LeadWharf

Comparison

LeadWharf vs Zotex Media: two ways to buy cleaning leads per lead

LeadWharf is the stronger Zotex Media alternative for most cleaning companies. Zotex checks three gates and will count a quote request as the next step; LeadWharf checks five, including recurring work at your frequency and a reason to change now, and every lead has already agreed to a walk-through. Outreach goes out in your company's name, your whole area is locked to you, a lead that misses is never invoiced with no claim window, and LeadWharf also does appointment setting if you want the walk-through booked onto your calendar.

Aarav SharmaBy Updated 10 min read

LeadWharf and Zotex Media sell the same basic thing: a commercial cleaning lead, one at a time, sent to one company only. Both find facility decision-makers through outbound work and both qualify the contact before you see it. The differences sit in the details: what a lead has to prove before it counts, whose name the prospect hears first, how your area is held, and how the price is set. If you are weighing LeadWharf vs Zotex Media, or looking for a Zotex Media alternative, those four points are worth settling before price.

Every fact about Zotex Media on this page comes from its own website (zotexmedia.com), read in October 2026. Where its pages are silent on something, we say so rather than guess.

LeadWharf vs Zotex Media at a glance

Zotex MediaLeadWharf
What you buyA "walkthrough-ready lead"A qualified lead that passed five checks, walk-through agreed
OutreachIts team "emails and calls" decision-makersPersonalized email from a dedicated, warmed setup in your company's name
Whose name on the outreachNot stated on its siteYours
Exclusivity"Every lead goes to one company only"Each lead to one company, never resold
TerritoryDrivable radius or zip list; "We never send the same building to two clients"One company per area, locked to you while you stay
Price$175 per lead, the same in every territoryOne-time setup, then a flat fee per lead, quoted per territory on a call
Setup, minimum, contractNone, none, noneOne-time setup; nothing monthly, no contract, stop any time
Bad leadReport within 35 days for a replacement or refundNever invoiced if it misses any check
DeliveryEmail and text within the hour of qualifyingWithin minutes, by email, text and into your CRM
Appointment settingSells leads; it asks you to call the contact the same day and confirm the walk-throughYes, walk-through booked onto your calendar, pay per appointment

How does Zotex Media work?

Zotex Media runs outbound prospecting for janitorial and commercial cleaning companies and delivers a lead only when three gates pass. Its How It Works page says its team "emails and calls the people who actually choose the cleaning vendor", meaning facility, office, practice and property managers. Outreach starts "within 48 hours of onboarding", and it says most clients receive their first walkthrough-ready leads inside two weeks.

The three gates, per its home page, are a decision-maker, a real need, and an agreed next step. "They asked for a quote or agreed to a walkthrough, and we tell you which." Each lead is sent by email within the hour of qualifying, with an optional text, and there is no portal to log in to.

Territory is a drivable radius or a zip list, set on a strategy call. Zotex says it never sends the same building to two clients and does not deliver facilities already served by another Zotex client. Its sales pages say it works in more than 40 metros across the United States and Canada, and that it is built for janitorial companies "billing $500k+ a year that can staff new buildings."

After a lead arrives, Zotex asks you to "call the contact the same day, take the walkthrough within a day or two, and tell us how it went."

What does Zotex Media cost?

Zotex Media charges $175 per walkthrough-ready lead, in US dollars, as of October 2026. Its pricing page calls that "the whole price list" and says the rate is "the same in every metro we serve." Territory size changes how many leads you receive, not what each one costs.

The rest of the terms are short:

  • Setup fee: $0. List building, territory mapping and campaign setup are included.
  • Minimum: $0. "Take three leads a month or thirty."
  • Contract: none. You can pause when your crews are full and restart later.
  • Billing: you pay when a walkthrough-ready lead lands, and for nothing else.
  • Guarantee: if a lead fails any gate, "Tell us within 35 days of delivery and we replace it at no cost or refund it."

One thing to understand up front: a lead that passes the gates but does not sign is billed, which Zotex describes as "the same as any other sales conversation." In other words, you pay $175 for a quote request as readily as for a walk-through, and the only protection is a claim you must file inside 35 days. Our cost per lead calculator shows what $175 a lead means once you plug in your own close rate and contract value.

How does LeadWharf work?

We start with a short call to agree your patch: the area, the buildings you want, the smallest job worth sending a crew to. A short form captures your pitch. We then build a dedicated, warmed email sending setup, find and verify the decision-makers in your area, and write to them personally in your company's name.

A person qualifies every reply against five checks, and all five must be true. The building is inside the area you drew. The contact has said, in their own words, that they want recurring cleaning at your frequency and job size. They are the named person who signs, reachable on a direct line, not a front desk or a shared inbox. They have a reason to change now: the current cleaner is letting them down, the contract is running out, they are moving in, or they have grown. And they are ready for a walk-through: they have already agreed to one. A lead that passes is yours alone, and your area stays locked to you while you are with us.

The lead reaches you within minutes by email, text and your CRM. You pick a time, walk the building and write the quote. A lead that misses any check is never invoiced. If you would rather not pick the time at all, LeadWharf also does appointment setting: we book the walk-through onto your calendar at a confirmed date and time, with the same five checks and the full lead details, paid per appointment with no retainer. The price is a one-time setup, then a flat fee per qualified lead, quoted for your territory on a call. There is nothing monthly and no contract. How it works shows each step.

How do a "walkthrough-ready lead" and a LeadWharf qualified lead differ?

They differ mostly in the last step: Zotex secures an agreed quote request or walk-through and tells you which and when, while LeadWharf only sends a lead once the prospect has agreed to a walk-through. You are picking a time, not selling a meeting. Field by field, as described on each company's pages:

FieldZotex walkthrough-ready leadLeadWharf qualified lead
ContactName, title, direct phone and emailName, role, direct phone and email
AuthorityDecision-maker gateNamed person who signs, on a direct line
BuildingFacility type, size, address and current serviceCompany and building, building type and size, who cleans it now
NeedThe need "in the prospect's own words"Recurring cleaning at your frequency and job size, in their own words
How oftenNot listed as a separate fieldFrequency stated
Reason to changeNot listed as a separate fieldWhy they are changing now
TimingThe next step agreed, "and when"When their contract ends or they want to start
Next stepQuote requested or walk-through agreedWalk-through, always already agreed, or booked onto your calendar with appointment setting
Walk-through timeZotex agrees a next step and timing with the prospect; you confirm and run itYou pick it with a prospect who has already agreed to a walk-through
Name the prospect knowsNot stated on its siteYour company's name, from the outreach
Bad leadReplace or refund if reported within 35 daysNever invoiced if any check fails

Both leads arrive with a next step attached. Zotex's next step may be a quote request or a walk-through. LeadWharf's is always an agreed walk-through, with recurring frequency and a reason to change confirmed, and a prospect who has been talking to your company from the first email. Our guide on how to qualify a cleaning lead covers what to confirm before you walk the building either way.

Where does Zotex Media fall short?

  • A quote request counts as a lead. Zotex's third gate is passed if the prospect "asked for a quote or agreed to a walkthrough." A quote request by email is a long way from a walk-through on the calendar, and it is billed at the same $175.
  • Recurring work and a reason to change are not gates. Its three gates are decision-maker, real need and next step. Frequency and why the building is changing cleaners are not listed as separate checks or fields.
  • Bad leads need a claim, on a deadline. A lead that fails a gate is replaced or refunded only if you report it within 35 days of delivery. Miss the window and you have paid for it.
  • Whose name the prospect hears is not stated. Its pages do not say whether outreach goes out in your company's name or Zotex's.
  • Buildings are protected, not a whole area. Zotex says it never sends the same building to two clients; its pages do not describe locking an entire area to one company.
  • Built for larger firms. Its sales pages describe its fit as janitorial companies "billing $500k+ a year."
  • No independent reviews. In October 2026 we found no Zotex Media profile on Trustpilot, Clutch, Google or the BBB.

Why LeadWharf is the better choice

  • Five checks, not three. Area, recurring work at your frequency and size, the person who signs on a direct line, a reason to change now, and a walk-through already agreed. All five, or it is never invoiced.
  • Always a walk-through, never just a quote request. Every lead has already agreed to a walk-through. You are picking a time, not selling a meeting.
  • Appointment setting as well. Want the walk-through on your calendar instead? LeadWharf books it at a confirmed date and time, paid per appointment, no retainer.
  • Your name on the first touch. Every email goes out from your company, so the prospect knows who is coming to walk the building.
  • Your whole area, locked. One company per area while you stay. More on that in exclusive cleaning leads.
  • Never invoiced, no claim window. A lead that misses a check simply never appears on your bill. There is nothing to report and no deadline.
  • Within minutes, into your CRM. Leads arrive by email, text and straight into your CRM.
  • Any cleaning company, any size. Janitorial firms, residential cleaners and other trades that serve the same buildings.

What do Zotex Media reviews say?

We found no independent Zotex Media reviews in October 2026. Searches for profiles on Trustpilot, Clutch, Google and the BBB returned nothing for the company, and its testimonials page links to no third-party review platform. That page shows six written testimonials with five-star graphics and seven video testimonials hosted on YouTube, plus headline figures such as "10,000+ Leads Delivered" and "95%+ Client Satisfaction". Zotex does not say how those figures were measured. Zotex also publishes a 12-vendor comparison, dated September 18, 2026, that lists itself first and discloses that it is the publisher. Our own best janitorial appointment setting companies list ranks LeadWharf first on published criteria.

Questions to ask either company

  1. What exactly must be true before a lead is billable? Ask for it in writing.
  2. Has the contact confirmed recurring cleaning, or a one-time quote?
  3. Who agreed the walk-through time, and do I need to confirm it?
  4. Whose company name did the prospect see in the outreach?
  5. Is my whole area held for me, or just individual buildings?
  6. How do I report a bad lead, and is there a deadline?
  7. What will I spend in total before my first signed contract?

LeadWharf or Zotex Media: the verdict

LeadWharf. Zotex publishes a simple price, but what it bills for is looser: three gates, a quote request that counts as a next step, and a 35-day window to claim back a bad lead. LeadWharf sends pay-per-lead cleaning leads that cleared five checks, always with a walk-through agreed, in your own name, with your area locked and misses never invoiced. And if you want the meeting on your calendar, LeadWharf also does janitorial appointment setting. For the model comparison, read pay per lead vs appointment setting. To see if your area is open, book a call.

Last checked: October 2026.

Questions

Before you ask.

Still not sure? Write to hello@leadwharf.com and a real person will get back to you.

How much does Zotex Media charge per lead?

As of October 2026, its pricing page lists $175 per walkthrough-ready lead in US dollars, the same in every metro it serves, with no setup fee, no minimum and no contract. Check zotexmedia.com/pricing for the current figure before you sign up.

What is a walkthrough-ready lead?

It is Zotex Media's name for a lead that has passed three gates: a decision-maker, a real need, and an agreed next step, meaning the prospect asked for a quote or agreed to a walk-through. Zotex says each lead tells you which next step was agreed and when.

Are there independent Zotex Media reviews?

When we searched in October 2026, we found no Zotex Media profile on Trustpilot, Clutch, Google or the BBB. Its own testimonials page shows written and video testimonials and headline figures it reports itself, without saying how they were measured.

What happens if a Zotex lead turns out to be bad?

Zotex says that if a delivered lead fails any of its three gates, you tell it within 35 days of delivery and it replaces the lead at no cost or refunds it. A lead that passes the gates but does not sign is billed like any other lead.

What is the best Zotex Media alternative for a cleaning company?

LeadWharf. Every lead passes five checks instead of three, including recurring work at your frequency and a reason to change now, and has already agreed to a walk-through rather than just a quote. Outreach goes out in your company's name, your whole area is locked to you, and a lead that misses is never invoiced. LeadWharf also does appointment setting, booking the walk-through onto your calendar, paid per appointment with no retainer.

Check your area

Find out if your area is still open.

Every area goes to one cleaning company. Once yours is taken, it's taken. Book a free call and find out where you stand.

  • Exclusive. One company per area
  • Never invoiced. Miss a check, you don't pay
  • No contract. Stop whenever you like
Check if my area is open

Calendar not opening? Book on Cal.com or write to hello@leadwharf.com.

Aarav Sharma

You'll talk to Aarav Sharma

Founder, LeadWharf

What happens on the 30-minute call

  1. You tell us your area, the buildings you want, and the smallest job worth sending a crew to.

  2. We tell you if your area is still open, and what each lead will cost you.

  3. If there isn't enough work near you to make it worth it, we tell you that too.

No hard sell. Nothing to sign on the call.