ClearDefense Pest Control vs. The Bug Master
ClearDefense Pest Control ranks #2 of 164 and The Bug Master ranks #6 of 164 in the West, with Handshake Scores of 9.3 and 8.8 out of 10. Both have locations on file in Texas. ClearDefense Pest Control also has locations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri.
This comparison sets their verified records side by side: the five scored factors, review platforms, BBB, contract terms, licensing and legal record. It draws no conclusion beyond the scores. The small numbers link to each fact’s source, and each company’s full review has the rest.
At a glance
| ClearDefense Pest Control | The Bug Master | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2 of 164 in the West | #6 of 164 in the West |
| Confidence | High | High |
| Provisional score | No | No |
| Door-to-door sales | Yes9, 10, 11, 12, +3 | N/A6, 7, 8 |
| Ownership | PE-backedParent: Coalesce Capital (private equity; growth investment announced Sept. 28, 2026; founders and management retain a meaningful equity interest)4, 7, 8 | Independent2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Headquarters | Matthews, North Carolina2 | Austin, Texas2, 3 |
| States on file | Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas5 locations | Texas10 locations |
| Record verified | October 27, 2026 | October 27, 2026 |
Our research
How they score
The Handshake Score is a weighted average of five factors, each scored from 0 to 10 from verified records. The percentage beside each factor is its weight. Each score links to the deductions behind it on the company’s review.
| ClearDefense Pest Control | The Bug Master | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer satisfaction 35% | 10.0 | 9.6 |
| ClearDefense Pest Control scores higher on customer satisfaction (10.0 vs. 9.6). | ||
| Complaint record 10% | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Tied on complaint record (10.0 each). | ||
| Sales and contract fairness 15% | 9.0 | 8.5 |
| ClearDefense Pest Control scores higher on sales and contract fairness (9.0 vs. 8.5). | ||
| Licensing and compliance 15% | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Tied on licensing and compliance (10.0 each). | ||
| Legal and regulatory record 15% | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Tied on legal and regulatory record (10.0 each). | ||
| Handshake Score | 9.3/10 | 8.8/10 |
| ClearDefense Pest Control has the higher Handshake Score (9.3 vs. 8.8). | ||
Workplace
We rate how companies treat employees from employee-review sites and wage-and-hour records. A workplace score is computed and carries 10% of the Handshake Score when there are at least 20 employee reviews on file (otherwise excluded and remaining weights renormalized).
| ClearDefense Pest Control | The Bug Master | |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace score | 7.7 | N/A |
| ClearDefense Pest Control has a workplace score of 7.7; The Bug Master isn’t rated. | ||
Review platforms
Google figures cover each company’s western US listings; the average is weighted by each listing’s review count. Ratings and counts are as each site showed them on the date retrieved.
| ClearDefense Pest Control | The Bug Master | |
|---|---|---|
| Google listings in the West | 5 | 10 |
| Google reviews | 10,052 | 6,516 |
| Google average | 5.0 | 4.9 |
ClearDefense Pest Control 15 review profiles
| Platform and scope | Rating | Reviews | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoogleAustin, Texas | 5.0/5 | 2,173 | View |
| GoogleAmarillo, Texas | 5.0/5 | 1 | View |
| GoogleKansas City, Missouri | 5.0/5 | 2,576 | View |
| GoogleBaton Rouge, Louisiana | 5.0/5 | 2,195 | View |
| GoogleLittle Rock, Arkansas | 5.0/5 | 3,107 | View |
| FacebookLittle Rock, Arkansas | — | 449 | View |
| FacebookAustin, Texas | — | 53 | View |
| FacebookBaton Rouge, Louisiana | — | 603 | View |
| FacebookKansas City, Missouri | — | 394 | View |
| ThumbtackAustin, Texas | 4.9/5 | 10 | View |
| BBBLittle Rock, Arkansas | 1.0/5 | 1 | View |
| BBBBaton Rouge, Louisiana | 1.0/5 | 1 | View |
| BBBAustin, Texas | — | 0 | View |
| BBBKansas City, Missouri | — | 0 | View |
| YelpAustin, Texas | — | 38 | View |
The Bug Master 13 review profiles
| Platform and scope | Rating | Reviews | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoogleAustin, Texas | 4.9/5 | 2,966 | View |
| GoogleThe Woodlands, Texas | 4.9/5 | 886 | View |
| GoogleTemple, Texas | 4.9/5 | 732 | View |
| GoogleSan Antonio, Texas | 4.9/5 | 605 | View |
| GoogleSan Marcos, Texas | 4.9/5 | 511 | View |
| GoogleHouston, Texas | 4.8/5 | 494 | View |
| GoogleTexas | 5.0/5 | 307 | View |
| GoogleTexas | 3.5/5 | 13 | View |
| GoogleTexas | 5.0/5 | 1 | View |
| GoogleTexas | 5.0/5 | 1 | View |
| BBBTexas: BBB Heart of Texas file 0825-42185 | — | 0 | View |
| Facebookcompany page | — | 48 | View |
| YelpAustin, Texas | 3.5/5 | 82 | View |
Better Business Bureau
ClearDefense Pest Control. Its BBB profiles show 0 complaints in the last three years; grades vary by branch.
The Bug Master. Its BBB profile shows an A+ grade and 3 complaints in the last three years.
| ClearDefense Pest Control | The Bug Master | |
|---|---|---|
| BBB grade | A+ (AR, MO, LA branch profiles); A- (TX)33, 41 | A+3, 9, 26 |
| Accredited | No | Yes, since 4/1/1988 |
| Complaints, last 3 years | 0 | 3 |
| BBB customer reviews | 1.0/5 average from 1 review | No reviews |
| Profile scope | Four branch profiles, each covering one West branch: Austin Texas, Little Rock Arkansas, Kansas City Missouri, Baton Rouge Louisiana. BBB also has separate profiles for ClearDefense market LLCs outside the West (e.g. Raleigh B-, Richmond C, Charleston A); those are not included. | Not recorded |
| Retrieved | October 27, 2026 | October 27, 2026 |
| Profiles |
Contract terms
Terms as recorded from the linked sources.
ClearDefense Pest Control 8 terms
Company FAQ: cancellation fees, if any, depend on the customer’s service agreement; no fee amount is published.16
Company FAQ: whether a contract is required varies by location; no term length is published.16
Company FAQ: customers can cancel by phone, email or a website request to the local branch.16
Company FAQ: billing is set up on a recurring basis that aligns with the service plan; the FAQ recommends quarterly service for most homes.16
Company FAQ: free re-service between scheduled visits.16
Little Rock BBB reviewer (1 star, 11/10/2025) says she asked before signing whether she would be in a contract, was told she would not be, and later received a letter requiring her to pay out the contract.17
Website terms cover the website and SMS/email programs only; pest control services are governed by separate service agreements, which are not published. The web terms choose North Carolina law and courts and contain no arbitration clause.2
Website promotion: $50 off the first service for new customers.1
The Bug Master 7 terms
Company (BBB response, 03/09/2026): the residential Pest Plus plan is an annual program billed monthly with quarterly visits, i.e. a 12-month term.9
Company (BBB responses, 07/18/2024 and 08/07/2024, commercial apartment customer): its termite/Sentricon agreement includes an auto-renewal clause; annual termite and Sentricon station fees renew automatically because the stations are leased.9
Consumer-reported price (BBB complaint 02/25/2026, Pest Plus plan): $179 initial service, then $53.04 per month.9
Company FAQ: residential treatments at least quarterly; monthly for mosquitoes/fleas.10
Guarantee (company): free re-service if a problem persists; warranties vary by service; satisfaction guarantee refunds the last scheduled service if the problem cannot be fixed.4, 11
Consumer report (BBB complaint 02/03/2026): customer says they tried to cancel in November 2025 and kept being billed monthly and threatened with collections; company replied it could not find the account.9
Not published: the website shows no service agreement, cancellation method, early-cancellation fee or arbitration terms (FAQ, location and package pages checked; FAQ accordions expanded).10
Licensing and registrations
Status and expiry dates are shown exactly as the issuing agency’s record showed them on the date retrieved.
ClearDefense Pest Control 8 records (Texas 2, Louisiana 2, Missouri 2, Arkansas 2)
| State | Authority and type | Number | Status | Expires | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Department of AgricultureCommercial business license | 0882194 | Active (listed in TDA’s current-licenses report, file dated 26 Oct 2026) | 04/30/2027 | 42 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Agriculture and ForestryPlace of Business Permit | 001ZM8 | Active (LDAF POB list revised April 20, 2026) | 6/30/2026 (per the April 2026 list); BBB records the license with expiry 6/30/2027 | 33, 43 |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of AgriculturePesticide Business (MOPlants USAPlants Idaho) | 0032Y6 | Active | Not shown | 44 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Department of AgricultureLicense Holder (business) license | Not shown | Not verified (no online lookup; the Department verifies licenses by email only) | Not shown | 45 |
| Texas | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (franchise tax account status; Texas SOS registration)Business entity registration (Texas LLC) | SOS file 0804415613; taxpayer 32082997274 | Right to Transact Business: ACTIVE; SOS registration ACTIVE (effective 02/02/2022) | Not shown | 3 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Secretary of State (Commercial Division)Business entity registration (Louisiana LLC) | Charter 44293967K | Active; Annual Report Status In Good Standing; registered 2/23/2021; last report filed 1/29/2026 | Not shown | 4 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Secretary of State (Corporations)Business entity registration (Arkansas LLC) | Filing # 811353243 | Good Standing; filed 02/02/2022 | Not shown | 5 |
| Missouri | Missouri Secretary of State (Business Services)Business entity registration (Missouri LLC) | Charter LC001571498 | Active; created 1/11/2018 | Not shown | 6 |
The Bug Master 5 records (Texas 5)
| State | Authority and type | Number | Status | Expires | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Structural Pest Control ServiceCommercial Business License | TPCL 0566854 | Active (listed on TDA current-licenses report) | 07/31/2027 | 27 |
| Texas | Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Structural Pest Control ServiceCommercial Business License | TPCL 0566852 | Active (listed on TDA current-licenses report) | 07/31/2027 | 27 |
| Texas | Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Structural Pest Control ServiceCommercial Business License | TPCL 0779874 | Active (listed on TDA current-licenses report) | 02/28/2027 | 27 |
| Texas | Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Structural Pest Control ServiceCommercial Certified Applicator (individual) registrations tied to the company’s business licenses | 0559088 (Dauphin M Ewart); 0711028 (Keld Ewart) | Listed on TDA certified-applicator report | 07/31/2027 (0559088); 07/31/2027 and 02/28/2027 (0711028) | 28 |
| Texas | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (Franchise Tax Account Status, showing Texas Secretary of State registration)Business entity registration (Texas limited partnership) | Texas taxpayer 17421913033; SOS file 0013005810 | Right to Transact Business: ACTIVE; SOS Registration Status: ACTIVE | Not shown | 2 |
Legal and regulatory record
Only resolved government actions count toward the legal and regulatory score. Pending lawsuits, allegations and private matters are listed but not scored. Summaries are our researchers’ wording of the source; allegations are allegations, not findings.
ClearDefense Pest Control 5 records
Legal and regulatory score: 10.0/10. Records counted in it: none.
October 27, 2026 · Complaint summaryUsed in complaint record
Austin, Texas (BBB Heart of Texas)
BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control, 8906 Wall Street, Austin, Texas (BBB Heart of Texas; file opened 10/23/2025): not accredited, rated A-, 0 complaints, no customer reviews.35
October 27, 2026 · Complaint summaryUsed in complaint record
Little Rock, Arkansas (BBB Serving Arkansas)
BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control, Little Rock, Arkansas (BBB Serving Arkansas; file opened 3/3/2023): not accredited, rated A+, 0 complaints, 1 customer review (1 star).37
October 27, 2026 · Complaint summaryUsed in complaint record
Kansas City, Missouri (BBB of Midwest Plains)
BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control of Kansas City, 104 W 9th St Ste 10, Kansas City, Missouri (BBB of Midwest Plains; file opened 6/24/2026): not accredited, rated A+, 0 complaints, no customer reviews.39
October 27, 2026 · Complaint summaryUsed in complaint record
Baton Rouge, Louisiana (BBB of South Central Louisiana)
BBB profile for ClearDefense Pest Control of Baton Rouge, LLC (BBB of South Central Louisiana; file opened 6/13/2021): not accredited, rated A+, 0 complaints, 1 customer review (1 star).40
2017 · LawsuitShown only
U.S. District Court, M.D.N.C.
Clear Defense, L.L.C. sued ClearDefense Pest Control of Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh LLCs in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina for trademark infringement under the Lanham Act (No. 1:17-cv-01139). Private suit outside the West. A memorandum opinion and order signed 10/23/2018 (filed October 24, 2018) granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss in part and denied it in part; the final outcome was not verified (Justia returned 403).46, 47
The Bug Master 6 records
Legal and regulatory score: 10.0/10. Records counted in it: none.
October 27, 2026 · Complaint summaryUsed in complaint record
BBB Heart of Texas
BBB file 0825-42185 (Austin HQ with San Marcos, Temple and Waco branch addresses; its phone list includes The Woodlands number): 3 complaints in the last 3 years, 2 in the last 12 months. All 3 displayed show business responses (status Answered): a Pest Plus billing complaint (monthly billing vs quarterly visits, 02/2026), billing after attempted cancellation (02/2026; company could not find the account), and a commercial apartment owner’s dispute over an auto-renewed termite/Sentricon bill sent to collections, where the customer alleged a forged signature (07/2024; company kept the account in collections).9
October 27, 2026 · Complaint summaryShown only
Texas (Attorney General; federal)
No Texas Attorney General action, FTC action, consent order or settlement involving The Bug Master or Bug Master Exterminating Service was found. The cited CourtListener RECAP (federal) search returns 4 dockets, none an action by a government body against the company: three list it only as a creditor or notice party in other companies’ bankruptcies, and one cites a private case, “Barsness Service Group, Inc. vs. Bug Master Exterminating Service, Ltd.”, in a 2018 court appendix (not researched). The Texas AG publishes no per-company complaint data.32
August 21, 2026 · EnforcementShown only
Texas (Texas Department of Agriculture, Structural Pest Control Service)
TDA enforcement case 00049359 against TPCL 0566854 (Austin business license): violations “WORKING OUT OF CATEGORY” and “OTHER”; agency action WARNING, no penalty; date final 08/21/2026. A warning with no penalty is not a resolved government penalty and is not scored.29
July 17, 2024 · ComplaintUsed in complaint record
BBB Heart of Texas (complaint 22002354)
Commercial customer (two apartment properties) said it declined a termite renewal, was billed $2,776.61 anyway, had pest service suspended at both properties over the dispute, and that the contract Bug Master gave a collections agency carried a forged signature; it said it reported this to police. The company replied that the signed agreement auto-renews (leased Sentricon stations), work orders show the work was done, and it would let collections proceed. Allegations only; no outcome beyond the BBB exchange is known.9
December 31, 2002 · LawsuitShown only
Texas, Third Court of Appeals (Austin); Travis County 261st District Court No. 99-00846
Abash Exterminating sued a former employee to enforce his employment agreement, then added Bug Master Exterminating Service, Inc. as a defendant, alleging interference with business relations and unfair competition by using Abash’s trade secrets obtained when Bug Master hired him; Abash later nonsuited Bug Master. Bug Master appealed the denial of its sanctions motion; the court affirmed (12/31/2002). Private business dispute, resolved, over 20 years old; not scored.30
June 26, 1997 · LawsuitShown only
Texas, Third Court of Appeals (Austin), No. 03-96-00574-CV
Home buyers who found termites after closing sued the sellers, realtors and others, including Bug Master Exterminating Service, Inc., which had done the FHA termite inspection on closing day and found no termites. The appeal concerns the sellers only; the outcome of the claim against Bug Master is not shown. Private, about 29 years old; not scored.31
Keep reading
- ClearDefense Pest Control review#2 of 164 in the West
- The Bug Master review#6 of 164 in the West
- Is ClearDefense Pest Control legit?Licenses, BBB record and legal history
- Is The Bug Master legit?Licenses, BBB record and legal history
- The Pacific Northwest pest control rankingsThe full rankings, with every factor score
- How we review companiesThe five factors, their weights and what we count
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