ZenMaid vs. The Cleaning Software: Which One Works Best for Cleaning Businesses?
It may be in their name, but The Cleaning Software isn’t automatically the best software for cleaners 😉 Especially if your business runs on recurring clients and fast scheduling!
A newer competitor in the cleaning industry, The Cleaning Software positions itself as a “deep operations + finance automation platform” for cleaning companies.
ZenMaid is also cleaning-first — but built around how most residential cleaning businesses actually run every day: recurring schedules, predictable rotations, cleaner-friendly mobile workflows, simple payroll, and straightforward automations that don’t require a huge time and effort sink to maintain.
If you’re not sure which to choose, this page is here to help you figure out whether ZenMaid or The Cleaning Software (TCS) is the better fit for your maid service.
What you’ll find on this page:
A side-by-side feature comparison (with a clear winner)
Where TCS shines — and why that doesn’t mean it’s right for you
How ZenMaid aligns with real cleaning workflows
A no-fluff pricing breakdown
The top reasons cleaners switch to ZenMaid and how easy migration is
Let’s start with a simple breakdown:
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. The Cleaning Software: Feature Breakdown at a Glance
Starts at $19/mo
Starts around $450/mo
Pricing
Starts at $19/mo with clear tiers
Premium pricing tied to automation depth — cost climbs fast even if you don’t use the complexity
Scheduling
Recurring-first, fastest calendar edits, Spotfinder fills gaps automatically
Map-first routing + route memory + mileage automation (heavier than most cleaning teams need day-to-day)
Cleaner mobile app
Minimal, cleaner-friendly app with checklists, notes, SOS, PTO
Heavy on timers + field-tracking — helpful for strict ops, but can feel like micromanagement to cleaners
Client reminders & texting
Automated email + SMS reminders that keep recurring clients showing up
Reminders bundled into a large automation stack
Payments flow
Invoicing + bulk charging built for recurring service
Default auto-charging on completion (risky for recurring clients who expect review/consistency before billing)
Payroll & team pay
Cleaner PTO, GPS check-in, checklists, team notes
Payroll logic built into scheduling — nice if you run complex pay models, but unnecessary if payroll is already simple
Job setup
Quick recurring job setup with flexible edits
Advanced job setup with calculators + layers — power at the cost of speed and simplicity
Route awareness
Calendar + map views — aka routing when you need it
Route density tools are the core workflow, which is slower for quick recurring schedule changes
You don’t need more complexity in your life. You need software that fits how cleaning teams work.
The Cleaning Software is selling a very specific dream: map-first routing, automatic credit card charge on completion, and payroll that “runs itself.”
Cool, but most residential cleaning businesses don’t fall apart because they lack payroll automation inside their scheduler.
ZenMaid was built in collaboration with cleaning businesses, and with 13+ years of history and multiple cleaning business owners on the team, the reality says otherwise. Cleaning businesses actually fall apart because scheduling gets messy, cleaners miss details, clients get confused, and owners spend their evenings patching holes in the calendar.
What you don’t need:
A routing system that makes every schedule change feel like logistics homework
Default auto-charging the moment a cleaner taps “complete” (hello disputes and surprise charges)
Payroll rules, mileage logic, and pay calculators living inside your scheduling tool
“Advanced job entry” that’s powerful but slower to set up and maintain
What you do need:
Recurring-first scheduling that stays flexible when clients reschedule or skip
A fast calendar flow built for packed weekly rotations
A cleaner-friendly mobile app with checklists, notes, SOS, GPS check-in, and PTO
Automations tied to completed cleans and client communication (that’s right — not a finance stack)
ZenMaid was built on those realities. Because that’s what most cleaning teams live in every day.
Let’s set the record straight: Why you need ZenMaid
The Cleaning Software has a few qualities that they attribute to why they’re a better pick. Here’s what’s actually true — and why ZenMaid is still the smarter choice for most cleaning businesses 😉
“Route-smart scheduling with route memory and auto mileage”
Yes, TCS has a live map and automatic mileage tracking.
But the real question is this: do you want your scheduling system to be a routing system first?
Most residential cleaning businesses don’t. Instead, they need recurring schedules that stay flexible when real life happens.
ZenMaid gives you route awareness without requiring route engineering. Your calendar stays the center of gravity with recurring clients, same-day rotations, etc. You can make fast edits that won’t spiral into re-optimizing entire neighborhoods.
Routing is useful, but it shouldn’t be your whole scheduling personality.
“Automatic charge on completion”
TCS pushes instant auto-charge as a universal win. Well, we’ve been around the block a few times, and we know that’s actually not a good thing.
In cleaning, auto-charging by default can:
Create an unwanted surprise for clients if timing shifts mid-day
Block owner review on big invoices (deep cleans, add-ons, breakage fixes)
Increase disputes when someone taps “complete” too early (yes, this happens more than you’d like to think)
ZenMaid’s billing flow fits recurring cleaning reality. You’ll charge cleanly, not impulsively.
“Payroll that runs itself”
TCS bakes payroll logic into the platform. That sounds great if you’re running high-volume teams with complex performance pay and mileage rules.
But for most maid services, payroll is either:
Already handled by a payroll tool, or
Simple enough that you don’t need a premium automation suite to run it
ZenMaid keeps your software focused on what truly makes or breaks your week: scheduling, employees showing up and doing the work, overall team execution, and client communication.
Take it from us — please don’t pay for finance machinery you don’t need yet
"I was spending hours inside The Cleaning software 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."
“ZenMaid starter limits appointments”!
Oh, that’s cute! TCS frames ZenMaid’s starter plan limits like a gotcha. Even if you accept that framing, the practical reality stays the same:
ZenMaid’s entry pricing is dramatically lower and built for recurring growth. No, it’s not about volume penalties. We know that most cleaning businesses aren’t starting out with 15 employees and 100+ clients, which is why we’ve built out a starter plan for reality.
TCS starts far higher and climbs quickly with users and tiers. And for most cleaning businesses, that cost gap wipes out any “automation savings” they’re promising.
Here’s the bottom line: TCS sells depth as the default answer. ZenMaid is the default answer because it matches how recurring cleaning businesses actually run.
Pricing That Makes Sense for Cleaning Teams 🙌
ZenMaid starts at $19/month and comes with all the core tools a residential cleaning company needs included from the start.
TCS positions itself as premium and deep. Their published pricing references:
Starter around $97/month (with a limited number of users)
Pro around $297/month
Agency around $597/month (plus per-user add-ons. )
This is not a “small upgrade.” It’s actually a different pricing universe 😅
Unless you’re already running dense, multi-team logistics at high volume, ZenMaid gives you better ROI and less admin drag.
Switching from The Cleaning Software? 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.
