Invoice Koi vs Joist
Two subscriptions. Compare what each one buys.
Joist starts at $10 a month for Basics, with no free plan. Invoice Koi is about US$8.33 a month, billed yearly, with every feature on one plan.
Last checked 7 September 2026. US list prices.
On Google Play now. Coming soon to iPhone. Have the app? Open it
Joist or Invoice Koi?
The features that make Joist worth it are not the ones in the price you were quoted.
Choose Joist if
- You need change orders, work orders and contracts, which Invoice Koi does not build.
- You want to offer homeowners financing on a big job.
- You want Tap to Pay on site.
Choose Invoice Koi if
- You send more than five invoices a month.
- You want every feature on the plan you subscribe to, not a tier above it.
- You want estimates, jobs, receipts and time without any of it metered.
What Joist is good at
Joist is built for contractors and it shows. Work orders, change orders, client contracts, license and insurance details on the document, and homeowner financing are all things a builder actually asks for, and most of this list has never heard of them.
The catch
Basics is five invoices a month, and almost everything in the paragraph above sits on a plan higher than the one on the front of the pricing page. Its plan cards and its own comparison grid also disagree, so check the plan before you pay.
The ten rows that decide it
| Feature | Invoice Koi | Joist |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | One person invoicing from a phone, between jobs | Contractors who need change orders and financing |
| What it costs | Subscription, with a free trial where your store offers one | $10 a month for Basics |
| Invoices | No cap | 5 a month |
| Estimates or quotes | No cap | in the 5 |
| Clients | No cap | capped |
| Invoices free of vendor branding | Included | Included |
| Accept card payments | Included | Included |
| Receipt scanning | Included | Not stated |
| Jobs and job organization | Included | On a higher plan |
| Users on the account | 1 user, crew plans add seats | Number not stated |
| Web access | Not offered | Included |
| Sync and backup across devices | Included | Included |
All 59 features, and the tier each one sits in
A paid tier includes its own free tier, so a mark means available at that price or below. Of the 59, 15 are better here, 13 better in Joist, 9 tied, and 22 neither, or not stated.
| Feature | Invoice Koisubscription | Joist$10 a month for Basics | Who has it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents | |||
| Invoices | ○ | 5 a month | Tied |
| Estimates or quotes | ○ | in the 5 | Tied |
| Clients | ○ | capped | Tied |
| Turn an estimate into an invoice | ○ | ○ | Tied |
| Recurring invoices | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Credit notes | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Work orders | – | ▲ | Them |
| Change orders | – | ▲ | Them |
| Client contracts | – | ▲ | Them |
| Document or project templates | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Price book of saved items | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| How the document looks | |||
| Your logo on the document | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Your brand or accent color | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Choice of templates | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Invoices free of vendor branding | ○ | ○ | Tied |
| Rename the field labels | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Photos and attachments | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Terms and conditions block | ○ | · | Not stated |
| License and insurance details | – | ▲ | Them |
| Your own signature | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Client e-signature | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Getting paid | |||
| Accept card payments | ○ | ○ | Tied |
| Bank transfer or ACH | – | · | Not stated |
| Tap to Pay in person | – | ▲ | Them |
| Deposits or milestone payments | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Record partial payments | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Pass processing fees to the client | – | ▲ | Them |
| Tips | – | · | Not stated |
| Automatic payment reminders | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Overdue alerts to you | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Know the invoice was opened | – | · | Not stated |
| A link the client opens | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Client statements | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Homeowner financing | – | ○ | Them |
| Lending or capital for you | – | ▲ | Them |
| Running the business | |||
| Expense tracking | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Receipt scanning | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Time tracking | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Jobs and job organization | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Schedule visits or a calendar | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Routing or GPS | – | – | Neither |
| Reports | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Export CSV, spreadsheet or PDF | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Accounting sync | – | ▲ | Them |
| Bank feed import | – | · | Not stated |
| Barcode scanner | – | · | Not stated |
| Leads or a CRM | – | ▲ | Them |
| Track client activity | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Request client reviews | – | ▲ | Them |
| A marketing site for you | – | ▲ | Them |
| An AI assistant | ○ | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
| Voice note into an invoice | ○ | – | Invoice Koi |
| Read a document and answer on it | ○ | – | Invoice Koi |
| Account and scale | |||
| Mobile app | ○ | ○ | Tied |
| Web access | – | ○ | Them |
| Sync and backup across devices | ○ | ○ | Tied |
| Users on the account | 1 user, crew plans add seats | ○ | Tied |
| More than one business | ○ | · | Not stated |
| Priority support | one to two days | ▲ | Invoice Koi |
- ● In the free tier
- ○ In the cheapest paid plan
- ▲ Only on a higher plan
- – Not offered
- · Not stated on their page
- 3 a month Included, but capped or charged at this rate
What is free, and what the subscription buys
Setting up your business and writing drafts is free. Issuing an invoice, estimate or receipt needs a subscription. Eligible new iOS subscribers: two weeks free on annual, one week on weekly. Nothing starts until you confirm the purchase. Without a trial, the displayed price applies immediately.
- Install the app and set up your business
- Add your clients and your price book
- Write drafts of invoices and estimates
- Send unlimited invoices, estimates and receipts
- Cloud storage for every photograph, on any phone
- Unlimited AI scanning of receipts and documents
- AI voice notes into invoices, no daily limit
- Priority support, in one to two working days
US App Store solo prices. Prices and offers vary by country and store. Your local price appears in the app before purchase. Renews automatically until cancelled in your store account settings. Your records stay yours. After expiry, view, export or resend issued records and record or collect outstanding payments. New documents need a subscription or eligible trial, except where existing access is preserved. Existing customers keep their promised core document access.
Switching from Joist
If Joist can export your clients or items as a spreadsheet (CSV), Invoice Koi reads the file, matches the columns by their headings and only ever adds: nothing already on your phone is removed. You can do it before you subscribe.
Common questions
Is Invoice Koi cheaper than Joist?
Both charge to send. As checked on 7 September 2026, Joist's cheapest way in is $10 a month for Basics. Invoice Koi is free to set up and draft in, and sending is an annual solo plan at US$99.99 billed yearly (about US$8.33 a month), or a weekly solo plan at US$9.99 billed weekly (US App Store prices). The app shows your local price from the store, with any free trial you are eligible for, before you buy.
What does Invoice Koi include that Joist puts on a higher plan?
13 of the 59 features compared are in Invoice Koi's subscription and only on a higher Joist plan, including “Document or project templates”, “Price book of saved items” and “Your logo on the document”.
What does Joist do that Invoice Koi does not?
13 things, including “Work orders”, “Change orders” and “Client contracts”. If one of those is what you need, Joist is the better pick.
Does Invoice Koi take card payments?
Yes. After Stripe setup, Koi can collect card payments online through a payment link. Koi charges 0.35% with a subscription, or 0.7% + $0.10 without one, plus Stripe processing fees. Payments recorded manually have no Koi fee.
Draft first, subscribe to send
Draft free. Subscribe to send unlimited invoices with your own logo and no watermark.
On Google Play now. Coming soon to iPhone. Have the app? Open it
iPhone and iPad, iOS 16.4 or later.
Where these numbers come from
Every Joist cell was read from their own pricing page on 7 September 2026, at US list prices in US dollars. Joist's plan cards disagree with its own comparison grid on unlimited clients and work orders. This column follows the plan cards, because those are what a buyer is shown at the moment of paying. Unlisted features and rates are marked as not stated. Platform fees are separate from processor fees. Report a correction.
Product names and logos belong to their owners. This comparison is not endorsed by or affiliated with Joist.