Best all-round
Jobber Connect
Route optimization at $139/mo in the app you already quote and invoice from.
Most trucks for the money
GorillaDesk Pro
$99 per route with unlimited users, so crew size doesn't raise the bill.
Cheapest start
LawnPro
Free for one user; routing on Grow at $129/mo when the route fills.
Five-person crew, GPS first
Housecall Pro Essentials
Five users, route grouping and employee GPS at $189/mo; full optimization on Max.
Drive time is the cost on a mowing route that nobody invoices. Route optimization reorders each crew's stops for the shortest drive, and on every platform here it is the feature that pushes you up a pricing tier. This comparison looks only at routing: which plan unlocks it, what that plan costs and how many people it covers. For the full feature picture, see the best lawn care software comparison, and for head-to-heads, Jobber vs Housecall Pro and Jobber vs Service Autopilot.
Route Optimization: The Plan You Actually Need
Every platform here schedules jobs. The question is which plan reorders a day's stops for the shortest drive, and what it costs to reach it. Prices are monthly list prices checked on each vendor's site in October 2026.
| Platform | Routing starts on | Price | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber | Connect and up | $139/mo | 1 user; +$29 per user, or a 5-user Connect bundle at $199/mo |
| Housecall Pro | Max (full optimization) | $329/mo | 8 users on Max; extra users $35/mo each |
| Service Autopilot | Pro | $199/mo + sign-up fee | 1 business user and 2 mobile users on Pro |
| GorillaDesk | Pro (drive-time routing) | $99/mo per route | Unlimited users, priced per route |
| LawnPro | Grow and up | $129/mo | 7 users on Grow |
How Each Platform Handles Routes
Jobber
Connect and upBest for: Owner-operators and small crews who want routing inside the same app as quotes and invoices
Below the routing tier: Core ($49/mo) schedules and dispatches but has no route optimization
Jobber's help center confirms route optimization on Connect, Grow and Plus. It says GPS waypoint tracking is on “select plans” without naming them, so ask before you buy if live crew location matters.
Housecall Pro
Max (full optimization)Best for: Crews that need GPS and basic route grouping at five users, with optimization later
Below the routing tier: Essentials ($189/mo, 5 users) groups and orders jobs into routes and adds employee GPS
Housecall Pro splits routing across tiers: Essentials sequences a day's jobs, while full route optimization sits on Max.
Service Autopilot
ProBest for: Recurring-route lawn and chemical companies that want automations to grow into
Below the routing tier: Startup ($49/mo) for a single operator
Prices are published on annual subscriptions, and the sign-up fee amount is not published. Service Autopilot's own pricing page disagrees with itself on whether routing starts at Startup or Pro; its plan cards say Pro.
GorillaDesk
Pro (drive-time routing)Best for: Multi-truck routes where per-user pricing would get expensive
Below the routing tier: Basic ($49/mo per route) has basic routing capped at 25 stops
Pricing is per route rather than per user, so a three-person crew on one truck costs the same as one person. GPS tracking comes with Pro.
LawnPro
Grow and upBest for: Lawn-only businesses on a budget that want to start free
Below the routing tier: Solo is free for 1 user and 25 customers; Startup is $39/mo for 3 users
The free Solo plan has no live crew location. Route optimization unlocks on Grow.
Do You Need Routing Software Yet?
Fewer than 15 stops a day in one area
A printed or shared schedule, sorted by street, is usually enough. Route software earns its fee when the order of stops stops being obvious.
Two or more crews, or stops spread across town
Optimization starts paying back: each crew's day is reordered for drive time, and a cancellation doesn't mean redrawing the map by hand.
Bi-weekly and every-10-day clients mixed in
This is where spreadsheets break. Recurring visits that land on different days each week need software that rebuilds the route each time.
If you are still in the first group, start with the free lawn care schedule template and move up when the route outgrows it. All five platforms here offer a free trial or a free plan; run your real Monday route through two of them before you commit.
Common Questions
Is route optimization the same as GPS tracking?
No. Route optimization plans the order of stops before the day starts; GPS tracking shows where the crew is during the day. Platforms often put them on different plans, as Jobber and Housecall Pro do, so check both if you need both.
Is there free lawn care routing software?
LawnPro's Solo plan is free for one user and 25 customers, but route optimization starts on its paid Grow plan. GorillaDesk's $49 Basic plan includes basic routing up to 25 stops. Google Maps can order a handful of stops by hand, which is enough for a small route.
Which is cheapest for a three-person crew on one truck?
GorillaDesk prices per route rather than per user, so one truck on Pro is $99 a month whatever the crew size. On per-user plans, compare the routing tier's included users before adding seats.
Prices change often and some vendors publish annual rather than monthly rates. Every figure here was checked on the vendor's own pricing or help pages in October 2026; confirm the current plan on the vendor's site before you buy. MowBook has no affiliate relationship with any vendor listed.