Looking for a pest control company? Here's how Orkin and Viking stack up.

• Orkin is a large national company known for its customized, integrated pest management approach.
• Viking Pest Control is a smaller, regional company praised for its customer service and transparent pricing.
• While Orkin is generally more expensive, it offers personalized plans for long-term pest management.
• Both companies offer guarantees with free retreatments if pest problems persist between scheduled visits.

Choosing the right pest control company can mean the difference between a quick, permanent solution to your pest problem and ongoing issues, headaches and property damage. When deciding which company is the right fit for the job, it’s a good idea to compare national, regional and local companies to find the best value for your money.

We reviewed and compared Orkin, one of the largest pest control companies in the country, to Viking Pest Control, a regional company best known for its guarantees and its stellar track record, to help you decide which is the right fit for your home.

Orkin vs Viking pest control at a glance

Orkin is a national pest control company that provides services in all states except Alaska. It is one of the largest pest control providers in the country and has been in business since 1901. Orkin is known for its professionalism and its integrated pest management  (IPM) approach, which is highly effective for most pests.

Viking Pest Control is a much smaller, regional company that services Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1980 and is owned by Anticimex, an international pest control conglomerate. It maintains outstanding customer reviews and is best known for its service guarantee and customer service.

Both companies are fully licensed and are members of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). “Companies that have these credentials have to maintain a certain benchmark of quality service, so they’re less likely to leave you with sloppy work,” says Allan Bossel, an operations expert at Bed Bug Exterminator, a pest management company based in Florida.

Services offered by Viking

Viking Pest Control handles just about every household pest you might encounter in the company’s service area. Here’s a list of every pest it can tackle:

• Ants
• Assassin bugs
• Bats
• Bedbugs
• Bees
• Beetles
• Birds
• Box elders
• Carpenter ants
• Carpenter bees
• Carpet beetles
• Centipedes
• Cicada killers
• Cluster flies
• Cockroaches
• Crickets
• Earwigs
• Fleas
• Flies
• Grain pests
• Groundhogs
• Hornets
• Ladybugs
• Mealworms
• Mice
• Millipedes
• Mining bees
• Mites
• Mosquitoes
• Moths
• Opossums
• Raccoons
• Rats
• Rodents
• Silverfish
• Skunks
• Sow bugs
• Spiders
• Spotted lanternflies
• Springtails
• Squirrels
• Stink bugs
• Termites
• Ticks
• Voles
• Wasps
• Water bugs
• Weevils
• Yellow jackets

In addition to general pest control services, Viking also offers Anticimex SMART, which is a rodent monitoring system that can detect mouse and rat activity, indicating when you need exclusion services and potentially preventing property damage.

Services offered by Orkin

Orkin has an equally comprehensive list of insects, rodents, birds and other pests it can handle. Much like Viking Pest Control, Orkin provides services for some of the more challenging pests, like termites, bed bugs and rodents. Here’s a complete list:

• Ants
• Bedbugs
• Bees
• Beetles
• Birds
• Carpenter ants
• Centipedes
• Chipmunks
• Cockroaches
• Crickets
• Earwigs
• Fleas
• Flies
• Gophers
• Groundhogs
• Hornets
• Mice
• Millipedes
• Mites
• Moles
• Mosquitoes
• Moths
• Opossums
• Raccoons
• Rats
• Rodents
• Scorpions
• Silverfish
• Snakes
• Spiders
• Stink bugs
• Squirrels
• Termites
• Ticks
• Voles
• Wasps
• Yellowjackets

Orkin is well-known for its integrated pest management solutions that go beyond the use of pesticides to kill and deter insects and rodents. It offers the following additional services to that end:

• OrkinShield: Includes physical barriers to help keep pests from getting into your home, primarily through your foundation.
• Insulation installation: Includes insulation installation services that can help deter pests in your basement, crawl space or attic, while also boosting home energy efficiency.
• LeafStopper: This is a gutter guard system that helps keep your gutters free of debris. This has the added benefit of reducing the risk of pests coming from your gutters.
• Orkin DryZone: This service includes the installation of dehumidifiers and ventilation systems to keep under-home areas dry, which reduces the risk of pest infestation.
• Wildlife management: Orkin’s pest management services include specific removal and exclusion techniques for rodents, birds and other non-insect pests.
• Orkin VitalClean: This service includes cleaning and sanitization that can kill bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces in your home. This can also help avoid pest attraction.

Pricing and plan differences

While Orkin consistently ranks number one on our list of the best pest control companies, but pricing can get expensive for some services. We recommend comparing providers on monthly rates, initial service fee and one-time plans, but also consider the overall value of the plan. Some providers come out more frequently, cover more pests and have better service guarantees than others.

Orkin vs. Viking Pest Control: pricing

To compare costs, our team gets real quotes. Orkin and Viking Pest Control come in at similar rates of $55 to $57 per month, according to the quotes we gathered. Keep in mind that your quote may differ depending on your location, pests and coverage tier.

We used Orkin's online quote tool to see how much it would cost to get monthly service for a three bed, two bath house in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here is our quote:

• Monthly cost: $57 per month
• Initial service: $187 one-time fee

You’ll need to have an Orkin representative come out to inspect your home and determine the best course of action before you get a formal estimate.

Viking Pest Control has several coverage tiers, with its Bronze and Silver plans costing $55 per month and $79 per month, respectively. Eco-friendly plans are slightly more expensive per month. Here’s a breakdown of pricing for Viking’s core services, but note that there are other plans available. We used an online quote tool to get pricing for a home in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania:

• Bronze Shield: $229 for the first month, then $55 per month
• Silver Shield: $259 for the first month, then $79 per month
• Eco Bronze Shield: $329 for the first month, then $67 per month
• Eco Silver Shield: $359 for the first month, then $91 per month

Orkin vs. Viking Pest Control: plan options

“When talking to a company representative, check if they immediately recommend a treatment plan or suggest an inspection first,” says Bossel. “Those who do the latter know what they’re talking about. It’s never a wise course of action to have a treatment plan first in mind unless someone’s had eyes on the situation.”

Orkin doesn’t have preset plans and instead customizes its approach to pest management for every single customer and property. Unlike Viking, Orkin's quote offers one pest control option for homes. This plan will cover all the pests in your area, except the pests that require extra care, like termites and wildlife.

Viking Pest Control has four general pest control plans, plus nine plans for more targeted pest management:

Effectiveness and treatment approach

Both Orkin and Viking Pest Control have good reputations for getting the desired results when it comes to pest control. Both companies are likely to be able to solve your pest issue. Orkin has over 120 years of experience and a customized pest management solution, and Viking offers best-in-class guarantees and warranties for its services.

Both companies offer standard pesticides and more eco-friendly options, which lets you further customize your approach based on the severity of the issue. That means you can get highly effective and fast-acting pest control services if you opt for the traditional chemical treatments, or you can get more environmentally friendly service through Orkin Green or Viking’s Eco plans.

If we had to choose, we’d say Orkin is a slightly better option for effective treatment, mostly because it caters its services to your property and issue and uses integrated pest management to solve existing issues and prevent future ones.

Customer reviews and satisfaction

Customer reviews vary by branch location, so it can be hard to compare pest control providers based solely on online reviews. We read through reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot because these platforms showcase a single provider profile, which combines all locations of that provider into one place. Local reviews are more likely to reveal what pest service is like in your area, which is why we recommend you check out reviews of your local branch before committing to pest treatment.

Overall, Viking has better customer review scores online. Orkin has just 1.35 stars out of 5 on the BBB website, while Viking maintains an incredible 4.97 stars out of 5 at the time of writing. On Trustpilot, Orkin has a 1.7-star rating, while Viking has a 4.4-star rating.

“Read both the positive and negative reviews, ask how [each company] trains its technicians, and find out what happens if the problem comes back,” says Justin Bellet, COO of Aruza Pest Control, which services North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Texas. “Pay attention to how the company responds to negative reviews because that often tells you more about the company than the review itself.”

Orkin reviews include glowing comments about professionalism and timeliness, as well as pest control solutions that have succeeded where efforts from other companies have failed. However, some customers report expensive quotes, pushy sales tactics and poor communication when scheduling service.

Viking Pest Control reviews mention thorough inspections and services, professional and knowledgeable technicians, and high-quality service that solves underlying pest issues. Negative reviews mention poor communication, scheduling miscommunication and some issues with duplicate billing when switching to online payments.

Guarantees and warranties

“For general residential pest control, it is common to see a service guarantee where the company will return between scheduled visits at no additional charge if covered pests come back,” says Bellet.

Both Orkin and Viking offer this type of warranty, providing unlimited retreatments for covered pests. They will both come back to treat your home or yard again at no additional cost to you if your problem persists between scheduled treatments.

This is the best guarantee you can get in the pest control industry, and it should provide total peace of mind that you’ll get maximum value from your contract. Companies that offer a guarantee of pest elimination are questionable, as no one can actually guarantee results.

Additionally, Orkin offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you aren’t satisfied with your initial inspection and treatment.

Which is better for general pest control?

We like that Orkin offers a more personalized approach to pest control, making it a good option for general pest control.

“For general pest problems, large national companies may be the better option,” says Bossel. “They are usually generalists, and they tend to have greater access to different treatments that correspond to different pest problems.”

However, Viking is also a solid option with a stellar reputation for results. It also has pre-set plans for general pest control and is more affordable. So, you may prefer Viking if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option or if you want known pricing for specific services. It also is more likely to be familiar with pest issues specific to its limited service area.

Pros and cons of Viking pest control

Pros and cons of Orkin

Which pest control company should you choose?

Based on our research, Orkin is the better option for pest control, mostly because the company takes a more customized approach to pest control and uses integrated pest management techniques to solve existing issues and prevent future problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this approach is the most effective for long-term pest management.

However, Viking Pest Control is also a great option with an excellent history of results if you want more affordable service, prefer known pricing over a customized quote and live in the company’s limited service area.

It’s a good idea to get an estimate from both providers to compare and find the best value. You can also get estimates from other top pest control companies for comparison, including Terminix.

Frequently asked questions

Who is cheaper than Orkin?

Orkin is one of the more expensive pest control companies, so most alternatives will be cheaper. Terminix, Aptive and Viking Pest Control, for example, all come with lower per-month costs for service. Mosquito Joe is the one standout that’s more expensive than Orkin, on average.

Is Orkin worth the money?

In our opinion, Orkin is well worth the money. Orkin is an expensive option for pest control, but it has over 120 years of experience, an extensive education and training process for its technicians, and a long history of positive pest control results. It takes a customized approach to pest control and offers unlimited free retreatment if your pest issue persists, meaning you’ll almost always get positive results.

Is Orkin the most expensive pest control company?

Orkin is among the most expensive pest control companies, and of the companies we’ve reviewed, it does have the most expensive pricing for general pest management. Mosquito Joe is one company that’s more expensive, averaging between $80 and $100 per month compared to Orkin’s pricing of $50 to $80 per month. However, Mosquito Joe is more targeted for mosquitoes, ticks and other outdoor pests, so it’s not a direct comparison.

*this article was updated to include new information and corrections