Jesus Sanchez Garcia is a senior writer for USA TODAY Homefront. His expertise focuses on home warranties, with over 50 hours spent reviewing provider sample contracts to understand their benefits. He also regularly performs consumer research, such as surveys and customer interviews with an eye on incorporating data into his writing. Jesus has a bachelor’s in business administration from California State University, Stanislaus, and is still located within California’s vibrant Central Valley. When he is not researching or writing, he enjoys supporting his favorite sports teams, spending time with loved ones and chasing new adventures outdoors.
Editorial note: Homefront (defined in the Disclosure below) may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured on our site. This commission does not influence our editors’ opinions or evaluations.
TruGreen is a full-service lawn care company with decades of experience turning patchy grass plots into lush, green lawns. It offers a range of lawn plans designed to revitalize and maintain a healthy lawn. In our February 2024 survey of 1,000 homeowners who’ve purchased lawn care services, 22% of respondents said they most recently purchased services from TruGreen — this is the highest percentage for any of the full-service lawn care companies included.
TruGreen is our top choice for convenient and professional lawn care; the company trains all of its lawn care technicians through its proprietary certification program to ensure they can effectively treat your lawn. However, if you’re on a limited budget or prefer to be more involved, a subscription lawn care service, such as Sunday Lawn Care, may be a better fit.
We researched and rated TruGreen’s lawn care services, plans, pricing structure and service guarantees to help you assess your lawn care needs. Request a no-obligation quote below to get started.
We scored TruGreen against our comprehensive methodology and gave it 4.9 out of 5 stars. The company excelled in nearly every subcategory of our review standards, including service options, as well as customer service, communication and availability.
However, TruGreen dropped several points in the reputation subcategory because of poor customer ratings on several third-party review sites.
TruGreen takes a scientific approach to lawn treatment. One of its senior leaders, who oversees operations and lawn product testing, holds a doctorate in horticulture from Michigan State University. TruGreen hires agronomists to design region-specific lawn care treatments. Finally, TruGreen’s lawn care technicians must complete an annual TruExpert Certification Program to maintain their knowledge and lawn care expertise.
TruGreen provides many standard lawn care services, such as lawn fertilization and aeration. What stands out is its specialty lawn care treatments, including potassium and sulfur soil treatments and lawn disease remediation. Some lawn care providers we’ve reviewed don’t offer such treatments.
In addition, TruGreen offers several convenience features, such as its mobile app and an online quote tool. We found TruGreen’s quote tool easy to use for general pricing information — other full-service lawn care companies we’ve reviewed don’t provide pricing online.
Although it has several user-friendly features, TruGreen requires you to cancel your lawn plan by calling the company directly. You can’t cancel using TruGreen’s mobile app or its online chat tool.
Our secret shopping showed that TruGreen charges high prices for certain service plans. Its TruNatural plan, in particular, is pricier than other plans it offers due to the use of organic ingredients.
TruGreen’s service guarantee only applies to those with a full lawn treatment plan. Other companies we’ve reviewed provide service guarantees for lawn care plans and single treatments.
The table below compares key factors for top lawn care companies.
TruGreen offers service plans and single treatments designed to reinvigorate lawns regardless of their condition. Its plans come in tiers: basic, midtier and comprehensive. Below is an overview of each type of service TruGreen offers.
TruGreen offers three standard plans, as well as service-specific plans. When you sign up for a lawn program, TruGreen will perform a lawn analysis as part of the initial visit and then tailor future service visits based on the results to meet your lawn’s needs.
We spoke to a TruGreen customer service representative, who stated that TruGreen will provide fewer or more treatments depending on your lawn’s condition. In addition, the lawn care plans and single services it offers, as well as service visit frequency, can vary based on your location.
Here’s an overview of each TruGreen lawn care plan:
TruGreen offers many of the services from its lawn care plans as single services, such as lawn aeration, overseeding, fertilization and weed control. Here is the list of specialized single treatments TruGreen offers:
TruGreen also provides specialized pest control services alongside its general lawn care plans. Here is an overview of each:
TruGreen provides pricing for all of its lawn and specialty plans online. We pulled a quote using a 1,000-square-foot, single-family home with a 4,225-square-foot lawn in Fort Worth, Texas. The table below highlights the pricing of each plan and single service TruGreen offers, based on our quote.
We also pulled the average cost of TruGreen’s single treatment and annual lawn care plans from our February 2024 lawn care survey. The overall cost differs due to several factors, such as the respondent’s lawn size, condition, geographical location and chosen lawn care services. The table below highlights the cost data from our survey results.
Our research shows that TruGreen has accreditation and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, its customer rating is 1.1 out of 5 stars. It’s important to note that BBB mainly accepts complaints from disgruntled customers, which may explain TruGreen’s poor rating. Many of the poor customer reviews center on ineffective lawn treatments.
In our survey, we asked respondents who hired TruGreen what they thought about its service quality and customer service; 78% of respondents rated TruGreen’s service quality at least 8 out of 10, and 73% rated TruGreen’s customer service at least 8 out of 10.
We dug deeper into TruGreen’s customer ratings and discovered that its local branches have more favorable reviews. TruGreen’s Grand Prairie, Texas, location has a solid rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, with multiple customers highlighting the professionalism of TruGreen’s technicians. Dale M. wrote that his assigned technician was friendly and gave him an overview of the treatment for his lawn.
TruGreen’s service frequency can differ depending on the lawn care services you select and the size and condition of your lawn. We spoke with a TruGreen representative to understand its service process. Below is an overview of what to expect once you sign up for a TruGreen lawn plan or single service.
TruGreen sends a lawn specialist to perform its TruGreen Lawn Assessment. Water your lawn the day before to prepare for the initial visit and any follow-ups. In addition, provide easy access to your lawn by keeping gates unlocked and any pets indoors.
The lawn specialist will thoroughly inspect your home’s perimeter and yard to assess the condition of your lawn. From there, the lawn specialist will give you an overview of the scheduled treatment before starting.
After explaining the scheduled treatment, the TruGreen lawn specialist will apply treatments to your lawn using TruGreen’s professional equipment, which is designed to treat up to 1,000 square feet within roughly one minute. Once the lawn specialist completes the scheduled service, they will leave you a service summary highlighting the specific procedures implemented.
After TruGreen services your lawn, your pets and family can safely access your treated lawn once it dries completely — generally in two to four hours. In addition, you’re responsible for lawn maintenance, such as mowing and watering, in between service visits. TruGreen recommends that you mow your lawn in accordance with its growth, and water it in the morning for best results.
TruGreen only provides its healthy lawn guarantee to those who have an annual lawn care plan. The company won’t pair its service guarantee with single-service treatments. Therefore, we strongly recommend purchasing a lawn care plan over a single service.
TruGreen’s service guarantee stipulates that if you aren’t satisfied, it will reservice your lawn free of charge in between scheduled treatments.
TruGreen does provide a cancellation policy for its lawn care plans. However, we found little information on specifics. TruGreen states on its website that you must call a dedicated phone number for a customer service representative to verify your account. Additionally, TruGreen doesn’t have a cancellation function on its mobile app or online customer portal.
TruGreen has an extensive list of lawn care services that can bring back the verdant color and vitality of your lawn. It offers specialty services and pest control treatments to provide full yard protection. In addition, TruGreen provides scheduling and billing convenience to customers through its mobile app and online portal.
However, TruGreen doesn’t provide a service guarantee for single-service treatments, and its plan prices are higher than other providers’ prices. Before buying a TruGreen lawn care plan, we suggest requesting quotes from two additional lawn care companies to compare costs and services.
We researched full-service and subscription lawn care companies to help you choose the right provider for your lawn and budget. We compared full-service companies based on their service options, reputation, customer service availability and extra perks. Companies that offer specialty treatments, flexible scheduling and convenience perks scored more points. We rated subscription companies based on their plan options, cost and customer service.
We rated both types of companies using our comprehensive methodology. We score providers out of 100 points. Then, we divide the final score by 20 to obtain the 5-star rating we feature in our reviews.
BBB and Google Reviews ratings are accurate as of March 2024.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
When spring is around the corner, your lawn will likely hit its yearly growth spurt. Two types of lawn care service options are available to keep your lawn looking its best: full-service and subscription. Full-service companies handle nearly every aspect of lawn care, ranging from aeration to weed control. Subscription companies send curated lawn care…
As you’re ready to kick off a new lawn care season, you might find yourself less than excited if your yard is dotted with fluffy dandelion heads and other weeds. That backyard oasis you’ve been dreaming of all winter doesn’t materialize on its own. Wish as you may for lush grass, chances are, your yard…
A friend to pollinators, patches of clover sprout up in full-exposure sunlight and thrive in low-nitrogen soil. Because of its predilection for low-nitrogen soil, other healthy grass can wane as clover flourishes, resulting in a meadow-like lawn full of tiny white flowers. Before you decide that you want to learn how to get rid of…
Do you ever look at your neighbor’s lawn and ponder: Why can’t my lawn look like that? The old saying may tell you that the grass is always greener on the other side, but you don’t have to long for someone else’s beautiful lawn. As long as you know when to fertilize your lawn, you…