Joist pricing, and the document cap on the cheap plan
Joist is four paid plans with no free tier. The cheapest is capped at five documents a month, and organising jobs sits on the top plan at US$100.
Start freeKey takeaways
- Joist lists Basics US$12 a month, Pro US$17, Elite US$32 and Run US$100, on monthly billing. Verified 19 September 2026.
- Basics is capped at 5 documents a month, estimates and invoices counted together. The other three list unlimited documents.
- There is no free plan. A 14-day trial, no card required.
- Organising jobs, scheduling visits and linking jobs to estimates and invoices are on the Run plan only, at US$100 a month.
- No AUD price and no GST treatment. The figures are dollars on a page served as United States, so read them as USD.
- Chippie is free for 1 user and 20 jobs a month, then $25 AUD a month for 2 users and $45 for 4.
What does Joist cost?#
Four plans, all monthly figures from its pricing page. Joist shows dollars without naming a currency, and it is a North American vendor, so read them as USD. It publishes no Australian price and no GST treatment.
| Monthly | Documents a month | Jobs and scheduling | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | US$12 | 5 | No |
| Pro | US$17 | Unlimited | No |
| Elite | US$32 | Unlimited | No |
| Run | US$100 | Unlimited | Yes |
Two columns do the work there. Basics counts estimates and invoices together, so quoting a job and invoicing it spends two of your five. And the jobs column stays no until US$100 a month.
What a job costs you on Joist#
Most people comparing Joist against a job app are comparing Pro at US$17 against something that does jobs. That is not the row. The row is Run, because Pro does not organise jobs or schedule visits.
| Joist Pro, monthly | US$17 / month, no jobs |
|---|---|
| Joist Run, monthly | US$100 / month, jobs included |
| Joist Run over 12 months | US$1,200 / year |
| Chippie Free | $0, up to 20 jobs a month |
| Chippie Pro, yearly | $250 AUD / year |
| The plan with jobs in it, each | Run US$100 a month against Chippie Free at $0 |
Joist prices are USD from joist.com/pricing, verified 19 September 2026; they are not converted, so your real cost also depends on the exchange rate and your card's foreign transaction fee. Chippie prices are AUD.
Run buys more than scheduling. Joist markets it as its business-running plan and sells an AI receptionist add-on from US$49 a month alongside it. If you want that, the price is doing something. If you only wanted the job between the quote and the invoice, it is a long way to walk for it.
Which features actually differ?#
| Chippie | Joist | |
|---|---|---|
| Estimates and invoices | Yes | Yes |
| Document limit | None on paid plans | 5 a month on Basics |
| Jobs and scheduling | Every plan | Run plan only, US$100 |
| Client list you can search | Yes | Unlimited clients from Pro |
| GST on invoices | Yes, built for AU | No AU guidance published |
| Billing currency | AUD, GBP or EUR | USD, no AUD price |
| Accounting sync | Xero, on Pro and Team | QuickBooks named |
| Free plan | 20 jobs a month | None, 14-day trial |
| Android and iPhone | Yes | Yes |
Read down rather than across. Estimating and invoicing is a draw, and Joist has been doing it for longer. The rows that separate them are where the job lives and which country the product was built to invoice in.
When should you stay on Joist?#
- You are a contractor in the United States or Canada. Joist is built for that market: QuickBooks, USD billing, and tax handled the way you file it. Chippie is built for Australian GST. On that comparison Joist wins and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
- Five documents a month really is your volume. US$12 for the paperwork of a part-time side of things is a fair deal and you do not need a job app.
- You want the AI receptionist. Joist sells one from US$49 a month. Chippie does not answer your phone and does not claim to.
If all you want is one GST invoice today, our free invoice generator makes one without an account on anything.
When have you outgrown an invoice app?#
There are four moments, and most tradies hit them in this order.
- You start quoting before you invoice, and the quote needs to become the invoice without retyping it.
- There is a job in between the two, with a date, a site and photos. On Joist that job is the US$100 plan.
- You want to look up a client and see everything you have done for them, not search a document list for their name.
- A second person needs a login.
Chippie is free for one user and 20 jobs a month, which is enough to test all four on real work before you pay anything. Pro is $25 a month including 2 users, Team is $45 including 4, and extra users on Team are $10 each. Prices are AUD, and the pricing page has the rest.
If you would rather compare the whole category first, the tradie app market index lists every product we have verified, with the date on each figure, and the comparison hub puts the job management tools side by side.
Chippie vs Joist: your questions#
What does Joist cost?
Does Joist have a free plan?
Does Joist price in Australian dollars?
What is the 5-document limit on Basics?
Can Joist schedule jobs?
Does Joist connect to Xero?
When should I stay on Joist?
When have I outgrown it?
Have a play. It is free.
Free while you are small. No card, no lock-in.
Have a playPrices verified 19 September 2026 from joist.com/pricing and the Australian App Store listing. Joist is a trademark of its owner; Chippie is not affiliated with it.