Comparison

Buildertrend

50 features ✅
VS
J

Joist

32 features ✅

⚡ Quick Verdict

Who wins with Buildertrend:

Mid-sized to large residential builders, remodelers and specialty contractors (teams ~5–200, companies generating $500K+ annually) who need an integrated scheduling, client-communication and job-costing platform with mobile field capabilities.

Who wins with Joist:

US-based solo contractors and very small crews (electricians, plumbers, handymen, painters, HVAC, carpenters, landscapers) who need fast on-site estimates, simple invoicing, onboarded payment acceptance and occasional financing offers — owner-operators and 1–5 person teams that prioritize mobile ease-of-use over enterprise workflows.

Feature Buildertrend Joist
💰 Pricing Pricing is custom and not listed publicly—you must request a tailored quote; the offering notes unlimited users/projects and a 10% discount for annual prepayment. Three paid plans listed monthly (Basics $10 / month, Pro $16 / month, Elite $32 / month); annual billing options and a 14-day free trial are noted.
✅ Pros
  • All-in-one construction management platform covering estimating, scheduling, change orders, invoicing and client portal
  • Robust scheduling with Gantt, dependencies and critical path support
  • Mobile-first app with offline capabilities for field teams (Daily Logs, Time Clock, photo uploads)
  • Built-in client and subcontractor portals that centralize communication and document sharing
  • Integrated financial workflows and accounting syncs (QuickBooks, Xero) plus payment processing
  • No data
⚠️ Cons
  • No forever free plan and reviewers repeatedly state 'No free trial'
  • Pricing is custom/non-transparent and can be expensive for many customers; reports of sharp price increases
  • Steep learning curve and complex setup u2014 many users report misconfigured templates and charts of accounts causing issues
  • No major cons logged
API ✅ Included ❌ Not available
Accounting ✅ Included ✅ Included
Approval Workflow ✅ Included ✅ Included
CRM ✅ Included ❌ Not available
Change Order Tracking ✅ Included ✅ Included
Community Size 1000000 1000000
Convert To Invoice ✅ Included ✅ Included
Custom Branding ❌ Not available ✅ Included
Digital Signature ✅ Included ✅ Included
Financing Options ✅ Included ✅ Included
Free Plan ❌ Not available ✅ Included
Item Library ✅ Included ✅ Included
Keyboard Shortcuts ❌ Not available ❌ Not available
Labor Material Split ✅ Included ✅ Included
Learning Curve Advanced Easy
Lifetime Deal ❌ Not available ❌ Not available
Make Integration ❌ Not available ❌ Not available
Markup Auto ✅ Included ✅ Included
Mobile First Design ✅ Included ✅ Included
Mobile Quoting ✅ Included ✅ Included
Nonprofit Discount ❌ Not available ❌ Not available
Phone Support ✅ Included ❌ Not available
Photo Attachments ✅ Included ✅ Included
Pricing Transparent ❌ Not available ✅ Included
SMS Quote Delivery ❌ Not available ✅ Included
Student Discount ❌ Not available ❌ Not available
Support Hours Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm CST (support documentation also references similar CT hours) Mon–Fri email 9am–5pm EST; live chat Mon–Fri 9am–8pm EST; AI chat assistant on weekends / leave message for team
Support Languages English English
Tax Calculation Auto ✅ Included ✅ Included
Templates Quote ✅ Included ✅ Included
Zapier Integration ❌ Not available ❌ Not available
Agile Sprints ❌ Not available — No data
Appointment Rescheduling ✅ Included — No data
Automations ✅ Included — No data
Baseline Tracking ✅ Included — No data
Budget Tracking ✅ Included — No data
Cancel Anytime ❌ Not available — No data
Chat Support ✅ Included — No data
Communication Log ✅ Included — No data
Crew Management — No data ❌ Not available
Critical Path ✅ Included — No data
Dark Mode ❌ Not available — No data
Debt Chasing Auto — No data ✅ Included
Dependencies ✅ Included — No data
Dispatch Board — No data ❌ Not available
Document Sharing ✅ Included — No data
Equipment Tracking — No data ❌ Not available
Estimates Mobile — No data ✅ Included
Estimates Quotes — No data ✅ Included
Expense Tracking — No data ✅ Included
Feedback Reviews ✅ Included — No data
Founded Year 2006 — No data
GPS Tracking Realtime — No data ❌ Not available
Gantt Charts ✅ Included Gantt Chart Scheduling — No data
Guest Access ✅ Included — No data
Integrations Accounting — No data ✅ Included
Inventory Tracking — No data ❌ Not available
Invoice View ✅ Included — No data
Invoicing Onsite — No data ✅ Included
Jpk VAT — No data ❌ Not available
Kanban Boards ✅ Included — No data
Ksef — No data ❌ Not available
Maintenance Reminders ✅ Included — No data
Migration Help ✅ Included — No data
Milestones ✅ Included — No data
Mobile Offline ✅ Included — No data
Mobile Responsive ✅ Included — No data
Multi Language ✅ Included — No data
Notification Preferences ✅ Included — No data
Ocr Scanning — No data ❌ Not available
Offline Mode — No data ❌ Not available
Onboarding ✅ Included — No data
Partial Payments — No data ✅ Included
Parts Ordering — No data ❌ Not available
Payment Link — No data ✅ Included
Payment Mobile — No data ✅ Included
Payment Online ✅ Included — No data
Photo Gallery ✅ Included — No data
Photo Proof — No data ✅ Included
Portfolio View ✅ Included Portfolio / Multi-project View — No data
Profit Margin Calc ✅ Included — No data
Quickbooks — No data ✅ Included
Quickbooks — No data ✅ Included
Quote Approval ✅ Included — No data
Recurring Tasks ❌ Not available — No data
Reporting Won Lost ✅ Included — No data
Reports Financial — No data ✅ Included
Resource Allocation ❌ Not available — No data
Reviews Capterra Rating 4.5 — No data
Reviews G2 Rating 4.3 — No data
Route Optimization — No data ❌ Not available
Service History ✅ Included — No data
Service Requests ✅ Included — No data
Setup Time Estimate A few days with guided onboarding (varies by company size) — No data
Signature Capture — No data ✅ Included
Time Clock GPS — No data ❌ Not available
Time Tracking Builtin ✅ Included — No data
Timesheets ✅ Included — No data
Trial Days ❌ Not available — No data
White Label ❌ Not available — No data
Wiki Docs ✅ Included — No data
Xero — No data ❌ Not available
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