Joist vs Projul 2026: Which Estimating Tool Is Better for Contractors? | Projul

Every contractor starts somewhere. Maybe you downloaded Joist because you needed a quick way to send estimates from your truck. It worked. You typed in some line items, added your markup, and emailed a professional-looking estimate to your client in five minutes. For a one-person operation doing a handful of jobs a month, Joist gets the job done.

But at some point, your business outgrows a simple estimating app. You start juggling more jobs, hiring crew, coordinating subcontractors, and tracking dozens of details that Joist was never designed to handle. That is when contractors start looking at platforms like Projul.

This comparison breaks down exactly where Joist ends and Projul begins, so you can decide which tool fits where your business is today and where it is headed.

What Is Joist?

Joist is a mobile-first estimating and invoicing app built for tradespeople and small contractors. It launched as a simple way for contractors to create estimates and invoices on the go, and it earned a loyal following because of how easy it was to use.

In 2021, Joist was acquired by GoCanvas, a mobile forms and workflow automation company. Since the acquisition, Joist has been gradually integrated into the GoCanvas platform. What this means for existing Joist users is still playing out, but the long-term direction is clearly toward GoCanvas rather than standalone Joist development.

Here is what Joist does well:

• Quick estimates. Build an estimate on your phone in minutes with line items, quantities, and pricing.
• Client-facing documents. Estimates and invoices look professional and can be sent via email or text.
• Basic invoicing. Convert estimates to invoices and accept payments.
• Material and labor cost tracking. Add costs per item to see your margins.
• Simple interface. Almost zero learning curve. Open the app and start building an estimate.

For a solo contractor or a two-person crew, Joist covers the basics of getting estimates out the door and getting paid.

What Is Projul?

Projul is a full construction management platform that covers every stage of a project from the first lead to the final invoice. It was built specifically for contractors, not adapted from generic project management software.

Here is what Projul includes:

• Estimating with detailed line items, assemblies, cost databases, and templates. Build accurate estimates fast, then convert them to jobs with one click.
• Scheduling with a visual calendar that your whole team can see. Drag and drop to assign crews, set milestones, and manage timelines.
• Invoicing connected to your estimates and jobs. Send invoices, track payments, and accept online payments.
• QuickBooks integration with two-way sync. Your books stay accurate without double entry.
• Lead management and CRM. Track every lead, follow up on time, and convert more bids into signed contracts.
• Job costing and reporting. Know which jobs make money and which ones are costing you, in real time.
• Mobile app for field crews. Schedules, job details, photos, and communication all in one place.

Projul is not just an estimating tool. It is the operating system for a construction business.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Let us get specific about where these two tools overlap and where they diverge.

Estimating

This is where Joist started, so it is worth a close look.

Joist lets you create estimates with line items, quantities, unit costs, and markups. You can add photos, notes, and optional items. The estimates look clean and professional. For simple jobs like a bathroom remodel or a deck build, Joist’s estimating works fine.

But Joist’s estimating has limits. There is no assembly feature for grouping common sets of materials and labor (like a standard framing package). There are no saved cost databases that update across all your estimates. And once the estimate is sent, it does not connect to anything else. It is a standalone document.

Projul’s estimating goes deeper. You can build assemblies for common work packages so you are not re-entering the same 30 line items for every framing job. Cost databases keep your material and labor rates current across every estimate. Templates let you start from proven formats instead of a blank page every time.

The real difference is what happens after the estimate. In Projul, an approved estimate becomes a job automatically. The budget data flows into job costing. The scope feeds into your schedule. Everything is connected, so you build the estimate once and the rest of your workflow picks it up from there.

Invoicing

Joist handles basic invoicing well. Convert an estimate to an invoice, send it to the client, and accept payment. You can track which invoices are paid and which are outstanding. For a simple operation, it works.

Projul includes full invoicing that ties into your jobs and estimates. Create progress invoices, final invoices, or custom invoices. Track payment status across all your jobs in one dashboard. Accept online payments so clients can pay the same day they receive the invoice. And because Projul connects to QuickBooks, every invoice and payment syncs to your accounting automatically.

Scheduling

Joist does not include scheduling. At all. If you need to coordinate crews, assign jobs to specific dates, or manage subcontractor timelines, you need a separate tool. Most Joist users end up relying on Google Calendar, a whiteboard, or group text messages to manage their schedules.

Projul has scheduling built in. Every job appears on a visual calendar. Assign crews or subs to specific tasks. Drag and drop to reschedule when things change (and they always change). Your field team gets real-time updates on their phones, so nobody shows up at the wrong job site.

For a contractor with more than a few active jobs, scheduling is not optional. It is the backbone of your operation. The fact that Joist does not offer it means you are stitching together multiple tools to do what one platform should handle.

Job Costing

Joist tracks costs at the estimate level. You can see your margins on individual estimates. But once the job is underway, there is no way to track actual costs against your budget in real time. You find out whether the job was profitable after it is done, not while you can still do something about it.

Projul gives you live job costing throughout the project. Track labor, materials, and subcontractor costs against your original estimate. See budget vs. actual numbers at any point during the job. If a project is running over budget, you know about it while there is still time to adjust.

Lead Management and CRM

Joist does not include a CRM or lead management tools. Leads come in through phone calls, emails, and referrals, and you track them however you can. Some Joist users keep leads in a spreadsheet or their email inbox.

Projul includes lead management that lets you track every prospect from first contact through signed contract. See where your leads come from, follow up on time, and convert more inquiries into paying jobs. When a lead becomes a client, all their information flows into the estimating and job management workflow.

Integrations

Joist integrates with a limited number of tools. Basic QuickBooks connectivity is available on paid plans, and there are connections to a few payment processors.

Projul connects to QuickBooks with a deep two-way sync that keeps your accounting accurate. It also integrates with payment processors, material suppliers, and other tools contractors rely on daily.

Pricing Comparison

Joist offers a free plan with limited functionality and paid plans that typically range from $15 to $30 per month. The free plan lets you create a limited number of estimates and invoices per month. Paid plans unlock more features and remove limits.

Since the GoCanvas acquisition, pricing and plan structures have shifted. Some features that were available in Joist may now require a GoCanvas subscription, which starts at a higher price point.

Projul pricing is transparent and published on the pricing page:

• Core: $399/mo (billed annually at $4,788/yr)
• Core+: $599/mo (billed annually at $7,188/yr)
• Pro: $1,199/mo (billed annually at $14,388/yr)

No per-user fees. No per-project fees. Your entire team gets access for one flat monthly rate.

Yes, Projul costs more than Joist. But that comparison misses the point. Joist covers estimating and invoicing. Projul covers estimating, invoicing, scheduling, job costing, CRM, reporting, and more. If you are currently paying for Joist plus a scheduling app plus a CRM plus a project management tool, add those costs together. Projul replaces all of them.

The Growth Ceiling Problem

Here is the real issue with Joist for any contractor who plans to grow: Joist has a low ceiling.

When you are a solo operator doing five jobs a month, Joist is great. But the moment you start scaling, you hit walls:

• No scheduling. You cannot coordinate a crew of five with text messages forever.
• No job costing. You cannot manage profitability across 15 active jobs by gut feel.
• No CRM. You cannot grow your sales pipeline with sticky notes and memory.
• No team access. Your office manager, project managers, and field crew all need different views of the same data.
• GoCanvas uncertainty. With Joist now folded into GoCanvas, the future of the standalone app is unclear. Betting your growing business on a product in transition is risky.

Every contractor who stays on Joist eventually reaches a point where they are running three, four, or five different apps to manage their business. One for estimates, one for schedules, one for invoices, one for project tracking, and maybe a spreadsheet tying it all together. That patchwork approach creates data silos, double entry, and mistakes.

Projul eliminates that problem by putting everything in one platform from the start. You do not have to migrate when you outgrow your tools, because Projul grows with you.

Real Talk: When Joist Still Works

If you are a solo tradesperson doing a handful of jobs per month and you just need a clean way to send estimates and invoices from your phone, Joist is fine. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and gets the basics done.

There is no shame in starting with simple tools. Every successful contractor started somewhere, and Joist has helped a lot of people get their businesses off the ground.

But if any of the following sound familiar, you have probably outgrown Joist:

• You are spending more time on admin than actual construction work
• You have hired crew and need to coordinate schedules
• You are losing track of leads and follow-ups
• You do not know which jobs are profitable until after they are done
• You are copying data between multiple apps and spreadsheets
• Your business is doing $500K+ in annual revenue and growing

Making the Switch

Moving from Joist to Projul does not have to be painful. Your estimates, client information, and job history can transfer over. Projul’s onboarding team helps with the transition so you are not starting from scratch.

Most contractors who switch from a basic tool like Joist to Projul are surprised at how quickly their team adopts it. The interface is built for construction people, not software people. If your crew can use a smartphone, they can use Projul.

The Bottom Line

Joist and Projul are built for different stages of a contractor’s business. Joist is an estimating and invoicing app for solo operators who need something quick and cheap. Projul is a complete construction management platform for contractors who are ready to run their business from one system.

The question is not really “Joist vs Projul.” The question is: where is your business today, and where do you want it to be in two years?

If the answer involves more jobs, more crew, and more revenue, you need a platform that can handle that growth without falling apart. That is what Projul was built for.

Schedule a demo and see the difference for yourself. Bring your toughest questions. We would rather show you than tell you.