Staxen vs Joist: cheap invoicing app or an AI office
Joist is a low-cost app for making estimates and invoices yourself; Staxen is AI employees that make them for you. Joist runs $12 to $32 a month across its Basics, Pro, and Elite plans, with a $100 Run plan that adds scheduling. Staxen is $59 a month per AI employee or $149 for all three, and the first job is free with no card and no time limit. If price is the whole decision, Joist wins. If your time is the cost, the math changes.
What Joist is
Joist is a popular estimate and invoice app built for contractors, especially remodelers and handymen. It produces clean, branded estimates and invoices from a phone, takes online payments, offers homeowner financing, and keeps a client list, all at a price most solo contractors barely notice. The newer Run plan adds job organization and scheduling on top.
Staxen vs Joist, feature by feature
| Feature | Staxen | Joist |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $59/month per AI employee, $149 for all three | $12/month (Basics, capped at 5 documents a month). Wins on price |
| Free trial or free tier | First job free, no card, no time limit | 14-day free trial, no card; the old free plan was discontinued |
| Who writes the estimate | Eddie drafts priced line items from your voice or text description | You type every line yourself |
| Blueprint takeoff from a plan PDF | Yes | No |
| E-signature on estimates | Yes, on a text or email link, no client app | Yes, clients can approve estimates online |
| Deposits and payment schedules | Yes, deposit collected on the estimate page, milestone billing on invoices | Yes, on higher tiers |
| Homeowner financing | No | Yes, on every plan. Wins here |
| Overdue invoice chasing | Ivy sends escalating reminders on her own | Not advertised |
| Scheduling and calendar | Included with Josie, with SMS appointment reminders | Only on the $100/month Run plan |
| Change orders | Yes, approved by the client over text or email | Yes, on the Elite plan |
| Texting from a dedicated business number | Yes, Staxen sets one up | Not advertised |
| QuickBooks sync | Yes, estimates and invoices push on send | Yes, on higher tiers |
As of September 2026, Joist's pricing page lists Basics at $12 a month (about $8.34 billed annually), Pro at $17, Elite at $32, and the new Run plan at $100 a month, with a $49 AI receptionist add-on; the old free plan is gone. Staxen is $59 a month per AI employee or $149 for all three. Joist is clearly cheaper. What the extra money buys is drafting, follow-up, and scheduling done by the software instead of by you.
The honest verdict
Joist is honest value: for $17 a month a contractor who knows their prices gets professional paperwork and payments with almost no learning curve. Staxen costs three to five times more because it does the work rather than formatting it. Eddie drafts the priced line items from your spoken description, Ivy chases overdue invoices on her own, and Josie runs the calendar and change orders. The real tradeoff is $17 for a better form versus $59 and up for fewer hours at the kitchen table. Pick Joist if typing estimates does not bother you; pick Staxen if it does.
Pick Staxen if
A contractor who dreads estimate nights and unpaid invoices, and would rather talk a job into their phone than type it.
Pick Joist if
A solo contractor who knows their numbers cold and just wants clean, branded estimates, invoices, and payments for under $20 a month.
Why contractors move from Joist to Staxen
Joist records your estimate, Eddie writes it
In Joist every line item is typed by you, usually after dinner. With Staxen you describe the job out loud on site and review a priced draft instead of starting from a blank form.
Unpaid invoices stop waiting on you
Joist sends the invoice; the chasing is still yours. Ivy sends overdue reminders that escalate on their own and takes card or ACH on the portal link, so slow payers hear from her, not you.
Scheduling without the $100 plan
Joist put scheduling on its Run plan at $100 a month. Josie includes a calendar with SMS appointment reminders, change orders, and a lead pipeline at $59, or as part of the $149 bundle.
One free job to prove it
You do not have to guess whether the difference matters. Run one real estimate, signature, and invoice through Staxen free, with no card and no clock, and compare it to your Joist night.
Frequently asked questions
Is Joist or Staxen cheaper?
Joist, and it is not close: Joist runs $12 to $32 a month for its main plans as of September 2026, while Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee or $149 per month for all three. Staxen's first job is free with no card required and no time limit, but on ongoing price alone Joist wins. The comparison is really a $17 form-filler against a $59 employee.
Can I switch from Joist to Staxen?
Yes, with a little manual work. Export your client list from Joist as a CSV and import it into Staxen, and forward any open estimates or invoices into Staxen as documents. There is no one-click migration between the two, so most contractors start their next new job in Staxen and let old Joist paperwork finish where it started.
Does Joist still have a free plan?
No. As of September 2026 Joist's own pricing page says the free plan is no longer available, and the entry Basics plan is $12 a month with a cap of five documents per month. New users get a 14-day trial with Elite features instead.
Should I charge a deposit on every job?
On any job with real material cost, yes. Most trade contractors take 10 to 30 percent at signing, enough to cover materials so the job never runs on your credit card. Collecting it on the same page as the e-signature, the way Staxen and higher Joist tiers allow, is the difference between a deposit policy and a deposit you have to ask for.
What does an AI estimator actually do with my description?
You describe the scope in plain words, like a 200 amp panel swap with a new grounding rod. The AI turns that into itemized lines with quantities and prices, which you review and adjust before anything is sent. Nothing goes to the client until you approve it, so the AI does the first draft, not the final word.
Start free with Staxen: your first job is on us, no card required.