Although the modern pet sitting profession dates as far back as 1983, the industry has undergone a dramatic transformation with the advent of pet care apps.

In recent years, it feels like new software is being introduced for every part of the pet care business– whether that's finding clients, organizing bookings, or managing a brand. For many, this change has shifted what was once a casual neighborhood service into a professional, tech-enabled business.

As a pet sitter, keeping a pulse on new pet care tech can give you a leg up on the competition. But not every tool is right for every provider, so it's important to understand where each solution can fit into your business to help you reach your goals.

Do You Need to Use Apps as a Pet Sitter?

In the same way that a bad workman blames his tools, a good pet sitter understands that your quality of service isn't about the technology you use. It takes a lot to trust someone with a pet, and you're not going to win (and keep) a client based on your tech stack alone.

An app can't make up for the job's core skills, such as empathy, knowledge of animal behavior, patience, and problem-solving. However, whatever your business goals are, there's likely tech solutions that can help you get there. Want to appear more professional? Try a pet website builder. Looking to check in more regularly with your customers? Find a client relationship manager (CRM) to store notes and contact info.

What matters is figuring out which tools align with your business model, your growth goals, and your preferred way of working.

Understanding the Pet Sitting App Landscape

When it comes to comparing pet sitting apps, it's rarely a matter of determining which is better. Instead, it's important to get a sense of the distinct categories and the role each could play in your business.

Online Marketplace

Online marketplaces are what most people think of when they hear "pet sitting app." This kind of platform is made to connect owners seeking pet care with reliable sitters. Typically, they take measures to provide customers peace of mind when booking through their platform, such as by conducting sitter background checks and offering coverage for incidents. On the sitter side, many of the popular marketplace apps also offer in-app business management features, such as booking, messaging, and payment processing.

However, this convenience comes at a significant cost. Some platforms pose a signup fee to cover the background check, averaging $40-50 depending on the app. Additionally, most marketplaces also take a commission on all services booked through the platform, ranging from 20-40%. Some also charge a service fee on the customer side on top of that. In many ways, joining one of these apps is almost like working for a digital agency.

Benefits of online marketplaces

✅ Instant client access
✅ Built-in payment processing
✅ Trust and safety features
✅ Mobile-first business management

Drawbacks of online marketplaces

❌ Significant commission fees
❌ Limited control over policies
❌ High competition against other sitters in your area
❌ Lack of client ownership
❌ Fluctuations based on the platform's ranking algorithm

Rover

Rover is the largest and most established pet sitting marketplace, with over 200,000 sitters across the U.S. and Canada. It allows sitters to set their own rates and availability, subject to a 20% service fee. The platform supports care for both dogs and cats, with service options for boarding, house sitting, drop-ins, daycare, and walks.

The Rover app also offers features including:

• Calendar management
• Payment processing
• Messaging
• GPS tracking for dog walks
• Summary cards sent to owners
• In-app reviews
• Rover Guarantee (vet care reimbursement for eligible claims)

Costs:

• Background check fee: $50 (subject to change)
• Service fee: 20% for sitters, 10% for owners

Ideal for: Casual sitters who offer a variety of services and don't mind giving up a portion of revenue in exchange for convenience.

Wag!

Often called "the Uber of dog walking," Wag! specializes in on-demand dog walking services while also offering sitting, boarding, and training. The platform serves over 500,000 customers across all 50 states.

Whereas Rover allows clients to reach out to services, walkers on Wag! can proactively apply to gigs they want to take. This means that providers can choose how busy they are based on their own availability. However, for the same reason, many report that it's harder to gauge if a client is a good fit before you're locked in, sometimes leading to subpar matches and unexpected difficulties.

Wag! also offers many of the same features as Rover, with more of an emphasis on dog walks:

• Scheduling
• Payment processing
• Messaging
• GPS-tracked walks with live updates
• Service report cards
• In-app reviews
• Wag! Guarantee

Costs:

• Background check fee: $40 (subject to change)
• Premium lifetime membership (optional): $149 (subject to change)
• Service fee: 40% for sitters, $2.99 booking fee for owners

Ideal for: Dog walkers who are comfortable working with a variety of dogs and are willing to sacrifice take-home pay for on-demand work. Best for those who want flexibility to pick up last-minute gigs over scheduled appointments.

Meowtel

Meowtel is the only major platform dedicated exclusively to cat sitting, offering in-home care tailored specifically to feline needs. The company has facilitated over 95,000 bookings and operates in 15,000 cities across 43 states.

The platform is positioned as a more premium product for cat owners. Its comprehensive vetting process accepts fewer than 10% of applicants and favors specialty knowledge, such as administering medication.

Meowtel accommodates both in-home drop-in visits and overnight stays. It promises customers a free meet & greet with every request, as well as basic care services including providing food and water, litter box cleaning, playtime and cuddles, administering medication, and photo or video updates.

For sitters, Meotwel offers a full suite of business features, including:

• Scheduling
• Payment processing
• Messaging
• Photo updates
• In-app reviews
• No-fee background check
• Meotwel Promise

Cost: Commission fee: 15-30% (starts high, decreases as earnings increase)

Ideal for: Experienced cat lovers who can provide a high level of care and prefer a more structured system, with steep fees in exchange for client sourcing.

Trusted Housesitters

Unlike the other top marketplaces, Trusted Housesitters (THS) isn't made for pet sitters looking for paid work. Instead, it's a homestay system that enables sitters to stay in properties around the world in exchange for providing pet care.

When you sign up for the platform, you choose an annual Sitter membership, and you'll be able to apply to postings for specified dates. While this use case may not apply to many sitters, it's a great way to access low-cost travel and get a unique experience in new places.

Compared to other platforms, bookings on THS tend to be more diverse. Different pet parents can have a wide range of needs and house rules. Ultimately, it's up to the sitter and the homeowners to determine what expectations will look like.

However, the platform includes basic features to manage sits, including:

• Messaging
• In-app reviews
• Liability coverage (except for basic plan)

Costs:

• Annual membership: $129-259 depending on tier (subject to change)
• Booking fee: $12 per sit (waived for premium members)

Ideal for: Digital nomads and frequent travelers.

Business Management

For pet care providers who already have a steady stream of bookings, management software helps streamline the business side of their services. These tools help you run your existing business more efficiently through scheduling, client management, invoicing, GPS tracking, and staff coordination.

Business management tech is typically favored by pet care companies and multi-person teams, especially since most solutions follow a flat fee pricing model that benefits large-scale operations. However, it's also popular with busy individuals with many clients and bookings to manage.

Benefits of business management software

✅ Streamlined bookings and updates can give your business a more polished image
✅ Saves time by automating administrative tasks like invoicing, scheduling, and payment processing
✅ Flat fee pricing allows high-volume operations to keep more revenue
✅ Industry-standard encryption and backups protect your business information and client data security

Drawbacks of business management software

❌ Initial setup and training can be time-consuming
❌ No client acquisition features
❌ Monthly costs can be high upfront, especially for solo operators

Time To Pet

Time To Pet is a robust business management platform designed specifically for in-home pet care companies. It offers comprehensive business management features, including:

• Scheduling and calendar management
• Automated invoicing with integrated payment processing
• Mobile apps for both staff and clients
• GPS tracking for visits
• Visit report cards with photos
• QuickBooks integration
• Client portal for booking and payments
• Staff management and payroll tracking
• Customizable automated communications

Subscription fees:

• Solo plans: $25-50 per month, depending on tier (subject to change)
• Team: $40 + $16/active staff per month (subject to change)

Ideal for: Established businesses with multiple staff members or solo operators who need help managing their growing portfolio. The ideal user should have steady client volume to justify the monthly cost.

Walkies

Walkies is a more affordable operations app originally built to provide visibility into the pet experience during a booking. However, it later expanded to offer more general business additions. Now the platform includes a wider variety of features, such as:

Key Features:

• Real-time walk and visit tracking
• GPS mapping
• Mileage and route logging
• Photo and video updates sent automatically to clients
• Invoice management
• CRM for client relationships

Ideal for: Solo operators and small teams looking for affordable, user-friendly software to manage bookings and provide their clients more detailed updates.

Marketing Platforms

For many sitters, attracting and retaining clients is one of the biggest challenges in the pet care business. Marketing tools help providers establish an online presence, showcase their services, and reach pet owners in their area– oftentimes without the hefty commission fees.

Many sitters also opt for standalone marketing tools in order to maintain control over their business and brand. While marketplaces offer exposure to local clients, they also come with their own platform rules and a built-in reputation. By decoupling your marketing efforts from an existing platform, you can build an owned client list and have full control of where you show up.

The pet sitting marketing landscape is still evolving, but it may include social media management platforms, website builders, or social listening tools. For larger-scale operations, sitters may combine their marketing tool with a business management software to streamline their entire process while maintaining control and revenue.

Benefits of marketing platforms

✅ Branded online presence helps you appear more professional
✅ Client acquisition process means you own your client list
✅ Flat fee pricing allows you to retain more revenue as business grows

Drawbacks of marketing platforms

❌ Beginner sitters need to start their client list from scratch
❌ May have limited operational features, depending on the platform

Pets Friendz

Pets Friendz is a no-code web app that enables pet care providers to quickly and easily establish their online presence to reach more clients. Sitters can leverage the user-friendly profile builder to create a professional, mobile-friendly page in seconds.

From there, they can share their web page across community outlets, such as Facebook Groups, Nextdoor posts, and local directories. Sitters can also link the profile on their social media page and Google Business Profile to broaden their online presence and strengthen their credibility.

Pets Friendz also includes lightweight operational features, such as booking forms, to enable a smooth consumer hand-off.

All in all, the platform includes:

• User-friendly page builder to include sitter details, service area(s), client reviews, service menu, and more
• Shareable profile link and QR code for distribution
• Secure booking form

Costs: Basic plan: Free forever

Ideal for: Independent pet sitters and small businesses who want to build a professional online presence without sacrificing revenue or autonomy.

What's the Best App for Pet Sitters?

The best pet sitter app depends on what you're looking for and where you are in your business journey. Although many new sitters tend to gravitate toward marketplaces for the client acquisition benefits, it's important to consider the long-term costs of paying 20-40% in fees on every booking.

Once you've graduated from casual sitting, you may want to start looking into marketing and business tools to build your own brand. As discussed, combining an operations software like Time to Pet with a professional profile on Pets Friendz can help you maintain full control over your earnings and client relationships.

Today's pet sitting industry offers more tools than ever to help you build and manage your business. Ultimately, the best app is the one that aligns with your business model, supports your growth goals, and provides the features you actually need– all without burdening you with costs or limitations that hold you back.

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