Terminix vs. Aptive

Terminix and Aptive Environmental both rank on our list of the best pest control companies, with Terminix coming out on top thanks to its longevity in the business, lower costs, and online chat capability. Both companies offer a range of pest control services and protection against common household pests. This guide compares each company’s plans, pricing, availability, and customer service to help you make the right decision for your home.

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Terminix vs. Aptive: Overview

Terminix is one of the biggest names in termite and general pest control, with more than 90 years of experience in the industry. Its team of licensed and insured technicians supports more than 2 million customers across the country. Terminix is staffed with leading pest specialists, including PhD-level entomologists. Customer service representatives are available 24/7 to handle requests and schedule a technician visit.

Aptive was founded in 2015 and offers customized treatments. It’s ranked as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best Companies in America and is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, which helps raise awareness and reduce pesticide use. However, the company is facing lawsuits for aggressive sales tactics and allegedly using customer information without consent.

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Terminix vs. Aptive: Plans

While do-it-yourself (DIY) pest control can save you money, it’s not always as effective as hiring a professional. Because of this, it’s important to work with an experienced technician to develop a plan that’s specific to your home and pest issues. Both Terminix and Aptive provide plans to protect your home’s interior and exterior against common household pests year-round.

Terminix Plans

Terminix pests covered: Moths, cockroaches, house ants, mice, rats, scorpions, silverfish, non-dangerous spiders, centipedes, earwigs, house crickets, millipedes, paper wasps

• General pest control plan: This provides protection against common household pests. During the initial visit, a technician will complete a comprehensive inspection of the interior and exterior of your home, develop a customized plan, and treat the interior of your home. With this plan, you’ll have three follow-up exterior treatments, totaling four treatments each year.
• Termite treatments: Terminix provides treatment and preventative services for various types of termites, such as subterranean, drywood, and Formosan termites. To start services, a technician will complete a free inspection inside and outside of your home, work to find signs of termite activity and locate potential access points around your home.
• Bed bug treatments: Your technician will thoroughly inspect your beds, furniture, and linens to determine where the pests are living and breeding. They’ll then remove visible bed bugs and treat the area to eliminate pests and any eggs they may have left behind. Bed bug treatments from Terminix include steam or RapidFreeze, a fast-working and non-toxic solution.
• Mosquito services: Start with a complete yard inspection to build a customized treatment plan, which may include Quick Guard. This treatment starts working immediately to kill mosquitoes and reduce the mosquito population in your yard and creates a zone of long-lasting protection to keep them from coming back.
• Tick services: Your technician will provide you with tips and recommendations for preventing ticks in your yard and will use a combination of liquid and granular treatments. These begin working immediately to target ticks in your yard, including species like American dog ticks, black-legged ticks, brown dog ticks, lone star ticks, and soft ticks.

Aptive Plans

Aptive pests covered: Ants, cockroaches, crickets, earwigs, millipedes, biting insects, pantry pests, aphids, pill bugs, silverfish, rodents, spiders, fleas, stinging insects, snails

• General pest control plan: Called the Four-Seasons Protection Plan, this annual plan starts with an initial visit, where a technician determines the areas of risk around your home and provides a customized quarterly treatment plan. When a technician comes to treat your home, they will generally treat the exterior of your home, but they can treat the inside of your home if necessary.

Aptive doesn’t provide a plan to protect against termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, or ticks.

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Terminix vs. Aptive: Locations

Availability will vary depending on where you live.

Terminix Locations

Services from Terminix are available in 47 U.S. states. You can find a technician in all states except  Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Aptive Locations

Aptive is available in Washington D.C. and the following 24 U.S. states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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Terminix vs. Aptive: Cost

The cost of a pest control plan will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the type of pests in your home, the severity of the infestation, the size of your home, and your location. For an accurate estimate that meets your home’s needs, request a free quote from your provider of choice.

Terminix Cost

General pest control services from Terminix start at $139 per quarter for homes under 3,999 square feet.

Aptive Cost

A pest control plan from Aptive ranges from $560–$620 for 2,000-square-foot homes.

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Terminix vs. Aptive: Customer Reviews

Terminix and Aptive have mixed reviews online. Because it has many locations around the country, Terminix has multiple Better Business Bureau (BBB) profiles that vary in ratings. However, the company’s headquarters has an A+ rating. While the company has many positive reviews that reflect a quality team of service technicians, other reviews mentioned trouble with management and customer service representatives.

Aptive is BBB-accredited and holds an B+ rating as of this writing. Customer reviews mentioned good communication with the company, as well as friendly and punctual technicians. However, customers have reported issues with spam calling and other aggressive sales tactics, and the company has an alleged history of recording phone calls without customers’ consent.

Terminix Reviews

“I have had Terminex service for quite a few years now and would highly recommend their service in our area of Horseheads NY. My technician Rob is outstanding, thorough, conscientious and very friendly. I don’t have to worry if I am not going to be home because he is the most honest person at getting the job done. I receive a text the day before my scheduled visit a text the day of the visit letting me know what time he will be arriving and a text when he is completed if I am not home.” —Sylvia C. via the BBB.

“They tell you what you want to hear until you pay a huge fee upfront, then they back-track what was promised! —Lisa H. via the BBB

Aptive Reviews

“Ever since I started having Aptive service my house I have not seen a single bug! My account manager with Aptive is extremely responsive to any issue and is always checking in to see if I am happy with the service or if there are any issues with mice, too. Nice to have someone go above and beyond on such a cold day!”—Todd F. via the BBB

“The salesman indicated that I could cancel after four treatments and not pay any cancellation fees. Turns out the number required is nine and there is an 18 month length of contract. Both pieces of information are not what was provided by the salesman. Totally misleading. If this company comes to your door, do not sign up with them. For what they provide, [it’s] not worth the money. The customer service people were no help. They stuck to the company policy and were rude.”—David S. via the BBB

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Terminix vs. Aptive: Verdict

Either Terminix or Aptive could fit for your pest control needs. Terminix provides more comprehensive services and is available in more states than Aptive. It’s also a trusted name in pest control that has decades of experience treating thousands of homes across the country.

Aptive is known for its customizable treatments and commitment to giving back to the community. Its pest control plan covers common household pests, but it lacks coverage for termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes, and ticks—all of which can quickly become difficult to manage on your own. The company is also facing lawsuits for aggressive sales tactics and alleged misuse of customer information.

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Our Rating Methodology

We back up our pest control recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we used to objectively score each provider. We reviewed pest control plans, navigated provider websites, spoke with customer service representatives by phone and online chat, requested quotes, and analyzed customer reviews for each company. We then scored providers against our review standards for plans and services, reputation and customer responses, customer service offerings, workmanship guarantees, financing, and availability to arrive at a final score out of 5 stars.