vs
Autopilot vs MaidCentral
MaidCentral is enterprise-grade operations software for professional house cleaning companies running 8 or more cleaners, priced to match at $450 a month and up. Autopilot plans start at $49 a month, and the $149 Full Throttle plan includes the full phone system, AI receptionist, QuickBooks, GPS, and marketing tools.
The MaidCentral alternative built for small cleaning crews
The numbers that decide it, side by side.
| Comparison point |  |  MaidCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo flat | $450/mo plus per-job fees |
| Team members included | 1, 5, or 10 by plan | None; billed by location and job volume |
| Free trial | 2 weeks, no card required | No trial, demo only |
| Onboarding fee | $0 | One-time onboarding fee, quote-based |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Month to month |
| AI receptionist | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Not offered |
| Full business phone system | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Not included |
| Support | Human support chat, no ticket queue | Not published |
Last updated July 2026. MaidCentral details are based on publicly available information; verify with MaidCentral.
Who is MaidCentral?
MaidCentral is operations software built specifically for professional residential cleaning companies. It was built by the CEO of Castle Keepers, a large house cleaning company, so it comes from someone who actually ran cleaning teams at scale. Its sweet spot is companies with 8 or more cleaners that want to run on numbers: team scorecards, capacity planning, pay-for-performance payroll, and job costing.
Pricing starts at $450 a month plus per-completed-job fees, and it scales with locations and job volume. There is a one-time onboarding fee, no free trial (demos only), and no long-term contract. That price buys real depth: scheduling, two-way texting, online booking, drip campaigns, review generation, and QuickBooks Online integration, all tuned to how a maid service actually operates.
If you run a multi-team or multi-branch cleaning company and want to manage it like a franchise operator, MaidCentral is a serious tool. If you run one team or two, $450 a month buys a lot of machinery you will not use.
Who is Autopilot?
Autopilot is an all-in-one CRM built for home service businesses: junk removal, cleaning, landscaping, moving, and the rest of the trades that keep neighborhoods running. Plans start at $49 a month for scheduling, estimates, invoicing, payments, and online booking. Crew at $99 adds two-way texting and limited calling. Full Throttle at $149 adds the full phone system, AI receptionist, QuickBooks, GPS, and marketing tools. Plans include 1, 5, or 10 team members respectively.
It was built by a founder who ran his own junk removal company and got tired of paying for three tools that didn't talk to each other. Over 400 businesses run on it today, and it holds a 4.8 rating on the App Store and 4.9 on Google Play.
Against MaidCentral, the pitch is price and the phone: most of the day-to-day tools a small cleaning crew needs, plus a built-in phone line with an AI receptionist answering it, for about a tenth of the monthly bill.
Feature by feature
Not just checkmarks. Where a feature costs extra or sits on a higher plan, the table says so.
Phone & AI
| Comparison point | | MaidCentral |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist that answers and books calls | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Built-in business phone (VoIP) | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Call recording & transcripts | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| AI call summaries | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Two-way business texting | Crew and Full Throttle |
Scheduling & Jobs
| Comparison point | | MaidCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop scheduling & dispatch | ||
| Online booking | ||
| Estimates & quotes | Cleaning-specific quoting engine | |
| Client & lead management | ||
| iOS & Android crew app | 4.8 App Store / 4.9 Google Play | Web-based employee portal |
Payments & Money
| Comparison point | | MaidCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing & payments | ||
| Tap to Pay on iPhone | Not advertised | |
| QuickBooks sync | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | QuickBooks Online |
| Price book | Cleaning-specific rate engine | |
| Customer tipping | Not advertised |
Marketing & Growth
| Comparison point | | MaidCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Review funnel | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| SMS blast campaigns | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| Email blast campaigns | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Drip campaigns |
| Automated marketing sequences | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Google Ads tracking | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
Where MaidCentral goes deeper
| Comparison point | | MaidCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Team scorecards & job costing | ||
| Pay-for-performance payroll tools | ||
| Multi-branch capacity planning |
An honest comparison cuts both ways. If these are must-haves for your business today, MaidCentral earns the look.
What you actually pay
Autopilot
- Starter$49/mo
- Crew$99/mo
- Full Throttle$149/mo
Clear plans for 1, 5, or 10 team members. No onboarding fee or annual contract. Free 2-week trial.
MaidCentral
- Enterprise platform$450/mo+
Includes a base bundle of completed jobs
- Per-job fees~$1-1.50/job
Charged past the included volume; rate improves as you grow
- Additional branches$250/mo each
MaidCentral publishes a $450 a month starting price that scales with locations and completed jobs, plus a one-time onboarding fee. There is no free trial, but no long-term contract either.
Last updated July 2026. MaidCentral details are based on publicly available information; verify with MaidCentral.
The bottom line
Two different tools for two different businesses. Here is the honest split.
Choose MaidCentral if…
- You run 8+ cleaners across multiple teams and want to manage them with scorecards and job costing
- You want pay-for-performance payroll tools built into your operations software
- You are opening additional branches and need multi-location capacity planning
- You want software designed by a large cleaning company operator, for large cleaning companies
Choose Autopilot if…
- You run a cleaning crew of 1 to 15 and $450 a month is more than your software budget
- You want a built-in business phone with an AI receptionist answering while your hands are full
- You want a flat $49 to $149 a month instead of per-job fees that grow with your volume
- You want a real iOS and Android crew app with scheduling, invoicing, and texting in one place
- You want a free 2-week trial instead of a demo call and an onboarding invoice
Switching from MaidCentral takes an afternoon
Four steps, and our team does the heavy one for you.
- 1
Export your customers
Pull your client list out of MaidCentral as a CSV. Every FSM platform supports this, and it takes about five minutes.
- 2
We import everything for you
Send us the file and our team loads your customers, jobs, and price book into Autopilot as part of free onboarding. No spreadsheet wrestling on your end.
- 3
Point your phone number at Autopilot
On Full Throttle, keep your existing business number. We port it or forward it, so calls start landing in Autopilot with recording, transcripts, and the AI receptionist behind them.
- 4
Run both for a week, then cut over
Your MaidCentral account keeps working during your free trial. Most crews book their first Autopilot job on day one and cancel the old subscription within the month.
- 400+
- businesses run on Autopilot
- 4.9
- Google Play rating
- 4.8
- App Store rating
- $49
- per month starting price
Autopilot vs MaidCentral: your questions
The things owners actually ask before they switch.
Try the MaidCentral alternative built for your crew
Start a free 2-week trial and book your first job today. No credit card, no onboarding fee, no contract.
More comparisons
MaidCentral is a trademark of MaidCentral. Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by MaidCentral. Competitor pricing and feature information is based on publicly available sources as of July 2026 and may have changed; features missing from a plan may be available on higher plans or for an additional fee. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.