Epicor CPQ vs Joist

Epicor CPQ helps manufacturers configure, price, and quote complex custom products while connecting sales, engineering, and manufacturing. Buyers can explore products in 2D or 3D, augmented reality, and virtual reality; prices recalculate as options change. Centralized product and pricing rules help enforce design requirements and prevent invalid configurations. A configuration can produce quotes with renderings, supporting documents, and bills of materials, as well as CAD drawings, assembly instructions, and other production outputs. Epicor names AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and PTC Creo for CAD generation. Integration options include REST APIs, native connections to Salesforce, Teamcenter, and Magento, and MuleSoft connectivity. Analytics collect information about website visitors’ product interactions. The cloud platform includes administration for products, integrations, configurators, buying channels, and users. Epicor positions CPQ for engineer-to-order manufacturers, including automotive, construction and engineering, hardscapes, process manufacturing, and retail. It can be used standalone or integrated with Epicor Industry ERP Cloud. Pricing is paid and available on request.

Joist is a contractor-focused app combining estimates, invoices, online payments, job management and client records. Estimates support line items, markups, taxes, discounts, photos, branding and digital signatures. Contractors can request deposits and milestone payments and accept Tap to Pay, cards, ACH and PayPal. Joist Run organizes jobs, schedules visits and links work with estimates, invoices and clients. The service offers full-featured Android and iOS apps plus a web app, and it can synchronize invoices and payments with QuickBooks. Its PayPal integration includes PayPal, Venmo in the United States and card processing. Joist focuses on solo and small home contractors, generally businesses with one to three employees serving residential customers in the U.S. and Canada. There is no free plan. A 14-day trial requires no credit card. Listed pricing includes Basics at $108.34 a month, Pro at $1,714.17 a month, Elite at $3,226.67 a month and Run at $7,058.33 a month.