13 Best Pet Sitting Apps Like Rover
Looking to start your next animal-related side hustle and wondering what the best pet sitting apps like Rover are?
I’ve compiled a list of the best apps that are like Rover if you’re not sure you want to use this popular choice OR you want to add more apps to your roster – honestly, unless it’s against their TOS I see nothing wrong with using multiple apps.
From big competitors like Wag to location-specific choices from DogHero, we’ve got plenty of great options for you to get started with your pet sitting dream. Which app will you try?
Best Pet Sitting Apps Like Rover
1. Wag!
Wag! is probably Rover’s top competitor, offering a very similar service for both pet parents and service providers. You can become a Caregiver – Walker or a Sitter – and you set your own rates, which is great but doesn’t help us figure out how much you’ll earn. However, on their site, Wag! says that you can “make up to $500 a month by sitting dogs just 3 times a week.” Dog sitters (and walkers) also get to keep the whole tip that they’re provided.
As a Caregiver on Wag, you can offer the following pet services:
- Walking
- Brief drop-ins
- Sitting
- Boarding
- Training
For those wanting to be caregivers with Wag!, you’ll need to participate in a background check. It’s important to note that this app is only available in the US. It is available in all 5,300+ cities in all 50 states.
To get started with Wag! you need to:
- Apply by creating a detailed profile and taking a quiz on dog safety
- Pass a background check (note you need to pay almost $50 for this)
- Download the specific caregiver’s app
While you can set your own prices with Wag, they take a farily large chunk of your cash to the tune of 30 to 40%. On most services, Wag will be taking 40% – that’s for regular ole walks, traditional sitting and boarding. Then for short drop-ins and online training sessions they take 30%. Out of all the places on our list, this is the highest.
Wag also pays weekly to your Stripe account, though there is a ‘pay now’ feature that allows you to get your money sooner to your Stripe-connected debit card. It’s important to note that stripe also charges a fee to use their service – so you’ll be paying a little more.
Rover vs. Wag
Since Wag! is the closest competitor to Rover, it’s worth comparing them directly.
Both give you the option to work as an independent consultant, which is great for those that are hustlin’ on the side. However, there are a few stark differences that you’ll want to take into consideration when choosing the best fit for you.
The BIGGEST and most important difference is that Wag takes DOUBLE the amount that Rover does of your earned income (yes, really). For walks, boarding and traditional sitting they take 40% of your income, whereas Rover takes 20%.
Wag also allows for you to work for a trainer which Rover does not. However, Rover gives you the opportunity for youto run a little daycare and Wag doesn’t.
Ultimately, its up to you to decide which is the best (and yes, you probably could side hustle stack on these bad boys and work with both) but if it was up to me, I’d probably go with Rover over Wag simply because it takes less of your earned money.
2. PetBacker
PetBacker is an international platform that connects pet owners with those who can care for them when they need the help. You can provide whichever pet service you’re comfortable with, but their main service areas include:
- Boarding
- Taxi
- Walking
- Grooming
- Day care
- Training
This is a marketplace where you can list your services (for the prices YOU want them to be) for pet owners to find – much like Rover. While there is no sign-up or membership fee for you to use Petbacker as a service provider, but they do take a 15 to 25% for any services completed.
It’s a service that’s very close to Rover, providing you with the freedom to choose your own hours, provide services you love, and gives you a platform that makes it easy to manage your business. to use the app you need to be able to legally provide services in your jurisdiction (of course), answer requests in a timely manner, deliver services that you agree to in a professional manner, and keep your availability up-to-date.
3. Fetch! Pet Care
Fetch! Pet Care is the largest franchise in the professional dog walking and sitting space in America.
Because it’s franchised, you can only join their pet sitting and walking team IF they have a location in your area. The Fetch franchise ONLY exists within the USA, and it’s not available everywhere – so you’ll want to head to their Apply page and look through the list to see if they’ve got something available in your area.
Fetch! Pet Care prides itself on their rigorous sitter selection process. While this is great because it ensures reliable care for pets, it also means it probably won’t be the right fit for every prospective sitter out there. To successfully sit for Fetch! Pet Care, you’ll need to pass:
- Mandatory background check
- An in-depth interview
- Provide “all necessary personal information”
The site says the pay is competitive, but doesn’t actually disclose it – so I did a tad bit of digging… according to Indeed, the average hourly pay is $18.60, which is on the higher end (unless you’re the one setting the price). Since Indeed gathers it’s salary information based on personal submissions it’s hard to say how accurate those numbers are.
Working for Fetch could be a great side hustle, but it’s not a business idea.
4. Pawshake
Pawshake, like a few other apps on our list, is a database of local petsitters and walkers. There are different sites for different countries which include Canada, Australia, Germany – and others, but does not include the United States.
This is a great place for you to advertise your local petsitting and/or walking business. It’s NOT an app like Rover where you can run your entire business, but it IS a great place for you to connect with prospective clients in your area.
Through Pawshake you can advertise one (or more) of the following services:
- Dog Boarding
- Doggy Daycare
- Dog Walking
- Home Visits
- House Sitting
You put together a profile, choose your price and publish it live so prospective pet clients can take a peek and decide if they want to reach out and potentially hire you!
Since this is more of a freelancer database/search engine, you’ll need to have your own business set up in place to intake clients, provide services and get reviews. If you’re looking to build a client base for your own petsitting business (and you’re trying to avoid third-party apps that take a cut, like Rover), then this is a great place for you to start.
5. Holidog
Holidog is a US-based service that connects pet sitters and pet owners so that their pups have places to be (and people to care for them) while they’re on holidays. Holidog offers four primary types of services:
- Dog walking
- Short 30-minute visit
- Pet sitting in the client’s home
- Hosting pets in YOUR home (as a sitter)
According to their site, Holidog takes NO commission from their sitters, which tells me that there’s likely a fee on the client side of things (good for you!), however if you want insurance as a pet sitter it looks like you need to pay a $5 fee (not sure how often!). Signing up is very easy, you simply need to:
- Create your profile
- Wait while your profile is reviewed and validated
- Hangout and wait for jobs to come
I’ve never used them myself, so I can’t tell you how frequent jobs com in. However, their website does say that they have a large audience and lots of sitters available.
Holidog offers a paid membership on the client side of things, which is likely why they don’t need to take a commission. As a pet sitter, you get a chance to decide on what your rate is and make the WHOLE thing (the average on the site is $12/day across America – just FYI).
If you’re running your own private petsitting business and you’re looking to get clients right in the beginning, this could be a great place to advertise and connect with clients. I particularly like the fact that they don’t charge a service fee, though read the TOS very closely because there might be things NOT provided by them that other places like Rover do (like, for example, insurance).
6. PetSitter.com
PetSitter.com is a marketplace/database of petsitters and those who need to hire petsitters. It’s built buy a company that has a TON of different lead sites set up like this (you can tell by heading towards the end of the page and seeing all their “MeetA__” sites that they operate.
I’d equate this style of site to something closer to Craigslist where you’re esentially posting personal ads – though these are in a more specific area then just a general job-style ad. This isn’t necissarily a bad thing, but it is important to note just so you know that this isn’t exactly a direct competitor to Rover.
To find a pet sitting job, you’re going to want to go to Get A Pet Sitter Job on the top menu and sifting through the posts you’ll find on the page. You’ll find jobs for watching all kinds of furry (and not furry) animals, here are a few examples:
The big downside to a service like this compared to something like Rover is there’s no protections and/or assurances for you as someone who provides the service (likewise, there’s not protection for those hiring you either). However, this is a great way to start your OWN pet sitting business if you’re looking for a way to advertise.
This is also a great place to find jobs beyond the typical dogsitting. If you work with horses, cats, reptiles, birds or other animals, you might have a better job searching on this platform than some of the other apps on our list.
7. Care.com
Care.com is NOT exclusively a pet service app, instead they offer a wide range of care-focused services which CAN include pet setting. In addition to child care, senior care and housekeeping services, users of this app can find sitters for dogs, cats and other pets.
There’s not a lot of details given for pet carers and how much you can make (or ANY jobs on this board). However, according to their pet care page, the average rate for pet sitters is $14/hr and there are over 143,000 sitters registered on their site.
With Care.com, you get to make your own profile and choose your rates. I’ve seen rates that range from $12 to $42/hr. All caregivers (presumably including pet sitters) need to go through a background check BEFORE you can start chatting about potential jobs.
8. Sittercity
Sittercity is much more focused on babysitting and other “traditional” care jobs, but you can post pet sitting services on their app. To find pet sitting jobs with their app you’ll need to set up an account, apply for jobs and start making connections.
This app is more styled like an Upwork for care jobs then a database of sitters and walkers (like Rover). The app allows pet owners (and other care givers) find and vet potential sitters (dog or otherwise!) based on their reviews and profiles within the app.
While this does sound similar to Rover, it sounds like there are actual job postings for you to apply to. This might work really good for your work style or not be the right fit.
9. Spot Dog Walkers
Spot Dog Walkers connects pup owners with private walkers in their area. Their edge seems to be a focus on insurance and safety (not a bad thing!), as all of their walkers are insured and all walks are done privately.
I particularly like that the prices walkers earn is available right on their website (no hidden fees!), walkers earn $11 to $17, depending on the length of the walk. There are also add-ons like $3/extra dog in a household and $1 extra if the walk is recurring.
The Spot Dog Walkers’ application process is pretty straight forward:
- Apply online via their Dog Walker Application
- Wait roughly 7 to 14 days for your application to be reviewed
- Assuming your application is approved it’s time to start walking!
You do have to go through their hiring and training portal before you can start accepting jobs, but once you’re through you’re ready to roll.
Loctaion-Specific Pet Sitting/Walking Apps
10. Tailster
Tailster is an app similar to Rover that operates in the UK.
Because I’m not located in the UK, I have to go from information that’s available on their site and the description feels a bit like Fiverr for pet walking and sitting. The app’s marketing says that you’ll “receive quotes directly from interested carers” which tells me that you’ll be bidding for jobs.
It’s free to join Tailster and “carers” take home 80% of the earnings while the app holds 20%. Honestly, this is pretty align with the rest of the apps on our list.
11. DogHero
DogHero is the pet sitting app of choice if you’re located in Brazil.
The currently have 18,000 sitters across 800 cities in the country, and if you’re around there and looking for a pet-focused side hustle THIS is the app for you. A ‘hero’ AKA sitter can offer one of the three base services:
- Accomodation: The dog spends the night at YOUR home
- Nursery: The dog spends the day at YOUR home
- Pet sitter: YOU go to the dogs house for 60+ minutes
To get started with DogHero you need to sign up, decide what services you want to offer, and when services are needed in your area the team with connect with you.
Note that to use DogHero, you’re going to need to be able to speak Portuguese. Not only is the app written in Portuguese, but the clients will also most likely speak it. It’s also worth noting that if you’re a digital nomad in Brazil looking to take clients on this app, you’ll want to check to make sure you’re LEGALLY allowed to!
12. Mad Paws
Mad Paws is an Australian service that connects pet owners with:
- Pet hosting (pet stays at YOUR place)/Pet sitting (YOU stay at the dog’s place)
- House Visits
- Dog Walking
- Dog Training
- Grooming
- Doggy Daycare
Much like Rover, Mad Paws focuses on extended services and not simply dog walking. It works in the same side hustle manner so you get to choose your own hours, the jobs you take and how often you work. You are under NO obligation to complete a certain amount of jobs or work a required amount of hours.
The downside is because there’s no minimum requirement AND the services vary, I can’t give you any idea of how much you’ll make. That said, Mad Paws takes a 20% cut of your agreed-upon fee, so if you’re getting paid $50 for a sit, you’re really taking home $40 and Mad Paws is taking $10.
13. Swifto
Swifto is a private dog walking network that operates in select communities within Miami and New York City (only!), so it’s not going to be the best match for everyone. In fact, they only service Manhattan, Long Island City and Astoria in Queens, and the northwest half of Brooklyn (in New York) and Brickell in Miami. So you’ll need to be within a resonable distance of those areas for this to be a good service for you.
If you’re in those areas and want to apply to become a dog walker with Swifto, there are some legitimate benefits. They work with walkers that want to make this at least a part-time job and require you to:
- Be available for a minimum of 15 walks per week
- Make a 6 month commitment to work with them
- Be available consistent times from Monday to Friday
- Have previous experience and a passion for dogs
Unlike most of the side hustles we talk about Swifto has added benefits. You get hired on as a W2 employee, which means you get unemployment insurance. You also get a pay raise every 400 walks and a 401k after 1 year of employement. Dog walker pay starts at $12.50 for a 20 minute walk, if you take on 7 20-minute walks in a day, you earn $87.50 plus any tips you recieve.
What is Rover?
Rover connects pet owners with pet care services (like EVERY OTHER site/app on our list), with a focus on sitting, walking, boarding and daycare. You can sign up, create a profile and start pitching your pet-related services.
I’ve used Rover as a pet parent before and honestly it was a real win. Benny was a two-year-old pug at the time I was headed on a trip to Disneyland with my mom and I needed somewhere for him to stay. Rover connected with a vet assistant who hustled as a sitter on the site and took Benny to work with her! He honestly had a blast with her and her cute little pup, I practically had to drag him out of there.
Rover made my life as a pet parent a breeze when I had to leave, and I think it’s a great place to start your pet business. As a sitter, it allows you to set your own fee and pick your own clients… but like most of the other apps they take a fee from what you make. You’ll want to calculate that they’ll be taking 20% of what you earn, so if you charge $30 for a night, you’ll only take home $24.
Is Using an App the Best Way to Get Petsitting Jobs?
Yes, using an app like Rover for pet sitting jobs is an excellent strategy for those just starting in the pet care industry. Apps provide a streamlined experience where you can easily connect with pet owners in need of your services. They offer the advantage of exposure to a large client base without the need for extensive marketing or networking efforts on your part. This accessibility makes it easier for newcomers to the field to begin building a reputation and client list.
However, most apps charge fees or take a percentage of your earnings in exchange for using their platform. This means you’ll be giving up a portion of your income for the convenience and visibility these apps provide. Despite this, the trade-off can be worthwhile, especially in the early stages of establishing your pet care business.
Final Thoughts: Best Pet Sitting Apps Like Rover
There are PLENTY of apps out there that are great for starting a pet sitting operation. But the best pet sitting apps like Rover for your specific business will depend on where you are and what you’re looking for in your business experience.
If you’re looking for something that’s very similar to Rover, Wag is going to be the best bet – however, it does take more of your earnings which might not be what you’re looking for. If you want something that’s more area or country specific, there are definately options for you.
Ultimately though, I’d say if you’re looking to maximize your business experience, getting on a two or three apps might be the best bet. Especially in the case of apps like Rover and Wag that provide an overall similar experience (minus the money aspect).
