Joist vs. OneCrew: Honest 2025 Review for Paving Contractors

You’re likely weighing up two very different tools. Joist vs. OneCrew comes down to the kind of work you run: quick quotes and invoices, or plan-based paving projects with crews and phases. 

I’ve tested estimating and operations platforms for paving teams, and I’ve reviewed vendor docs and user feedback, so you can decide fast without hype. You’ll see where each app fits, what it lacks, and how to pick the right fit for your 2025 season.

Joist vs. OneCrew: What’s the Difference?

Joist is a lightweight estimating, invoicing, and payments app for small contractors that need to send quotes quickly and get paid online. It offers document templates, e-signatures, and a QuickBooks Online sync. 

OneCrew is a project-based platform for paving contractors. It helps teams estimate from plans and maps, assign crews by job phase, manage client approvals, and sync invoices and payments with QuickBooks.

Joist vs. OneCrew: At a glance

Meet Joist: Features and Highlights

Joist helps small contractors create estimates, convert them to invoices, and accept online payments. Teams can add logos and photos, capture signatures, get client-view notifications, and sync invoices with QuickBooks Online. 

It’s built for speed, not deep project management. 

Meet OneCrew: Features and Highlights

OneCrew is purpose-built for paving. Estimators measure from PDFs and maps, build line-itemed estimates with labor, materials, equipment, and subs, then assign crews by phase. Customers approve proposals, pay, and share files in a portal. 

Invoices and payments sync to QuickBooks Online; however, job costing does not sync. OneCrew’s seat-based pricing supports teams of any size in the U.S. and Canada.

Note: Need broader context on service-oriented apps vs. project platforms? Read our guides to Jobber alternatives and ServiceTitan alternatives.

Joist vs. OneCrew: Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Here’s a quick breakdown of the features paving contractors ask about most.

Here’s a quick look at each feature:

1. Estimating from plans (PDFs) and maps

Why it matters: Plan-based bids drive accuracy, speed, and consistent margins.

Joist analysis

• Surface strengths: Fast quotes, item lists, photo attachments, contracts, and signatures.
• Deeper insight: No PDF plan takeoff or map measurement. Most users measure elsewhere, then retype values into Joist.

OneCrew analysis

• Surface strengths: PDF plan takeoff and site or map measurement for paving. Estimating uses labor, material, equipment, and sub-line items with calculators.
• Deeper insight: Estimators can set margin-first pricing.

Winner: OneCrew for plan-driven estimating.

2. Scheduling and crew coordination

Why it matters: Paving work runs in phases across days. You need clarity on who is doing what and when.

Joist analysis

• Surface strengths: Work orders and client communications help with simple coordination.
• Deeper insight: No phase-based, multi-crew scheduling. Many Joist users handle schedules outside the app.

OneCrew analysis

• Surface strengths: Assign crews and roles to job phases; track status across pre-construction, production, and billing.
• Deeper insight: No real-time crew tracking, but the phase assignments reduce handoff errors. OneCrew provides job site verification through geotracking, GPS directions, and timestamp markers. Equipment tracking is also included.

Winner: OneCrew for multi-phase paving jobs.

3. Customer approvals, payments, and portal

Why it matters: Clean approvals and easy payments prevent stalls and rework.

Joist analysis

• Surface strengths: Online payments (including PayPal) with simple document flows and signatures. 
• Deeper insight: Smooth for single-stage work; however, no full client portal built for multi-phase projects.

OneCrew analysis

• Surface strengths: Client portal for proposal approvals, payments, document/photo sharing, and chat-style messaging.
• Deeper insight: Portal threads reduce email sprawl and keep stakeholders aligned.

Winner: OneCrew for project-based collaboration.

4. Integrations and accounting

Why it matters: Most paving firms keep accounting in QuickBooks Online. Project apps should sync invoices and payments cleanly.

Joist analysis

• Surface strengths: QuickBooks Online sync for estimates and invoices; helpful help-center guidance. 
• Deeper insight: Good fit for small teams that want a simple estimate-to-invoice pipeline.

OneCrew analysis

• Surface strengths: QuickBooks Online integration for invoicing and payment data.
• Deeper insight: Job costing does not sync; finance analyzes job profitability inside OneCrew.

Winner: Tie on the QuickBooks connection; OneCrew adds richer project context.

Note: If you’re planning your tool stack for paving, check out our primers on apps for paving contractors and concrete estimating before you lock in a workflow.

What Real Users Are Saying: Joist App Reviews

We analyzed recent Joist app reviews to capture patterns that contractors mention most in 2025. Here’s a quick look at pros and cons:

Positives

• Easy mobile access: Users highlight how the smartphone app makes estimating and invoicing fast, letting them retrieve client info and take payments in the field without switching devices. (Capterra, January 7, 2025)
• Good for new contractors: Many reviews mention that Joist was a solid starting tool when they were small, praising how fast and simple it is to create and send documents. (Capterra, June 12, 2025)
• Clean, professional interface: Contractors like the simple dashboard and polished layout, which helps them look more professional to clients. (Capterra, January 20, 2025)

Negatives

• Plan limitations: Users often mention frustration that some features are locked behind higher-priced tiers. (Capterra, January 7, 2025)
• Reliability issues: Several reviews describe occasional outages that prevent sending estimates or processing payments, along with slow or unhelpful support during those times. (Capterra, June 2, 2025)
• Missing automation: Some users dislike that Joist can’t automatically sequence invoices or handle more advanced project management needs. (Capterra, February 22, 2025)

Note: Want the full breakdown? Read our deep dive: Joist app reviews.

How to Choose

If you send quick quotes and chase fast payments, Joist fits. If you estimate from plans, manage phases and crews, and need a client portal, OneCrew is a much better match. 

Joist is better for …

• Solo or small teams that want fast estimates and invoices with online payments.
• Straightforward scopes without plan takeoff or multi-crew scheduling.
• Teams stepping up from spreadsheets that want a low-cost starter app.

OneCrew is better for …

• Project-based paving contractors in asphalt and concrete who bid from PDFs or maps and run multi-day jobs.
• Teams that need crew-by-phase assignments, a client portal for approvals and payments, and QuickBooks-synced invoicing.
• Leaders who prefer margin-first pricing and seat-based pricing without stitching together four to seven tools.

My Verdict

OneCrew is the best choice for paving contractors in 2025. Joist vs. OneCrew is not close if your bids start from plans and you coordinate multiple crews. 

OneCrew lines up with how paving projects actually run: plan or map takeoff, crew-by-phase assignments, client approvals, and invoicing synced with QuickBooks. If your day consists of simple quotes and quick payments, Joist still makes sense.

Take Control of Every Phase with OneCrew

When you compare Joist vs. OneCrew, think beyond quotes and invoices; think about how work actually flows. Joist helps small trades send quick estimates. OneCrew connects every phase of a project, giving paving contractors full visibility from takeoff to final payment.

Here’s what you can expect when running projects in OneCrew:

• Estimate directly from plans or maps: Use powerful takeoff tools with built-in calculators for labor, materials, equipment, and subs, so bids stay consistent and profitable.
• Plan and assign crews with confidence: Break jobs into phases, assign team members and roles, and view progress in real time, so every foreman knows their scope before hitting the site.
• Keep clients in the loop: Share proposals, approvals, documents, and payment links in a secure customer portal; no endless email chains or missed updates.
• Stay on schedule and within budget: Track job status through preconstruction, production, and billing with clear visibility across departments.
• Integrate seamlessly with QuickBooks Online: Sync invoices and payments automatically while keeping job costing and field data organized inside OneCrew.

You don’t need five different apps to run paving. You need one platform that ties work together from takeoff to final invoice. Book a demo to see how OneCrew helps you take control of your jobs.

FAQs

1. What is the biggest difference between Joist and OneCrew?

The biggest difference between Joist and OneCrew is the type of work each app serves. Joist focuses on estimates, invoices, and payments for straightforward jobs. OneCrew focuses on project-based paving with plan or map takeoff, crew-by-phase coordination, a client portal, and QuickBooks-synced invoicing.

2. How much does Joist cost compared to OneCrew?

Joist vs. OneCrew cost reflects different scopes. Joist markets Basics, Pro, and Elite tiers with trials; Basics costs $8/month, Pro costs $15/month and Elite costs $32/month. OneCrew uses seat-based pricing, shared during your demo. 

3. What are contractors saying in Joist reviews?

Recent Joist app reviews praise speed and ease for quotes and invoices. Complaints cluster around tier limits, occasional downtime, and payment processing or support issues. That pattern matches Joist’s role as a lightweight app, not a project platform.

4. Does OneCrew offer features missing in the Joist app?

Yes. OneCrew includes PDF plan takeoff and map measurement, crew-by-phase assignments, and a client portal with approvals, payments, file sharing, and chat-style messaging. These replace the patchwork of separate takeoff tools, email threads, and spreadsheets.

5. Does OneCrew integrate with tools that Joist doesn’t?

Both apps integrate with QuickBooks Online, but they sync different data. OneCrew syncs invoicing and payment data; teams review job costing inside OneCrew. Joist focuses on syncing estimates and invoices to simplify bookkeeping.

6. Should I switch from Joist to OneCrew in 2025?

Switch if your work is project-based and plan-driven. If you measure from PDFs or maps, coordinate multiple crews, and want approvals inside a client portal, OneCrew will fit. If you only need simple quotes and fast payments, Joist remains a practical, low-cost option.