The free, open-source Yardbook alternative.
Yardbook is free to start, and so is Crewtavo. The difference: Crewtavo has no ads and no paid plans, so QuickBooks sync, campaigns and a client portal are included, and it runs in your own Railway account, so your customer list lives in a database you own.
Crewtavo vs. Yardbook. Both are free to start for lawn care and landscaping businesses. The difference is what free includes, who hosts it, and who owns your data.
| Topic | Crewtavo | Yardbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the software | Free for any size of business, every feature | A free plan, and paid monthly plans for more features |
| What it costs to run | Railway hosting: $5 a month, usage included | Nothing on the free plan |
| Ads | None | The free plan is paid for by sponsored ads; the top plan has none |
| QuickBooks sync | Included, with Zoho Books too | On the top plan |
| Card payments | Your own Stripe account; Crewtavo adds no fee | A Yardbook processing fee on the free plan, waived on paid plans |
| Who hosts it | You, in your own Railway account | Yardbook |
| Where your data lives | A Postgres database in your Railway account | Yardbook’s servers |
| Source code | Open source (AGPL-3.0), on GitHub | Closed |
| Changing how it works | Change anything, or hire any developer to | The settings and integrations Yardbook offers |
| Support | Docs, and bug reports on GitHub | Email support |
Yardbook’s plans and prices change over time; see Yardbook’s pricing page for current details. Comparison checked October 2026.
Everything you do in Yardbook, in Crewtavo.
Everything you use Yardbook for has a place in Crewtavo, so your crews keep their routine.
Included, no add-ons. Tools many service businesses pay for separately come built in.
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Weather holds
Rain and temperature rules flag visits that shouldn’t go ahead, and shift a rain day in one step.
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Equipment maintenance
Service schedules by date, hours or miles, repair history with receipts, and alerts when something is due.
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SOP knowledge base
Procedures with revision history and required reading, so new hires learn your way of doing the job.
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Custom roles
Rename the starter roles or build your own, enforced by the database rather than just hidden buttons.
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Team chat
Channels for everyone, each crew and the office, with photos, built in at no extra cost.
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Claude and ChatGPT
Connect an AI assistant that only does what each person’s role allows, with every call logged.
Is Crewtavo right for you? An honest take.
Crewtavo is a great fit if
- You’d rather run your business without ads
- You want QuickBooks sync and a client portal without a paid plan
- You want your customer list in a database you own
- Your crews are growing and you need roles, timesheets and job costing
Yardbook may suit you better if
- You want to pay nothing at all, not even for hosting
- You track chemical applications, which Yardbook has built in
- You want a fully managed service with nothing to own
Switching from Yardbook in five steps.
Most of the work is setting up your price list. Your clients come over in a CSV file.
- 1 Set up Crewtavo and pick your trade Click Deploy on Railway and create a free Railway account. Crewtavo sets itself up and opens; choose your trade so starter services, formulas and checklists load.
- 2 Bring over your clients Choose Download as CSV on the Customers page in Yardbook, then import the file on the Clients screen in Crewtavo.
- 3 Set your prices Adjust the starter price list to match what you charge, and add any services that are missing.
- 4 Invite your team Send invitations and give each person a role: general manager, operations manager, foreman, employee or your own.
- 5 Switch over Book new work in Crewtavo while you finish open jobs in Yardbook. Keep your old invoices and reports on file.
Yardbook alternative FAQ.
Yardbook is already free. Why switch?
Yardbook’s free plan is paid for by sponsored ads, and features like QuickBooks sync, a branded portal and waived processing fees need a paid plan. Crewtavo has no ads and no plans: every feature is included for any size of business. What you pay for is hosting: Railway’s Hobby plan is $5 a month and includes $5 of usage, and a new instance at rest uses about $3.60 of that.
Can I import my customers from Yardbook?
Yes. Yardbook downloads your customers as a CSV file, and Crewtavo imports it on the Clients screen, matching the columns it recognizes; you match the rest. Jobs and invoice history don’t transfer automatically, so most businesses finish open work in Yardbook, keep old invoices on file, and start new work in Crewtavo.
Does Crewtavo work with QuickBooks?
Yes. Crewtavo sends invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online, and it also connects to Zoho Books.
Is there a mobile app for my crew?
Crews use My day in their phone’s browser and can add it to the home screen like an app. It shows the day’s visits with gate codes, checklists, photos, timers, and on my way, start and complete buttons.
How hard is it to set up?
Easy, with no servers to manage. Click Deploy on Railway, create a free Railway account and approve the setup. Crewtavo creates the app, a Postgres database, sign-ins and file storage in your account, then opens when it’s ready, usually within a few minutes.
Who fixes things if something breaks?
Crewtavo is developed in the open on GitHub, where you can report problems and see fixes as they land. Because you host it, you choose when to update.
Is Crewtavo affiliated with Yardbook?
No. Crewtavo is an independent open-source project. Yardbook is a trademark of its owner, used here only to describe the comparison.
Keep it free. Lose the ads.
Every feature for any size of business. Deploy it to your own Railway account, bring over your customers, and own the software your business runs on.