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Autopilot vs Plancraft
Plancraft is one of the strongest of the new German trades platforms, an AI-first product with its PORTA assistant and 20,000+ customers across Europe. It is built for the German-speaking market, and its AI minutes are metered. Autopilot is the North American version of the same idea, with the AI receptionist included flat.
The Plancraft alternative built for North American crews
The numbers that decide it, side by side.
| Comparison point |  |  Plancraft |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo flat | €59.90/mo, 1-year term (1 office user) |
| Team members included | 1, 5, or 10 by plan | Extra office users ~€40-50/mo, mobile from ~€16 |
| Free trial | 2 weeks, no card required | 7 days, no card required |
| Onboarding fee | $0 | Not published; Premium includes personal setup |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Monthly costs more; 1 and 2-year terms discounted |
| AI receptionist | Full Throttle, $149/mo | PORTA: 60 credits free, then from €79.90/mo |
| Full business phone system | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Not offered |
| Support | Human support chat, no ticket queue | German-language; account manager on Premium |
Last updated July 2026. Plancraft details are based on publicly available information; verify with Plancraft.
Who is Plancraft?
Plancraft is a Hamburg-based, venture-backed company, with a €38M Series B led by Headline in August 2025 and more than €50M raised in total, selling AI-first software for trades businesses in a dozen European countries. It claims over 20,000 customers. The product covers quotes, order confirmations, delivery notes, invoicing, project scheduling, time tracking, and site documentation, and its headline act is PORTA, an AI assistant that handles calls and office work.
Published pricing starts at €59.90 a month for the Business plan on a 1-year term (€74.90 month to month) with one office user included, rising to €109.90 for Pro and €199.90 for Premium, with extra office users around €40 to €50 a month and mobile-only users from about €16. PORTA has its own meter: 60 free credits a month, then a Flexible tier from €79.90 a month where a euro buys roughly a minute of AI work. There is a 7-day free trial, and 2-year commitments earn a 20 percent discount.
Plancraft is a genuinely modern product and the closest German analogue to what Autopilot is doing. But it is built for the German-speaking and EU market, its accounting world is DATEV and GAEB rather than QuickBooks, and the AI that makes it interesting is a metered add-on once you pass the free credits.
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 | | Plancraft |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist that answers and books calls | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | PORTA, credit-metered after 60 free/mo |
| Built-in business phone (VoIP) | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Call recording & transcripts | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not published |
| AI call summaries | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Via PORTA, credit-metered |
| Two-way business texting | Crew and Full Throttle | Not advertised |
Scheduling & Jobs
| Comparison point | | Plancraft |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-drop scheduling & dispatch | ||
| Online booking | Not advertised | |
| Estimates & quotes | ||
| Client & lead management | ||
| iOS & Android crew app | 4.8 App Store / 4.9 Google Play | iOS & Android |
Payments & Money
| Comparison point | | Plancraft |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing & payments | ||
| Tap to Pay on iPhone | Not advertised | |
| QuickBooks sync | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | No, German DATEV world instead |
| Price book | DATANORM catalogs on Pro plan | |
| Customer tipping |
Marketing & Growth
| Comparison point | | Plancraft |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Not advertised |
| Google Ads tracking | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
Where Plancraft goes deeper
| Comparison point | | Plancraft |
|---|---|---|
| German compliance (GAEB, DATANORM) | ||
| Incoming invoice scanning | 50/mo on Pro, unlimited on Premium | |
| Installment invoicing for projects | Pro plan |
An honest comparison cuts both ways. If these are must-haves for your business today, Plancraft 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.
Plancraft
- Business€59.90/mo
1-year term; €74.90 month to month; 1 office user
- Pro€109.90/mo
2 office users, GAEB and DATANORM interfaces
- Premium€199.90/mo
3 office users, personal account manager
Prices exclude VAT and assume a 1-year term; month-to-month billing costs about 25 percent more and 2-year terms save 20 percent. Extra users are paid seats, and the PORTA AI assistant is metered in credits, 60 free a month, then from €79.90 a month where roughly €1 buys a minute.
Last updated July 2026. Plancraft details are based on publicly available information; verify with Plancraft.
The bottom line
Two different tools for two different businesses. Here is the honest split.
Choose Plancraft if…
- You run a trades business in Germany, Austria, or elsewhere in Plancraft's 12 EU countries
- You need GAEB, DATANORM, and DATEV workflows for German construction paperwork
- You want a German-speaking AI assistant handling your calls and office admin
- You bill construction projects in installments and scan piles of incoming invoices
Choose Autopilot if…
- You run a US or Canadian home service crew; Plancraft is built for Europe
- You want the AI receptionist included flat instead of metered by the minute
- You want a built-in phone with a free local number, recording, and transcripts
- You want marketing in the same app: review requests, SMS and email blasts, and ad tracking
Switching from Plancraft takes an afternoon
Four steps, and our team does the heavy one for you.
- 1
Export your customers
Pull your client list out of Plancraft 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 Plancraft 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 Plancraft: your questions
The things owners actually ask before they switch.
Try the Plancraft 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.
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Plancraft is a trademark of Plancraft. Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Plancraft. 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.