In this comparison, the cheapest plan costs $0 and the priciest single plan we list costs $499 a month. Both are sold as cleaning business software. For a team of three cleaners doing recurring homes, that spread is the difference between a rounding error and a car payment.
So the real question isn't "which app is best." It's which pricing model and feature set fit a 1-10 person cleaning team like yours. Some tools charge per user, some per job, some per location, and some by how many cleaners you have. The same team can pay $49 a month on one and $499 on another.
Below you'll find nine tools, eight from other companies plus ours, with prices and features checked on each company's public pages as of October 2026. There's a side-by-side table, a worked cost example for a 6-person team, a short profile of who each tool suits, and a decision framework you can run in an afternoon.
How we picked and checked these 9 tools
We looked for cleaning service software that a small residential or light commercial team could realistically buy today without a sales call. Each tool had to publish its prices, offer a free plan or free trial, and include scheduling.
For every tool we opened its own pricing page (and help center where needed) in October 2026 and recorded only what was stated there. Where a page was unclear, we left the detail out rather than guess.
What we left out on purpose:
- Tools with no public prices. Workiz, for example, lists its plans but asks you to request pricing, so we couldn't compare it fairly.
- Review scores and "best overall" badges. We didn't verify them, so they're not here.
- Promo prices. Several vendors run limited-time discounts. We used regular prices.
Tip: Prices and plan contents change several times a year. Treat every number below as a starting point and confirm on the vendor's page the day you sign up.
Cleaning business software compared side by side
All prices are monthly, in USD, before card processing, SMS bundles and tax. "Entry price" is the lowest published paid or free plan.
| Tool | Built for | Entry price (as of Oct 2026) | How price scales | Free trial or plan | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | Home services, all trades | $49/mo monthly or $29/mo annual (Core, 1 user) | By plan and team size; extra users $29/mo | 14-day trial, no card | Growing teams wanting an all-in-one with accounting sync |
| Housecall Pro | Home services, all trades | $79/mo monthly or $59/mo annual (Basic, 1 user) | By plan; 5 users on Essentials, 8 on MAX | 14-day trial, no card | Teams that may add other services |
| ZenMaid | Maid services | $19/mo (Starter, up to 40 appointments) | Base price plus $4-$24 per extra user | 14-day trial | Recurring residential cleaning |
| Launch27 | Cleaning booking sites | $75/mo (Base) | Flat by plan; unlimited users | 14-day trial | Owners who sell through a website booking form |
| BookingKoala | Booking and websites for service businesses | From $27/mo (Starter, 5 providers) | By number of providers | 14-day trial | New businesses that also need a website |
| Square Appointments | Appointment businesses | $0 (Free), Plus $49/mo per location | Per location | Free plan; 30-day trial on paid plans | Very small teams already on Square |
| Maidily | Cleaning businesses | $0 (Free, 10 jobs/mo), Start $29/mo | By jobs per month; unlimited users | Free plan; trial on paid plans | Teams with many part-timers |
| Service Autopilot | Lawn care, cleaning and other field services | $49/mo plus sign-up fee, billed annually (Startup) | By plan and mobile licenses | Free trial offered | Larger crews wanting automations |
| DusterBook | Small cleaning teams | $14.99–$29.99/mo | Simple plans for 1-10 people | Free trial | Teams of 1-10 wanting quotes-to-invoice without extras |
Sources: Jobber pricing, Housecall Pro pricing, ZenMaid pricing, Launch27 pricing, BookingKoala pricing, Square Appointments pricing, Maidily pricing and Service Autopilot pricing, all checked October 2026.
Three pricing models, and which one punishes your team size
Most of the cost difference comes from how each tool counts.
Per user or per seat. Jobber, Housecall Pro and ZenMaid price by people. That's fine when you're solo, then climbs with each hire. ZenMaid is the clearest example: the owner is included, and each active cleaner adds $4, $14 or $24 a month depending on plan.
Per job or per provider. Maidily charges by completed jobs and allows unlimited users. BookingKoala tiers by provider count (5, 15 or 50). These tend to favor teams with several part-time cleaners.
Flat or per location. Launch27 includes unlimited users on every plan. Square Appointments charges per location. Service Autopilot uses fixed plans with a set number of mobile licenses (1, 2, 5 or 8). Flat pricing is predictable, but check what's held back for higher tiers.
Worked example: a 6-person team doing 90 cleans a month
Take a hypothetical team: one owner who also cleans, five cleaners, about 90 recurring residential visits a month. Everyone needs the mobile app. Here's what the lowest plan that fits would cost per month, based on each public pricing page. These are our calculations, not vendor quotes.
| Tool | Plan that fits | How we got the number | Monthly list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | Connect, 6-10 tier (10 users) | Monthly with no commitment | $299 ($229 if billed annually) |
| Housecall Pro | MAX (8 users) | Essentials includes 5 users; the extra-user price is listed on MAX | $329 ($299 annual) |
| ZenMaid | Pro | $39 + 5 cleaners × $14 | $109 |
| Launch27 | Plus | Mobile apps for cleaners are listed only on Plus | $299 |
| BookingKoala | Growing (15 providers) | 6 providers exceeds Starter's 5 | $57 |
| Square Appointments | Plus (1 location) | Unlimited staff calendars | $49 |
| Maidily | Grow (150 jobs) | Team scheduling is listed on Grow | $49 |
| Service Autopilot | Pro Plus (5 mobile, 1 business license) | Annual pricing, plus a sign-up fee not shown | $499 |
The spread runs from $49 to $499 for the same team. That doesn't make the cheapest tool the right one. If you need route optimization, automated payments, payroll or QuickBooks sync today, the cheaper tools may not have them on the plan we priced, so read the plan details before you choose.
Who each tool suits
Short, fair profiles. Everything here comes from the vendor's own pricing page as of October 2026.
Jobber
A mature all-in-one for home service businesses. Core covers online booking, quotes, invoicing with online payments and a client hub. Connect adds automated client reminders, checklists, automatic payments and QuickBooks Online sync. It also lists routing, GPS tracking and a marketplace of 100+ connected apps. Good if you want one system that grows to 10+ people; pricier for small teams. We compare it with the closest options in our guide to Jobber alternatives for cleaning businesses.
Housecall Pro
Another all-trades platform. Every plan includes online booking, scheduling and dispatch, estimates, invoicing and payments. Essentials adds routes, checklist automations and QuickBooks Online sync; MAX adds recurring service plans and route optimization. There's no long-term contract required.
ZenMaid
Built only for maid services. Starter includes scheduling with calendar, dispatch and map views, a mobile app and online payments through Stripe or Square. Pro adds checklists, GPS, booking forms and payroll. SMS is sold separately in bundles. A strong fit for residential recurring work if the per-user math works.
Launch27
A booking-first platform for cleaning companies. Base includes unlimited users and bookings, a booking form (carrying Launch27 branding on this plan), scheduling conflict prevention, a customizable cancellation policy, email reminders and payroll with revenue split. Text reminders start on Pro, and mobile apps are on Plus.
BookingKoala
Combines a website builder with booking forms and scheduling. SMS notifications, GPS clock-in and reports start on Growing. Suits a new business that doesn't have a website yet.
Square Appointments
A free plan with an online booking site, appointment reminders, unlimited staff calendars, estimates and invoices. Plus adds a cancellation and no-show fee policy using a card on file. It's designed for appointment businesses, and its examples lean toward salons and studios, so test how it handles travel time between client homes.
Maidily
Cleaning-focused, priced by jobs, unlimited users. The free plan includes online booking, a mobile app, recurring scheduling and automated reminders for up to 10 jobs a month. Grow adds QuickBooks, team scheduling and a branded booking form.
Service Autopilot
Rooted in lawn care but lists cleaning among its industries. Startup covers scheduling, dispatch, invoicing with payments and customer management; Pro adds route optimization and job costing; Pro Plus adds automations. Prices are annual and come with a sign-up fee, so it suits established crews more than new solo cleaners.
DusterBook (our product)
A simple tool for teams of 1-10, at $14.99–$29.99 a month with a free trial. It covers quotes, booking, scheduling and invoicing, and it works on mobile. Online payments and SMS reminders are planned add-ons, not available yet. It has no app marketplace, payroll or GPS tracking. If you need any of those now, one of the tools above is the better pick.
A decision framework for 1-10 person cleaning teams
Answer these six questions in order. Each one cuts the list.
- How do new clients book? If most come through your website, shortlist booking-first tools (Launch27, BookingKoala, Maidily, ZenMaid). If most call or text you, any tool with good quoting works.
- How many people will log in, and how many jobs a month? Under 5 people, per-user pricing is usually fine. With lots of part-timers, look at per-job or unlimited-user plans.
- Do you need card payments inside the app this month? If yes, cross off anything where payments are missing or only on a higher tier.
- Do clients expect text reminders? Check whether SMS is included, sold in bundles, or only on higher plans. Our guide to setting up a cleaning scheduling system covers reminder timing either way.
- Does your bookkeeper need an accounting sync? QuickBooks sync sits on different tiers at different vendors, and it's not on every plan.
- Will you add non-cleaning services? If you might add handyman or pressure washing, an all-trades platform will stretch further.
If two tools survive, run both free trials in the same week with your real clients. The right cleaning business software is the one your cleaners actually open every morning.
What to set up first in any new tool
Whichever cleaning business software you choose, the first week decides whether it sticks. Set things up in this order:
| Step | What to enter | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Services and prices | Quotes and invoices pull from these |
| 2 | Clients with access notes | Keys, codes and pets belong on the job, not in your texts |
| 3 | Recurring schedules for the next 4 weeks | Catch clashes before they happen |
| 4 | Invoice layout | Match what clients already get, using a cleaning invoice template as a guide |
| 5 | Checklists per service | Keeps quality consistent across cleaners |
| 6 | Team logins | Last, once the schedule is right |
If you're still working out pricing for that first step, our walkthrough of writing a cleaning bid helps you set numbers you can defend.
Do this today: shortlist two tools in an afternoon
- Write down three numbers: people who'll use the app, jobs per month, and the share of revenue from recurring clients.
- Mark your must-haves (no more than four). Payments, SMS, a booking form and mobile use are the usual ones.
- Use the table above to cut to two or three tools whose pricing model fits your numbers.
- Open each vendor's pricing page and confirm the plan that includes all your must-haves.
- Start free trials on the same day and enter 10 real upcoming jobs in each.
- Decide by the end of the trial, before any card is charged.
FAQ
What is the best cleaning business software for a small team?
There isn't one winner. For recurring residential work, cleaning-specific tools like ZenMaid and Maidily price in ways that suit small teams. If you want an all-in-one that grows past 10 people, Jobber and Housecall Pro are the common picks, at a higher monthly cost.
Is there free cleaning service software?
Yes. As of October 2026, Square Appointments has a free plan, and Maidily has a free plan for up to 10 jobs a month. Free plans have limits, so check whether payments, reminders and team scheduling are included before you rely on one.
How much does cleaning business software cost per month?
For the tools here, entry prices run from $0 to $79 a month, and a 6-person team would pay roughly $49 to $499 depending on the tool and plan. Card processing fees and SMS bundles are usually extra. Always confirm on the vendor's current pricing page.
Do I need software if I only have a few clients?
Not always. A solo cleaner with a handful of recurring clients can run on a calendar, a spreadsheet and an invoice template. Software starts paying off when you add a second cleaner, take online bookings, or spend more than an hour a week chasing payments. Our guide on how to start a cleaning business covers the simpler setup.
Can I switch cleaning software later?
Yes, though it takes some work. Most tools let you export clients as a spreadsheet, but recurring schedules and saved cards may need re-entering. Running old and new systems side by side for two weeks keeps the switch low risk.