There are three common routes: a cleaning company that employs its cleaners, an independent cleaner you hire directly, or an app-based platform that connects you to a self-employed cleaner.
They differ most in what happens when something goes wrong, which is the thing people think about least when choosing and most when it happens.
This is written by a cleaning company, so read the company column with that in mind. The genuine trade-offs are set out rather than argued away.
The comparison
| Independent | Company | App platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical rate | £12 to £20/hr | £17 to £25/hr | £14 to £22/hr |
| Who they work for | Themselves | The company | Themselves, usually |
| Vetting | You do it | Company does it | Platform does some |
| Insurance | Their own, if any | Company policy | Varies, check carefully |
| Cover when ill | None | Replacement sent | Rebook, often a new person |
| Same person each time | Yes | Usually | Often not |
| If something breaks | Their arrangement | Company insurance | Depends on platform terms |
| Who you complain to | Them | Account manager | An app |
| Admin for you | Some | Minimal | Minimal |
| Contract | Informal | Written, usually | Platform terms |
Independent cleaner
Best for: households wanting the lowest price and a long-term personal relationship, who are comfortable doing their own vetting and can cope when their cleaner is on holiday.
The upside is real. You pay less because there is no overhead, you get the same person every time, and over years that person learns your home properly: which surfaces need what, where things live, what you care about. Most of the longest-running, happiest cleaning arrangements in the country are of this type.
The trade-offs. No cover for illness or holidays, so some weeks there is simply no clean. Insurance depends entirely on whether they hold their own, so ask and check the certificate. Vetting is your responsibility. And if the relationship goes wrong there is no escalation route, which makes ending it awkward.
Worth checking: their public liability insurance, their employment status against HMRC guidance if you are engaging them for set hours under your direction, and your own contents insurance regarding key holders.
Cleaning company
Best for: households who want reliability and someone accountable, and who value not having to manage it.
What the extra pays for. Employer national insurance, holiday pay, insurance, vetting, equipment, training, and cover when your regular cleaner is unavailable. Also a named person to call, which sounds minor until something needs resolving.
The trade-offs. It costs more, typically £5 an hour. You may not always get the same cleaner, though a good company will try hard to. And a large company can feel impersonal in a way that a direct arrangement does not.
Worth checking: whether cleaners are employed or subcontracted. A company that subcontracts has the price of an agency and the accountability of neither, which is the worst combination available. This is the single most useful question to ask.
App platform
Best for: one-off cleans, short notice bookings, and people who want to arrange everything without a phone call.
The upside. Convenience is genuine. Booking, rescheduling and paying take a minute, availability is often better at short notice, and the pricing is transparent up front.
The trade-offs, which are worth understanding. Most platforms position themselves as an introduction service rather than an employer, which means the cleaner is self-employed and the platform's liability is limited by its terms.
Insurance arrangements vary a lot between platforms and are worth reading rather than assuming. Continuity is often poor, so you may get a different person each time, which means re-explaining your home repeatedly and never building the familiarity that makes cleaning good.
Worth checking: who insures the work, what the platform's liability actually is if something is damaged, whether you can request the same cleaner, and what the process is if you are unhappy.
How to choose
Choose independent if price matters most, you are around to let them in or comfortable with keys, you can absorb the occasional missed week, and you are willing to check insurance and references yourself.
Choose a company if reliability matters most, you want cover when someone is ill, you would rather someone else did the vetting, or you are cleaning a rental, an office or anywhere with compliance requirements.
Choose an app if you want a one-off clean, need something at short notice, or are testing whether you want a cleaner at all before committing to a regular arrangement.
Many households end up moving from an app to a regular arrangement once they know what they want, which is a perfectly reasonable path and a cheap way to find out.
The questions that cut through
Whichever route, ask these two.
What happens if you are ill on Tuesday?
An independent will tell you honestly that there is no clean that week, which is fine if you know it in advance. A good company will describe its cover arrangements specifically. An app will explain the rebooking process. A provider that has no answer, or claims it never happens, is the one to avoid.
Who insures the person actually in my home?
The answer should be immediate and specific. Vagueness here is the clearest signal available.
On price
The £5 an hour difference between independent and company rates works out at roughly £390 a year on a fortnightly three hour clean, or £780 on a weekly one.
Whether that is worth paying depends on how much the reliability and the accountability are worth to you. There is no universally right answer, and anyone telling you there is has something to sell.
What is worth avoiding is paying company rates for an arrangement that has the accountability of an independent one, which is exactly what happens when a company subcontracts without saying so.
A note on employment status
If you engage an independent cleaner for set hours, direct how they work, and provide the equipment, there is a question about whether they are genuinely self-employed or are effectively your employee. HMRC has guidance and an online tool for this.
In practice most independent cleaners work across many households on their own terms and are properly self-employed. But if you are asking someone to work fixed hours exclusively for you, under your direction, it is worth checking, because employment status carries tax, national insurance and employment rights consequences.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest? Independent, by roughly £5 an hour. Apps sit in between.
Which is most reliable? A company, because of cover arrangements and accountability.
Can I switch from an app to hiring the cleaner directly? Many platform terms prohibit it for a period, and it puts the cleaner in a difficult position. Check the terms.
Do agencies pay their cleaners fairly? Varies. A useful question to ask directly, and a company that answers openly is usually one worth using.
Is an app cleaner insured? Depends entirely on the platform. Read the terms rather than assuming, since the arrangements differ substantially.
What if I want the same person every time? Independent guarantees it. A good company will try. An app often cannot.
