CashWrench vs Joist
Which one is right for your trade business?
Two apps built for the same customer — with different philosophies
Both CashWrench and Joist are built for solo tradespeople and small contractors. Both do estimates, invoices, and payment collection from a mobile app. Both are significantly cheaper than enterprise tools like ServiceTitan or Jobber. If you're a plumber, electrician, HVAC tech, or handyman running your own operation, either could work for you.
The difference is in what they prioritise beyond the basics. Joist has been around longer, has over a million users, and focuses on building a comprehensive set of estimating and invoicing tools. CashWrench is newer, more focused, and built around three things specifically: getting paid on-site, knowing your profit per job, and collecting Google reviews consistently.
Neither is the right answer for everyone. Here's how they stack up side by side.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Joist | CashWrench |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes / estimates | Yes | Yes |
| SMS quote delivery | Device SMS (personal number) | Device SMS & Platform SMS via Twilio |
| Invoice creation | Yes | Yes |
| Next-day payouts | Standard Stripe timing | Standard Stripe timing |
| Job-level profit screen | Not available | Built in |
| Expense tracking per job | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Elite plan only | Yes |
| Google review requests | Not available | Built in |
| Customer history | Yes | Yes |
| eSignatures on quotes | Yes | Not yet |
| QuickBooks integration | Pro/Elite plans | Not yet |
| Photo attachments | Yes | Not yet |
| Free trial | 14 days | 2 months |
| Starting price | $8/mo (limited) · $15/mo (Pro) | $29/mo — everything included |
| Payment processing fee | Varies — contact Joist | Stripe standard + 1% — published publicly |
Joist wins on
- eSignatures on quotes and estimates
- Photo attachments on invoices and estimates
- QuickBooks Online sync
- Longer track record — 1M+ users since 2012
- Free basic plan for very low volume users
- Change order management on Elite plan
CashWrench wins on
- Job-level profit — see what you actually made
- Google review requests after every job
- Platform SMS via business number — not personal phone
- 2 months free — not 14 days
- Transparent flat pricing — no tier-locking
- Published payment fees — no surprises
Where CashWrench is stronger
"Joist tells you what you charged. CashWrench tells you what you made — after parts, after expenses, on every single job."
The profit screen is the feature we're most proud of. A plumber who charged $580 on a job but spent $75 on parts made $505. That number — the real one, not the invoice total — is what matters for understanding whether your business is actually profitable. Joist doesn't show you this. CashWrench shows it automatically the moment you log an expense.
The Google review automation is the other. Joist has no review collection feature at all — a confirmed weakness noted by actual users in their Capterra reviews. CashWrench enables you to send a Google review request the moment you mark a job complete in the app. For a tradesperson whose local ranking depends on consistent review velocity, this is the difference between growing and stagnating.
The pricing story
Joist's pricing structure has attracted real frustration from its users. The basic plan limits you to 5 documents per month and this plan costs $10/month. Payment collection requires Pro or Elite. Expense tracking requires Elite at $32/month. Multiple users have complained about being auto-renewed and having features locked behind higher tiers without warning.
CashWrench is $29/month for everything. One price, no tiers, no modules to unlock. The 1% platform fee applies to all payments and is published publicly. There are no surprises.
The trial is also meaningfully different. Joist offers 14 days. CashWrench offers 2 months — no credit card required. For a tradesperson who wants to genuinely evaluate whether an app fits their workflow before committing, 2 months is the difference between a rushed decision and a confident one.
The SMS question
Both apps can send quotes and invoices by SMS. But they work very differently. Joist's SMS opens your phone's native messaging app and sends from your personal number. Your customer receives a text from your personal mobile. There's no delivery tracking at the platform level and no business number separation.
CashWrench uses Twilio — a dedicated business messaging infrastructure. Along with this, CashWrench gives you an option to send it from your phone's native messaging app. You have both the options. Quotes, payment links, and review requests can go from the CashWrench app instead of your personal number. Delivery is tracked at the platform level. Your personal number stays private.
You need eSignatures today
If collecting a digital signature on your quotes before starting work is a non-negotiable, Joist has this built in. CashWrench doesn't yet.
You're already on QuickBooks
If your accountant uses QuickBooks and you need your invoices syncing automatically, Joist's integration is solid on Pro and above.
You attach before/after photos to estimates
For trades where photo documentation is part of every job — roofing, painting, restoration — Joist's photo attachment feature is genuinely useful.
You want to know your real profit per job
If you want to see what you actually made after parts and expenses — not just what you charged — CashWrench shows you that on every single job. Joist doesn't.
You want to grow your Google reviews
If building your local ranking through consistent Google reviews is a priority, CashWrench handles this. Joist has no review collection feature at all.
You want transparent, predictable pricing
One flat price for everything, published payment fees, no tier-locking, 2 months free to decide. If fee surprises have frustrated you on other platforms, CashWrench is built differently.
You want SMS from a business number
If keeping your personal number private and having proper business messaging infrastructure matters to you, CashWrench's Twilio-powered SMS is the right choice.
Both are solid tools. The right choice depends on what you need today and what you're building toward. If eSignatures and QuickBooks are the most important things on your list, try Joist. If knowing your job-level profit and growing your Google reviews are what you're after, give CashWrench the two months — no card required.
— The CashWrench Team
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