve, sign and pay	PartlyClients view and sign from an emailed or texted link; no client portal found
Time tracking	NoNot a time tracker	NoNo time tracking found; Joist says it skips employee tracking
Full accounting and bookkeeping	NoUse alongside your accounting software	NoExpense tracking and CSV reports, not accounting
QuickBooks or Xero sync	NoComing soon: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Mercury and Puzzle	YesQuickBooks Online on Pro, Elite and Run; not Desktop; Xero not found
AI quote drafting	YesDrafts line items, hours and rates with your OpenAI or Claude key	PartlyEstimates and invoices from text or voice, rolling out on iOS and web
Claude and ChatGPT through MCP	YesQuotes, contracts and invoices	NoNo public API or MCP server found
Scheduling, dispatch and routing	NoNot a scheduling or dispatch tool	PartlyJobs, visits, client reminders and calendar sync on Run; no dispatch or routing

Joist pricing

Joist’s free plan is no longer available. Every plan has a 14-day free trial with no credit card. Prices on the web pricing page as of November 2026; in-app prices on iOS differ slightly. Each Joist account has a single login.

Basics: $10/mo, or $8.34/mo billed yearlyUp to 5 documents a month, online payments, AI tools and homeowner financing
Pro: $17/mo, or $14.17/mo billed yearlyUnlimited documents and clients, logo, photos, work orders, line item markup, custom contracts, expenses and QuickBooks Online sync
Elite: $32/mo, or $26.67/mo billed yearlyAdds change orders, line item sections, license and insurance, reports and Joist Reviews
Run: $70/mo intro offer (listed at $100), or $58.33/mo billed yearlyAdds jobs, visit scheduling, client visit reminders and calendar sync
AI Receptionist: From $49/moAdd-on that answers missed calls and captures leads
Tillage, for comparison: $0/month with unlimited users1% when paid online, capped at $50 per invoice. Your client can cover it. See pricing

Where Joist is better

No tool is right for everyone. Here is where it may suit you better.

A well-rated phone app

Joist is built for iPhone, iPad and Android first, with web access too. The iOS app has a 4.7 rating from about 14,000 ratings.

Payments on the job site

Tap to Pay on your phone at 2.79% + 49¢, plus PayPal, Venmo, Klarna and QR codes, with payouts in as little as two days.

Homeowner financing

Offer customers financing on larger jobs from every plan, so a big estimate is easier to say yes to.

Contractor paperwork

Change orders, work orders, license and insurance details, line item photos and receipt scanning for job expenses.

Lower fees on some payments

Joist caps ACH at $15, and on card payments under about $8,400 its fee is lower than Stripe plus Tillage’s platform fee.

Where Tillage is better for contractors

$0 with your whole crew

Joist has no free plan and Basics stops at 5 documents a month. Each account has one login, so an office manager and a lead can’t share it. Tillage is free with unlimited users, quotes and invoices.

Margin and risk on every line

Joist adds markup across the whole document, or per line on Pro and above. Tillage adds a variance buffer for job risk and a profit margin to each line, so you see what an overrun would cost before you send.

Contracts from the approved quote

Joist attaches a plain-text contract to an estimate. Tillage generates the contract from the approved quote and collects e-signatures on a page your client opens without a login.

Schedules that issue the invoices

Joist splits one estimate or invoice into a deposit and later payments. Tillage turns a deposit and milestones into a schedule that issues each invoice on signing, a date or a milestone.

AI and automation you control

Tillage drafts quotes with your own OpenAI or Claude key, and its MCP server lets Claude and ChatGPT create quotes, contracts and invoices. We found no public API or MCP server for Joist.

Recent Joist changes

2024
Joist’s Basics plan changed from free to paid, according to a pricing tracker. Joist now says its free plan is no longer available.
2026
Joist’s pricing page lists Run as a new plan, adding jobs and visit scheduling at an introductory $70 a month. Basics is now $10 a month for up to 5 documents.

Switching from Joist

1
Put your Joist clients and saved items into a CSV and import them into Tillage.
2
Rebuild your common estimates as Tillage quotes, with sections, variance and margin on each line.
3
Turn your usual deposit and progress split into a Tillage payment schedule template.
4
Connect Stripe in Tillage, choose whether clients cover the fees, and send new quotes from Tillage.
5
Keep Joist until open estimates and invoices are paid. Joist exports monthly estimate and invoice reports as CSV for your records.

Related guides and tools

Invoicing software for contractors
Itemized estimates, deposits and progress billing in one free tool.
Contractor estimate template
Labor and materials laid out for a client to approve.
Contractor invoice template
Line items and units for a job, ready to fill in and send.
Markup calculator
Turn your cost and markup into a selling price.

Sources

Checked Nov 3, 2026. Pricing and features change, so if something here is out of date, email support@tillage.ai and we will fix it.

Tillage vs Joist questions

Is Joist free?

No. Joist’s free plan is no longer available. Plans start at $10 a month for Basics, which allows 5 documents a month, and there is a 14-day free trial. Tillage is $0 a month with unlimited quotes and invoices.

Is Tillage cheaper than Joist?

On subscriptions, yes: Joist costs $120 to $840 a year at current monthly prices, and Tillage costs nothing. On payments, Joist can cost less. A $2,500 card payment costs $87.74 in Joist and $97.80 in Tillage ($72.80 to Stripe and $25 platform fee). In both apps your client can cover the fee.

Does Tillage have a mobile app like Joist?

Tillage runs in the browser on your phone, but it doesn’t have a native app or Tap to Pay. If you quote and collect on site from your phone, Joist’s app is stronger.

Can my team share a Joist account?

Joist says accounts are set up for a single user with one login email and password. Tillage includes unlimited users at no cost.

Does Tillage schedule jobs like Joist Run?

No. Tillage handles quotes, contracts, invoices and payments. If you use Joist Run’s visits, keep a calendar or scheduling tool alongside Tillage.

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