BookingKoala vs Busy Book: Which Is Better for Your Cleaning Business?
BookingKoala vs Busy Book compared on price, booking, cleaner apps and answering leads, so you can pick the right software for your cleaning business.
BookingKoala is one of the most popular booking systems in the cleaning world. I taught it for years, and plenty of great cleaning businesses run on it. Busy Book is the software we built for remote cleaning business owners, with an AI assistant who answers your leads.
So which is better for you? It depends on what you need most. Here's an honest side-by-side.
The quick answer
- Choose BookingKoala if you want the most control over your booking website and forms, you're comfortable setting things up yourself, and you have 5 or fewer cleaners (where its Starter plan is very affordable).
- Choose Busy Book if you want every lead answered by text within a minute, a partner app in English and Spanish on every plan, and no price jump each time you add a cleaner.
At a glance
| BookingKoala | Busy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $27/month (up to 5 providers) | $39/month (any number of partners) |
| How the price grows | Tiers by providers: $57 for 15, $197 for 50, more above | Plan tiers by features and Sarah conversations; no fee per cleaner |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| AI assistant that texts new leads | Not listed on their pricing page | Sarah, on every plan |
| Online booking with flat prices | Yes, highly customizable forms | Yes, by bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet and extras |
| Website builder | Yes, themes and an advanced builder | Yes, a website with booking built in |
| Cleaner app | Yes | Yes, the partner app |
| App in Spanish | Multilingual on Premium ($197+) | On every plan |
| SMS notifications | From the Growing plan | Through your own Quo number |
| Gift cards and referrals | From the Growing plan | From the Grow plan |
| Help for beginners | Help articles and community | Step-by-step guides with a video for every screen |
Price, with a real example
BookingKoala's price is based mostly on how many providers you have. Each team member counts as one.
Say you're an owner working with 6 partner cleaners:
- BookingKoala: 6 providers is more than Starter's 5, so you'd be on Growing, from $57 a month. That's also the plan where SMS notifications start.
- Busy Book: Starter is $39 a month no matter how many partners you work with. Texting runs through your own Quo business number, which is a separate Quo plan (theirs start around $15 a user a month) plus about a penny a text.
With 3 cleaners, BookingKoala's $27 Starter is cheaper on sticker price. Where Busy Book earns its keep is in what Sarah does with your leads.
Where BookingKoala shines
- Customization. Lots of control over booking forms (one-step, two-step and multi-step on Premium), themes and pages.
- Mature feature set: campaigns, daily discounts, funnels, multi-location and many integrations on higher plans.
- A big community of cleaning business owners who use it.
Where Busy Book is different
- Sarah answers your leads. She texts every new lead within a minute, day or night, quotes your flat price, offers open times and books the cleaning. You can read every conversation and take over anytime. For owners with a 9 to 5, this is the big one.
- No fee per cleaner. Add partners as you grow without moving to a bigger plan.
- Built for remote owners and contractor partners. Jobs go out to your partners, the first to tap Take it gets the job, and partners check in on the day, follow the checklist and take before and after photos.
- Spanish on every plan. One tap and the whole partner app, job offers included, is in Spanish. You stay in English.
- Made for beginners. Plain words, sensible defaults, and a guide with a short video for every screen.
What to test during your free trial
Both have a 14-day free trial, so try them the same way, with a real booking from start to finish:
- Book a cleaning as a client would, on your phone, at your real prices. How many taps did it take?
- Send a test lead and see how fast it gets an answer, and who answers it.
- Send the job to a partner and look at it in the cleaner app, the way they will.
- Charge a test card and check when the card is held and when it's charged.
- Add a few partners and check what happens to your monthly price.
The tool that makes all five feel simple is the right one for you.
Switching from BookingKoala
You can bring your client list over from BookingKoala in a few minutes: export your clients to a file, upload it in Busy Book's Bring your clients over, check the columns and bring them in. Your partners join with an invite to the partner app.
Questions people ask
Is BookingKoala good for cleaning businesses?
Yes. It's widely used by cleaning businesses, especially for its customizable booking forms and website themes. Its price grows with the number of providers on your team.
Is Busy Book cheaper than BookingKoala?
It depends on your team. With 5 or fewer cleaners, BookingKoala's Starter plan costs less. With 6 or more, BookingKoala moves to its Growing plan from $57, while Busy Book's Starter stays $39 with no fee per cleaner. Busy Book's texting runs through your own Quo plan.
Does BookingKoala have an AI assistant?
Its pricing page (checked October 2026) doesn't list an AI assistant that texts leads. Busy Book includes Sarah, who texts new leads within a minute and books the cleaning.
Can I move my clients from BookingKoala to Busy Book?
Yes. Export your clients from BookingKoala, then upload the file in Busy Book's Bring your clients over page.
