- Joist Pro is $17 a month; Housecall Pro Basic is $79, or $59 billed yearly.
- Both list homeowner or consumer financing on their first plan.
- Housecall Pro has online booking, dispatch and review management on Basic.
- Joist adds change orders on Elite and scheduling on Run.
Joist vs Housecall Pro at a glance
A remodeler who sends six estimates a month and a plumber who runs eight calls a day need different software. Joist fits the first; Housecall Pro is built for the second. Both list financing on their first plan, so the decision is about everything else.
| Joist | Housecall Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Solo contractors who mainly need estimates, invoices and payments | Home service businesses from solo operators to teams of eight and more |
| Published prices | Basics $10 a month, Pro $17, Elite $32, Run $70 (an introductory price, $100 regular) | Basic $79 a month, Essentials $189, Max $329, or $59, $149 and $299 billed yearly |
| Lowest published price | $10 a month | $79 a month |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 14 days on the Max plan, no credit card |
| People | The pricing page does not list a per-user price | Basic 1 user, Essentials 5, Max 8, then $35 a month for each added user on Max |
| Billing | Monthly or yearly (two months free); change or cancel any time | Monthly or yearly billing; the page says cancel anytime |
From Joist pricing and Housecall Pro pricing, checked October 8, 2026. Joist's monthly prices fill in by script, so we read them in a real browser. Its newest plan, Run, was at an introductory 30% off when we checked. Part of Housecall Pro's pricing page fills in by script and it was running first-month offers when we checked. The plan prices below are the regular ones its plan cards show. Prices are per month in US dollars and change often, so check the page before you buy.
What each one costs
Joist
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | People | What the card lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | $10 a month | $8.34 a month billed yearly | Not stated | Up to 5 documents a month, online payments, estimates to invoices, AI tools, homeowner financing |
| Pro | $17 a month | $14.17 a month billed yearly | Not stated | Adds unlimited documents, your logo, photos, client activity, QuickBooks sync, expense tracking |
| Elite | $32 a month | $26.67 a month billed yearly | Not stated | Adds license and insurance on documents, change orders, business reports, Joist Reviews |
| Run | $70 a month (introductory, $100 regular) | $58.33 a month billed yearly | Not stated | Adds jobs, scheduled visits, and jobs linked to estimates and invoices |
Housecall Pro
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | People | What the card lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $79 a month | $59 a month billed yearly | 1 user | Online booking, scheduling and dispatch, estimates and invoices, payments and consumer financing, price book, job costing, review management |
| Essentials | $189 a month | $149 a month billed yearly | 5 users | Adds routes, flat-rate pricing, checklists, photo reports, employee GPS, commissions, QuickBooks Online sync |
| Max | $329 a month | $299 a month billed yearly | 8 users, then $35 a month each | Adds the sales proposal tool, recurring service plans, route optimization, open API, a dedicated onboarding specialist |
From Joist pricing and Housecall Pro pricing, checked October 8, 2026. Joist's monthly prices fill in by script, so we read them in a real browser. Its newest plan, Run, was at an introductory 30% off when we checked. Part of Housecall Pro's pricing page fills in by script and it was running first-month offers when we checked. The plan prices below are the regular ones its plan cards show. Prices are per month in US dollars and change often, so check the page before you buy.
Feature by feature
| What you need | Joist | Housecall Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Win the job | ||
| Customers book online | Not listed | Basic |
| Estimates | Basics (5 documents a month), Pro (unlimited) | Basic |
| E-signatures | Basics | Not listed |
| Customer financing | Basics (homeowner financing) | Basic (consumer financing) |
| Calls answered by AI | AI Receptionist add-on, from $49 a month | CSR AI, listed as a separate product |
| Get paid | ||
| Invoices and online payments | Basics | Basic |
| Deposits at signing | Basics (deposit and milestone payments) | Not listed |
| Paid on the spot | Basics | Tap to Pay, listed as a separate product |
| QuickBooks Online sync | Pro | Essentials |
| Run the work | ||
| Crew scheduling | Run (schedule visits) | Basic (schedule and assign techs) |
| Stops sorted by the drive | Not listed | Essentials (routes), Max (route optimization) |
| Review requests | Elite (Joist Reviews) | Basic (review management) |
From Joist pricing and Housecall Pro pricing, checked October 8, 2026. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Joist's monthly prices fill in by script, so we read them in a real browser. Its newest plan, Run, was at an introductory 30% off when we checked. Part of Housecall Pro's pricing page fills in by script and it was running first-month offers when we checked. The plan prices below are the regular ones its plan cards show. Prices are per month in US dollars and change often, so check the page before you buy.
Where Joist is the stronger pick
The price. Joist runs $10 to $70 a month. Pro, with unlimited estimates and invoices, QuickBooks sync and expense tracking, is $17.
Deposits and milestones. Deposit and milestone payments and Tap to Pay are on every Joist plan; Housecall Pro lists Tap to Pay as a separate product.
Change orders. Joist Elite adds change orders and license and insurance details on documents.
Where Housecall Pro is the stronger pick
Booking and dispatch. Online booking and scheduling and dispatch are on Housecall Pro Basic. Joist adds scheduling only on Run.
Routes and recurring plans. Routes come in on Essentials and recurring service plans on Max. Neither is on Joist's plan table.
Phone support. Live phone and chat support is on every Housecall Pro plan; Joist lists email and live chat.
What a 1 to 3 person shop would pay
For one person the gap is large: Joist Pro against Housecall Pro Basic. Joist's page does not list a per-user price, so check with Joist before adding people.
| Team | Joist Pro | Housecall Pro Basic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $17 a month Pro; the page does not list a price per user | $79 a month Basic, 1 user included |
| 3 people | $17 a month Pro; the page does not list a price per user | $189 a month Essentials, the first plan with room for 3 people |
From Joist pricing and Housecall Pro pricing, checked October 8, 2026. Monthly billing, before card fees and add-ons. Joist's monthly prices fill in by script, so we read them in a real browser. Its newest plan, Run, was at an introductory 30% off when we checked. Part of Housecall Pro's pricing page fills in by script and it was running first-month offers when we checked. The plan prices below are the regular ones its plan cards show. Prices are per month in US dollars and change often, so check the page before you buy.
Where Koira fits
Koira's free Office plan covers the estimate side (up to three options, signature and deposit on one page) plus invoices, card payments, a booking site and the day plan. Grow adds the AI receptionist at $249 a month plus usage at cost.
If you only need estimates and invoices at the lowest price, Joist is hard to beat. If you dispatch several techs, Housecall Pro is built for it.
How to choose
If you can count your monthly estimates on two hands and you do not book visits online, try Joist. If customers book online and techs need a schedule, try Housecall Pro.
Sources, each checked October 8, 2026: Joist pricing, Housecall Pro pricing, and Koira pricing. We read each page's own text; we did not use summaries or third-party price lists.