Lawn Buddy vs Service Autopilot (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lawn Buddy grades higher than Service Autopilot: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lawn Buddy grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lawn Buddy
Scheduling, routing and invoicing for lawn care businesses
Service Autopilot
Scheduling and invoicing software for lawn, cleaning and pest firms
Which one is for you
Pick Lawn Buddy if
- Fits if you run a one-person lawn business and want free customer and job records
- Works for crews that need route order and a crew app that hides prices
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with no estimates, routing or branded invoices
- Watch out: card fees are 4.8% + $0.30 on Lite and 2.9% + $0.30 on Pro and above
- Skip it if you need time tracking, as that is the $78 plan
- Too light for trades outside lawn care and outdoor service
- Watch out: the pricing page shows annual totals in its toggle, not monthly figures
Pick Service Autopilot if
- Fits if you run a lawn care or cleaning business and are happy to pay for a year up front
- Works for firms that want job costing next to scheduling
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want to leave: the prices are for annual rates and downgrades happen at the end of the contract
- Pricey if you want texting, QuickBooks or the client portal, which are Elite features or add-ons
- Watch out: every plan carries a sign-up fee, and its amount isn't shown on the pricing page
- Watch out: each plan includes a set number of licences, 1 business and 1 mobile on Startup
How we grade them
| 2.4GPALawn BuddyFair | 1.8GPAService AutopilotWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BLite is free, Standard is $12 a month, under 60% of the cheaper quarter's $34. But routing and the crew app start at $39 and time tracking at $78. | DStartup is $49 a month billed annually, but the QuickBooks link, texting and client portal sit on Elite or in add-ons, and Pro is $199, Pro Plus $499. Every plan has a sign-up fee of unstated size. |
| Free plan and trial | CLite is free with customers, jobs, invoices and payments. No estimates, branded invoices or routing, and the card fee is 4.8% + $0.30, so you will hit the edge. | DA free trial is offered, but its length and card terms aren't stated. There is no free plan. |
| Features | CScheduling, invoices, estimates with aerial measurement, routes and a crew app, but each is gated: estimates on $12, routes and crews on $39, time tracking on $78. | CScheduling and dispatch, invoicing and payments, customer and lead management, job costing and reporting, automations and industry versions. Two-way texting, QuickBooks integration, the client portal and Smart Maps are Elite features or add-ons on lower plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. It needs QuickBooks and payments to be connected, and plans to be chosen. | CNo store rating on record. Industry set-up, automations and customer data need loading before it works. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus phone apps and a separate crew app, with QuickBooks and Global Payments. No desktop app is listed. | BWeb, with QuickBooks Online, Gmail, Outlook and FleetSharp. No desktop app, and no phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | scheduling and invoices for small lawn care businesses | lawn care and cleaning businesses on annual contracts |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Lawn Buddy and Service Autopilot. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lawn Buddy starts at $12 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Service Autopilot starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Lawn Buddy starts $37 a month lower. Of the other field service apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than Lawn Buddy for less, and 5 score higher than Service Autopilot for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Service Autopilot also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Lawn Buddy | Service Autopilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually) | $49 per month, billed annually, plus a sign-up fee |
| Free plan | Lite plan at $0 a month: customer records, messaging, job scheduling, digital payments and subscriptions, with a 4.8% + $.30 card fee. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial offered; its length is not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Lawn Buddy | BACKTELL LLC |
| Price read from | lawnbuddy.com | serviceautopilot.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lawn Buddy
- Card processing fees are 4.8% + $.30 on the free plan and fall to 2.9% + $.30 on Pro and Exclusive; the fee can be passed to the payer.
- Time tracking and on-the-way texts are limited to the Exclusive plan, and routes and the crew app start at Pro.
- The pricing page shows annual totals (not monthly figures) in its toggle.
- Built for lawn care and similar outdoor service work.
Service Autopilot
- Every plan carries a sign-up fee; its amount is not shown on the pricing page.
- Prices are for annual subscription rates and downgrades happen at the end of the contract period.
- Each plan includes a set number of licenses: 1 business and 1 mobile on Startup, up to 2 business and 8 mobile on Elite.
- Two-way texting, QuickBooks integration, client portal and Smart Maps are Elite features, or call-for-pricing add-ons on lower plans.
Key features
Lawn Buddy
- Job scheduling
- Jobs can be recurring, one-time or multi-day, viewed as a list, map or calendar, with urgent jobs moved to the top.
- Route optimization
- On Pro and above, daily routes are ordered for the shortest drive, adjustable by hand, printable and viewable on a map.
- Invoicing and payments
- Automatic invoices after a job, late fees, resend of overdue invoices, subscriptions and card or ACH payments.
- Estimates with site measurement
- Estimates carry photos and your branding, and a measurement tool uses aerial views of the property.
- Separate crew app
- Crews see jobs, routes and checklists without financial details; crew members are unlimited on Pro and Exclusive.
- QuickBooks integration
- Financial data can be kept in step with QuickBooks, and all data can be downloaded as a CSV file.
Service Autopilot
- Scheduling and dispatch
- Schedules and dispatches jobs from every plan; Pro adds route optimization, multi-day jobs and a dispatch calendar.
- Invoicing and payments
- Instant invoices and integrated payments on all plans, with a mobile app for taking payments in the field.
- Customer and lead management
- Stores customer and property details and tracks prospects and leads.
- Job costing and reporting
- Job costing and analysis plus custom reports from the Pro plan up.
- Automations
- Pro Plus adds workflow automations that run on a schedule you set, with a marketplace for customizing them.
- Industry versions
- The site has separate pages for lawn care, landscaping, cleaning, snow removal, pest control, pool cleaning and general field service.
Plans
Lawn Buddy
Lite$0
Customer management, jobs, invoices and payments; no estimates, branded invoices or routing. Card fee 4.8% + $.30.
Standard$12
per month, billed monthly
Adds custom invoices and estimates with photos, aerial measurement and PDFs. Card fee 3.8% + $.30.
Pro$39
per month, billed monthly
Adds crew assignment, route optimization, a crew app with no pricing shown and unlimited crew members. Card fee 2.9% + $.30.
Exclusive$78
per month, billed monthly
Adds time tracking, timesheets and check-in and out at job sites, plus on-the-way texts. Card fee 2.9% + $.30.
Service Autopilot
Startup$49
per month, billed annually, plus a sign-up fee
Scheduling and dispatch, invoicing with integrated payments, expense tracking, and customer and lead management. 1 business user and 1 mobile license.
Pro$199
per month, billed annually, plus a sign-up fee
Adds multi-day jobs, route optimization, a dispatch calendar, job costing, asset and employee tracking and custom reporting. 1 business user and 2 mobile licenses.
Pro Plus$499
per month, billed annually, plus a sign-up fee
Adds automations, marketplace access and training content. 1 business user and 5 mobile licenses.
EliteCustom
Everything in Pro Plus plus two-way texting, QuickBooks integration, client portal and multi-location management; priced on request. 2 business users and 8 mobile licenses.
Ways to pay less
Lawn Buddy
- Annual discount
Annual plans save up to 23%
Billed annually, Standard is $140, Pro $360 and Exclusive $720 a year, against $12, $39 and $78 a month.
Service Autopilot
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lawn Buddy or Service Autopilot?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Lawn Buddy is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $49 a month for Service Autopilot. Lawn Buddy starts at $12 per month, billed monthly ($140 billed annually), and Service Autopilot starts at $49 per month, billed annually, plus a sign-up fee.
Which has a free plan, Lawn Buddy or Service Autopilot?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Lawn Buddy has a free plan. Service Autopilot does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Lawn Buddy and Service Autopilot run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Lawn Buddy lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.