vs
Autopilot vs Protean
Protean is a deep UK service-management system for equipment supply, hire, and maintenance contractors, priced per user and now part of the Joblogic group. Autopilot is for North American home service crews that want scheduling, invoicing, a phone, and an AI receptionist in one flat-priced app.
The Protean alternative built for small home service crews
The numbers that decide it, side by side.
| Comparison point |  |  Protean |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo flat | £60-90 per user/mo |
| Team members included | 1, 5, or 10 by plan | Yes, per office and per mobile user |
| Free trial | 2 weeks, no card required | Not advertised, demo led |
| Onboarding fee | $0 | Quoted; implementation and training packages |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Not published |
| AI receptionist | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Not offered |
| Full business phone system | Full Throttle, $149/mo | Not advertised |
| Support | Human support chat, no ticket queue | 24/7, via the Joblogic group |
Last updated July 2026. Protean details are based on publicly available information; verify with Protean.
Who is Protean?
Protean Software is a long-established UK service management platform, built for companies that supply, install, maintain, or hire out equipment across the UK and Ireland. It goes deep on the things those businesses live on: service contracts, planned maintenance, stock control, equipment hire, and CRM, with a mobile app for engineers in the field.
In July 2023 Protean was acquired by its long-term competitor Joblogic, and its customers are now supported inside the Joblogic group with 24/7 support. Published pricing is per user: £90 per back-office user per month hosted (£60 self-hosted) and £60 per mobile user per month, with implementation, data migration, and training sold as separate professional services packages. There is no advertised free trial; sales are demo led.
For a UK contractor managing maintenance contracts and stock across commercial sites, Protean is a genuinely capable system. It is not built for the North American residential market, it does not advertise a built-in phone or AI receptionist, and per-user pricing on both office and mobile seats adds up fast for a small crew.
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 Protean, Autopilot is the other end of the spectrum: a self-serve app for small North American home service crews, with the phone and AI receptionist included on Full Throttle instead of a per-seat enterprise contract.
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 | | Protean |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist that answers and books calls | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Built-in business phone (VoIP) | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| Call recording & transcripts | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised |
| AI call summaries | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | |
| Two-way business texting | Crew and Full Throttle | Not advertised |
Scheduling & Jobs
| Comparison point | | Protean |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Engineer mobile app |
Payments & Money
| Comparison point | | Protean |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing & payments | ||
| Tap to Pay on iPhone | Not advertised | |
| QuickBooks sync | Full Throttle ($149/mo) | Not advertised; UK accounting links |
| Price book | Parts and stock pricing | |
| Customer tipping |
Marketing & Growth
| Comparison point | | Protean |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Protean goes deeper
| Comparison point | | Protean |
|---|---|---|
| Service contracts & planned maintenance | ||
| Stock & inventory control | ||
| Equipment hire management |
An honest comparison cuts both ways. If these are must-haves for your business today, Protean 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.
Protean
- Back Office (hosted)£90/user/mo
- Back Office (self-hosted)£60/user/mo
- Mobile£60/user/mo
Protean charges per user, split between back-office and mobile seats. Implementation, data migration, report writing, and training are quoted separately as professional services.
Last updated July 2026. Protean details are based on publicly available information; verify with Protean.
The bottom line
Two different tools for two different businesses. Here is the honest split.
Choose Protean if…
- You are a UK or Irish contractor running service and maintenance contracts on commercial equipment
- You need stock control, planned maintenance schedules, or equipment hire in one system
- You want a vendor and support team based in your home market
- You have the office staff and budget for a per-seat system with a quoted implementation
Choose Autopilot if…
- You run a home service crew in the US or Canada
- You want a flat $49 to $149 a month covering everyone instead of £60 to £90 per seat
- You want to sign up, import your customers, and book jobs this week, not after a paid implementation
- You want the phone, texting, AI receptionist, and marketing inside the same app as your schedule
Switching from Protean takes an afternoon
Four steps, and our team does the heavy one for you.
- 1
Export your customers
Pull your client list out of Protean 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 Protean 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 Protean: your questions
The things owners actually ask before they switch.
Try the Protean 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
Protean is a trademark of Protean Software Ltd. Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Protean Software Ltd. 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.