Invoice Simple and Joist both promise the same thing to a one-truck business: send a clean estimate or invoice from your phone and get paid by card. Where they differ is how they count. Invoice Simple caps how many invoices you can send each month on its two cheaper plans. Joist caps documents only on its entry plan, then sells extra job tools on top. So the cheaper app depends less on features than on how many jobs you bill in a month.
How we made this comparison: we have not run either app on a paid account. Everything below comes from the two vendors’ public pricing pages and help centers, checked on October 15, 2026, and every price links to the page it came from. If you are choosing a full job-management platform rather than an invoice app, start with our list of the best field service software for small crews.
Prices side by side (checked October 15, 2026)
Both vendors give roughly two months free on a yearly plan. Invoice Simple prices are from its pricing page; Joist prices are from the Joist pricing page.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Monthly limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice Simple Essentials | $6.99/mo | $69.99/yr | 3 invoices |
| Invoice Simple Plus | $14.99/mo | $149.99/yr | 10 invoices |
| Invoice Simple Premium | $21.99/mo | $219.99/yr | Unlimited invoices |
| Joist Basics | $10/mo | $8.34/mo billed yearly | 5 documents |
| Joist Pro | $17/mo | $14.17/mo billed yearly | Unlimited documents |
| Joist Elite | $32/mo | $26.67/mo billed yearly | Unlimited documents |
| Joist Run (new, introductory 30% off) | $70/mo (list $100) | $58.33/mo billed yearly | Unlimited documents |
Prices checked October 15, 2026. Invoice Simple notes that its prices are in USD and may vary by local currency. Joist labels the Run price as introductory, so expect it to change. Our Joist pricing guide breaks down every plan, add-on and payment fee.
Which one costs less at your invoice volume
Short version: Invoice Simple is cheaper if you bill three or fewer jobs a month, the two are close between four and ten, and Joist is cheaper once you pass ten. The table uses yearly billing and the cheapest plan that covers the volume.
| Invoices you send per month | Invoice Simple plan and yearly cost | Joist plan and yearly cost | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Essentials, $69.99 | Basics, about $100 | Invoice Simple |
| 4 or 5 | Plus, $149.99 | Basics, about $100 (only if you send no estimates) | Joist, with a catch |
| 6 to 10 | Plus, $149.99 | Pro, about $170 | Invoice Simple by about $20 |
| 11 or more | Premium, $219.99 | Pro, about $170 | Joist by about $50 |
The catch on the 4-to-5 row: Joist counts documents, and its plan comparison lists “Documents per month: 5” for Basics. An estimate you send and the invoice it becomes are both paperwork, so a contractor who quotes before billing will likely outgrow Basics quickly. Invoice Simple’s pricing page states its caps in invoices and does not list a separate estimate limit. Joist’s yearly figures are the per-month prices above times twelve, rounded.
What each plan unlocks
The feature gaps matter most for jobs that need money up front or a signature before work starts. Both points favor Joist at the low end.
- Deposits: Invoice Simple lists “Accept deposits” only on Premium. Joist’s comparison table shows deposit and milestone payments on every plan, Basics included.
- Customer signatures: Invoice Simple puts client signatures on Premium. Joist shows in-app digital signatures on every plan.
- Job photos: Invoice Simple adds photos from Plus; Joist adds job photos and attachments from Pro.
- Payment reminders: Invoice Simple lists due-date reminders from Plus. We did not find reminders in Joist’s plan comparison, so check the trial if you chase late payers often.
- QuickBooks: Joist lists QuickBooks sync from Pro up. Invoice Simple’s pricing page does not list a QuickBooks sync.
- Change orders and reports: Joist adds change orders, sales reporting and business reports on Elite. Invoice Simple adds summary reports on Plus.
- Scheduling: only Joist Run adds job organization and visit scheduling. Invoice Simple has no scheduling on its pricing page.
If you already know you need scheduling, dispatch or a crew of more than one, an invoice app is the wrong tool. Compare full platforms instead, starting with what Jobber costs for a small crew.
Card and bank fees
Software price is only part of the bill: processing fees grow with every job you collect online.
- Joist (Joist Payments with Stripe, US): cards up to 3.49% plus $0.49 per payment; ACH bank transfer 1%, capped at $15. Source: Joist’s help article “What is the transaction fee for Joist Payments?” (updated June 3, 2026).
- Invoice Simple: its help center gives ACH through Stripe as 1% with a $15 cap. We did not find a published card rate on the pricing or online payments pages we checked, so ask support before you rely on a number. Source: “How can my customers cover my online payment fees?“
Both apps let you pass processing fees to the customer. On a $2,000 roof repair paid by bank transfer, either app’s ACH cap means the fee tops out at $15, so pushing larger jobs to ACH is the easiest saving on either side.
Free trials
Joist offers a 14-day free trial on every plan with no credit card required. Invoice Simple’s pricing page also mentions a 14-day free trial. Two weeks is enough to send real estimates to a few customers, which is the best way to see whether Joist’s document count or Invoice Simple’s invoice count fits your month.
Extras Joist sells on top
Joist’s pricing page lists an AI Receptionist add-on from $49 a month, billed monthly, that answers missed calls and captures leads. That is a separate product from the invoice app. If missed calls are your real problem, compare it with the options in our AI receptionist picks for small businesses before adding it. Joist also lists homeowner financing and contractor lending on every plan.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Invoice Simple Essentials if you bill three or fewer jobs a month and do not take deposits. At $69.99 a year it is the cheapest paid option here.
- Pick Invoice Simple Plus if you send six to ten invoices a month, want automatic due-date reminders and do not need QuickBooks.
- Pick Joist Pro if you quote before you bill, take deposits, sync to QuickBooks or send more than ten invoices a month. Unlimited documents at $17 a month undercut Invoice Simple’s unlimited Premium plan.
- Pick neither if you need scheduling for more than one person. Go to the field service software hub and compare platforms built for crews.
We will update this page when either vendor changes its plans. Read how we research and test software for what “research-based” means on this site.
Sources
Invoice Simple pricing page (monthly and annual views) and help article on online payment fees; Joist pricing page and plan comparison table, and help article on Joist Payments fees. All checked October 15, 2026.
