Joist vs Smith.ai
A straight look at how these tools handle the HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical front office: answering calls, booking jobs, following up, and keeping records. Capabilities come from each vendor’s own public materials. Reviews are real and linked to their source.
Capabilities, side by side
Each tool is scored on its own terms, by the same set of categories. Hover any cell for the definition and the source behind it.
| Capability | Joist | Smith.ai |
|---|---|---|
| AI Voice (Inbound) | No* | Partial |
| AI Voice (Outbound) | No* | No* |
| SMS Follow-up | No* | Partial* |
| Appointment Booking | No* | Partial* |
| Native CRM | Partial* | No |
| Payments | Partial* | Yes |
| Dispatch & Scheduling | No* | No* |
| Review Management | No* | No* |
| Live Human Backup | No* | Yes |
| HVAC Trade Templates | No* | No* |
| FSM Integrations | No* | Partial |
Yes / Partial / No reflect each tool on its own terms, scored from its public materials. Hover a cell for the definition and source. * marks limited evidence.
Pricing model
Pricing changes often and each tool prices differently (per seat, per minute, per call, or usage based). Rather than freeze a number that goes stale, we link straight to each vendor’s own pricing page so you see the current model at the source.
What customers say
Verbatim public reviews, praise and complaints both, each linked to where it was posted. We do not edit or cherry-pick for tone.
Joist
4.8/5 · 33 reviews“It was simple and effective.”
“It didn't have a marketing email tool or a way to ask for Google reviews after a job was completed. We had to do that manually.”
“The most helpful thing about Joist was that it was simple to use and it allowed us to teach others how to use it fairly quickly as well.”
“It also didn't have a way to job cost or let us have a way to track costs from each job. It was also getting more and more expensive to be lacking important functions.”
Smith.ai
4.3/5 · 80 reviews“Usually reliable, pleasant receptionists”
“You dont always get the same person so service can be hit or miss”
“Knowledgeable partners for your business”
“It's disappointing because this could have been an opportunity for them to not only rectify a bad customer experience but potentially improve the product for others down the line.”
Trade fit
The home service trades each tool is tracked for.
Joist
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Electrical
Smith.ai
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Electrical
One of these is ours. Here is the honest pitch.
ServiceAgent is the AI front office built for home service teams. It answers every call, books the job, and keeps your records straight. Try it and judge for yourself.