April 2026 · 8 min read

MileIQ Alternative for Contractors

MileIQ raised prices 50%. And it still can't tell you which miles were worth it.

Lead Score auto-tracks every business drive and links each trip to the lead it was for. See exactly which jobs cost you the most in drive time — and cancel MileIQ, Joist, and three other apps while you're at it.


Choose Lead Score if…Choose MileIQ if…
Choose Lead Score if you want mileage tracking that connects every drive to the lead it was for, plus estimates, invoices, and lead scoring in one app.Choose MileIQ if your only need is pure mileage logging for tax purposes and you don't run a service business that qualifies leads.
You're a contractor who qualifies leads and drives to estimatesYou need centralized mileage reimbursement for a team
You want to know which miles were wasted on bad leadsYour employer standardizes on MileIQ
You want to replace MileIQ, Joist, and your CRM with one appYou don't run a service business with leads
You hate paying for apps that raised prices without adding valueYou only need mileage — nothing else
You want offline-first, no account requiredYour accounting team requires MileIQ-formatted reports
Feature Comparison

Lead Score vs MileIQ

Lead Score was built by a contractor who paid MileIQ for years — and realized it logged every mile to a bad lead without a single insight about whether the drive was worth taking.

FeatureLead ScoreMileIQ
Auto GPS mileage tracking Background detection Yes
IRS-compliant mileage export CSV export anytime Yes
Miles linked to specific leads Core feature Not available
Wasted miles dashboard Dashboard insight Not available
Lead scoring 5-factor scoring Not available
PDF estimates Professional PDFs Not available
Works fully offline All data stored locally Cloud dependent, unreliable
No account required Your device, your data Account required
Monthly price $9.99/month $8.99/month (up 50% in 2025)
Annual price $59.99/year (~$5/mo) $90/year (~$7.50/mo)
Free tier First 3 leads, no card No meaningful free tier
$0to get started, no card
5 appsreplaced by one
$204+saved per year vs. typical app stack

The problem with MileIQ

MileIQ tells you how many miles you drove. It has no idea if they were worth it.

MileIQ does one thing well: it logs business drives automatically. Swipe right for business, swipe left for personal. Export a report at tax time. That's genuinely useful — but for a contractor, it's less than half the picture.

412 miDriven to Bad Fit leads last month — wasted
$37Average fuel cost on a wasted qualifying drive
0Revenue from leads MileIQ told you were worth driving to

MileIQ logged every mile. It never told you which ones mattered.

You don't just need to know how far you drove. You need to know whether that drive made you money. Did the 45-minute qualifying visit turn into a signed job? Or was it another tire kicker who got three bids and went silent? MileIQ logged the miles and moved on. It will never tell you which drives were worth taking.

And in 2025, MileIQ raised its price from $5.99 to $8.99/month — a 50% increase — with no new features contractors asked for.

"MileIQ incorrectly detected a new starting location for the return trip, leading to inflated mileage. Offline functionality remains one of its biggest weaknesses."

— Analysis of MileIQ user reviews, 2025–2026

What Lead Score does differently

Every mile linked to the lead that earned it.

Lead Score uses GPS to auto-detect and log every business drive in the background — the same core mechanic as MileIQ. But every trip connects to a specific lead in your pipeline. After a few months, your dashboard shows you something no mileage-only app ever could.

1,247 miTotal miles driven to qualify leads this month
412 miMiles driven to Bad Fit leads — 33% of your total drive time, wasted
835 miMiles driven to leads you actually won

That 33% wasted number changes how you work. When the cost of chasing bad leads is measured in your own miles and hours, you stop chasing them. The 5-factor lead scoring system helps you identify which leads are worth driving to before you turn the key.

Lead Score also replaces your estimating app, your invoicing app, your expense tracker, and your lead CRM — all stored locally on your device with no account required. One subscription does what five apps were doing.


The Real Cost

What your current app stack actually costs.

Most solo contractors run 4–5 separate apps. Here's the monthly total — and what Lead Score costs to replace all of them.

Typical contractor app stack — per month
MileIQ (mileage)$8.99
Joist or Invoice Simple (estimates + invoices)$8–32
HelloLeads or similar (lead tracking)$5
Expense tracking app$5–10
Monthly total$27–56/month
Lead Score replaces all of the above
Lead scoring + mileage + estimates + invoices + expenses$9.99/month
Your annual savings$204–552/year

Or go annual at $59.99/year — less than $5/month for the full stack.


Pricing

Clear pricing. No surprises.

MileIQ

$8.99

up 50% in 2025 · $90/year (~$7.50/mo)

  • ✗ No lead qualification
  • ✗ No pipeline analytics
  • ✗ Separate tool — one workflow

Bottom Line

Who should use what.

Our Verdict

If you're a solo contractor or home service pro, Lead Score replaces MileIQ — and the rest of your app stack — for a single monthly price. The lead-linked mileage tracking alone is worth the switch.

The only reason to stay with MileIQ is if you manage a team with centralized mileage reimbursement needs. For solo operators and small crews, that's an enterprise feature you're paying for whether you need it or not.


FAQ

What contractors ask before switching.

Does Lead Score track mileage automatically like MileIQ does?×
Yes. Lead Score uses GPS to detect and log every business drive in the background — even when the app is closed. You review and confirm trips with one tap, and the IRS deduction is calculated automatically. The key difference: each trip links to a specific lead so you always know which jobs cost you the most to qualify.
Can I export mileage for taxes the same way I did with MileIQ?+
Yes. Lead Score exports all mileage data as CSV — IRS-compliant with date, distance, start/end addresses, and calculated deduction at current standard rates.
I've been using MileIQ for years. Is switching hard?+
No. Lead Score starts detecting trips automatically as soon as you set it up. Your first 3 leads are completely free, so you can run both apps side by side for a week before you cancel anything.
Does Lead Score work offline? MileIQ has been unreliable in rural areas for me.+
Lead Score stores everything locally on your device — no internet required for any feature. Mileage tracking, lead scoring, estimates, and notes all work in basements, rural properties, and dead zones.
I already use QuickBooks. Does Lead Score replace that too?+
No — Lead Score is designed for the pre-sale phase: qualifying leads, driving to estimates, tracking what it costs you to win a job. QuickBooks handles accounting after money changes hands. They work alongside each other without overlap.


Stop paying separately for every part of your pre-sale workflow.

Score your first 3 leads free. Auto-track your first trips. No credit card, no account, no cloud.

Free tier · No account required · iOS & Android · Works offline

© 2026 Contractor School · contractorschool.co

Written by the Contractor School team based on publicly available pricing and feature information. Last updated April 2026. Lead Score is not affiliated with or endorsed by MileIQ.

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