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Service Autopilot is a powerful tool for landscaping and lawn care companies that need crew tracking, chemical logging, and marketing automation. The interface is dated and the learning curve is steep, but the features run deep. Plans start at $49 per month.
What Is Service Autopilot?
Service Autopilot is a business management platform built for landscaping, lawn care, and snow removal companies. It handles scheduling, CRM, invoicing, crew tracking, chemical tracking, and marketing automation.
The company has been around since 2006 and was acquired by Clearent (now Xplor) in 2021. It serves thousands of landscaping companies across North America. The platform is known for going deep on features that matter to landscape professionals.
Service Autopilot is not the prettiest tool. The interface looks dated compared to Jobber or Housecall Pro. But what it lacks in design, it makes up for in depth. If you need features like chemical application tracking or crew time logging by job, Service Autopilot delivers.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Startup | $49/mo | CRM, scheduling, invoicing, basic reporting |
| Pro | $99/mo | Everything in Startup plus automations, advanced scheduling, chemical tracking |
| Pro Plus | $199/mo | Everything in Pro plus marketing automation, advanced reporting, smart maps |
Service Autopilot's pricing is comparable to Jobber. The Startup plan is $49 per month, which is $10 more than Jobber's entry plan. But the Pro plan includes features like chemical tracking that Jobber does not offer at any price.
Key Features
Crew Time Tracking
Crews clock in and out of each job through the mobile app. This gives you real labor data by job, by client, and by crew. You can see which jobs take longer than expected and which crews work fastest. This data is essential for accurate bidding and improving efficiency.
Chemical and Fertilizer Tracking
If you do lawn treatments, weed control, or pest applications, Service Autopilot tracks every product used on every property. It logs application rates, product names, and dates. This helps you stay compliant with regulations and gives customers documentation when they ask.
Marketing Automation
The Pro Plus plan includes marketing automation that sends targeted emails and postcards to past clients. You can set up campaigns for seasonal services like fall cleanups, spring fertilizing, or snow removal. The system tracks which campaigns generate revenue.
Route Optimization
Service Autopilot's smart maps feature helps you group jobs by location and build efficient routes. For lawn care companies that visit 20 to 30 properties a day, good routing saves hours of drive time every week.
Estimating and Job Costing
You can create estimates with labor, material, and equipment costs broken out. After the job, compare actual time and materials against the estimate to see your real margin. This level of job costing helps you refine your pricing over time.
Mobile App
The Service Autopilot mobile app handles scheduling, time tracking, directions, and job details. It works well for the basics. Crews can see their daily schedule, clock in and out of jobs, and add notes.
The app is functional but not as polished as Jobber's app. The design reflects the platform's age. It does what it needs to do, but the learning curve is higher. New crew members may need a walkthrough before they are comfortable.
What We Like and What We Do Not
- Built specifically for landscaping and lawn care companies.
- Crew time tracking by job gives real labor cost data.
- Chemical and fertilizer tracking keeps you compliant.
- Marketing automation drives repeat and seasonal business.
- Route optimization saves hours of drive time per week.
- Deep job costing helps refine pricing over time.
- Dated interface that looks old compared to modern tools.
- Steep learning curve. Plan for weeks of setup and training.
- Customer support gets mixed reviews from users.
- More complex than it needs to be for simple operations.
- Mobile app is functional but not as clean as competitors.
Who Should Use Service Autopilot
Lawn care companies that do chemical applications. The chemical tracking feature is hard to find elsewhere. If you spray, fertilize, or treat lawns, this is a must-have.
Landscaping companies with 5 or more crews. At this size, crew time tracking and route optimization save real money. The data helps you manage labor costs.
Companies that want marketing automation. If you rely on seasonal upsells like fall cleanups and snow removal, the built-in marketing tools can drive revenue without a separate platform.
Data-driven owners who want job costing. If you want to know your exact margin on every job, Service Autopilot gives you that level of detail.
Who Should Skip Service Autopilot
Small landscaping crews who want simplicity. If you have 1 to 3 employees and just need basic scheduling, Jobber is easier to set up and use.
Non-landscaping trades. Service Autopilot is built for landscaping and lawn care. Painters, cleaners, and other trades will find better options elsewhere.
Teams that value a clean, modern interface. If app design matters to you and your crew, Jobber and Housecall Pro look and feel better.
Alternatives to Service Autopilot
Jobber is the simpler alternative. It costs less, looks better, and has a faster setup. But it lacks chemical tracking and deep job costing. See our Jobber comparison.
LMN is another landscaping-focused tool with strong estimating features. It is popular with companies that do design-build work and need detailed proposals.
Aspire is the enterprise option for large landscaping companies. It is more expensive but handles multi-branch operations with deep financial reporting.
Service Autopilot is the best choice for landscaping companies that need crew tracking, chemical logging, and marketing automation. The interface is dated, but the features run deep. If you do lawn treatments or manage 5 or more crews, the depth is worth the learning curve. For simpler operations, Jobber is the easier path.