Cleaning Platforms vs Cleaning Companies in Singapore: What's the Difference?

What's the difference between a cleaning platform and a cleaning company?

Some names on our lists are platforms that connect you with independent workers or staff from other service companies. Others are service companies whose own staff come to your home. From the outside they can look much the same: a website, an app or a WhatsApp number, and an hourly rate. The difference is who actually employs the person at your door.

What you get with a platform

Platforms potentially give you more choice and more flexible slots, because they draw on a wider pool of people. Many let you browse, rate and rebook cleaners in an app, which is genuinely convenient.

The trade-off is that quality can vary from person to person, and some platforms add a booking or platform fee on top of the usual rate, so they generally work out more expensive.

Examples on our lists include Helpling and Urban Company, both large home-services platforms, and MEIDE, an online platform that arranges part-time cleaners. In other categories, KungFu Helper's terms describe it as a platform linking customers with partner cleaning teams, jobs booked through StringsSG are carried out by service providers on its platform, and PS Painting Service Singapore works more like a platform than a painting company, passing your enquiry to painters in its network.

What you get with a service company

Service companies generally train their own staff and are directly involved in their welfare and wellbeing. That usually means more consistency, and a good chance the person or team you like stays with you for years.

It also means one company is responsible for the work from start to finish. On our home cleaning list, Nimbus Homes employs and trains its crew in-house, and customers often mention their housekeeper by name and stay for years. Sureclean also employs its own cleaners.

How to tell if a cleaning service is a platform

• Read the terms or "about" page. Platforms often say they "connect" or "match" you with cleaners or partners, rather than employing them.
• Ask if the cleaners are employees. A company should be able to tell you plainly that the cleaner works for them.
• Check who you pay. Look at who issues the invoice, and whether a separate platform or booking fee appears.
• Ask who handles complaints and damage. Find out whether the company deals with it directly or passes you to the worker or partner firm.

Questions to ask before booking a cleaner

• Will I get the same cleaner every time, and can I request someone specific?
• Who employs and trains the cleaner?
• What's the all-in price per session, including GST and any fees?
• What happens if the cleaner can't make it, or something gets damaged?
• Is there a contract, notice period or prepaid package, and can it be refunded?

Platform or company: which suits you?

A platform can suit you if you want lots of choice, flexible or last-minute slots, or several different home services in one app, and don't mind trying a few people before finding the right fit.

A service company tends to suit you better if you want the same trusted person each week, consistent standards, and one company to call when something needs sorting out.

Either way, try a session first and judge by the person who turns up.