BookingKoala vs MaidCentral (2026): which should you pick?

Pick BookingKoala if

• Fits if you run a new cleaning, pet care or lawn care business and want a website and booking in one place
• Works for owners who want customer and provider logins without custom development

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you need quoting or invoicing, as the listing shows booking and scheduling rather than the billing side
• Tight if your team is growing, because each team member counts as a provider and moves you up a tier
• Pricey if you want campaigns, which start at Premium for $197 a month and stop at 5,000 contacts
• Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say whether $27, $57 and $197 are billed monthly or yearly
• Watch out: GPS clock in and out and SMS notifications start on the $57 Growing plan

Pick MaidCentral if

• Fits if you run a cleaning company with several crews and thousands of jobs
• Works for owners who want payroll and quality numbers next to the schedule

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are small, since the floor is $450 a month for one location
• Not for you if you want to try it first, as there is no trial, only a demo
• Watch out: billing follows completed jobs, and a job counts once it has a time sheet in the payroll cycle
• Watch out: the calculator on the pricing page is an estimate, and final pricing is confirmed at sign-up

BookingKoala

• Price rises with providers, storage or contacts; Premium goes from $237 a month at 60 providers in $40 steps.
• The pricing page shows monthly figures only and does not say whether they are billed monthly or yearly.
• Each team member counts as a provider, which can move a business into a higher tier.
• Campaigns are limited to 5,000 contacts in Premium; contacts above that raise the price unless Campaigns is disabled.

MaidCentral

• Billing is by physical location and completed jobs per month. A job counts when it has a time sheet in the payroll cycle.
• The vendor says there is no free trial, only a live demo, and a one-time onboarding fee applies.
• The calculator on the pricing page gives an estimate; the vendor says final pricing is confirmed on sign-up.
• The pages read do not say which mobile operating systems the technician access runs on.

BookingKoala

Website builder and booking forms

A drag-and-drop theme builder creates a site, or customizable booking forms can be placed on an existing one. Customers pick services and see price and availability.

Smart scheduling

Scheduling and rescheduling is automated, so customers and staff can find open slots without manual back-and-forth.

Provider and customer accounts

Providers see their own bookings, payments, tips and ratings. Customers manage appointments, refer friends and buy gift cards from their own account.

Campaigns and SMS

Emails and texts can be sent to collected contacts, automatically or by hand. Over 100 SMS notifications start on the Growing plan; campaigns are in Premium.

Hiring module

Forms and quizzes with automation help capture and filter applicants for provider roles.

Reports, GPS and clocking

Advanced reports cover revenue, bookings, ratings and cancellation reasons. GPS tracking and per-job clock in and out start on the Growing plan.

MaidCentral

Scheduling and dispatching

Master schedule, dispatching and field service access for technicians, with revenue production planning for the office.

Online booking and customer portal

Customers book cleanings online and manage their own accounts through a portal. An employee portal and texting are also listed.

Invoicing and payroll reporting

Batch billing and invoicing, card charging, employee tipping and payroll reporting based on completed jobs.

KPIs and quality tracking

KPI dashboards, scorecards, advanced reporting and quality measurement from customer feedback.

Marketing and CRM

A CRM with sales follow-up and marketing campaigns, aimed at residential cleaning companies.

BookingKoala

• Starter$27

  per month for up to 5 providers or 5 GB

  Website builder, own domain, booking forms, smart scheduling and lead capture. The page does not state the billing basis.

• Growing$57

  per month for up to 15 providers or 15 GB

  Starter plus advanced reports, referrals and ratings, gift cards, GPS clock in and out, prospects and SMS notifications.

• Premium$197

  per month for up to 50 providers or 50 GB

  Growing plus campaigns (5,000 contacts), multi-step forms, daily discounts, multilingual and funnels. $237 a month at 60 providers.

MaidCentral

• Starter$450

  per month for 1 location and up

  Full platform for 1 location. Each added location and each tier of completed jobs raises the price. Unlimited users and customers; a one-time onboarding fee applies.