Joist's free tier sends estimates and invoices on your phone. The newer paid plans lock progress reports and unlimited estimates behind monthly fees. Joist gets the quote out. It doesn't follow up, remind, or ask for the review. CurbBid does all three by default.
Joist is a mobile-first estimate-and-invoice app for small contractors who want to look professional without a CRM. It's loved by 1M+ contractors for fast quoting on the truck. CurbBid does what Joist does — and adds the three follow-up automations Joist doesn't.
Joist is excellent at the quote and the invoice. What it doesn't do is text the customer 48 hours later to nudge the bid. It doesn't remind them when the invoice is 3 days overdue. It doesn't text 'leave us a review' right after the payment lands. CurbBid does all three on every plan, by default.
Joist used to give a lot for free. Recent app store reviews flag the move toward paid tiers — 5 estimates a month on the lowest paid plan, with reports gated behind Elite (source). CurbBid Pro is $399/mo with all three automations on, no estimate cap, every feature included.
Joist offers credit card and ACH payments on invoices. Multiple Capterra reviewers describe payment processing delays and slow customer support response when issues come up (source). CurbBid takes card and ACH payments online — 1% platform fee on Pro, 0% on Max. Support is a real person, 15-minute response SLA.
| CurbBid | Joist | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $399 (Pro) or $999 (Max) | Free tier limited; Pro and Elite paid tiers |
| Per-user charges | None | Solo-focused; paid tiers per app account |
| Setup time | Same league — fast | Very fast — Joist's strength |
| All features on every plan | Yes — no feature gating | Tiered (Free, Pro, Elite) |
| Quote follow-ups (auto) | Default | No — manual only |
| Invoice reminders (auto) | Default | Limited reminders |
| Review requests (auto) | Default | None |
| Text-first communication | Core | Email/PDF quote workflow |
| Card processing fee | 1% (Pro) or 0% (Max), Stripe pass-through | Credit/debit + ACH; user-reported processing delays |
| Free trial / guarantee | 30-day money-back | Free tier (limited features) |
| Best for | Solo + 2–5 person residential trades | Solo handyman/trades who only need fast estimates |
Joist is genuinely better than CurbBid if all you want is the fastest possible 'quote on the truck' app, you handle follow-ups by hand, you don't have crew to add to the system, and you want a free starting point. For a true solo handyman who quotes 5 jobs a week and remembers to call them all back, Joist is a phenomenal tool. CurbBid is for the contractor who keeps forgetting to follow up — and is losing jobs because of it.
Start free. Setup is fast and the price is flat. If CurbBid doesn't pay for itself in 30 days, get every penny back.