Is Yardbook really free?

Yardbook offers a free plan for basic scheduling and invoicing. Some features — including advanced reporting, QuickBooks sync, and certain automations — require a paid Yardbook plan. ProBase is free for all features with no paid tier.

How does Yardbook compare to ProBase for lawn care?

Yardbook and ProBase both offer free scheduling, invoicing, and customer management. ProBase differentiates with built-in tip collection (52% of customers tip at 18%), AI-generated service notes, and route optimization — all free. Yardbook offers QuickBooks integration and more robust accounting features that ProBase doesn't currently support.

Which is better for a small lawn care business — Yardbook or ProBase?

For solo operators and small crews focused on maximizing revenue from existing accounts, ProBase's tip collection feature alone often makes it the better choice — 52% of customers tip at 18% when prompted. For businesses that need accounting integration or already use QuickBooks, Yardbook may be the stronger fit.

ProBase vs Yardbook

Two Free Options for Lawn Care Pros. Here's the Difference.

Yardbook is the original free lawn care software. ProBase is what free looks like when a company who's seen half a billion home services transactions builds software. Here's an honest comparison.

The Short Version

If you're short on time, start here.

Choose Yardbook if…

You need chemical/pesticide compliance logging for free
You need offline mode without cell service in the field
You don't mind an ad-sponsored experience

Best for 1–5 Crews

Choose ProBase if…

You're on an iPhone (Yardbook's iOS app is still in beta)
You want a clean, ad-free experience at $0
You want reliable invoice delivery — no spam folder surprises
You want tools that help you get more customers, not just manage them

What You'll Pay

Both start free. But they're not the same free.

	ProBase	Yardbook
Free plan	$0 — no ads, no transaction surcharge	$0 — ad-supported, +1% transaction fee
Mobile app	iPhone & Android — no download needed	Android-native; iOS beta
2 users (paid)	$0/month	$69.98/month (Business)
3 users (paid)	$0/month	$104.97/month (Business)
Annual cost (2 users)	$0	$839.76

You save every year (2 users)

$840

Put it back in your business

ProBase is free. No ads. No transaction surcharge. No per-user fees as you grow.

Yardbook's free plan is genuinely usable — but it's ad-supported, adds a 1% transaction fee on top of Stripe's standard rate (effectively ~3.9% + $0.30 per payment), and the iOS app has been "in beta" for years. The moment you add a team member on Yardbook Business, you're paying $34.99 per user per month. Three users? $105/month. ProBase is $0 at any crew size.

The Per-User Growth Tax

What Yardbook Business costs as your crew grows.

Crew Size	Yardbook Business	ProBase	Annual Difference
2 users	$840/yr	$0	+$840
3 users	$1,260/yr	$0	+$1,260
5 users	$2,100/yr	$0	+$2,100
7 users	$2,940/yr	$0	+$2,940

Yardbook's free plan is a genuine tool for solo operators just starting out. But every crew member you add costs $34.99/month. By the time you're running a 5-person operation, Yardbook Business costs $2,100/year. ProBase costs $0 at any size. The per-user tax is real, and it grows with you.

The Honest Truth About Features

Yardbook has some things ProBase doesn't. Here's a straight look.

Yardbook's extras

Chemical Compliance Logging

Auto-generates state compliance reports with GPS and weather data

Route Optimization (Free)

Up to 100 stops, Google Maps-based, drag-and-drop

Equipment Maintenance

Track service intervals on mowers, blowers, trucks

GPS Tracking (Paid)

Business/Enterprise only — Android only, syncs every 4 hours

If pesticide compliance logging is a daily need, Yardbook's free tier is hard to beat for that specific use case.

What you actually need

Route Management

See your stops. Tap to open in Google Maps or Apple Maps. Go.

Job Scheduling

Recurring routes. One-off jobs.

Customer Info

Notes, gate codes, property access.

Invoicing

Send it. Get paid. Done.

ProBase does these. On iOS and Android. Ad-free. For free.

What ProBase Has That Yardbook Doesn't

Tools to help you grow — not just manage.

Feature	ProBase	Yardbook
Works on iPhone	✓ Add to home screen	iOS beta only
Ad-free interface	✓	✗ Free plan is ad-supported
No transaction surcharge	✓	✗ +1% on free plan
Automated review requests	Coming soon	✗
Tip collection	✓	✗

Automated Review Requests

After every service, customers get a prompt to leave a Google review. More reviews = higher rankings = more calls. Yardbook doesn't have this. (Coming soon)

Tip Collection

Built into online payments. Customers can add a tip when they pay. The system was developed across half a billion real service transactions. Pros earn tips on 52% of jobs, averaging 18% of the total. Yardbook doesn't have this.

Yardbook is great at helping you stay organized. ProBase helps you grow.

What Yardbook Does Better

We'll be honest about this.

Feature	Yardbook	ProBase
Chemical/pesticide compliance logging	✓ Free tier	✗
Equipment maintenance tracking	✓ Free tier	Coming soon
Route optimization	✓ Free tier	✓
Offline mode	✓ Android	✗

If you spray pesticides and need state-compliant application logs automatically generated with GPS coordinates and weather data, Yardbook's free tier has a real advantage. If that's a daily workflow requirement, it might be worth staying on Yardbook's free plan for that feature alone — while we build it. For everything else, ProBase is cleaner, ad-free, and works on iPhone.

Switching From Yardbook

No lock-in. Here's what to expect.

What's easy

Export your customer list from Yardbook (Excel export)
Upload it to ProBase during signup
Free onboarding support included
Most operators are running routes within a day
No contracts, no cancellation fees

What takes adjustment

Different interface — simpler, but different
Chemical compliance logging isn't here yet
Building new habits for your daily workflow

Our honest advice: If you're licensed for pesticide application and rely on Yardbook's compliance logs every day, it makes sense to wait until we build that feature. If you're mostly logging jobs, invoicing, and managing customers — and you're tired of ads, invoice deliverability issues, or being Android-only — ProBase is worth a try.

What Lawn Pros Say About Yardbook

Pain points we hear. We're not here to trash Yardbook — but these come up.

What lawn pros say	How ProBase handles it
"Only works on Android — I have an iPhone"Yardbook's iOS app has been "in beta" for years with no announced release date	Works on iPhone and Android. Add to home screen — no App Store download needed.
"My invoices keep going to spam"Yardbook's shared sending domain triggers spam filters on Yahoo Mail and Gmail (documented LawnSite thread)	SMS-first. Texts get through. Email delivery built on proper infrastructure.
"No two-factor authentication — it's a security risk"Robert C., Capterra — explicitly switched away because of missing 2FA	Your customer data and payment info are protected.
"The free plan shows ads while I'm in front of customers"Yardbook's free tier is explicitly ad-supported	Zero ads. Ever. Free or not.
"GPS only syncs every 4 hours — useless for dispatching"Yardbook's Business GPS is not real-time; manual sync required, Android-only	Real-time GPS coming soon.
"UI feels outdated compared to newer apps"Jeremy H., Capterra — cited dated interface as a known limitation	Modern, clean app built from the ground up.
"We got too large for it after two seasons"Ryan D., Capterra — Yardbook is widely described as a starting tool, not a scaling one	Built for 1–5 crews, with the infrastructure to grow.

Sources: Capterra, LawnSite, LawnCrewPro, Connecteam, QuoteIQ (2024–2026). Plenty of Yardbook users are happy — especially solo operators on Android who need the free chemical logging. But if any of these sound familiar, ProBase might be worth a look.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we get most often.

ProBase is free because we partner with marketplaces. You can pick up new lawn care jobs through ProBase if you want — we take a cut on those. You're never required to. Every tool stays free either way. No ads, no transaction surcharge, no per-user fees.

Yes. Export your customer list from Yardbook as an Excel file and upload it during ProBase signup. We'll help you get your roster and job history set up. Most operators are running their routes the same day.

Not yet. Yardbook's free chemical compliance logging (with GPS and weather data auto-populated) is a genuine strength — especially for licensed pesticide applicators. It's on our roadmap. If this is a daily requirement, Yardbook's free tier is worth keeping for that specific workflow while we build it.

Yes — ProBase is a web app that works on any phone with a browser. Add it to your home screen and it works like a native app, no App Store download needed. Yardbook is built primarily for Android; their iOS app has been in beta for years. If you or your crew uses iPhones, ProBase works properly out of the box.

Yes. Route management is built in — see your day's stops, tap to navigate. Yardbook's free tier includes a similar drag-and-drop optimizer for up to 100 stops. Both handle daily routing for 1–5 crew operations well.

Yes. Automated review requests will prompt customers after every service — more Google reviews means higher local search rankings, which means more inbound calls. Yardbook doesn't have this. (Coming soon)

No. Your data is yours. Export anytime. We don't lock you in.

The right tool depends on your business.

If you need pesticide compliance logging or work somewhere without cell service, Yardbook's free tier is solid. If you want an ad-free app, invoices that land in inboxes, and tools that help you grow, give ProBase a try.

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