How we write these. Every comparison page on this site names what the other product does better, in its own section, first. Not as a courtesy — because a comparison page where the competitor loses every round is a page no one believes, and because you are going to find out anyway the moment you download the thing. Prices are taken from the competitor's own pricing page and stamped with the date we checked them.
What Joist does better than Toolbelt
Android and web
Joist runs on Android and in a browser. Toolbelt is iPhone-only. If your crew is on Android, or you do your paperwork on a desktop at the end of the week, Joist covers a case we simply do not.
Homeowner financing
Joist can offer your customer financing at the point of the estimate, which for a $12,000 roof or a full re-pipe can be the difference between a signed job and a maybe. Toolbelt has nothing like it.
Change orders on Elite
Formal change-order tracking is built in at the Elite tier. If you routinely run jobs where scope creeps and you need a paper trail for it, that is a real feature and we do not match it.
What Toolbelt does better than Joist
Price
Toolbelt is $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr for everything. Joist's unlimited-document tier starts at $17/mo — and their $10 tier caps you at 5 documents a month, which is a slow week for most trades.
A real free tier
Toolbelt gives you 3 documents a month free, forever, with every feature switched on. Joist has a 14-day trial and then a bill.
Voice input
Speak the line item; it gets written up. Nobody else in this list does this, and it is the difference between invoicing from the truck and invoicing at 9pm from the kitchen table.
Genuinely offline
Toolbelt builds and stores documents with no signal at all — basements, new-builds, rural jobs — and syncs when you surface.
Joist pricing
| Joist plan | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | $10/mo | $100/yr | Up to 5 documents per month |
| Pro | $17/mo | $170/yr | Unlimited documents and clients |
| Elite | $32/mo | $320/yr | Adds business reports and change orders |
Prices taken from Joist's own pricing page and verified on 2026-07-12. Pricing changes — check before you decide.
Toolbelt pricing
| Toolbelt plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 3 invoices or quotes per month, every feature on, no card required |
| Monthly | $14.99/mo | Unlimited invoices and quotes, voice input, AI descriptions, offline, custom PDF templates |
| Yearly | $99.99/yr | Same as monthly, cheaper per month |
Platforms: iPhone only. Joist runs on iOS, Android, web. That is a real gap and it is the first thing on this page you should weigh — if you are on Android, this decision is already made for you.
Feature by feature
| Toolbelt | Joist | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone only | iOS, Android, web |
| Free tier | 3 documents/month, forever, all features | None |
| Trial | Not needed — the free tier is permanent | 14-day free trial (Pro or Elite) |
| Voice input | Yes | No |
| AI-written descriptions | Yes | No |
| Works fully offline | Yes | Limited or no |
| Paid price | $14.99/mo or $99.99/yr, one tier | See table above |
The "No" rows above are statements about Joist's published feature set as of 2026-07-12. If they ship voice input tomorrow, this page is wrong until we update it — tell us and we will.
What neither of us does well
Worth saying plainly, because every comparison page on the internet pretends its two subjects cover the whole world between them. Neither Toolbelt nor Joist is a substitute for an accountant. Neither will chase a customer who has decided not to pay you. And neither one fixes a pricing problem — if your rates are too low, better invoices will just help you go broke more efficiently. If that is the real issue, start with our hourly rate calculator instead of either app.
Should you switch — and how?
If you are already on Joist and it is working, the honest answer is that switching to save $70 a year is not a good use of your week. The case for moving is specific: you are on Joist Basics, you keep hitting the 5-document cap, and the upgrade to Pro at $17/mo is the thing that pushed you to look around. In that situation Toolbelt is cheaper and gives you voice input on top.
Practically, there is no data migration and there does not need to be. Your old invoices stay in Joist and remain valid documents — you do not need them in a new app to have sent them. Set your business details and logo up in Toolbelt once, rebuild your five or six most common line items (about ten minutes), and run the next job through it. Keep both for a month if you want to; the free tier means that costs you nothing.
The honest verdict
Joist if you need Android, a desktop browser, or customer financing. Toolbelt if you are on an iPhone, want to invoice by voice from the job site, and would rather pay $99.99 a year than $170.
Common questions
Is Toolbelt cheaper than Joist?
Toolbelt is $14.99/month or $99.99/year for everything, with a free tier of 3 documents a month. Compare that against the plan table above — but check their page before you decide, because prices move.
Can I use Toolbelt if I'm on Android?
No. Toolbelt is iPhone only. If your phone is an Android, Joist covers you and we do not — that is the end of the decision, and no feature table changes it.
Does Joist have voice input or AI descriptions?
Not as of 2026-07-12, based on their published feature set. This is the clearest functional difference between the two products: with Toolbelt you speak the work and it gets written up as line items.
Do I have to migrate my old invoices?
No, and you generally should not bother trying. Invoices you have already sent live in your email, your accounting and your customers' inboxes — they are valid documents wherever the app that made them ends up. Set up your business details and your common line items, and start with your next job.
Other comparisons
Try Toolbelt free
3 documents a month, free, forever. No card required.
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