For businesses weighing their options
The free Service Autopilot alternative for lawn & snow crews.
Service Autopilot runs $49–$499 a month plus a sign-up fee, bills annually, and saves its automations for the $499 tier. MakeHay is free — automations included, recurring jobs included, weather included — for the crews Service Autopilot was originally built for.
Free forever. No credit card. Set up in minutes.
Switching? We'll help you move your customer list — support@makehay.io.
Side by side
MakeHay vs Service Autopilot, feature by feature
Service Autopilot serves lawn, landscape, and snow crews — work the weather runs, which is exactly what MakeHay's scheduling was built around — so this comparison is the most direct on our site. It has real depth for big multi-crew operations; the question is what a growing crew pays, and waits through, to reach it.
| Feature | MakeHay | Service Autopilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — no monthly plan | $49–$499/mo + sign-up fee, billed annually |
| Automations (follow-ups, reminders) | Free | Pro Plus ($499/mo) or Elite only |
| Recurring jobs / route-day scheduling | Free | |
| Weather warnings per job site (rain, temps, cure windows) | Every visit, from rules you set once per trade (about a minute) | |
| Satellite site measurement | Built in, free | Mapping tools are 'call for pricing' add-ons |
| Payment processor choice | Your own Stripe account | Locked to the vendor's processor |
| Whole-team access | Free | 1–5 mobile licenses + 1 office user included, by tier |
| Client portal (messages, documents, billing) | Free — one private link per customer | Add-on — 'call for pricing' |
| Contracts with e-signature | Free — audit trail + signed PDF | |
| Lead-capture form you can embed on your site | Free — script, popup, or link | |
| Chemical/spray compliance tracking | Strong (add-on) |
Comparison reflects Service Autopilot's published pricing at serviceautopilot.com as of July 2026 (Startup $49/mo, Pro $199/mo, Pro Plus $499/mo, each plus a sign-up fee, on annual subscription terms); add-on availability per its published comparison chart. Prices and terms change — verify with the vendor. Service Autopilot is a trademark of its owner; MakeHay is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Service Autopilot.
See the full pricing comparison and try the free satellite measurement tool before you sign up.
Why businesses switch
Everything you switch for, free
Measure the site before you drive to it
Pull up any address on satellite view, trace the areas, and measure the runs — square feet and linear feet, straight into your quote. Older imagery is one dropdown away when today's photo hides what you need to see.
Quotes in the units you bid in
Per square foot, per linear foot, per item, or flat — with categories so the customer sees a clean total, good/better/best packages when you want to upsell, and one-tap approval that skips the printer.
Weather watching every job
Every scheduled visit carries the forecast for that address, and the rules you set once per trade or service — rain, temps, cure window — turn it into warnings. Rain on the job day, a cold snap that stops a cure, rain inside the cure window after you leave — you get warned first, and pointed to the clearer day.
Scheduling made for real jobs
Multi-day jobs, split visits, recurring routes — drag them on the calendar, and unscheduled work sits in a tray so nothing gets forgotten.
Paid without the chase
Approved quote to invoice in one click. Card and ACH online, checks recorded in seconds, and automatic follow-ups so overdue money doesn't stay overdue.
A portal your customers actually use
Every customer gets one private link — messages with photos, documents you request, a heads-up on any contract waiting for their e-signature, and invoices they pay. No app, no password. Free, like everything else.
An honest note
Service Autopilot's automation engine and dispatch board earned their reputation, and for a 30-person operation running fertilization programs across a metro, its depth — chemical tracking especially — is real. But it prices like the enterprise tool it became: sign-up fees, annual terms, $499/month before automations unlock. If you're a crew of two to ten making hay while the sun shines, MakeHay gives you the working core of that system — plus the weather engine it never built — for free.
FAQ
Common questions
Is MakeHay a good Service Autopilot alternative?
It's the most direct comparison we make: both serve lawn care, landscaping, and snow crews. MakeHay covers the core loop — recurring jobs, route-day scheduling, quotes, invoicing, online payment, and automated follow-ups — free. Service Autopilot adds enterprise depth (job costing, chemical tracking, multi-location) that big operations use and small crews mostly pay for and skip.
How much does Service Autopilot cost compared to MakeHay?
As of July 2026, Service Autopilot publishes $49/month (Startup), $199/month (Pro), and $499/month (Pro Plus), each plus a sign-up fee, on annual subscription terms — and its automation engine, the feature it's famous for, requires the $499 tier. Its published tiers include one office user and one to five mobile licenses. MakeHay is free, automations and recurring jobs included, no sign-up fee, no annual commitment.
What does MakeHay have that Service Autopilot doesn't?
Weather intelligence — surprising for lawn-and-snow software, but Service Autopilot doesn't check the forecast for your job sites. MakeHay pulls the NWS forecast for every visit's address, and one rule set for your trade turns it into warnings: rain on mowing day, a high too cold for an application, rain inside a cure window. Plus free satellite measurement, where SA's mapping tools are priced add-ons.
What does Service Autopilot do that MakeHay doesn't (yet)?
Chemical and spray compliance tracking is genuinely strong there — if you run a licensed fertilization or pest program, that's a real capability we don't have. It also goes deeper on job costing and multi-location management for large operations. Those come at its Pro Plus-tier prices, but they exist.
How do I switch from Service Autopilot to MakeHay?
Sign up free and you're scheduling the same day. Email support@makehay.io with your customer export and we'll help you bring in customers, properties, and recurring schedules. Mind your annual renewal date on the SA side — their downgrades and exits happen at term end.
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