Going Off-Platform as a Pet Sitter: Bring Your Clients, Keep Things Organised
You already have clients who trust you with their pets. The next booking arrives on WhatsApp, a date changes by email, and the payment note lives in a spreadsheet. You do not necessarily need a bigger business. You need an easier way to run the one you have.
If you are looking to go off-platform, off-site or off-app from Rover, Pawshake, Mad Paws or another marketplace, that is the gap The Pet Sitter is built to close: pet sitting software for independent sitters bringing their own clients.
Independent does not have to mean unorganised
Moving away from a marketplace and moving away from useful software are different decisions. You can keep talking to clients by phone, email or messaging app while using a booking link to keep the agreed dates, service and price together.
The everyday benefit is less searching through old conversations. Which dates were confirmed? Has the client paid? Where are the care notes? A booking record gives those details a home without making you change how you relate to your clients.
Your business, your channels
The Pet Sitter does not prohibit exchanging contact details, using WhatsApp or email, accepting direct payments or arranging work outside our booking system. We take no booking commission. You do not owe us exclusive use of our software.
We still moderate messages for scams, harassment and other safety concerns. Choosing an outside communication or payment method is not itself a violation.
Rover, Pawshake, Mad Paws and other services set their own terms for relationships and bookings connected to their marketplaces. Those are their terms, not restrictions we impose here. Check the current terms relevant to your account and any existing commitments when planning a move; our software does not cancel them. Our Rover transition guide explains the questions to check.
A practical first booking with your own clients
- Bring your clients. Add their details or import your client CSV. Free includes a client list for up to 10 clients and limited CSV import; Pro removes the client limit. Importing a contact does not create an owner account or confirm a booking.
- Set your services, rates and currency. Check the actual amount and the cancellation and payment terms you want to offer.
- Share your permanent booking link. Put it in the conversation your client already uses. They can sign in and request dates; you review the request. For a client whose account is linked, you can also propose a booking for them to confirm.
- Get paid your way. Configure the payment instructions you accept. Clients pay you directly using your chosen methods or your own provider account. The Pet Sitter does not collect or settle booking money; you record payment when received. Your provider may charge its own fees.
- Keep the next booking easy. Reuse client details, check your calendar and share report cards. Free includes report cards and GPS routes recorded in the browser; this is not a live owner-tracking service.
You can share your page and booking link before requesting profile review. Human approval and your search-engine visibility setting control eligibility for indexing; they do not supply a stream of clients. Owner-side marketplace discovery is on the roadmap, not a feature to rely on today.
What to arrange outside the software
Keep clear service and cancellation terms, current care instructions, emergency contacts and an appropriate record of agreed changes. Check that your own insurance covers the work you intend to do. Independent bookings are not automatically uninsured or undocumented, but you should not assume another marketplace's protection follows you.
Your clients should understand where to request bookings, how to pay and how to reach you urgently. A simple note is enough:
“For your next booking, please use my booking link so we have the dates and service together. You can still message or email me as usual.”
When Pro is worth considering
Pro adds manual and automatic invoicing, review import, rebooking reminders for the sitter, unlimited clients and a bookkeeper CSV export. Invoice generation does not charge a client's card or reconcile your bank account. The export is not a live QuickBooks, Xero or MYOB connection.
Use the pricing page for current annual pricing and upgrade availability. Start Free, complete a real booking, and decide whether the extra tools save enough work to be worth paying for.
Our software currently uses date-based bookings; recurring timed visits, multi-staff scheduling and facility tools are on the roadmap. If those are essential to your business, do not assume a booking calendar already provides them.
The test is not whether you stop using WhatsApp. It is whether bookings run smoothly, you choose to come back for the next one, and Pro has a useful job to do.