Review Insights · App Store
Joist: Estimate Invoice Maker
Joist Software Inc. · 12,723 ratings · ★ 4.7
4.7
★★★★★
12,723 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 28 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"invoices"
8 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Past invoices. Once you end your subscription you have no access to the past invoices you paid to create." - TrixieBelden70
2
"subscription"
8 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Past invoices. Once you end your subscription you have no access to the past invoices you paid to create." - TrixieBelden70
3
"estimates"
8 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Review. This app is interesting and has some useful features, but the payment structure is frustrating. Even after upgrading and paying extra, it still limits how many estimates you can create. It used to be much simpler and easier to use, but rece…" - Bry Johny
4
"customer"
8 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Don’t use it. The app is good but the people who run the app are not. There is No customer service phone number to call when they scam you and when you reach them in the chat, you may have to wait for 3 days for a response. Oh and when they respond you i…" - Shayla Lopez
5
"service"
8 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Don’t use it. The app is good but the people who run the app are not. There is No customer service phone number to call when they scam you and when you reach them in the chat, you may have to wait for 3 days for a response. Oh and when they respond you i…" - Shayla Lopez
6
"joist"
8 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Horrible app support. Zero customer support, I’ve been a joist user for what feels like 10 years(from the beginning when the app was free). I am a joist pro elite subscriber and even though I’ve paid for the whole year I’ve been harassed every time I open or mov…" - Barlowman05
7
"create"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Past invoices. Once you end your subscription you have no access to the past invoices you paid to create." - TrixieBelden70
8
"payment"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Review. This app is interesting and has some useful features, but the payment structure is frustrating. Even after upgrading and paying extra, it still limits how many estimates you can create. It used to be much simpler and easier to use, but rece…" - Bry Johny
9
"money"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Want refund. Took my money for pro but want let me create any more estimates" - Warrior1517
10
"customer service"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Don’t use it. The app is good but the people who run the app are not. There is No customer service phone number to call when they scam you and when you reach them in the chat, you may have to wait for 3 days for a response. Oh and when they respond you i…" - Shayla Lopez
11
"free"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Charges $7.99 a month and can’t remove the Sample Logo? Ridiculous. I’m semi-retired and I do jobs here and there, I used the app years ago and loved it so wanted to use it again. But I was so disappointed. I was asked to buy the basic plan to use the app, that allows me up to 5 invoices a month. Great, no …" - Eclipse_3462
12
"account"
6 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "No 2 Factor Authentication. Seriously this app takes payments and doesn’t have 2FA like we are living in 2001. This app could be the best in the world but if it doesn’t have a secure system then it’s worthless to me. Guess how I found out? I got hacked and clients wer…" - kelly1277
📋 All 28 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Past invoices
Once you end your subscription you have no access to the past invoices you paid to create.
Love the app but…..
Every time there’s an update, something is taken away. It started with the monetization, which I understand. Then the limit on quantity of invoices… then the sample logo pinch…… now there’s an increase in subscription fee… it’s pricing me out of the app. I love the app, but can’t justify paying for it to only be able to have 5 sales per month- and now with the latest price increase.. if I can create more invoices per month, I’d maybe be willing to pay the extra. But for now, I’m looking for a switch. What a shame. I’m so disappointed.
Want refund
Took my money for pro but want let me create any more estimates
Don’t use it
The app is good but the people who run the app are not. There is No customer service phone number to call when they scam you and when you reach them in the chat, you may have to wait for 3 days for a response. Oh and when they respond you it will be a different person than the one you started to chat with. Also they will block your app so you can start a new subscription before your subscription ends,so they can get more money from You. I just made a research and there are other apps with better service and the price is like a half of what you will pay here. I had this app for many years and it was good but the people who runs it now are scammers. I don’t recommend anyone to use this app.
Must pay to use
its a great app i will say makes it easy to use n create invoices and quotes BUT They push you to pay monthly to use. Any open space they have they insert an ad about them to pay to unlock full app.
No 2 Factor Authentication
Seriously this app takes payments and doesn’t have 2FA like we are living in 2001. This app could be the best in the world but if it doesn’t have a secure system then it’s worthless to me. Guess how I found out? I got hacked and clients were getting emails from my account. Then go to call customer service but surprise surprise…no phone number. Just some AI chatbot until I finally get to chat with what I think was a human. Wtf.
Horrible app support
Zero customer support, I’ve been a joist user for what feels like 10 years(from the beginning when the app was free). I am a joist pro elite subscriber and even though I’ve paid for the whole year I’ve been harassed every time I open or move through the app about making a payment. I’ve tried everything to make it go away. No one from Joist will return my emails or app messages to help. Just complete lack of respect or appreciation for its users
Deceptive practices
Tired of being screwed by this company. I’ve been using this app for years, but I’m done.
I was going to cancel before but was told by one of their people that the joist edge program would help me pay the monthly price to use the app. Turns out they changed those rules and now have to meet a minimum spend of 12.5k with Home Depot. I’m sure cutting that check twice a year was painful, so they just decided to change the rules.
I’m done. These people suck.
I was going to cancel before but was told by one of their people that the joist edge program would help me pay the monthly price to use the app. Turns out they changed those rules and now have to meet a minimum spend of 12.5k with Home Depot. I’m sure cutting that check twice a year was painful, so they just decided to change the rules.
I’m done. These people suck.
Nonexistent support
Ran into issue where invoices and estimates were not delivering via email found out after customers were complaining they were not receiving. Joist had no solution to correct only alternative solutions to send via text message. You’re better off with QuickBooks. Don’t take the chance of losing revenue with this software like I did
Bad customer service
Needed to pay the monthly fee to get started again and they charged me yearly fee and overdrew my account. Told me no refunds. Took my money and left me high and dry. Caused me many problems and when asked them the same question over and over laughed in my face and did nothing.
Terrible
Do not for any reason make even a free app subscription.
They absolutely for no reason will lock you out of your account even when you’ve overpaid by nine months.
They absolutely for no reason will lock you out of your account even when you’ve overpaid by nine months.
Bad service
Very bad communication, you can speak over the phone with no one only via chat and they not even answering you , the whole business stop working because of them . Definitely not recommended!
App doesn’t work
I downloaded this 4 times and every time I go to create an account it crashes and the app closes
Horrible payment options
It says it’s unable to process my payment and when I go to change my payment options it just gives me a useless way to update it and I’ve tried and it hasn’t helped at all and I’m unable to access my invoices nor estimates and the ai was no help what so ever
Forced an upgrade to keep line items…
After four years joist has decided to monetize basic lists by making them part of the “elite “ subscription . But it doesn’t stop there, in order to even upgrade your account you must use the exact same device you signed up with….
(A phone I haven’t had in 4 years) then the customer service tells me that I must delete my account to upgrade and lose over 300 customers and thousands of invoices estimates .
It’s incomprehensible how this company can have this much disregard for its customers.
AVOID THIS APP!!!!!!!!
More problems than solutions!!!!
(A phone I haven’t had in 4 years) then the customer service tells me that I must delete my account to upgrade and lose over 300 customers and thousands of invoices estimates .
It’s incomprehensible how this company can have this much disregard for its customers.
AVOID THIS APP!!!!!!!!
More problems than solutions!!!!
Joist is no longer worth it
I’ve been a joist user since they started, I even was on the review team to help improve it.
This app has been costing me a lot of lost jobs, all my regular customers no longer receive the estimates, I’ve tried everything and no improvement!!
The app won’t work on ultra 5G service. They tell me I need to ask customers for their wifi password which is very unprofessional!!!
I’m discontinuing my subscription upon renewal!
Now they use AI and I can’t get a person to help!
I have to print the invoices and mail them now!
This app has been costing me a lot of lost jobs, all my regular customers no longer receive the estimates, I’ve tried everything and no improvement!!
The app won’t work on ultra 5G service. They tell me I need to ask customers for their wifi password which is very unprofessional!!!
I’m discontinuing my subscription upon renewal!
Now they use AI and I can’t get a person to help!
I have to print the invoices and mail them now!
Payment issue
Charged my client through this stupid app.
Money is up in the air for 2 weeks now. Of course there’s no number to call and no agents available
Money is up in the air for 2 weeks now. Of course there’s no number to call and no agents available
It was worth it.. when it was free now it’s just overpriced lackluster app in my opinion
Used it for a while basically for the template for estimates. That’s all I use it for. Was free to do so then they jumped from free to 14 dollars month. Then raised the prices a buck within a year of that. So I’m deleting and unsubscribing today because I’m not paying that for a template I can get free online
Rip off stole my money
Joy charged me twice for my subscription one charge of $13.99 another charge of $7.99. They refuse to refund one of the charges even though I’ve sent them proof that I was charged twice for two subscriptions on the same day. I will also add the customer service associate May and I use that term customer service associate loosely, cause she’s no help at all is refusing to connect me to a supervisor to handle my situation.
Don’t use
Joist app,
I canceled my subscription 4 months ago. You charged again. I then cancelled my account three months ago and you charged me again. I then canceled my account two months ago and you charged me again. Then I called the bank and placed a stop payment on all your charges. You lost my information and denied my access to my account. I reported you to apple and the federal government of your fraudulent activities.
I canceled my subscription 4 months ago. You charged again. I then cancelled my account three months ago and you charged me again. I then canceled my account two months ago and you charged me again. Then I called the bank and placed a stop payment on all your charges. You lost my information and denied my access to my account. I reported you to apple and the federal government of your fraudulent activities.
Got greedy
👎🏿
Rip off
Great when it was free I’d use it if it wasn’t so expensive
When it works
Works as expected when it works but is so inconvenient when it doesn’t and customer support will offer you nothing useful, only an apology that they set you back and you’re invoicing of clients will be delayed and you’ll be unable to pay your help or yourself for another week. Definitely not ideal for contractors when payment time is paramount to your help. Feels like I’m talking to AI when communicating with support.
I’m not looking for yet another apology. As a contractor, I need an invoicing app to work when I need it to but if it’s not reliable when it needs to be then what’s the point of paying for it?
Support is unhelpful and loaded with apology after apology but have nothing to offer to compensate for delays. You’d think they would wish to retain a longtime user and monthly JoistPro member. Not the case.
I would suggest either utilizing a better invoicing app or have a reliable backup to use in a pinch because these guys only want your money and won’t offer you any solutions, only pre-programmed responses and zero accountability.
I’m not looking for yet another apology. As a contractor, I need an invoicing app to work when I need it to but if it’s not reliable when it needs to be then what’s the point of paying for it?
Support is unhelpful and loaded with apology after apology but have nothing to offer to compensate for delays. You’d think they would wish to retain a longtime user and monthly JoistPro member. Not the case.
I would suggest either utilizing a better invoicing app or have a reliable backup to use in a pinch because these guys only want your money and won’t offer you any solutions, only pre-programmed responses and zero accountability.
Horrible
Si buscas una app por favor no uses esta app es demasiado lenta y tiene muchos problemas
Review
This app is interesting and has some useful features, but the payment structure is frustrating. Even after upgrading and paying extra, it still limits how many estimates you can create. It used to be much simpler and easier to use, but recent changes have made it more restrictive.
Charges $7.99 a month and can’t remove the Sample Logo? Ridiculous
I’m semi-retired and I do jobs here and there, I used the app years ago and loved it so wanted to use it again. But I was so disappointed. I was asked to buy the basic plan to use the app, that allows me up to 5 invoices a month. Great, no problem. I can understand if you had a free version and having a watermark or sample logo, I can understand upgrading to a pro version to use your own logo, but charging $7.99 a month and being stuck with a “sample logo”? Am I supposed to send that to a client? Ridiculous. I’d rather download a free template from Microsoft. I’m gonna ask for a refund because with that sample logo I can’t do anything with it.
Always looking for ways to increase their profit
Their new update removed the “total invoiced amount” in the “reports” section. Now it’s hidden and they want me to pay even more to get the elite package to see that. Apparently the $139.99 a year I’m already paying isn’t enough for them.
Joist has increased their cost significantly, without adding any additional services to my package, in fact they have taken away a few things. Getting disappointed with them. Watch out for corporate greed, most of us using this app are small businesses that are just trying to improve our services. There are lots of other options out there which I will seriously start to consider.
Joist has increased their cost significantly, without adding any additional services to my package, in fact they have taken away a few things. Getting disappointed with them. Watch out for corporate greed, most of us using this app are small businesses that are just trying to improve our services. There are lots of other options out there which I will seriously start to consider.
Glitchy
The app is glitchy. I upgraded to the joist basics that gives you 5 free estimates per month. It’s a new month and it hasn’t even started over. It’s showing I have 0. And if I try to upgrade to the joist pro it’s not even crediting me for the other plan that I paid 80 dollars for, for the year. When it worked it was great. But this is ridiculous and the customer service is trash.
Sentiment summary
95%
Positive (4-5★)
1%
Neutral (3★)
4%
Negative (1-2★)