QuoteKing vs Joist: Which quoting app is right for UK contractors?
29 June 2026
Joist has been the go-to mobile quoting app for North American contractors for years. QuoteKing was built from the ground up for UK trades — offline-first, VAT-aware, and designed to turn a sentence-long job description into a sendable quote in under a minute. Here's how the two stack up.
At a glance
| Feature | QuoteKing | Joist |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 5 quotes / month, all features | Free with paywalled extras |
| Paid plan | £29 / month, unlimited | ~$13–$25 / month (USD) |
| Built for UK VAT | Yes — toggle & custom rate | Limited, US-first |
| Offline drafting | Full PWA, IndexedDB sync | Partial |
| AI line-item drafting | Built-in, plain English in | No |
| Stripe deposit links | One-tap, multi-currency | Add-on, US payments first |
| Follow-up reminders | Automatic 5-day nudges | Manual |
| Install on phone | Add to Home Screen (PWA) | App Store / Play Store |
Pricing
Joist's free tier is generous but pushes payments, branding, and PDF customisation behind upgrades that vary by region. QuoteKing keeps it simple: every feature is free for your first 5 quotes a month, and £29/month unlocks unlimited quotes with no per-feature paywalls.
Offline-first vs online-first
If you're quoting in a basement, a new-build with no signal, or a customer's loft, Joist will often stall waiting for a connection. QuoteKing is a Progressive Web App backed by IndexedDB — you draft, edit, and PDF the quote offline, then it syncs the moment you're back on signal.
AI drafting
Joist still requires you to type each line item manually. QuoteKing's generator takes a sentence like "rip out and replace 12m² bathroom, new suite, retile floor and walls" and produces materials, labour and overhead rows you can edit before sending.
Deposits and follow-ups
QuoteKing generates a Stripe deposit link directly on the public quote page — your client taps "Secure Project & Pay Deposit" and you get notified the moment the payment lands. If the quote sits unread, QuoteKing surfaces a follow-up card on your dashboard after 5 days with a polite pre-written email.
Which should you choose?
Choose Joist if you're a US/Canada contractor already deep in their ecosystem. Choose QuoteKing if you're UK-based, work offline a lot, want AI to do the typing, and want deposits + follow-ups handled for you.