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Autopilot vs Payaca
Payaca is a genuinely modern platform for solar, heat pump, and EV charger installers who need design-tool integrations and compliance paperwork. 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 Payaca alternative built for home service crews
The numbers that decide it, side by side.
| Comparison point |  |  Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo flat | $444/mo (£299 in the UK) |
| Team members included | 1, 5, or 10 by plan | Flat with a 25-user cap on the entry plan |
| Free trial | 2 weeks, no card required | None, demo only |
| Onboarding fee | $0 | $0 on entry plan; $2,000 on Growth |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | 12-month commitment on the entry plan |
| AI receptionist | Full Throttle, $149/mo | No; in-app AI assistant only |
| Full business phone system | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Not offered |
| Support | Human support chat, no ticket queue | Support sessions included on entry plan |
Last updated July 2026. Payaca details are based on publicly available information; verify with Payaca.
Who is Payaca?
Payaca is a VC-backed UK company out of Bristol, founded in 2020, that calls itself the operating system for clean-tech installers: solar, heat pumps, EV charging, and battery storage. It has raised roughly $2.7 million and is actively launching in the US with a dedicated US site and dollar pricing. For its niche it is impressively built, with interactive proposals, integrations with design tools like OpenSolar, Aurora, and Heatpunk, UK MCS compliance documents, an in-app AI assistant called Agent Dave, and an open API that even ships an MCP server.
Pricing is flat but not small. The Accelerator plan runs $444 a month in the US (£299 in the UK) for up to 25 users on a 12-month commitment, then converts to the Growth plan at $1,724 a month ($1,437 billed annually) with a $2,000 one-off onboarding fee. There is no free trial, Payaca's own pricing page says it offers personalized demos instead.
If you install solar arrays or heat pumps and live inside design software all day, Payaca was built for you and it shows, reviewers on Capterra rate it 4.9 across a small review base. If you run a cleaning, junk removal, landscaping, or general trades crew, you would be paying clean-tech prices for clean-tech plumbing you will never 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.
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.
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 | | Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist that answers and books calls | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | No; Agent Dave answers questions in the app, not your phone |
| Built-in business phone (VoIP) | Full Throttle ($149/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 billed per message on top |
Scheduling & Jobs
| Comparison point | | Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop scheduling & dispatch | ||
| Online booking | Customer portal, not public booking | |
| Estimates & quotes | Yes, interactive proposals | |
| Client & lead management | ||
| iOS & Android crew app | 4.8 App Store / 4.9 Google Play | iOS & Android |
Payments & Money
| Comparison point | | Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing & payments | ||
| Tap to Pay on iPhone | Not advertised | |
| QuickBooks sync | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Reported, plus Xero |
| Price book | Design-tool imports instead | |
| Customer tipping | Not advertised |
Marketing & Growth
| Comparison point | | Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| Review funnel | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| SMS blast campaigns | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| Email blast campaigns | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| Automated marketing sequences | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Custom automations |
| Google Ads tracking | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
Where Payaca goes deeper
| Comparison point | | Payaca |
|---|---|---|
| Solar & heat pump design integrations (OpenSolar, Aurora) | ||
| UK MCS compliance certificates | ||
| Open API with an MCP server |
An honest comparison cuts both ways. If these are must-haves for your business today, Payaca 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.
Payaca
- Accelerator$444/mo
Up to 25 users; 12-month commitment; £299/mo in the UK
- Growth$1,724/mo
$1,437/mo billed annually; $2,000 one-off onboarding; extra seats $49 each past 25
- ScaleCustom
50+ users
Payaca's entry Accelerator plan is a 12-month program for newer businesses that later converts to Growth pricing. There is no free trial; SMS messages are billed separately at about 6 cents each in the US.
Last updated July 2026. Payaca details are based on publicly available information; verify with Payaca.
The bottom line
Two different tools for two different businesses. Here is the honest split.
Choose Payaca if…
- You install solar, heat pumps, EV chargers, or batteries and quote from design tools like OpenSolar or Aurora
- You are in the UK and need MCS compliance documents and DNO applications handled in the software
- You want an open API and developer tools, including an MCP server, to build your own automations
- Your operation is 10 to 50 people and the software budget matches
Choose Autopilot if…
- You run a general home service business, not a clean-tech installation firm
- You want to start at $49 a month instead of $444, with no 12-month commitment
- You want a free 2-week trial instead of a demo and a contract
- You want a business phone with an AI receptionist answering calls, not just an AI assistant inside the app
- You want marketing built in: review funnels, SMS and email campaigns, and ad tracking
Switching from Payaca takes an afternoon
Four steps, and our team does the heavy one for you.
- 1
Export your customers
Pull your client list out of Payaca 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 Payaca 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 Payaca: your questions
The things owners actually ask before they switch.
Try the Payaca 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
Payaca is a trademark of Payaca. Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Payaca. 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.