What is cheap software for a cleaning business?
Short answerCheap cleaning software is the one with the lowest full monthly total, not the lowest plan price. Add seats, texting and card processing. Jobber's page lists card processing at 2.9% plus 30 cents, and Housecall Pro's lists card rates as low as 2.59% [1][2]. Those rates can outweigh the subscription.
The explanation
Start by writing three numbers: how many people log in, how many dollars you charge by card each month, and how many reminder texts go out. The plan price handles the first. The card rate handles the second. The third depends on who supplies the texting.
Then price card fees honestly. A cleaner who collects 6,000 dollars a month by card pays more in processing than in the subscription on almost any plan. A difference of half a percentage point between vendors can matter more than a ten dollar plan difference [1][2].
Finally check what the plan price leaves out. Texting, AI answering, marketing tools and extra users are often separate lines. Ask each vendor for the all-in number for your team size in writing, and compare those numbers, not the banner price.
Steps
- Count logins, monthly card volume and reminder texts.
- Ask each vendor for an all-in monthly quote in writing.
- Add card fees at the quoted rate to each subscription.
- Compare the totals and note which fees can change.
What to watch for
- Comparing plan prices while ignoring the card rate.
- Text and marketing bundles added after sign-up.
In residential cleaning (maid service)
Cleaners often collect by card on the day of service, so processing fees on weekly clients can become the biggest software cost of all. All residential cleaning (maid service) scheduling questions.
How Apex does it
In progress
Part of this is built. The rest is not. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
Apex charges a user-based subscription, from $59 a month for one user. Card processing is the processor's own rate with no Apex margin, and texts run on your own provider account or a prepaid wallet that is rolling out. Both features carry status badges.
- IN05Credit/debit card processing(Rolling out)
- CM01Two-way SMS from business number(In progress)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
Sources
- Jobber pricing page (read 2026-10-07)
- Housecall Pro pricing page (read 2026-10-07)
Where this question comes from: owners type it, or a close variant, into search boxes. It was returned by public search suggestions (Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo) when we collected them on 2026-10-06; the exact phrase seen was “cheap cleaning business software”. We do not have search volumes.