Melio vs Joist
Two invoicing & payments tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Melio costs less on $10,000 of monthly card sales.- Melio fits retail shop, restaurant or café, service business, agency or studio, online store.
Joist fits trades or contractor.- Melio suits teams past ten people.
| Compare | MelioMelio | JoistJoist |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Pay bills by ACH, check, or card, with a free plan | Estimates and invoices from your phone, built for contractors |
| Starting price | Free | From $8.34/mo |
| Six-person team | $75/mo | $8.34/mo |
| On $10,000 of card sales | $290/mo | $367/mo |
| Plans | Go free (1 user, 5 free ACH payments/mo, no extra users); Core $25/mo (1 user, 20 free ACH, QuickBooks and Xero sync); Boost $55 (1 user); extra users $10/mo each on Core and Boost; Unlimited $80 (unlimited users); checks $1.50, paying by card 2.9%; receiving ACH free | Billed yearly: Basics $8.34/mo (5 documents/mo); Pro $14.17 (unlimited); Elite $26.67; Run $58.33 introductory. Monthly $10/$17/$32. Cards 3.49% + 49¢, ACH 1% capped at $15 |
| Pricing model | Free tier | Free trial |
| Free trial | 90 days | 14 days |
| Users | 1 on Go, Core, and Boost; unlimited on Unlimited | Solo and small crews |
| Both connect to | QuickBooks Online | |
| Also connects to | Xero | No others on record |
| Team size | Just me · 2–10 people · 11–50 people | Just me · 2–10 people |
| Available in | US | US · CA |
| Phone support | Boost and up | None listed |
| Live chat | Core and up | Plans not stated |
| Support hours | Not published | Not published |
| Incidents posted | We found no public status page for Melio. | We found no public status page for Joist. |
| Capterra score | 4.2 / 5 from 405 reviews | 4.2 / 5 from 90 reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 3.3 / 5 from 1,632 reviews | 4.5 / 5 from 76 reviews |
| Fit: Retail shop | 65 | 10 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 65 | 5 |
| Fit: Service business | 78 | 55 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 72 | 10 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 72 | 95 |
| Fit: Online store | 60 | 5 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit Melio | Visit Joist | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. Card sales costs include the plan price and card fees at US rates, at a $500 average sale. How we calculate prices
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