QuickAdmin vs Joist: Estimates and Invoices Compared

Updated: November 6, 2026.

Disclosure: QuickAdmin publishes this page and sells one of the products compared. We read Joist’s official pages on the date above and only state what they say. We did not test Joist hands-on. Check the linked sources before you decide.

Quick answer: Joist and QuickAdmin both cover estimates, invoices and online payments for small contractors. Joist is the simpler, lower-priced choice for a solo contractor who needs documents, payments and QuickBooks sync. QuickAdmin has a free plan and, on Premium, adds purchase orders, estimate budgets, bills and expenses per job, daily logs and a customers site view. Joist syncs estimates as well as invoices to QuickBooks; QuickAdmin syncs invoices only.

Method

We compared only capabilities that each vendor lists on its own pricing or feature pages: Joist pricing and Joist QuickBooks Sync, and QuickAdmin’s published plans.
“Not listed” means the capability does not appear on the pages we read. It does not prove the product lacks it.
Prices are quoted as displayed. Both vendors can change them at any time.
We did not use ratings or review counts from either side.

At a glance

	QuickAdmin	Joist
Free plan	Yes: 6 estimates and 3 invoices per month, one user, two jobs	No free plan listed; a 14-day free trial, no credit card required
Entry paid plan	Basic, $9 per month: unlimited estimates and invoices, integrated online payment, overdue reminders	Basics: up to 5 documents per month, online payments, estimates to invoices
Unlimited documents	Basic and up	Pro and up (Pro is $17 per month billed monthly)
Change orders	Premium ($118.99 per month)	Elite ($32 per month billed monthly)
Jobs and scheduling	Jobs on Advanced; schedules with Gantt diagrams on Premium	Organize jobs and schedule visits on Run
Purchase orders, estimate budgets	Premium	Not listed
Bills and expenses per job	Premium	Expense tracking listed; plan not stated on the pages we read
Employee shift management	Advanced and up	Not listed
QuickBooks	Premium: invoice synchronization	Pro or Elite: invoices and estimates to QuickBooks Online, daily background sync plus manual sync
Customers site view	Premium	Not listed
Mobile	Web, PWA, iOS and Android	Web and mobile app

Joist also lists homeowner financing and contractor lending, tap to pay and a social/reviews tool. QuickAdmin does not list these.

Pricing, as displayed

Product and plan	What the vendor displays	Source
QuickAdmin Free	$0	QuickAdmin pricing
QuickAdmin Basic	$9 per month	QuickAdmin pricing
QuickAdmin Advanced	From $19.99 per month; unlimited users, pay based on usage	QuickAdmin pricing
QuickAdmin Premium	$118.99 per month	QuickAdmin pricing
Joist Pro	$17 per month billed monthly; annual billing includes two months free	Joist pricing
Joist Elite	$32 per month billed monthly; annual billing includes two months free	Joist pricing
Joist Basics and Run	Shown with promotional pricing on the day we checked, so we do not quote a figure	Joist pricing

When Joist is the better fit

You are a solo contractor and mainly need professional estimates, invoices and payments at a low monthly price.
You want estimates, not only invoices, to reach QuickBooks Online automatically.
You want homeowner financing or tap to pay on the same account.

When QuickAdmin is the better fit

You want to start free and test on real jobs before paying.
You need purchase orders, estimate budgets, and bills and expenses tied to each job.
You manage employees and want shift management, daily logs or a customers site view.

Limits of QuickAdmin in this comparison

QuickBooks sync is invoice synchronization on Premium, not estimates and not a full accounting integration. See the QuickBooks page.
Premium is $118.99 per month, much higher than Joist’s lower tiers. If you only need estimates, invoices and payments, the lower plans are the fair comparison.
QuickAdmin does not list financing, tap to pay or a reviews tool.