Joist is one of the most downloaded contractor estimate apps in the App Store — 4.7 stars, 13,000+ reviews. It's free. Lots of contractors use it. If you're comparing Joist to TailgateQuote, here's the honest answer to whether "free" is actually worth it.
Joist is genuinely good at the basics. You can build an estimate on your phone, send it to a customer, and get a digital signature. The interface is simple, there's no learning curve, and it works. For a contractor who just needs to send a professional-looking quote instead of a handwritten one — Joist gets the job done.
The 4.7 stars are real. Contractors like it. That's not marketing spin.
Joist cannot collect your deposit.
That's not a minor limitation. For most contractors, the deposit is the whole point. You don't want a signed estimate — you want a signed estimate and money in your account. A signature without a deposit is just a piece of paper. The homeowner can still call someone else Monday morning, decide to wait until spring, or simply ghost you.
When you collect a deposit on-site — while you're still in the driveway, while the homeowner's hand is still warm from shaking yours — the job is committed. They've got skin in the game. You're not following up in three days wondering if they're still interested.
TailgateQuote collects the deposit in the same flow as the signature. They sign. A payment link appears. They tap their card. Done. Money is in your Stripe account within 2 business days. You pay 1% — that's it. No monthly payment fees, no hidden costs.
Joist is free. TailgateQuote is $29/month. On the surface, Joist wins on price.
But think about what you're leaving on the table. If you close 4 jobs a month and each carries a 25% deposit on a $3,500 average job, that's $875 in deposits per month you could be collecting on-site versus chasing via invoice later. The average contractor spends 4+ hours per week chasing payments. At any reasonable hourly rate, that's worth far more than $29.
One deposit you wouldn't have gotten otherwise — say $500 — pays for 17 months of TailgateQuote. The free tool isn't free if it's leaving money in homeowners' driveways.
| TailgateQuote | Joist | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $29/mo | Free (paid add-ons) |
| Collect deposits on-site | ✓ | ✗ |
| Send estimate by text (SMS) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Digital signature | ✓ | ✓ |
| No app download for customer | ✓ | ✗ |
| Trade templates | ✓ | Limited |
| Change order management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Job status pipeline | ✓ | ✗ |
If you're just getting started and you literally need to send professional-looking estimates instead of handwritten ones — and collecting deposits isn't part of your workflow yet — Joist is a fine starting point. It's free, it works, and the reviews don't lie.
But if you're running a real business where deposits protect your schedule and your cash flow — Joist leaves a critical gap. You can get the signature but you can't close the loop.
Joist is free but can't collect your deposit. TailgateQuote is $29/month and closes the full loop: estimate → signature → deposit, all from the driveway. If collecting deposits matters to your business — and it should — TailgateQuote is the right tool. The $29 pays for itself the first time you collect a deposit before leaving a job site instead of chasing it for two weeks.
Free plan includes 5 estimates/month. No credit card required.
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