TruGreen vs. Scotts (2023)

One of the most satisfying things about being a homeowner is to look out the window and see a lush, green yard. However, if you have been in the homeownership club for some time, you likely know this is easier said than done. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit involved in maintaining a healthy lawn, and it’s best to have some professional help. Our review will look at TruGreen vs. Scotts and compare the differences and features.

TruGreen services will handle everything you need for your home landscaping and is known as one of the best lawn care companies on the market. The Scotts Lawn Service is a DIY plan that is affordable and user-friendly. If you have been searching for the best lawn care companies to help take your yard to the next level, let’s take a look at whether TruGreen or Scotts could be the better solution.

Compare TruGreen vs. Scotts

Provider	TruGreen	Scotts
Website	TruGreen.com	ScottsMiracleGro
Our rating	4.9/5	4.4/5
Type	Full Service	DIY
State availability	48 States	50 States
Online chat options	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	Yes

TruGreen vs. Scotts

TruGreen and Scotts both aim to make lawn fertilization, weed control, and insect control considerably more manageable for homeowners. TruGreen offers things like mowing and aeration in addition to their treatments to your turf. The differences between these two providers are very important as they will impact the experience you have as a homeowner.

TruGreen Overview

TruGreen is known as the largest and most comprehensive lawn service provider in the United States. Whether you are looking to prevent crabgrass or retire your mower for good, TruGreen can help. TruGreen’s services will ensure that your healthy lawn stays that way all year long. Customers are impressed with the options for plans like TruHealth, TruSignature, and TruComplete. TruGreen will have a solution regardless of your budget and concerns about kid and pet safety.

Some homeowners use TruGreen as a full-service provider, and others will pick and choose services that work for their home. TruGreen always offers a free quote and will be fair in working with your budget. From the time of the first application to the day your lawn looks perfect, TruGreen simply asks for patience and communication. This company has proven results to show its system works.

Scotts Overview

The Scotts Company has been a significant player in lawn care service since 1998. The Scotts Lawn Care company has changed its business model through the years, and at this point, they primarily focus on seed, fertilizers, and gardening products. The day-to-day maintenance and additional services like trimming and overseeding are no longer part of Scotts’ offers.

At one point, Scotts had lawn care programs that were not DIY but were acquired by TruGreen. You may have seen a local company with Scotts name at one point, but those are likely changed to TruGreen providers. Today, Scotts offers a wide range of products to help with lawn care, shrub care, gardening, and more. The latest addition to the company website is a DIY lawn care program where a Scotts representative determines a lawn care plan specific to the needs of your turf.

TruGreen vs. Scotts Services and Plans 

TruGreen has five plans that can work for a variety of homeowners. A TruGreen representative can come to your home and discuss options with you, or you can choose your plan through the website. Scotts is no longer a lawn care provider, and instead, they will create a DIY program for homeowners using their award-winning products.

TruGreen Plans and Services

TruGreen has five plans that will focus on what your lawn needs the most. These include soil testing, lawn fertilization, a health lawn guarantee, and a customer satisfaction guarantee. The combination of dedication to customer service and knowledge in the landscaping industry help to set TruGreen apart from other providers.

One of the most critical features of the TruGreen plans is that they all will tackle weeds. Weeds need to be treated in order for homeowners to see major changes in the look and health of their lawns. The only time TruGreen will not treat weeds is if you choose the TruNatural plan and want to stay away from chemicals and pesticides altogether.

Although TruGreen has plan options with set pricing depending on the number of square feet your property takes up, they also have a la carte choice for those that want simple one-time applications. These applications can help those that want a combination of DIY and paid services. Some of the benefits include:

• Pre-emergent weed control
• Soil treatment for pH and nutrient balance
• Lawn fertilization
• Grass seed application
• Lawn aeration
• Perimeter and targeted insect control
• Mosquito control
• Lawn grub treatments
• Termite baiting stations
• Tree and shrub maintenance
• Targeted and preventive weed killer application
• Natural lawn care treatments

The individual locations of TruGreen are packed with knowledgeable professionals that understand the needs of your local area. These are genuine professionals that will do everything to get your grass growing beautifully and keep it that way all season long.

Plan	TruComplete	TruHealth	TruMaintenance	TruSignature	TruNatural
Soil Test	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Fertilization	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Seeding	✓	X	X	✓	X
Aeration	✓	X	X	✓	X
Pre-emergent Weed Control	✓	✓	✓	✓	X
Targeted Herbicide Application	✓	✓	✓	✓	X
Grub Control	✓	✓	X	✓	X
Tree Care	X	X	X	✓	X
Shrub Care	X	X	X	✓	X
All Natural Products	X	X	X	X	✓
Customer Guarantee	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Scotts Plans and Services

For the most part, Scotts is going to provide products as opposed to services. The lawn care products from Scotts can help you maintain a green lawn and ensure that things like chinch bugs and grubs are a thing of the past. There are, however a few programs that will help with lawn care guidance. These include:

• The Scotts Lawn Care Program
• Scotts My Lawn App
• Scotts 4 Step Program

The programs help make it much easier to give your lawn what it needs without having to increase your budget to a full-service company like TruGreen. Some homeowners actually enjoy taking care of their yard themselves; they simply need guidance from a professional to ensure that it is done correctly.

• Scotts Lawn Care Program: The Scotts Lawn Care Program helps you decide which products should be put on your lawn and when. Remember that application timing is just as important as the products you are applying to your turf. This lawn care program gives you everything you need for the year all at once, and then you will get reminders on when to apply.
• Scotts My Lawn app: The My Lawn app from Scotts allows you to enter information about your grass type, lawn size, and your location, and then you will get recommendations on what you need and when to apply it. The app is a bit different than the lawn care program, as you will decide what you want for your home instead of letting Scotts decide for you with the Scotts Lawn Care Program.
• Scotts 4 Step Program: The 4 Step Program from Scotts is really simple and will give you a way to start improving your lawn maintenance while also keeping the price in check. Things that can be included in the 4 Step program include weed control and fertilizer. This is still customized to the type of lawn you have and the area where you live.

Plan	Scotts Lawn Care Program	Scotts My Lawn  App	Scotts 4 Step Program
Soil Test	X	X	X
Fertilization	✓	✓	✓
Seeding	✓	✓	X
Aeration	X	X	X
Pre-emergent Weed Control	✓	✓	✓
Targeted Herbicide Application	✓	✓	✓
Grub Control	✓	✓	X
Tree Care	X	X	X
Shrub Care	X	X	X
All Natural Products	Option	Option	X
Customer Guarantee	✓	✓	✓

TruGreen vs. Scotts Availability and Locations

TruGreen and Scotts have excellent availability throughout the entire United States. Each of these providers is considered a leader in the lawn care industry. Most customers will have access to a TruGreen location nearby, and Scotts can deliver their products throughout the entire United States.

TruGreen availability

Available in 48 states, excluding:

• Alaska
• Hawaii

Scotts availability

Available in all 50 states.

TruGreen vs. Scotts Customer Reviews

There is no shortage of customer reviews for both TruGreen and Scotts. With each of these companies being able to meet most of your lawn needs, it’s essential to hear from other customers what the company offers. The best lawn care service can depend on the type of property you have and your location. Reading customer reviews is a great way to determine which is best for your needs.

TruGreen Customer Reviews

“My grass looks awesome. Using them for over one year now, and I am pleased with the results. And, I don’t need to beg my husband to take care of the grass anymore.”

– Janella A.

“I use TruGreen services for lawn maintenance, mosquito control, and flea and tick control. The service team is exceptional, the quality of products that they use is great, their overall customer service is terrific, and prices are reasonable.”

– Carrie O

“My TruGreen service technician is knowledgeable and courteous, exactly what one would expect from a company that expects to keep my business and our contract. I only have to answer my neighbors’ questions with one answer; patience and TruGreen, so that part is easy. The best part is that if I have a problem or an application doesn’t seem to be doing its job, they gladly return and repeat the service application. What’s not to like??? Another thing, when I ask my service tech. About an issue or I need something explained to me, he takes the time and makes sure that I understand, even though he is busy and has other customers to attend to. I feel valued, appreciated, and respected. How do you spell that??? L.O.Y.A.L.T.Y.  Service scheduling is easy, and the company’s “back office” is very responsive. Thanks, TruGreen!”

– Robert B

Scotts Customer Reviews

“I use the 4 Step yearly and love it. It works as they say, and I have a beautiful lawn. The only thing I have noticed for the past two years, is the product has been very lumpy. This year is the worst ever; it took me almost an hour to get all the lumps broken up by hand so it wouldn’t plug up my spreader. Does anyone know of a better way to break up lumps? Great product, love it!”

– Ronald F.

“I will never purchase lawn care products from another company! I’ll start by saying, every product I’ve purchased from Scotts has been of great quality and worked as advertised. More than that, the peace of mind of Scotts’ guarantee is great! If you don’t believe me go to their website and look at the few bad reviews, they proactively offer to make it right! What other company does that? I love my Scotts products!”

– Curtis D

“I had bought their EZ Seed from ****** and had some issue due to cold weather in ******* area this April. I then contacted them and got their CS support right away with the tips provided… I really appreciate their outstanding support with extra efforts. Highly recommend!”

– Jack W.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you now feel more confident in choosing between TruGreen and Scotts. If you want a true lawn care service provider that will handle everything from pest control services to mowing to trimming, TruGreen is the best option. Although TruGreen Lawn Care is a bit more expensive, you will earn back your time to enjoy your lawn. No more spending a Saturday doing your lawn aeration; instead, enjoy all the peace and satisfaction that having a wonderful yard and garden can bring.

House Method’s Rating Methodology

At House Method, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader. That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each lawn company/service according to our methodology.

Our research team dug deep into the fine print of contracts, combed through more than one hundred customer reviews, and thoroughly investigated all of each lawn care service’s services, costs, and products. We’ve done the homework for you by researching nearly all of the lawn care companies on the market so you can have the information you need to make the best choice for your home.

We developed a formula to objectively determine the best lawn care companies and give each a score out of 100 based on the following criteria:

• Plan Options (30): Do they provide a variety of plan options? We looked at the number of plans each company offered and the flexibility of adjusting the plan.
• Services offered (20): How many services are offered in each plan? We looked at the number of lawn care coverages, including weed control, seeding, irrigation, aeration, dethatching, and more.
• Trust (10): What do customers say after their lawn has been serviced? Does this company offer a guarantee? We considered how satisfied customers are post-service if the company does what it says it will, BBB accreditation, and service guarantees.
• Prices (10): How reasonable are the costs of the plan or service in comparison to the industry average? We compared the costs of each company to competitors that offer the same lawn services.
• Unique perks (10): Does the company offer discounts or special services such as organic treatments, pest control, or a mobile app? We looked for perks each company offers that set them apart from the competition.
• Customer Service (10): How is the customer experience when contacting the company? We considered the speed of response, weekend/holiday availability, and ease of communication through phone calls, email, and online chat functions.
• Nationwide availability (10): How many states does the company offer its services? Companies that operate nationally and in all zip codes are favored over those with limited availability.

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