You run a staffed walking or drop-in business
Per-visit scheduling, recurring appointments and usage-fair per-staff billing are core Scout strengths. The Pet Sitter has no staff accounts today, so for a team it is not yet an option at all.
Software Comparison
Pet sitting software for the clients you already have
Bring your clients. The Pet Sitter helps independent sitters organise date-range bookings, client records, care updates and payment tracking when messages and spreadsheets become awkward. It is business software, not a promise of new clients.
| Metric | The Pet Sitter | Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost (solo) | Free — no subscription or commission | US$390/yr prepaid, or US$39/mo billed monthly |
| Commission on bookings | 0% | 0% — Scout takes no cut of bookings either |
| Client acquisition | Your own shareable profile and booking link; no client acquisition included or guaranteed. In-product search is on the roadmap. | Priced separately — SEO website US$42/mo |
| Staff support | Built for solo sitters — team plans are on the roadmap | Yes — +US$18/mo per additional active staff member |
How Scout's Model Works
Scout, by PetMethod LLC, is business management software for dog walking and pet sitting companies. It charges no commission on bookings and runs no marketplace: the subscription buys operations tooling with a strong mobile focus, and growth products — a branded client app, an SEO website — are sold as separate add-ons.
- You pay a SaaS subscription: US$39/month, or US$390/year prepaid, which includes the first staff member. Each additional active staff member — one with an appointment assigned that month — is US$18/month or US$180/year. Every tier includes the full feature set.
- In return you get modern, mobile-first operations software: scheduling with recurring appointments, offline-capable check-ins, and billing automation that runs unattended — draft invoices are generated Monday morning, cards on file are charged Tuesday morning, receipts are emailed and invoices auto-marked paid.
- Card processing runs through your own Stripe account, so Stripe's fees are between you and Stripe — Scout adds no percentage of its own.
- Growth is sold separately: a branded client app at US$300/month, an SEO-optimised website at US$42/month and a paid ads service at US$1,000/month (Scout's published add-on prices, checked 6 September 2026). The core subscription does not include client acquisition.
Walking rounds and drop-in visits can need timed appointments, field check-ins and automated billing. Choose around the workflow you actually run: our date-range bookings and manual payment tracking are not equivalent to those capabilities.
The Pet Sitter is for independent sitters with existing clients who are outgrowing messages and spreadsheets. It helps organise that work; a shareable public page is not a client-acquisition service.
Model Comparison
What each product includes
What it is
Scout (software subscription)
Mobile-first business management software for pet care companies — no marketplace
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Your profile, booking link, date-range bookings, messaging, report cards, unlimited client records and CSV client import are free.
Client acquisition
Scout (software subscription)
Sold separately — SEO website US$42/mo, paid ads US$1,000/mo, branded client app US$300/mo
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Your own shareable profile and booking link; no client acquisition included or guaranteed. In-product search is on the roadmap.
Pricing model
Scout (software subscription)
US$39/mo or US$390/yr prepaid including the first staff member; +US$18/mo per additional active staff; full feature set at every tier
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Free — no subscription or commission
Scheduling depth
Scout (software subscription)
Deep — per-visit appointments, recurring schedules, offline-capable mobile check-ins
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Streamlined date-range bookings — one request, one price, no visit-by-visit admin (no per-visit times or recurring series) — with an availability calendar and iCal/Google/Apple calendar sync
Getting paid
Scout (software subscription)
Unattended billing — invoices drafted Monday, cards on file charged Tuesday, receipts emailed, auto-marked paid; processing via your own Stripe account
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Manual invoices, completed-booking invoices and accounting CSV export are included at no cost. You receive client payments directly and record them yourself; The Pet Sitter does not automatically collect or verify payments.
Staff & teams
Scout (software subscription)
Yes — per-active-staff pricing where only staff with appointments that month are billed
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Built for solo sitters — team plans are on the roadmap
Your reputation
Scout (software subscription)
Lives inside your own client records, website and app
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Add past reviews manually for human review before publication. Your profile and booking link are free; search-engine indexing requires profile approval and your choice to be listed.
Best fit
Scout (software subscription)
Walking and drop-in businesses that live on mobile and want billing to run itself
The Pet Sitter (software + your own profile page)
Independent sitters with existing clients who want simpler day-to-day administration, not a staffed dispatch operation.
What Each Model Optimises For
What a per-staff software model optimises for
Field-grade mobile execution
Offline check-ins, cached sync and a UX reviewers compare to consumer apps — Scout wins by being the tool a walker actually enjoys using in the field, and it invests accordingly.
Usage-fair seat expansion
Billing only staff who worked that month keeps the product honest for seasonal rosters, while still growing revenue as customers grow. A legitimate model, fairly implemented.
Automation that earns renewal
When invoicing, charging and receipting run unattended every week, switching away means taking that admin back. Retention through genuine time saved — good software economics.
What the free tools help you do
Your clients
Bring your clients. The Pet Sitter helps independent sitters organise date-range bookings, client records, care updates and payment tracking when messages and spreadsheets become awkward. It is business software, not a promise of new clients.
Voluntary repeat use
Keep the next booking easier to organise: dates, pet details and client history are in one place. Book Again creates a new request or proposal that still needs confirmation; it is not an automatic recurring schedule.
The solo sitter's full lifecycle
Keep bookings, client details, care updates and invoices together. The tools are free, and you decide whether they fit your day-to-day work.
Bring your clients. The Pet Sitter helps independent sitters organise date-range bookings, client records, care updates and payment tracking when messages and spreadsheets become awkward. It is business software, not a promise of new clients.
Who Should Use Which?
This is an honest assessment, including the cases where Scout is simply the better tool today.
Scout is the better choice if
You want billing to run itself
Scout's unattended cycle — invoice drafted Monday, card charged Tuesday, receipt emailed, invoice marked paid — is the best-automated money loop in this comparison. The Pet Sitter never collects payment — owners pay you directly, which is simpler but manual.
Your business runs from a phone in the field
Offline-capable check-ins with cached sync are built for patchy mobile coverage on walking routes. Our PWA covers messaging, bookings and report cards on the go; per-visit field workflows are not part of our product today.
You need your own branded client app
Scout sells a branded client app as an add-on. The Pet Sitter provides your own profile and booking links, not a separately branded app. Already having clients is a fit for our software too; needing that app is the distinction.
The Pet Sitter is the better choice if
You are outgrowing messages and spreadsheets
Independent sitters with existing clients who want simpler day-to-day administration, not a staffed dispatch operation.
You are a solo sitter doing whole-day work
Your profile, booking link, date-range bookings, messaging, report cards, unlimited client records and CSV client import are free. Manual invoices, completed-booking invoices and accounting CSV export are included at no cost. You receive client payments directly and record them yourself; The Pet Sitter does not automatically collect or verify payments.
You are migrating from a commission marketplace
Add clients without a paid tier or client-count cap. Import client records by CSV; historical bookings, invoices and payment credentials do not transfer.
You want the smallest possible fixed cost
The Pet Sitter is free. The other provider’s published software prices remain in their original currency; check current features, tax, billing period and regional terms before choosing. External payment-provider fees are separate.
An Honest Note on Where We Are
Manual invoices, completed-booking invoices and accounting CSV export are included at no cost. You receive client payments directly and record them yourself; The Pet Sitter does not automatically collect or verify payments.
Our private client key register and custody history are implemented. Staff accounts, payroll, recurring timed visits, offline field check-ins and automatic card collection are not available. Team workflows and accounting integrations remain on the roadmap; our calendar subscription is one-way iCal, not two-way scheduling.
Manual invoices, completed-booking invoices and accounting CSV export are included at no cost. You receive client payments directly and record them yourself; The Pet Sitter does not automatically collect or verify payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Scout include a marketplace?
No. Scout is business management software; its subscription does not include client acquisition. Scout does sell growth products separately — an SEO-optimised website at US$42/month, a paid ads service at US$1,000/month, and a branded client app at US$300/month — but there is no marketplace sending you bookings. Share your profile and booking link with your own clients from day one. Owner-side search, team and facility workflows are on the roadmap.
Does Scout take a commission on bookings?
No — and we want to be clear about that. Scout takes 0% of your booking revenue; card processing runs through your own Stripe account, so Stripe's fees are between you and Stripe. The Pet Sitter is free for sitters and owners, with no subscription, booking commission or client limit.
When is Scout the better choice?
Our private client key register and custody history are implemented. Staff accounts, payroll, recurring timed visits, offline field check-ins and automatic card collection are not available. Team workflows and accounting integrations remain on the roadmap; our calendar subscription is one-way iCal, not two-way scheduling.
How do the solo prices compare?
The Pet Sitter is free. The other provider’s published software prices remain in their original currency; check current features, tax, billing period and regional terms before choosing. External payment-provider fees are separate.
Can I use both at the same time?
Yes. Many sitters run operations software alongside marketplace listings — the two do different jobs. Today, The Pet Sitter gives you profile and booking links to share with clients you already reach; public owner discovery that may bring new clients is coming soon. Scout can run your field operations and billing alongside it. There are no exclusivity requirements on our side.
What do I actually get on The Pet Sitter?
Your profile, booking link, date-range bookings, messaging, report cards, unlimited client records and CSV client import are free. Manual invoices, completed-booking invoices and accounting CSV export are included at no cost. You receive client payments directly and record them yourself; The Pet Sitter does not automatically collect or verify payments.
Bring your clients. Make the next booking easier.
Your tools. Your clients. Your business.