The manga was serialized in Hakusensha's shōjo magazine LaLa from late 2005 (with a one-shot pilot chapter in the February 2006 issue) through November 2013, running for 85 chapters collected into 18 tankōbon volumes.

A special chapter was later published in the March 2025 issue of LaLaDX, followed by a short crossover comic combining Maid Sama! with Hiro Fujiwara's other work 'Neko ni Wagamama' in the November 2025 issue.

The three minor recurring characters known as the '3 Baka' (Three Idiots) originally had no names and were simply called A, B, and C; their final names Shirakawa, Sarashina, and Kurosaki were chosen through a reader naming contest based on their appearances (e.g., Shirakawa because his hair is white, Sarashina because his hair looks smooth/silky, Kurosaki because his hair is black).

After fans wrote in asking for the '3 Baka' trio's profiles to be redone because their designs had become increasingly comedic and deformed as the series progressed, the author rewrote their character profiles in volume 6.

According to the author, the character Koganei was originally conceived as the student council president of the rival school Miyabigaoka Academy before his role was changed.

In the anime adaptation, voice actress Sanae Kobayashi (who voiced Misaki in the drama CDs) instead plays the role of Nagisa Hyodo, while Tetsuya Kakihara (who voiced Ikuto in the drama CDs) plays Goki Aratake in the TV series.

Misaki's boss Satsuki explains that she hired Misaki because Misaki resembled 'Meiya-chan,' a beloved character from an 18+ maid-themed bishoujo game that Satsuki was obsessed with at the time.

In a 2019 Forbes retrospective on the best anime of the 2010s decade, journalist Lauren Orsini named Maid Sama! one of the five best anime of 2010, praising its 'clever comedy with snappy delivery' that kept the show sharp even a decade later.

Critics gave mixed reviews of the manga's gender politics: some reviewers found it entertaining but 'shallow' and sexist toward both genders, while others argued the maid café setting served as a vehicle to critique gender roles, and one critic described it as reinforcing a 'male fantasy' where a strong, self-possessed girl is secretly submissive to men.

A radio program called 'Kaichō wa Radio-sama!' launched on April 2, 2010, streamed weekly on Fridays via Onsen, with its first episode recorded live at the Tokyo International Anime Fair; it was hosted by voice actors Ayumi Fujimura and Kazuyoshi Shiibashi.