Joist App Alternative for a Solo Contractor: Past Invoices and Estimates
ShowTheReceipts is the alternative for a solo contractor who has outgrown a pure estimate-and-invoice app. It runs the whole business in one place — quoting, scheduling, invoicing, on-site card payment, cash and Venmo tracking, and automatic payment follow-up — all on the Pro plan at $39/month with every feature included. Joist is a solid estimate-and-invoice app, but that's where it stops: no scheduling, and no automatic chasing of the invoices that go unpaid. If your day is more than writing estimates — if it's booking the work and making sure you actually get paid — the complete tool is the better fit. ShowTheReceipts is that tool.
ShowTheReceipts vs Joist at a glance
ShowTheReceipts — $39/mo (Pro — the whole business, everything included) · Joist — from $8/mo, up to $32/mo Elite — estimates & invoices
| ShowTheReceipts | Joist | |
|---|---|---|
| What the price gets you | The whole business — quote, schedule, invoice, get paid | Estimates and invoicing |
| Scheduling your jobs | Built in — your calendar and job list in one place | Not included |
| Payment follow-up that gets you paid | Automatic nudges and one-tap payment links | Manual reminders |
| Quote to paid card, on-site | Quote, invoice, and charge from your phone in one flow | Estimate and invoice; payment on higher tiers |
| Cash & Venmo in your books | Recorded alongside card, export-ready for taxes | Card-payment focused |
| Time to your first invoice | Photograph your existing flyer; catalog builds itself | Build estimate templates and price items |
| Cut of your card payments | None — you pay only the processor's standard rate | Standard processing on each payment |
When estimates and invoices aren’t the whole job
Joist does one slice well: it writes estimates and turns them into invoices. For a contractor whose software needs begin and end there, that’s genuinely enough. The trouble is that most solo contractors’ days don’t end there — you also have to book the work and make sure the invoice actually gets paid, and a pure billing app leaves both of those on you.
ShowTheReceipts runs the whole thing: quoting, scheduling, invoicing, on-site payment, and automatic follow-up, in one place. You quote standing in front of the work, invoice the moment it’s done, and charge the card before you leave. The jobs you booked live on the same calendar, and the invoices that go unpaid get chased automatically. Cash and Venmo jobs land in the same ledger as your card payments, so tax season is an export, not a shoebox.
$39/month, and it’s the whole business
On the Pro plan, $39 buys everything — quoting, scheduling, unlimited invoicing, on-site payment, automatic follow-up that gets you paid faster, cash and Venmo tracking, and tax-ready exports. It’s not a cheaper number for a smaller slice of the job; it’s one flat price for the whole thing, so you’re not paying for an estimate app and then solving scheduling and collections somewhere else.
Where ShowTheReceipts is the obvious fit
If your day is more than writing estimates — if it’s booking work, doing it, and making sure you get paid — this is built for you. It replaces the estimate app plus whatever you’ve bolted around it with a single tool that runs from your phone.
Joist still fits if all you ever need is an estimate and an invoice. The moment scheduling and getting paid on time are part of the job, the complete tool is the better fit.
Switching without losing your history
Export your clients as a CSV and import them directly — the migration importer handles client lists and job history, and duplicate detection keeps a re-import from doubling your book. Most contractors are fully moved in an afternoon.
Which one should you actually pick?
Choose ShowTheReceipts if…
- Your day is more than writing estimates — it's booking and getting paid
- You want scheduling and follow-up, not just invoicing
- You want quoting, payment, and books in one flat price
- You want the slow payers chased automatically
Choose Joist if…
- You only ever need to send an estimate and an invoice
- You already schedule and get paid somewhere else and just want billing
Frequently asked questions
I've outgrown an estimate-and-invoice app — what's next?
The next step is a tool that runs the parts an invoicing app leaves out: scheduling the work, taking payment on-site, and chasing the invoices that go unpaid so you're not doing it by hand. ShowTheReceipts puts all of that with your quoting and invoicing on the $39/month Pro plan, so the whole job lives in one place instead of an app for estimates and a scramble for everything else.
What do I get with ShowTheReceipts for $39/month?
Every operator feature at one flat price — quoting, scheduling, unlimited invoicing, on-site card payment, automatic follow-up, cash and Venmo tracking, and tax-ready exports — with nothing gated behind a higher tier. It's the full quote-to-paid toolset for a one-person contracting business.
Does it automatically chase unpaid invoices?
Yes. ShowTheReceipts sends automatic payment nudges and one-tap payment links, so the invoices that would otherwise sit and age get followed up without you remembering to do it. Getting paid on time is the part a plain invoicing app leaves entirely on you.
Can I switch over without losing my clients?
Yes, and the same day. Export your client list as a CSV and import it directly — the built-in migration importer handles client and job history, with duplicate detection so a re-import doesn't double your book. Most operators are fully moved in an afternoon.