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Autopilot vs Markate
Markate is a capable budget CRM with a low sticker price and a long menu of paid add-ons. Autopilot includes online booking in Starter, with the full phone, review requests, and AI receptionist on Full Throttle.
The Markate alternative with everything in the base price
The numbers that decide it, side by side.
| Comparison point |  |  Markate |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo flat | $39.95/mo annual ($49.95 monthly) |
| Team members included | 1, 5, or 10 by plan | $5 per employee/mo |
| Free trial | 2 weeks, no card required | 14 days, no card required |
| Onboarding fee | $0 | None advertised |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Month to month or annual |
| AI receptionist | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Kate AI add-on, $1 per call |
| Full business phone system | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Add-on, $10/mo per number |
| Support | Human support chat, no ticket queue | US-based, business hours (MST) |
Last updated July 2026. Markate details are based on publicly available information; verify with Markate.
Who is Markate?
Markate is a bootstrapped service operations platform for owner-operators and small teams: cleaners, handymen, lawn care, and other home service trades. It claims 25,000+ pros, and the core is legitimately complete for the price: CRM, scheduling and dispatch, estimates, invoicing, online payments, QuickBooks sync, and a mobile app, with US-based support and a 14-day free trial that needs no card.
The pricing model is the thing to understand. The base plan is $49.95 a month (or $39.95 a month billed annually) plus $5 per employee per month, and then most of what makes a modern front office is à la carte: a business phone number is $10 a month, online booking $10, automated review requests $10, a branded customer portal $10, Zapier $10, lead capture $10, API access $50. Marketing is pay-per-use: SMS blasts at 5 cents a segment, email blasts at $10 per 2,000, postcards at $1.10 each. Its Kate AI receptionist answers calls at $1 per call.
For a solo operator who wants a cheap core and truly uses nothing else, that model works. For a business that wants the phone, booking, reviews, and AI answering turned on, the add-ons stack up quickly, and a busy phone line at $1 per answered call is a bill that grows with your success.
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 Markate, the math is the pitch: Autopilot includes the phone, the AI receptionist, online booking, review requests, and campaigns in flat plans, instead of metering the front office ten dollars at a time.
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 | | Markate |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist that answers and books calls | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Add-on, $1 per call |
| Built-in business phone (VoIP) | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Add-on ($10/mo) |
| Call recording & transcripts | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| AI call summaries | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| Two-way business texting | Crew and Full Throttle | SMS notifications included |
Scheduling & Jobs
| Comparison point | | Markate |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop scheduling & dispatch | ||
| Online booking | Add-on ($10/mo) | |
| Estimates & quotes | ||
| Client & lead management | ||
| iOS & Android crew app | 4.8 App Store / 4.9 Google Play | iOS & Android |
Payments & Money
| Comparison point | | Markate |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing & payments | ||
| Tap to Pay on iPhone | Not advertised | |
| QuickBooks sync | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Price book | Products & services list | |
| Customer tipping | Not advertised |
Marketing & Growth
| Comparison point | | Markate |
|---|---|---|
| Review funnel | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Add-on ($10/mo) |
| SMS blast campaigns | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Pay per use ($0.05/segment + setup) |
| Email blast campaigns | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Pay per use ($10 per 2,000) |
| Automated marketing sequences | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | SMS drips, $0.10 per message |
| Google Ads tracking | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
Where Markate goes deeper
| Comparison point | | Markate |
|---|---|---|
| Postcard marketing | $1.10 per postcard | |
| Ringless voicemail drops | $0.20 per voicemail |
An honest comparison cuts both ways. If these are must-haves for your business today, Markate 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.
Markate
- Owner Operator$49.95/mo
$39.95/mo billed annually ($479.40/yr)
- Team members+$5/employee/mo
The base plan is cheap, but the front office is à la carte: phone number, online booking, review requests, customer portal, and Zapier are $10 a month each, API access is $50 a month, the Kate AI receptionist is $1 per call, and blasts are metered per message.
Last updated July 2026. Markate details are based on publicly available information; verify with Markate.
The bottom line
Two different tools for two different businesses. Here is the honest split.
Choose Markate if…
- You are a solo operator who wants the cheapest complete core: CRM, scheduling, estimates, invoicing
- You truly will not use the phone, booking, review, or marketing add-ons, so the base price is the real price
- You like paying per use for marketing instead of a bigger flat plan
- You want postcard and ringless voicemail campaigns, which most platforms skip
Choose Autopilot if…
- You want the business phone, AI receptionist, and texting included instead of metered
- You do not want your answering service costing $1 every time the phone rings
- You want online booking, review requests, and campaigns in the base price
- You want one predictable flat bill, $49 to $149, no per-employee fees and no add-on stack
Switching from Markate takes an afternoon
Four steps, and our team does the heavy one for you.
- 1
Export your customers
Pull your client list out of Markate 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 Markate 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 Markate: your questions
The things owners actually ask before they switch.
Try the Markate 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
Markate is a trademark of Markate. Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Markate. 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.