TradePilot vs Joist
Joist is the closest like-for-like rival we have: same buyer, same price bracket, built in Toronto. The difference isn't price — it's how much of your day the software covers.
The short version
Joist's entry plan is US$10/mo against our $14.99 CAD — close enough after conversion that price shouldn't decide it. Scope should. Joist calls itself estimating, invoicing and payment software, and its site doesn't list scheduling, a calendar, dispatch or a booking page. If quoting and getting paid is all you need, Joist does that well.
| TradePilot | Joist | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $14.99 CAD/moor $129.99/yr — $10.83/mo | US$10/mo Basics; US$8.34/mo billed annually |
| Plans | OneEverything included | Three Basics US$10, Pro US$17, Elite US$32 |
| Quotes & invoices | Yes | Yes This is what they are built around |
| Job scheduling & calendar | Yes | Not listed on their site |
| Assigning jobs to crew | Yes | Not listed on their site |
| Public booking / quote-request page | Yes | Not listed on their site |
| QuickBooks integration | No | Yes |
| Customer financing | No | Yes Homeowner financing and business lending |
| Free trial | 30 days | 14 days Free plan discontinued |
| Price published in | CAD | USD |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
“Not listed on their site” means absent from Joist's own feature list and pricing page. We haven't tested their product.
Where each one wins
Where Joist is stronger
- Cheaper to start. US$10/mo, and US$8.34/mo if you pay annually.
- QuickBooks integration. We have no accounting sync at all.
- Financing for your customers. Homeowner financing and business lending are things we simply do not offer.
- Focus. If quoting and invoicing is the entire problem, a tool built only for that will feel lighter than one that also holds a calendar.
- Track record. Years in market, a large installed base, and the backing of a much bigger company.
Where TradePilot is different
- It runs the day, not just the paperwork. Scheduling, a calendar, assigning work to crew and multi-day jobs are in the one plan.
- Customers can book you. Every account gets a public quote-request page, so enquiries land in the app instead of your voicemail.
- On-my-way texts and arrival windows — the bit that stops the “where are you?” phone call.
- Canadian mechanics. Priced in CAD, sales tax set by province, and Interac e-Transfer offered on invoices next to card.
- Longer trial. 30 days against 14.
So which one
Your admin problem is quotes and invoices, full stop. You keep your schedule in your head or on a paper calendar and that works fine. You want QuickBooks to stay in sync, or you want to offer customers financing on bigger jobs. At that point we would be selling you a calendar you did not ask for.
The paperwork is only half of it — you are also juggling what happens when, who is going where, and customers asking for updates. You want one place for the schedule, the crew, the quote and the invoice, at one price that does not change when you hire.
If you do want to move over
Export your client list from Joist as a CSV — there's an import preset for their columns. Your past estimates and invoices stay in Joist. Run both for a couple of weeks; 30 days is enough to see whether the scheduling side earns its keep.
If an import misbehaves, email support@gettradepilot.net — a real person answers.
See if the schedule side is worth it.
30 days free. No card, no setup call, no sales pitch.
Start free for 30 days