ZenMaid vs. Connecteam: Which One’s Right for Cleaning Businesses?
Connecteam is a popular workforce-management app for “deskless teams.” Think restaurants, retail, field crews, hospitality, and general service businesses. Its focus is on tools for employee scheduling, GPS time tracking, task lists, forms, internal chat, training, and HR workflows.
Even though we love that for them, Connecteam is not custom-made for cleaning businesses.
The good news is that ZenMaid is! It was built only for one thing: recurring residential cleaning businesses. That changes everything about how the software feels day to day.
This page helps you decide which tool actually fits your maid service. You’ll find:
A side-by-side feature comparison that makes the choice obvious
When Connecteam makes sense — and when it’s the wrong tool for cleaning ops
How ZenMaid aligns with real recurring cleaning workflows
A clear pricing breakdown
Why cleaning teams switch to ZenMaid and how easy migration is
Let's get into it.
ZenMaid Makes It Simple.
ZenMaid was created by people who actually run cleaning businesses.
Just real cleaning pros who needed better tools and couldn't find them.
So we built them.
What you get with ZenMaid:
Smart Scheduling
Makes sense for recurring cleans, teams, and solo operators
Automated Everything
Reminders, review requests, and follow-ups (included at $19/mo)
Cleaner-Specific Tools
Pay tracking and mobile checklists built specifically for cleaners
Real Support
A support team that actually answers when you need help
You log in.
We set it up for you.
You get back to running your cleaning business.
ZenMaid vs. Connecteam: Feature Breakdown at a Glance
Starts at $19/mo
Starts at $29/mo
Pricing fit for cleaners
Starts at $19/mo with clear tiers and core cleaning tools included
Starts around $29/mo per “Hub” (Operations/Comms/HR) and stacks as you add modules/users
Built for
Recurring residential cleaning teams — cleaning ops are the only priority
General “deskless workforce” across many industries (not specific to any one)
Cleaner mobile app
Cleaner-friendly app with checklists, notes, SOS, PTO
Employee app with time clock, tasks, comms, HR tools — more clutter for cleaners
Client management
Cleaning-specific clients, notes, preferences, repeats, reminders
Employee-centric system; clients aren’t the core object
Checklists & job quality
Built-in cleaning checklists + Service Ratings tied to completed jobs
Generic task/checklist builder not tied to cleaning workflows
Route awareness
Calendar + map views made for neighborhood/recurring routing
GPS/geofencing for time tracking, not route planning
Automation style
Automations that support recurring cleaning ops without overhead
Broad workforce automations and forms — powerful, but setup-heavy for most maid services
Scheduling
Recurring-first calendar built for weekly/biweekly rotations
Shift scheduling for hourly staff; recurring cleans take more setup
You don’t need a workforce app. You need software built specifically for cleaning businesses.
Let’s be clear: Connecteam is built to manage employees.
ZenMaid is built to manage recurring cleans, routes, clients, and cleaners doing their actual jobs.
If you run a residential cleaning business, your biggest pain probably isn’t that “we need more HR tools.” It’s actually:
Recurring schedules that can shift daily
Keeping the same cleaner with the same client
Making route changes without messing up the whole week
Getting cleaners to follow standards consistently
Keeping clients informed automatically
What you don’t need:
A shift-work scheduling tool designed for hourly staff across industries (aka not at all specific to cleaning)
GPS time tracking and geofencing as the “main event” (that’s not what keeps a cleaning calendar stable)
HR + comms modules you pay extra for just to approximate cleaning workflows
What you do need:
Recurring-first scheduling that stays flexible when clients reschedule or skip
Route-aware calendar views made for neighborhoods and repeat rotations
Cleaner-friendly mobile app with checklists, notes, SOS, GPS check-in, and PTO
Cleaning-specific automation tied to completed jobs and client communication
Good news! That’s ZenMaid’s whole reason for existing 😊
Here’s the truth: You need specific software like ZenMaid
Connecteam positions itself as a “ZenMaid alternative” and claims it has everything your cleaning business needs, like GPS time tracking, dispatch assignments, geofencing, shift planning, and more.
But here’s what that misses.
1) “We do scheduling too.”
Yes, Connecteam schedules people. That’s cool, but residential cleaning doesn’t run on shifts like an office janitorial crew would. It actually runs on recurring client appointments with preferences, same-cleaner consistency, and route logic.
ZenMaid’s calendar is designed for recurring cleaning churn. Connecteam’s scheduler is designed for staffing shifts. Those are not the same thing.
2) “GPS tracking and geofencing are a big upgrade.”
GPS time clocks are great for restaurants and construction crews. In cleaning, they’re a nice add-on, but not the whole engine.
ZenMaid already supports GPS check-in where it matters. It’s inside a workflow built for cleaning quality and recurring consistency, not timeclock compliance.
3) “We have checklists and tasks.”
Connecteam has configurable task lists. That’s cool, but so does ZenMaid.
In fact, ZenMaid has cleaning-native checklists plus Service Ratings tied to completed cleans. That means quality control and review growth happen automatically with less work for you.
Generic tasks ≠ cleaning workflow.
4) “We’re cheaper.”
Connecteam looks cheap because the price starts low per Hub. But once you add the modules you actually need (Operations + Comms + HR/Training), the cost stacks quickly as you grow.
ZenMaid is a single cleaning platform starting at $19/mo with core cleaning ops included — no duct-taping modules together.
Here’s the bottom line: Connecteam is a strong general workforce product. ZenMaid is the strong cleaning business product. You don’t want to pay for “general” when your business is specific.
"I was spending hours inside MaidCentral trying to figure out things I didn’t need. ZenMaid just works."
"ZenMaid didn’t just save time, it showed me how to run my cleaning business better."
"ZenMaid didn’t just save time, it showed me how to run my cleaning business better."
Pricing That Makes Sense for Your Cleaning Business
ZenMaid starts at $19/month, with the entire core cleaning-ops stack you need included with it.
Connecteam pricing is modular: operations, communications, and HR/skills each have separate tiered plans, with a free plan under 10 users and paid tiers starting around $29/month per Hub for up to 30 users.
So, in practice:
If you only need a time clock and team chat, Connecteam can be inexpensive
But if you’re trying to run a cleaning business end-to-end from it, you’ll pay more to assemble what ZenMaid already includes
Scheduling Built for Recurring Cleans (Where ZenMaid Wins)
Residential cleaning schedules are living, breathing chaos. We know that because that’s where ZenMaid started (yes, our CEO used to own a cleaning business). Skips, swaps, reschedules, routes — we’ve been there.
ZenMaid was designed for that reality:
Set repeating appointments in seconds
Edit one visit without breaking the series
See routes and gaps clearly
Spotfinder refills cancellations automatically
Connecteam can schedule staff shifts and assign tasks.
But it’s not built for recurring client calendars. Cleaning teams who try it end up rebuilding their workflow in spreadsheets anyway, and who has time for that?
Mobile App: Cleaners Actually Use ZenMaid
ZenMaid’s app is intentionally simple because cleaners are running house-to-house, not sitting at desks (we hope!)
They can:
View jobs clearly
Follow checklists
Read notes and preferences
GPS check-in
Trigger SOS if they’re in an unsafe situation
Request PTO
Connecteam’s app is powerful for employee management, but that power adds clutter for cleaners. And they have enough to do for your clients!
Adoption matters more than feature count. ZenMaid wins because cleaners don’t fight it.
When Connecteam Might Be a Better Fit
We’re not implying that Connecteam can’t ever work — many service businesses do use it and like it. Choose Connecteam if you:
Need a general employee time clock + comms app
Run multiple non-cleaning teams in the same company
Don’t need deep recurring client scheduling inside your software
If that’s your business, Connecteam can be a good choice for you.
When ZenMaid Wins (Most Cleaning Businesses) 🏆
ZenMaid is the better choice if you:
Run a recurring residential cleaning service
Want scheduling speed and simplicity
Need true client + cleaner matching across repeats
Want a cleaner app that your team adopts instantly (with minimal training)
Don’t want to stitch together modules to mimic cleaning ops
ZenMaid isn’t trying to be a workforce platform.
It’s trying to be the best software for recurring cleaning businesses, because that’s the whole reason it exists. And that’s why it wins.
Switching from MaidCentral? We'll make it ridiculously easy.
We’ll do all of this for you:
Move your customer data
Help recreate your automations
Set up your schedule
Walk you through the platform, step by step
And we’ll do it for free.
Free trial.
Free migration.
Free (human) support.
No paying for features you don’t need.
10,000+ cleaners agree — ZenMaid is the right choice
ZenMaid was built for recurring residential cleaning teams. Start your free trial and see how much smoother your calendar, crew, and clients run.
ZenMaid vs. Connecteam: Frequently Asked Questions