LawnStarter Review: Reviews, Services, Prices, and Alternatives

LawnStarter has been called the Uber of lawn care, but is it legit? Short answer? Yes. Longer answer? You’ll find all you need to know in our LawnStarter review of its services, prices, customer reviews, and competitors. 

Interestingly, LawnStarter’s co-founders don’t want to be likened to Uber, but that moniker has stuck in investment circles.

“So many people are trying to make an ‘Uber for X’. There’s only one Uber, and that’s Uber,” LawnStarter co-founder Ryan Farley says. “We’re not an on-demand, real-time company. It makes no sense for lawn care to be that way.”

Whether the company is Uber-like or not, it has become the largest, most popular way for homeowners to care for their lawn, and for good reason.

In this Review:

• What is LawnStarter?
• LawnStarter Services
• LawnStarter Prices
• How LawnStarter Works
• LawnStarter vs. Competitors
• LawnStarter Pros and Cons
• LawnStarter User Reviews
• Win-Win: Go With LawnStarter … or WikiLawn

Why is Wikilawn reviewing LawnStarter? Wikilawn was created to compete with LawnStarter and similar sites, and our aim is to one day be better than all of them.

What is LawnStarter?

LawnStarter connects you with lawn care and other outdoor services pros in your area. 

How it works: You can get instant quotes for outdoor services by phone, the LawnStarter website, or by the startup’s app, which likely is how that whole “Uber of lawn care” comparison got started. 

Payment is by credit card or debit card, and if your pro did a great job, you can even tip her or him via the app.

LawnStarter history: LawnStarter started in Austin, Texas, in 2013, as a lawn care service provider. The company has grown and now operates in nearly every major metro across the U.S. and can connect you with pros for all sorts of outdoor services. 

LawnStarter Services

The Uber of lawn care is now the Uber of all outdoor services. 

• Preventive pest control? LawnStarter offers it. 
• Fertilization and lawn treatment plans? Order that from LawnStarter.
• Want a landscaping makeover? LawnStarter also checks that box.
• Need a fence installed or a roof replaced? LawnStarter connects you to pros near you who can do the job.
• Pool service? LawnStarter will keep you in the swim of things. 

LawnStarter Lawn Care Prices

LawnStarter uses local real estate records to calculate the size of your property and then generates a price quote. It often offers a $19 first-time mowing special for new customers. After that, mowing prices generally start at $29 per week. Price varies by the size of your yard. 

A good range for an average, quarter-acre yard is $29 to $65. That includes edging and blowing grass clippings off patios and walkways. Generally, LawnStarter’s lawn care pros don’t bag clippings. They may if you request it, but expect to pay slightly more.

Worth Noting: If your grass is super long, say between 6 and 12 inches, LawnStarter tacks on an additional charge, which can be quite steep.

Prices for Other Services

LawnStarter offers 20-plus outdoor services. It’s nearly impossible here to quote an average price for each service because the cost varies somewhat depending upon the size of your home or property, the type of work you need done, the region in which you live, and other factors.

However, you can get free quotes for any kind of work within seconds on the LawnStarter website or on the app.

Or … Try Wikilawn

Just want your lawn mowed and kept in tip-top shape? Maybe you’ll decide that LawnStarter, with all of its various services, is a non-starter for you. After all, can one site do everything well? 

Try us at Wikilawn. You simply choose the lawn care service you want, put in your address, and we put your job out to bid to local yard care professionals. 

The price quotes you get back will depend on the size of your yard and other factors, but we cast a really wide net through sites like Lawn Love, HomeAdvisor, and Networx to ensure you get the best price possible.

How LawnStarter Works

So how do you use LawnStarter? 

Visit LawnStarter or log onto the mobile app. Enter your address, name, and phone number into the search bar, and click the “Request Quote” button. 

Note: LawnStarter’s app offers a more stripped-down menu of services. If you want to book lawn care services, the app works great. If you want other outdoor services, the LawnStarter website is your better option.

Choose one or more services from the menu. For lawn care, choose your frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly).

Click “Get Free Quotes” (after you ensure your contact information is correct, of course). 

What’s next?

For lawn care services: LawnStarter will match you with a lawn care provider near you and your first service will be scheduled. 

LawnStarter vs. Competitors

LawnStarter offers more services than competitors Lawn Love and GreenPal, but here’s a closer look at how LawnStarter, Lawn Love, GreenPal, and Wikilawn compare. 

Metro areas covered	120+
Services offered	20+
Customer reviews (average as of the publishing date)	4.8 out of 5
How it works	A LawnStarter pro near you mows your lawn at the frequency (weekly, biweekly, monthly) you choose.
Ways to book service	Website, phone, or mobile app
Basic price	Depends on services requested and/or mowing frequency. By visiting the website, you may be offered your first mow for $19.
Year founded	2013
Based in	Austin, Texas
Better Business Bureau accredited?	No

Metro areas covered	120+
Services offered	10+
Customer reviews (average as of the publishing date)	4.7 out of 5 stars
How it works	A Lawn Love pro near you mows your lawn at the frequency (weekly, biweekly, monthly) you choose.
Ways to book service	Website or phone
Basic price	Depends on services requested and/or mowing frequency. By visiting the website, you may be offered your first mow for $24.
Year founded	2014
Based in	San Diego
Better Business Bureau accredited?	Yes

Metro areas covered	100+
Services offered	Lawn care, lawn maintenance, yard cleanups, snow removal
Customer reviews (average as of the publishing date)	4.6 out of 5 stars
How it works	Your lawn mowing is put out for bid to lawn care pros near you
Ways to book service	Website, app or phone
Basic price	You’ll get multiple lawn mowing quotes from $25 to $45
Year founded	2012
Based in	Nashville
Better Business Bureau accredited?	No

Metro areas covered	Available in most U.S. metro
Services offered	Lawn care, gardening, and landscaping
Customer reviews (average as of the publishing date)	No ratings available online
How it works	You’ll get a quote in minutes from up to 4 professionals who can tackle your lawn care or other outdoor job.
Ways to book service	Website
Basic price	Depends on services requested and the service providers’ quotes.
Year founded	2013
Based in	Dallas

LawnStarter Pros and Cons

No product or service is perfect. Here are what LawnStarter excels and where it needs improvement.

Pros

• Thousands of lawn care professionals are on the platform
• Offers more outdoor services than competitors
• Customer support available 7 days a week
• Satisfaction guaranteed for lawn care service

Cons

• Prices increased in 2022
• Three-mow minimum is required

LawnStarter User Reviews

LawnStarter does get high marks from customers (as of this writing). 

• 4.7 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot (2,365 total reviews), and 81% of all reviewers awarded LawnStarter 5 stars.

• 4.8 out of 5 stars on Shopper Approved (1,145 reviews), with more than 86% of reviewers rating LawnStarter with 5 stars.

• 3.5 out of 5 stars on Sitejabber (1,206 reviews). Sitejabber ranked LawnStarter first among lawn care websites.

Here are a few of the customer reviews, both positive and negative:

Well Done and Thorough: “Good professional work on my large lawn (I am recovering from surgery and cannot push my own lawn machinery around for a number of weeks). Well done, thorough, completes the job. I feel I’ve contracted with a fine lawn service to fill in for me while I’m still unable to do it. … Much appreciated!” – Steve B.

Saved Me a Ton of Grief: “They have not failed to come out and do a good job for over 2 years. … (LawnStarter) has saved me a ton of grief for arranging services myself.” – Karl K.

First Time Wasn’t the Charm: “Our initial (LawnStarter) appointment was missed by the assigned person. After contacting the app, we were assigned a new company and are very happy with them. So far, any issues I have had have been promptly and without any hassle on my part.” – R. McCann

Broken Sprinkler Head: “I had my sprinkler head broken several times during my service. Both times I was given the option to have them replace the item or for me to be reimbursed. Both times I selected to have them replaced and both times was told they could not replace it, only offer me a small credit to replace the item.” – Justin 

Win-Win: Go With LawnStarter … or WikiLawn

We at Wikilawn make it easy to hire a lawn care pro to keep your grass green and healthy. It often will cost you less than LawnStarter and the other guys, too, because we cast the biggest net of lawn care pros.

So before you go somewhere else, you’re already here. 

Let Wikilawn find a lawn care pro near you to cut your grass and boost your home’s curb appeal.

But, circling back to the beginning of this review … Is the Uber of lawn care legit? We think so.

You trust Uber to get you to the airport or to deliver dinner. Uber is ubiquitous. If you want a fancy app to book your lawn care service, sure, go with the so-called Uber of outdoor services – sorry, Mr. Farley. 

Or you could just book your lawn care through Wikilawn. (Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.)