Disclosure: This guide has no affiliate links yet. If we add any later, we’ll label them, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure. Prices were checked against each vendor’s own pricing page on October 23, 2026.
How we put this together: We haven’t run a mowing business on these apps. This guide compares what each company publishes on its own pricing page (prices, plan limits and listed features) for a one-truck lawn business. Use the free trials to check anything that decides it for you.
The short answer
- Lowest cost: Yardbook’s free Starter plan, $0. It lists scheduling, routing, estimates, invoices and card payments. In return, Yardbook takes a 1% fee on online card payments, and its pricing page lists “no ads” only on the top plan.
- Easiest for one person with fixed pricing: Jobber Core, $29/month billed annually ($49 with no commitment). It includes 1 user. Extra people cost $29/month each.
- Best if a helper rides along: GorillaDesk Basic, $49/month, paid monthly, for one route. Crew users are free.
All three have a free way to try them. Pick on how you get paid and whether anyone else needs to log in, not on the sticker price.
1. Prices and what you get
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| Feature | Yardbook | Jobber Core | GorillaDesk Basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price and billing period | Starter: free. Business: $34.99/month. Enterprise: $49.99/month. The page says “/month” and doesn’t state annual or monthly billing. | $29/month, billed annually. $39/month on a 1-year commitment. $49/month with no commitment. | $49/month, paid monthly, for 1 route |
| People included | “Employee Access” is listed on Starter. The page gives no user limit. | 1 user. Extra users $29/month each. | Unlimited admin, manager, sales and crew users, free. You pay per route. |
| What the entry plan lists | Customer management, jobs and scheduling, estimates, invoices, routing, expenses, reports, lot measurement, product catalog | Online booking, quotes, invoices with online payments, a website, reporting, 100+ app connections | Invoices, estimates and work orders, job mapping, routing (up to 25 stops at a time), material tracking, automated emails and texts |
| Card payments | Stripe fees, plus a 1% Yardbook fee on Starter. The fee is waived on Business and Enterprise. | 2.9% + 30¢ online. 1% for bank payments. | Connects to Square and Stripe. You pay the processor’s rates. |
| Texts to customers | Bulk texts (via Twilio) are listed on Business | Not listed on the Core card | Automated texts are listed on Basic. SMS add-on $5/month, plus credits from $50 per 1,000. |
| Free trial | The Starter plan is free. No trial needed. | 14 days, no card. The trial runs on the Grow plan. | 14 days, no card. The trial runs on the Growth plan. |
| A year at list price (our math) | $0 on Starter. $419.88 on Business, if billed monthly. | $348 billed annually. $468 on 1-year commitment. $588 with no commitment. | $588 |
Sources: Yardbook pricing and Yardbook terms and FAQ (on its home page), Jobber pricing, GorillaDesk pricing and GorillaDesk plan comparison, all checked October 23, 2026.
2. Costs outside the plan price
- Yardbook’s 1% fee. It’s in Yardbook’s terms, not on its pricing page. Our math: Business ($34.99/month) only beats the 1% fee if you take more than about $3,500 a month in online card payments through Yardbook. Below that, free Starter plus the fee costs less. Stripe’s own card fees apply on top either way.
- Ads on Yardbook. Yardbook says its free product is paid for by a sponsored-ad model. The pricing page lists “no ads” only under Enterprise ($49.99/month), so expect ads on the lower plans.
- Jobber’s extra users. A helper who logs in costs $29/month more, so Core with one helper is $58/month on annual billing (our math).
- GorillaDesk’s texts and extra routes. SMS is $5/month plus credits: $50 for 1,000, $100 for 2,500, or $200 for 8,000. A second truck on Basic adds $50/month for the second route.
- Phones. Yardbook’s pricing page lists web, desktop and Android apps. We didn’t find an iPhone app mentioned on its pages, so check before you sign up if you use an iPhone.
3. Who each one fits
Yardbook fits a truck-and-trailer business that wants to start at $0 and doesn’t mind ads. It lists chemical tracking, which helps if you also do fertilizer or weed control. Free Starter has no stated user limit, but we couldn’t see how it handles a helper’s login, so test that.
Jobber Core fits an owner-operator who works alone and wants quotes, invoices and online payments in a polished app. The price jumps once anyone else needs a login.
GorillaDesk Basic fits a one-truck crew with one or two helpers. Everyone logs in free, and the cost is per route. It lists a freeze option for seasonal businesses on monthly plans, which is useful in winter.
4. When cheap stops being enough
Most one-truck businesses won’t need these yet. Both publish a starting price, and both are a big step up:
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| Feature | Service Autopilot | LMN |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (as published) | Startup $49/month. Pro $199/month. Pro Plus $499/month. All pricing is based on annual subscription rates. | Starter $297/month, billed monthly. Professional $648/month. |
| What the starter plan includes | 1 business user and 1 mobile license. Route optimization and job costing are listed from Pro. | 1 office/crew-lead license and 5 crew-member licenses. Aimed at companies with fewer than 10 employees. |
| Other costs | Some add-ons, such as Client Portal and Smart Maps, show “Call for Pricing.” The page doesn’t state setup or onboarding costs, so ask on the demo call. | A one-time onboarding fee applies. The amount isn’t published. |
Sources: Service Autopilot pricing and LMN pricing, checked October 23, 2026. For one truck, we’d only look at these if you plan to add crews and want job costing and budgeting tools.
Bottom line
Start on Yardbook’s free plan if you want to spend nothing, and watch the 1% card fee and the ads. Choose Jobber Core if you work alone and want a polished app, or GorillaDesk Basic if a helper rides along. Run one real week of jobs and one real invoice through your top two before you pay for a year.
Before you pay
- Count the people who need a login, not just the owner.
- Ask whether card fees and text messages are billed on top of the plan.
- Use the free trial with your real customer list before paying for a year.
Start a free trial of your top two:
Checked on the vendors’ pricing pages on October 23, 2026: Yardbook, Jobber, GorillaDesk, Service Autopilot and LMN. Prices and features change. Spot something out of date? Email mopandmower@gmail.com.
Related guides
- Growing to two crews? Read Best Software for a Lawn Care Business with 1-2 Crews.
- Want the full GorillaDesk price breakdown? See GorillaDesk Pricing Explained: Routes and Text-Message Credits.
- Comparing the two user-based tools? See Housecall Pro vs Jobber for Cleaning and Landscaping.
- More lawn care software guides
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