LawnStarter is a technology company that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals in a modern way, offering a convenient mobile app for both customers and professionals to easily manage their service.
The company primarily offers lawn mowing, but also offers instant pricing for bush trimming, weed pulling, leaf removal, cleanups, fertilization and in some markets, pest control. Additionally customers can request custom quotes from their local lawn care professionals.
According to the company’s website, over 1 million services have been completed through the company’s platform. So is LawnStarter legit? The short answer is yes: according to our testing and review, yes, LawnStarter is a legit, convenient way to get your lawn mowed.
Background on LawnStarter
LawnStarter was founded in 2014, originally launching a pilot program in the Washington DC metro area. Shortly after, the company secured an investment by Techstars, one of the top technology accelerators. The company then moved its headquarters to Austin, TX.
In January 2015, the company raised a $1 million round of financing which included investors Gary Vaynerchuck, Cotter Cunningham, and Rony Kahan among others.
Shortly after, the company released its mobile app, and added Orlando to the cities it expanded to.
In June 2015, only a few months after the company’s seed round, LawnStarter raised a $6 million series A financing from Binary Capital, which was later acquired by Lerer Hippeau. This round of capital allowed the company to expand to 12 additional markets, according to company press releases.
By 2019, the company had expanded to over 120 metro areas, and raised a growth round of $10.5 million in funding to continue growth in core verticals and to expand beyond lawn mowing. The company also added Rob Taylor, CEO of Convey, to it’s board.
The company currently offers mobile apps and web logins to both customers and contractors. LawnStarter has 194 employees according to it’s linkedin page.
LawnStarter Reviews
One of the most important things to consider when hiring someone around the home is their online reviews. Additionally, it’s worth reading the contents of the reviews, as some negative experiences may not be relevant to you.
We reviewed LawnStarter’s profiles around the country, and were extremely impressed with the level of positive reviews as well as the pure volume of reviews. For example, the company has almost 2000 reviews in Austin alone. Nationwide, we estimate the company has in excess of 15,000 reviews on third party sites.
Here are a few reviews we picked from each platform.
Shopper Approved Reviews
Shopper Approved is a 3rd party review service that verifies customers have done business with the company.
Overall Rating: 4.8 / 5 with 850 Reviews
“Best lawn service I have ever used. I have no issues always on time, send reminder emails/text before coming to complete a service. I will continue to use them.” – Dori, Florida
“Sevriano from Lawn Starter did a great job mowing my lawn. He took care of the edges too that were not reached by his riding mower. There was an area that was missed on the initial cut but was promptly dealt with on the succeeding cuts as requested. I would recommend him/Lawn Starter for your lawn care needs.” Eric, Maryland
“Lawnstarters are great! They always do whatever task efficiently and completely and if there is a change of any kind they communicate the change as soon as they know so I can adjust my schedule.” – Lisa
“These guys are Awesome! They always show up when they say they will and if there is a problem they let you know well in advance. I live on a very steep hill and Jody always does a Fantastic job. A very big Thank You to all of the folks at LawnStarter! Ya’ll are the Best!” – Silver, Tennessee
“Lawnstarter is a great take on an age-old industry (well, for as long as there have been suburbs and lawns, at least). As a startup, they’re very responsive to inquiries and issues. Whenever I’ve gotten in touch with them, they’ve been very responsive to the issues presented.
The only issues I’ve had with this service thus far is that you have to specifically ask what gets covered in lawn service. Trimming or Weed-whacking is not covered under their basic service (or if it is, the contractors are shirking). They mow thelawn they can get to, and that’s it. I had an instance where the contractor didn’t mow my side yard because they couldn’t get their lawn mower into that area; they didn’t weed whack it either.
Second, since they use contractors, those contractors may not always behave the same way twice. The first two times they mowed, they picked up the play yard (it’s a plastic play-yard with a slide) and put it back when they were finished. The third time, they put it on the back patio and didn’t move it back to its rightful spot. Since it’s a 2 person lift (for its length, more than anything), I had a bit of a time getting it back to its rightful spot.
Overall, I definitely recommend them; but before you actually sign up, figure out what’s covered under their service; and what their contractors will and won’t do. It’s not pain free yet; but as they grow, hopefully it’ll get there.” George S, Virginia
“Good company that is customer service-oriented. I asked to have the grass clippings collected, and this was done free-of-charge. A little more attention-to-detail could be used but overall, a pretty good job.” Alex, Virginia
Trustpilot Reviews
Trustpilot is well-regarded as a source for reviews and transparency about reviews. They not only show the reviews, but record stats such as how many reviews the company asked for, and how well the company deals with negative reviews.
Overall Rating:4.7 / 5 stars with 2262 reviews
“I HAD THREE PEOPLE COME OUT TO GIVE ME A QUOTE ON LAWN CARE. THE PRICES WERE VERY HIGH I FELT LIKE I WAS BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. I FOUND LAWNSTARTER AND WHEN GUILLERMO AND HIS CREW CAME OUT AND DID THE WORK I WAS SO AMAZED A WHAT A GREAT JOB THEY DID AND FOR HALF THE AMOUNT I WAS BEING QUOTED BY OTHER COMPANIES. MY YARD LOOKS GREAT AND CANT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY ENOUGH” – Francine
“Always a reliable cut. Been using for about 3 years and they come every other week and let me know via the app if there’s changes to their schedule or weather. Even had them NOT mow before because I didn’t need it. Can easily inquire about additional services (bush trimming, leaf pickup, etc) and they will give me a quote quickly. Basically a “set it and forget it” service for the house. Don’t ever have to worry about the yard.” – Aaron
“Due to where I live I have a hard time finding people to service my lawn. I finally met Zaire on LawnStarter and have been very happy with his service. He shows up as scheduled, keeps you posted if running late, and does an all around good job. Will definitely use Zaire for my 2023 lawn needs now that this season is over.” – Joanne
“I have always had excellent work by Edward with LawnStarter. I am in the Springfield MO area. He did an excellent job on my messy flowers, and his edge work is beautiful. My neighbors are envious! Highly recommend!” – Amanda B
“Travelle and his crew are prompt, efficient, and thorough. They grab palm fronds from the property and put them out for compost and clean everything up as well as mow and edge. Their work is much appreciated.”
“Ron was a new lawn guy that came on 9/13. I have been using lawnstarter previously. Ron has done a wonderful job even way better than my last lawn people who had 3 people cutting my lawn.” – Tolosa
Google Reviews
“I absolutely love this service and am so happy to have this in our area. We have a hard property due to a lot of trees and other strange property lines but the crew takes incredible care to make our lawn look better than it ever has. James and his crew are so professional and take great pride in doing a flawless job. My husband was also just so grateful / impressed that they came up and introduced themselves and wanted our feedback. We recommend James and his crew + Lawnstarter to everyone.
The app and customer service is also effortless and provides the highest quality crews that provide reliable service.” – Kelsey Lynn, Austin, TX
“I’ve been with LawnStarter for more than 4 years. They had been very helpful and easy to deal with. Our of that 4+ years, I only have 2 service crews who comes biweekly. Hector is really good until I was informed that he will no longer be servicing my lawn after he damaged some of my sprinklers ( can’t blame the guy, stuff happens lol) I’m just disappointed that he didn’t told me or kinda ghosted since he was my main guy for 4+ years. LawnStarter set-up a new crew after. Both guys did a great job but Zachariah is much better even if he just started a month ago. Zachariah’s lawn service is much cleaner I guess. Importantly, no problem with scheduling. I can skip service if I need to, no hassle at all. Price wise, they are still cheaper than some company. No problem or issues with billing. Their phone app is easy to use. Great experience so far. 👍👍” – Arlene Coleman, Austin, TX
“I’ve been using LawnStarter for a bit and I’m always extremely happy with my services! Derrick is always super attentive and gets the job done right every single time! I love how easy the app is to use for extra services as well! 10/10 recommend!” Naomi Alexa, Tampa, FL
Sitejabber Reviews
Sitejabber is not nearly as popular as Shopper Approved or Trustpilot, and is considered a crappy knockoff of those two. That being said, it is widely used.
Sitejabber Rating: 4.2 / 5 based on 1,643 reviews
“I can’t say enough positive things about Lawn Starter, specifically Christopher and his crew. When I started looking for lawn service for a family member recovering from surgery, I went with a well known service. That crew rescheduled twice, then never showed up but put through a payment request. I feel lucky to have found Lawn Starter/Christopher. Very responsive, always punctual and communicates with me very well even though I live 1500 miles away. My family member is very impressed with how his lawn looks and how efficient Christopher is. Thanks Lawn Starter!” – Pamela L.
“Lawnstarter.com has been for the most part very helpful in finding good lawn care workers who come to your house and home to do the job of taking care of your lawn needs. They will do their best to find the best person to do the work you need done. To be truthful, it may take a while sometimes to find that perfect fit (and sometimes it may not happen for you). However, when they do, it is a really great thing and you appreciate the effort they went to in finding the right lawn crew.” – Harvey I
Pros and Cons of LawnStarter
Like any type of service, LawnStarter has it’s pros and cons. Here we will dive into some of those pros and cons.
Pros
- Easy-to-use, convenient mobile app – based on our review, it’s the best and most sophisticated of any competitor’s
- Instant pricing – no haggling or waiting for in-person estimates
- High quality network of pros – because customers rate each service, the quality of the pros gets better over time
- More than just mowing – you can order all sorts of lawn maintenance services via the LawnStarter app
- Large geographical coverage – LawnStarter covers most metro areas in the US, so you can use it mostly anywhere
- Support for multiple properties – You can add as many properties you want. Great for realtors or property managers
- Affordable pricing – LawnStarter was comparable with all quotes we got
- Fully insured – LawnStarter requires pros to be insured, and has a backup policy so you always know you’re covered
Cons
- No one-time jobs – LawnStarter has a 3 service minimum, but beyond that, no contracts
- No personalized attention – For those that want a highly custom-tailored landscaping package, you may want to go direct to a premium landscaping company
In Conclusion, is LawnStarter Legit?
Based on our review and experience using LawnStarter at our own homes, we are extremely impressed with LawnStarter and give it a 9.5/10 rating. The convenience, affordability, and quality service are the primary reasons for the rating. Some customers have had issues with scheduling and quality, which is common for any home service, but LawnStarter seems to do a great job at turning these around. If you need lawn care, we recommend considering LawnStarter.