If you run a mowing route by yourself, or with one helper, you probably don’t want to pay for software built for a 20-person landscaping company. That is why Yardbook and LawnBook end up in the same search. Both offer a way to start at $0, and both aim to replace the notebook, the spreadsheet, and the pile of paper invoices on your passenger seat.
They take very different approaches, though. Yardbook is web-based software with an ad-supported free tier. LawnBook is a mobile app that stores your records on your phone and works without an account. This comparison covers where each one fits, including the limits of LawnBook’s free plan, because those limits may decide the question for you.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | LawnBook | Yardbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan; paid plans from $9.99/month | Free ad-supported tier; paid tiers available |
| Works Offline | Yes, for core records; online tasks need signal | Web-based, so plan on needing a connection |
| Account Required | No; sign-in is optional | Yes, plan on creating one to use the web service |
| Best For | Solo operators and small crews who work from their phone | Owners who prefer running the office from a computer |
| Platform | iPhone, iPad, and Android apps | Web browser; limited mobile experience |
| Key Features | Clients, scheduling, invoices, estimates, expenses, mileage, map measuring | Customer management, scheduling, routing, invoicing |
| Data Privacy | Stored on your device unless you turn on sign-in or sync | Stored with the web service |
Pricing
Both products use a free-plus-paid model, so the useful question is not “which one is free?” but “what do I give up at $0, and what will I pay if I outgrow it?”
Yardbook’s free tier is supported by advertising. That is a fair trade for many operators: you pay nothing and accept ads in your workspace. Paid tiers are available too. Plans change, so check Yardbook’s pricing page for current rates and what each tier adds.
LawnBook’s free plan has no subscription, but it does have caps: 15 clients, 10 jobs in total (active and completed both count), 5 invoices or estimates per month, and 20 expenses per month. Weekly mowing accounts will use up 10 jobs quickly, so treat the free plan as a real way to test the app or run a very small side operation, not as a permanent home for a full route. Paid plans remove those caps and include a 14-day free trial.
| Plan | Monthly | 1 Year | 3 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| LawnBook Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| LawnBook Pro | $9.99 | $79.99 (annual plan) | $239.97 (annual plan) |
| LawnBook Premium | $14.99 | $119.99 (annual plan) | $359.97 (annual plan) |
| LawnBook Crew (5 crew members) | $29.99 | $239.99 (annual plan) | $719.97 (annual plan) |
| LawnBook Crew Plus (10 crew members) | $44.99 | $359.99 (annual plan) | $1,079.97 (annual plan) |
| Yardbook Free | $0 (with ads) | $0 (with ads) | $0 (with ads) |
| Yardbook Paid Tiers | See Yardbook’s current pricing page | ||
Three-year figures assume today’s annual price stays the same for three renewals. Before you compare totals, write down your active client count and how many invoices you send in your busiest month. Those two numbers will tell you more than any feature list, since a free tier only saves you money if it actually holds your business.
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Features
Where Yardbook does well. Yardbook has been around long enough to build a following among lawn care owners, and its focus on the trade shows. It covers the basics a small operation needs: customer records, scheduling, routing, and invoicing. Its browser-based design also has a real advantage that gets overlooked. If you do your admin at a kitchen table on Sunday night, a full-size screen and keyboard make it much easier to review a month of invoices or clean up customer records than a phone does.
Where LawnBook does well. LawnBook is built for the person standing next to the trailer with one bar of service. These tools are included even on the free plan, within its limits:
- Client and job records: contact details, property information, and job scheduling on a calendar
- Invoices and estimates: create them on the spot rather than saving them for the weekend
- Map measurement and mow time estimates: draw on a satellite map to measure a lot, then estimate time by mower type before you quote
- Mileage and expenses: keep a running record for tax season
- Supply inventory and a mulch calculator: useful when you are bidding bed work
Paid plans add the tools that matter once the route is established:
- Pro: unlimited records, route optimization, Stripe payments, automated reminders, a client invoice portal, QuickBooks and Xero exports, and a tax center
- Premium: a receipt scanner, auto scheduler, voice entry, before-and-after photo comparisons, and a GPS crew time clock for one crew member
- Crew and Crew Plus: more crew seats, plus manager, worker, and viewer roles
What this looks like in a normal week. Say a homeowner flags you down while you are mowing next door and asks for a price. With a phone-first app, you can measure the lot from the map, write the estimate, and send it before you load up, assuming you have signal to send it. If you don’t, the estimate is ready to go when you do. With a tool built around the browser, many operators will jot the request down and handle it at the computer that evening. Neither approach is wrong, but one suits a business run from the truck and the other suits one with a regular office routine.
The same idea applies to the rest of your work. Some operators also run a second line of business, and the best software usually matches the specific job. If your household or a friend runs a cleaning company, ShineBook applies the same phone-first approach to residential and commercial cleaning. If you do freelance or side work outside your lawn route, Stintly is built for self-employed time tracking and small business finances.
Want to try LawnBook for free? Download on the App Store — no subscription required.
Offline & Privacy
This is the clearest difference between the two products.
Lawn care does not always happen where cell coverage is good. Rural properties, new subdivisions, and even the back side of a hill can leave you without a usable connection. Web-based software depends on that connection, and a limited mobile experience adds friction when you are working from your phone.
LawnBook stores your core records on your device, so looking up a gate code, checking today’s schedule, or adding a job doesn’t depend on signal. To be precise about the limits: anything that has to reach the outside world still needs a connection. That includes emailing an invoice, taking an online payment, and loading satellite map imagery. Those tasks wait until you are back in coverage.
On privacy, LawnBook gives you a choice:
- Skip sign-in entirely. You can use the app without creating an account, and your records stay on your device.
- Turn on backup or sync if you want it. You can use iCloud or Google Drive backup, or sign in to sync across devices. Crew features require sign-in because data has to move between people.
A local-only setup has one responsibility that comes with it: if your phone is lost and you never turned on a backup, your records can go with it. Turn on backup in your first week.
Your customer list is one of the most valuable things your business owns, so it is worth knowing where it lives. With a web service, a company stores it for you, which has its own benefit: you can sign in from any computer and your data is there. With a local-first app, you control it, and you are also responsible for backing it up. Decide which of those trade-offs you would rather live with.
Who Should Use Yardbook
Yardbook is a sensible choice if:
- You do your admin at a computer. If most invoicing and scheduling happens at a desk, a browser-first tool suits your routine.
- You need to stay at $0 with more than a handful of accounts. LawnBook’s free caps are tight, so compare them with Yardbook’s current free tier limits before you decide.
- You don’t mind ads. If ads are not a distraction, that is a fair price for free software.
- Your routes have dependable coverage. Connection-dependent software is much less of a problem in a dense suburban or urban service area.
- You want your data reachable from any computer. A shared browser login can be convenient if a spouse or office helper handles the books.
Who Should Use LawnBook
LawnBook is the stronger fit if:
- Your phone is your office. If you quote, schedule, and invoice between stops, a dedicated mobile app will feel more natural than a web tool.
- You work in spotty coverage. Your records stay available on the rural route where a browser may not load.
- You want to try it without signing up. You can install it and test it with real clients without creating an account.
- You would rather not see ads. Your workspace stays focused on your work.
- You care where client data is stored. You can keep records on your own device unless you choose to sync them.
- You expect to add a helper. Crew seats, roles, and a GPS time clock are available on higher plans, so you can stay in the same app as you grow.
LawnBook is probably not the right pick if you need a permanent free plan for a 40-client route, or if you strongly prefer doing everything on a large screen. The free plan will not hold that many clients, and the app is designed around the phone.
The Bottom Line
Choose based on where you work and how many accounts you have, not on the word “free.”
- Mostly at a desk, with a route that has good coverage, and a firm $0 budget? Start with Yardbook’s free tier.
- Mostly on your phone, often in weak coverage, and uninterested in ads or signing up? Start with LawnBook.
- Growing past 15 clients on LawnBook? Use the 14-day trial on a paid plan and see whether route optimization, automated reminders, and online payments save enough time to cover the $9.99 per month.
Our recommendation is simple: try both with a small slice of your real customers. Enter five clients, schedule next week, and send one invoice from wherever you normally do that work. An afternoon of testing will tell you more than any comparison article, including this one. If you find yourself in the truck, with your phone, wishing the software would just open and work, LawnBook is likely your answer.
Ready to switch? Download on the App Store — it takes 30 seconds and costs nothing.