Gone are the days of vacationing pet owners underpaying neighborhood teenagers to watch their dogs and cats while they are away. Now, they increasingly rely on an entirely different source for their pet care needs: their smartphone. Like nearly everything else these days, there’s an app for that!

Pet-sitting apps make the task of finding reliable dog walkers and cat cuddlers as simple and secure as possible. As you make your vacation plans, you might be wondering if downloading a pet-sitting app could make your life a little easier.

To help you out, we’ve rounded up reviews of the best pet-sitting apps available. We also have an in-depth guide to help you compare the apps and pick the one that best fits your needs.

A Quick Look at Our Favorites in 2024

The 9 Best Pet-Sitting Apps

1. Wag! — Best Overall

The best overall pet-sitting app is Wag!, which offers access to more than 150,000 caregivers throughout all 50 states. Wag! is known first as a dog-walking app, but it offers much more. You can look for a pet sitter who will come to your home or board your pet in theirs if you prefer. You can even arrange for drop-off and pick-up services.

Wag! performs extensive background checks on all caregivers on its site, including evaluating their ability to interact with pets. Each caregiver has a detailed profile for you to browse, including any special skills, experience level, and reviews from previous clients. The Wag! app enables you to GPS track your pet on their walks, communicate directly with the caregiver, and offer 24/7 support to users.

Wag! insures all its services for even more peace of mind. However, you must pay for those services with a credit or debit card to access support and insurance. Although Wag! pet sitters are available in over 4,600 cities, pet parents in less-populated areas may have trouble finding a caregiver.

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2. Rover — Best Value

The best pet-sitting app for the money is Rover, which has one of the largest networks of pet caregivers of any service, including international locations. It offers multiple services besides pet sitting, including daycare and boarding options at the caregiver’s home. When searching Rover’s database for pet sitters, you can be detailed in your parameters, including whether the caregiver has pets or children in their home and if they have a fenced yard. These extra details make it easier to find a good match for your pet.

For security, Rover performs background checks on all caregivers, offers 24/7 support, and with a few exceptions, guarantees vet care or property damage should something unexpected occur. The Rover app enables you to handle all aspects of booking a pet sitter, from browsing available profiles to arranging a meet-and-greet and processing payment. In fact, you are only allowed to pay through the app, with no cash or check options available.

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3. TrustedHouse Sitters — Premium Choice

If you love to travel and live in a place where others love to travel to, TrustedHousesitters could be the perfect app for you. This app connects people who need pet sitters with animal lovers who are willing to care for their fur babies in exchange for a free place to stay and the chance to experience a new location. You’ll pay an annual membership fee for access to the database and app, but you don’t pay for the pet sitters themselves. They just get free lodging in (hopefully) a cool spot that they can explore when they aren’t cuddling your kitty or walking your dog.

As you can imagine, this app is most useful for people who live in cities, tourist destinations, or other sought-after vacation spots. The app requires background checks and enables you to review profiles and interview prospective caregivers to find the right match. It also offers a combined membership if you need pet-sitting services but also want to offer them for your own vacation.

Many users find this app simple to understand, with an excellent search function. However, a few glitches, such as inconsistent notifications, have been noted.

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4. PetBacker

If you don’t have time to browse through dozens of potential pet sitter profiles, Petbacker may be able to help you out. This app is also a good option for international pet owners, with caregivers available in 50 countries. Petbacker helps you find pet sitters and nearly any other pet-related service that you might need.

Start by filling out a simple request form, and the app will match you with up to five potential caregivers in your area. From there, you can view profiles, receive quotes, and arrange a meet-and-greet to decide on the right sitter.

You do have to pay a deposit for the meet-and-greet, however, and if none of the five options work out, you’ll need to request more. Petbacker does not perform background checks but maintains strict hiring standards for caregivers on its site, reportedly only accepting 30% of the employment applications that it receives. All services are insured for extra peace of mind. Users noted that the app was especially good for finding last-minute pet sitters.

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5. Fetch! Pet Care

Fetch! Pet Care is a nationwide pet care service with independent, local franchise locations. Services are scheduled through the local franchises, so there’s no need to search through profiles. Once you contact Fetch, you’ll be matched with two sitters, a primary and a backup, and can schedule a free in-home consultation.

If you like your new sitter(s), they’re permanently assigned to you, saving you the hassle of connecting with a new caregiver each time. All Fetch caregivers must pass a background check and be bonded and insured.

Besides pet sitting, Fetch offers unique services, such as pet medication administration visits and wedding day services—dropping off and picking up your pet to take part in your nuptials! That said, you probably won’t have as many available caregivers to choose from with Fetch, and you don’t have as much input in the screening process beyond saying yay or nay to the options given to you. Fetch is especially good at covering last-minute pet-sitting needs, however.

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6. Camp Bow Wow

Camp Bow Wow primarily functions as a doggy daycare and boarding location. However, many locations also offer pet sitting, including overnight stays for dogs and other types of pets. The Camp Bow Wow app is a good option for owners who want doggy daycare, with pet sitting available when they travel. Since both services are provided by the camp, chances are that your pup’s pet sitter will be a counselor they’re already familiar with.

Camp Bow Wow requires staff to pass a background check and be trained in pet first aid and CPR. All services are also insured and bonded. While your dog is being cared for, the app enables you to access webcams to view your pup during their stay.

Not every Camp Bow Wow offers pet sitting. In addition, locations are most concentrated in cities, primarily in the eastern half of the United States.

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7. Sittercity

Sittercity is primarily a human babysitter-finding app, powered by the daycare and preschool chain Bright Horizons. However, it also features pet care providers. With Sittercity, you post the job details, such as the number of pets you have, when you need care, and any special needs. Local pet caregivers will then contact you directly to apply for the job. Sittercity will provide basic or enhanced background checks for individual sitters upon request and for an additional fee.

Each caregiver has a detailed profile to review, including pricing, services offered, and availability. You can communicate with sitters directly through the app. Sittercity is the best of both worlds for pet and kid parents, enabling them to arrange care for all their charges in one location. It has a fairly extensive network of pet caregivers; it’s not just concentrated in more populated areas.

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8. Care

Care is an app geared primarily toward finding human helpers, enabling you to search for caregivers, tutors, and housecleaners. Like Sittercity, Care also maintains a database of pet sitters, over 50,000, according to the website. The app functions similarly to Sittercity too, in which you create your own job posting. You can receive contacts from potential sitters or browse through profiles and message them yourself.

The Care app is not a great option if you have a last-minute pet-sitting need, as it may take potential sitters several days to respond to a message. The service also requires pet sitters to fill out a yearly background check, but it’s quite basic, and it still recommends performing additional vetting on potential caregivers.

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9. Thumbtack

Thumbtack is designed to help you connect with service professionals of all types, including pet sitters. Unlike the other apps on this list, the providers listed are primarily professional pet caregivers. While that means you’ll likely find pet sitters who are insured, bonded, and experienced and offer background checks, you may end up paying more for their services.

Thumbtack has a large database of professionals, covering all 50 states. Get started by entering your zip code and browsing through profiles of available pet sitters. Depending on your specific needs, it could take some time and negotiation before you settle on the right pet sitter fit.

How to Choose a Pet-Sitting App

You have quite a few options when it comes to deciding on a pet-sitting app. Since you don’t want to leave your beloved pet with just anyone, it’s vital that you feel comfortable with whomever you choose. To help you decide between the apps available, we narrowed down a few key points to consider.

How Strict Are the Hiring Policies?

Starting with trustworthy, reliable employees is essential for any app trying to appeal to anxious pet parents. There’s a reason that whether an app requires background checks is one of the highlighted metrics for each review. Background checks won’t necessarily tell you how good someone is with animals, but it’s an easy way to offer peace of mind about a stranger who will be spending time in your home.

If an app doesn’t require background checks, look at what other steps it takes to ensure the reliability of its caregivers. For your own sense of security, you may choose to run your own background check, whether the app does or not.

How Detailed Are the Pet Sitter Profiles?

Most of the apps reviewed here require you to check out pet sitters’ profiles to determine if you want to take the next step and contact them. You’ll save yourself time if you can quickly rule a sitter in or out based on the information on their profile.

For example, can you view reviews from previous clients? Do you prefer a pet sitter with previous veterinary experience for a pet with special medical needs? What special skills or certifications does the pet sitter have? Are they even available on the dates you need them?

Can You Meet the Pet Sitter In-Person Before Hiring Them?

It doesn’t matter how good someone looks on paper if you or your pet don’t click with them. Most of the apps reviewed here offer the option for meet-and-greets, though some require you to pay a deposit first. Note that if you’re using TrustedHousesitters, your prospective caregiver most likely won’t be local. In that case, you’ll need to decide if a virtual meet-up will suffice or come up with another way to feel comfortable choosing them.

Does the App Offer Insurance or Guarantees?

No matter how careful you and the pet sitter are, some pets have a knack for getting into trouble. Accidents happen, whether they involve your pet or something breaking around your house. Whether the pet sitter is at fault or not, you’ll likely feel better knowing that there is a solution.

Look for apps and pet sitters who are insured and bonded or offer guarantees to cover vet care or damages. Even with these assurances, it’s still a good idea to get a pet insurance policy for your animal. It’s better to be safe than sorry, as they say!

Conclusion

As the best overall pet-sitting app, Wag! offers peace of mind with its extensive background checks and rigorous hiring process combined with an easy-to-use app. The best value app, Rover, offers one of the largest databases of caretakers spread across the entire U.S. and even internationally. In all the hustle and bustle of planning your vacation, don’t forget to plan for your pets!

Hopefully, these reviews of the top pet-sitting apps will help you quickly cross that task off your pre-vacation checklist. Next stop: relaxation!

See also:

• Are Dog Walking Apps Safe?

• How to Become a Pet Sitter: 14 Steps to Starting a Dog-Sitting Business

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Featured Image Credit: Megan Betteridge, Shutterstock