Do pet sitting apps charge the owner a booking fee?
Do pet sitting apps charge a booking fee? Rover, Wag, Care.com and TrustedHousesitters side by side, from each company's own pages in October 2026.
You've found a sitter on an app, the rate looks right, and you want to know whether the total at checkout will match it. Usually it won't. Americans spent $158 billion on their pets in 2025, according to the American Pet Products Association, and the apps that book a share of that care take their cut in different ways.
The short answer: most pet sitting apps charge the owner a booking fee. Rover adds 11% to what you pay in most of the US, and more in California. Wag adds a flat fee to each booking unless you pay for its Premium membership. Membership sites like Care.com and TrustedHousesitters charge a monthly or yearly fee instead, with booking fees on some plans. PetConnect adds no booking fee for pet parents.
The booking fee on each app
| App | What you pay on top of the care | What the care provider gives up |
|---|---|---|
| Rover, most of the US | An 11% booking fee | 20% of each booking |
| Rover, California | A 25% marketplace fee and an 11% booking fee | Nothing from the rate they set |
| Wag | $2.99 per walk or drop-in, $14.99 per overnight, waived with Premium at $5.99 a month | Not published as a percentage |
| Care.com | A Premium membership to message caregivers, from $13.99 to $39.99 a month, and a booking fee on one-time bookings | Not published |
| TrustedHousesitters | A yearly membership of $149 to $299, plus $12 per sit on the two lower plans | Sitters pay their own membership and aren't paid for the sit |
| PetConnect | No booking fee | A flat monthly subscription, starting after their first completed booking |
Each figure comes from the company's own pages as we read them in October 2026: Rover's help centre on service fees and on California, Wag's Premium page, and the plans and pricing pages of Care.com and TrustedHousesitters. Care.com doesn't publish the amount of its one-time booking fee. Fees change, so check the summary screen before you pay.
Why the fee you see is only part of the price
A booking fee lands on your checkout screen. A provider's share doesn't, but it's built into the rate on their profile.
Rover's help centre says it keeps 20% of what a care provider earns, and that the rate you see already includes it. Wag publishes no percentage. Its support page for caregivers says pet parents pay about 1.67 times the caregiver's own price setting, before booking fees, tips and taxes. A caregiver who sets $30 for a walk shows up to you at about $50.
So on an app, you can pay twice: once in the fee at checkout, and once inside the rate. What pet sitting apps charge pet parents, and who pays what walks through both, app by app.
How to work out what you'll pay
- A percentage fee grows with the booking. Rover's 11% on a $300 week of sitting is $33. On a $1,000 stay it's $110.
- A flat fee weighs most on short visits. Wag's $2.99 is about a tenth of a $30 walk, and its $14.99 overnight fee stays the same however much the stay costs.
- A membership pays off only above a certain number of bookings. Wag! Premium at $5.99 a month costs more than the fees on two walks, $5.98, and less from the third walk or a single overnight.
Run those numbers before you book, and you'll know which app costs you least for the care you actually use.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rover charge pet owners a booking fee?
Yes. Rover's help centre says pet parents in the US pay an 11% booking fee at checkout. In California, pet parents pay a 25% marketplace fee on the provider's rate as well as the 11% booking fee.
Does Wag charge a booking fee, and can you avoid it?
Yes. Wag charges $2.99 on walks and drop-in visits and $14.99 on overnight stays. Wag! Premium, at $5.99 a month, waives the booking fee, which saves money from the third walk in a month.
Do Care.com or TrustedHousesitters charge per booking?
Care.com charges families a Premium membership to message caregivers, from $13.99 a month on an annual plan to $39.99 billed monthly, and adds a booking fee to one-time bookings. TrustedHousesitters charges a yearly membership, plus $12 per confirmed sit on its Basic and Standard plans. Its sitters aren't paid: they look after your pets in return for a place to stay.
Is there a pet sitting app with no booking fee?
Yes. PetConnect adds no booking fee for pet parents: you pay the care provider's price for the care you book. TrustedHousesitters' Premium plan has no booking fee either, but costs $299 a year.
Why does the same sitter cost more on an app than when booked directly?
Because the app's share is built into the rate you see, and a booking fee may go on top. Booking an app's sitter off the app can break its terms: Wag's terms let it charge a pet owner $1,000 for doing so.
What PetConnect does
PetConnect is a pet care app for every kind of pet. Pet parents pay no booking fee. Care providers pay one flat monthly subscription instead of a cut of each booking, and it starts only after their first completed booking.