⚡ Quick Verdict
Who wins with Fergus:
You need specific features from this tool.
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 | Fergus | Joist |
|---|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | Fergus offers month-to-month, per-user billing with two published paid tiers (Basic and Professional) starting From $53 / month and From $75 / month, plus an Enterprise option that requires contacting sales; a 14-day free trial is available. | 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 |
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| ⚠️ Cons |
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| Crew Management | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available |
| Dispatch Board | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available |
| Equipment Tracking | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Estimates Mobile | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Free Plan | ❌ Not available | ✅ Included |
| GPS Tracking Realtime | ✅ Included Real-time GPS Tracking | ❌ Not available |
| Integrations Accounting | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Inventory Tracking | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available |
| Invoicing Onsite | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Learning Curve | Easy | Easy |
| Lifetime Deal | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Mobile First Design | ❌ Not available | ✅ Included |
| Nonprofit Discount | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Offline Mode | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Parts Ordering | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Payment Mobile | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Phone Support | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available |
| Photo Proof | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Pricing Transparent | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Quickbooks | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Route Optimization | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Signature Capture | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Student Discount | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| Support Hours | Business hours; email & chat standard, phone support available on higher plan | 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 |
| Time Clock GPS | ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available |
| API | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Accounting | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Approval Workflow | — No data | ✅ Included |
| CRM | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Cancel Anytime | ✅ Included | — No data |
| Change Order Tracking | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Community Size | — No data | 1000000 |
| Convert To Invoice | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Custom Branding | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Customer Portal | ❌ Not available | — No data |
| Dark Mode | ❌ Not available | — No data |
| Debt Chasing Auto | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Digital Signature | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Estimates Quotes | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Expense Tracking | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Financing Options | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Item Library | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Job Forms Custom | ✅ Included | — No data |
| Jpk VAT | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Ksef | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Labor Material Split | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Make Integration | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Markup Auto | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Mobile Quoting | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Ocr Scanning | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Onboarding | ✅ Included | — No data |
| Partial Payments | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Payment Link | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Photo Attachments | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Quickbooks | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Recurring Service | ✅ Included | — No data |
| Reports Financial | — No data | ✅ Included |
| SMS Quote Delivery | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Scheduling Calendar | ✅ Included | — No data |
| Setup Time Estimate | Easy to set up (described as easy to set up and use) | — No data |
| Tax Calculation Auto | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Templates Quote | — No data | ✅ Included |
| Trial Days | 14 | — No data |
| Xero | — No data | ❌ Not available |
| Zapier Integration | — No data | ❌ Not available |