The Real Cost of Pet Grooming Software in 2026: A Pricing Comparison That Goes Beyond the Sticker Price

If you have ever signed up for grooming software because the monthly price looked reasonable, only to discover fees piling up from every direction, you are not alone. Processing fees, texting add-ons, per-employee charges, onboarding costs — the total cost of ownership often has very little to do with the number on the pricing page.

This guide breaks down what you will actually pay across seven grooming software platforms in 2026. Not just the subscription. The whole picture.

Why the Advertised Price Is Almost Never What You Pay

Most grooming software platforms advertise a base subscription price that covers basic scheduling and client management. But the features you actually need to run your business — text reminders, commission tracking, payment processing, QuickBooks integration — are often locked behind higher tiers or sold as paid add-ons.

Then there are the processing fees. Every time a client swipes a card, you are paying a percentage to the software company on top of what the payment processor already takes. Those percentages vary wildly, and over a year they can add up to thousands of dollars.

Here is what to watch for when comparing prices:

• Per-employee charges that increase your bill as your team grows
• SMS and texting fees that are either capped by tier or billed per message
• Add-on modules for features like boarding, daycare, or reputation management
• Processing fee markups beyond the base credit card rate
• Onboarding or setup fees charged before you even start
• Feature gating that forces you onto expensive tiers for must-have capabilities

Platform-by-Platform Pricing Breakdown

DaySmart Pet

• Basic: $29/mo (1 user, limited features)
• Deluxe: $69/mo (3 users included, +$9/mo per additional employee)
• Premier: $129/mo (adds commission tracking, expense tracking)
• Platinum: $249/mo (adds QuickBooks connector, SMS messages, reputation management)
• Add-ons: Daycare calendar $25/mo, Boarding calendar $25/mo
• Processing: Integrated (rate not publicly listed; multiple reviews cite high fees)
• Free trial: 14 days

The catch: commission tracking requires Premier ($129/mo). QuickBooks and text messaging require Platinum ($249/mo). A 3-person shop that needs texting and commission tracking is looking at $249/mo minimum, plus $25/mo for each additional module.

Gingr

• Spa (grooming): $105/mo
• Play (adds daycare): $145/mo
• Stay (adds boarding): $155–180/mo
• No free trial available
• Processing: Integrated, widely cited in reviews as the highest processing fees in the industry

The catch: no free trial means you commit before you can test. Reviews consistently flag Gingr’s processing fees as the most expensive among grooming platforms. The forced migration of former PetExec customers has added new gateway fees that were not part of the original agreement.

MoeGo

• Mobile plans: $49/mo (Starter), $99/mo (Growth), $159/mo (Ultimate)
• Salon plans: $79/mo (Starter), $149/mo (Growth), $239/mo (Ultimate)
• SMS limits: 200 messages on Starter, 900 on Growth (overages cost extra)
• Branded phone number: Only on Ultimate tier ($159–239/mo)
• Processing: Integrated
• Free trial: Yes

The catch: SMS allotments run out fast if you send appointment reminders to every client. A salon sending 10 reminders per day will blow through the Starter limit in under a month. Notifications are sent from MoeGo’s phone number and email, not your business identity, unless you pay for the Ultimate tier.

Groomer.io

• Standard: $79/mo per facility or van (unlimited features and employees)
• Add-ons: Review requests $9.99/mo, SMS campaigns variable pricing
• Processing: Through Square, Clover, or SignaPay (you choose)
• Free trial: Yes

The catch: flat pricing is straightforward, but SMS campaign costs are variable and not fully transparent upfront. Review automation is a paid add-on.

PetExec

• Standard: $105/mo
• Premium: $155/mo
• Onboarding fee: $200 (one-time)
• PetSnaps messaging: $10/mo + usage fees
• Processing: 2.7% + $0.05 (card present), 2.9% + $0.30 (card not present), plus a new 1% gateway fee
• Important: PetExec is no longer accepting new customers. New prospects are directed to Gingr.

The catch: the $200 onboarding fee is payable before you can use the software. The new 1% gateway fee was added after the Togetherwork acquisition, increasing processing costs for existing customers without warning.

PetLinx

• Desktop: $35/mo (1 user, annual billing)
• Cloud Starter: $53–74/mo (2 users, 1 module)
• Cloud Growth: +$52/mo over Starter (5 users, 2 modules)
• Cloud Unlimited: +$57/mo over Starter (unlimited users, all modules)
• Additional cloud users: $15/mo each
• Processing: Not integrated (use your own processor)

The catch: cloud pricing adds up fast. A cloud account with 5 users and all modules runs $131+/mo. Modules (grooming, boarding, daycare) are sold separately on lower tiers. The desktop edition is affordable but limited to a single computer.

BarkBook

• Solo: $39/mo (1 employee)
• Shop: $79/mo (2–5 employees)
• Studio: $129/mo (unlimited employees)
• Platform fee: $1 flat or 1% over $100
• Processing: Standard Stripe rate (2.9% + $0.30)
• Free trial: 14 days with full access
• Add-on fees: None. All features are included on every tier.

The difference: the only thing that changes between tiers is how many employees you can add. Solo, Shop, and Studio all get the same scheduling, notifications, payroll, expense tracking, reporting, and payment tools. No feature gating, no SMS limits, no module add-ons.

Total Cost of Ownership: Three Real Scenarios

The monthly subscription is just the starting point. Here is what a full year actually costs when you factor in processing fees, add-ons, and per-employee charges. These calculations assume average monthly card revenue of $5,000 for a solo groomer, $15,000 for a 3-person shop, and $35,000 for a 6-person studio.

Scenario 1: Solo Groomer (1 employee, ~$5,000/mo in card revenue)

*Processing markup = the platform’s fee on top of base card processing rates. BarkBook’s platform fee is $1 flat per transaction or 1% on revenue over $100, which for a solo groomer processing $5,000/mo works out to roughly $50–600/yr depending on transaction patterns.

Scenario 2: 3-Person Shop (~$15,000/mo in card revenue)

Scenario 3: 6-Person Studio (~$35,000/mo in card revenue)

The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

1. Feature Gating Forces Upgrades

Most platforms lock essential business features behind higher tiers. Need commission tracking? Upgrade. Want SMS reminders? Upgrade. QuickBooks export? Upgrade again. You end up paying for the tier that has the one feature you need, along with a bundle of features you do not.

BarkBook takes a different approach: every feature is available on every tier. The only variable is how many employees you can add. A solo groomer on the $39/mo plan gets the exact same scheduling, notifications, payroll, expense tracking, and reporting tools as a studio on the $129/mo plan.

2. Processing Fee Markups Add Up Silently

On $15,000/mo in card revenue, even a 0.5% difference in processing fees costs you $900 per year. Some platforms bundle processing into their subscription and do not publish the rate, making it impossible to compare until you are already locked in.

BarkBook uses Stripe Connect, which means payments go directly to your bank account at the standard Stripe rate (2.9% + $0.30). BarkBook’s platform fee is $1 flat per transaction or 1% on revenue over $100 — and it is published openly, not buried in fine print.

3. SMS Limits Create Surprise Bills

If your software limits you to 200 text messages per month and you have 150 active clients getting appointment reminders, you are going to exceed that cap every single month. Overage charges for SMS can quietly add $20–50/mo or more to your bill.

4. Onboarding Fees and Contracts

A $200 onboarding fee is $200 you are paying before you have booked a single appointment. Combined with annual contracts that auto-renew, switching costs become a real barrier even when the software is not working for you.

How to Evaluate the True Cost

Before committing to any platform, run this checklist:

1. List every feature you need today — scheduling, reminders, card on file, commission tracking, expense reporting, SMS notifications
2. Find the tier that includes all of them — not the base tier, the one that actually has what you need
3. Add per-employee costs for your current team size
4. Add processing fee estimates based on your monthly card revenue
5. Add any required add-ons — SMS packages, module fees, review tools
6. Check for onboarding or setup fees
7. Ask about contracts — monthly vs. annual, cancellation terms, auto-renewal policies
8. Calculate your annual total and compare that number across platforms

The cheapest-looking option on the pricing page is rarely the cheapest option on your bank statement.

The Bottom Line

Grooming software pricing is complicated on purpose. Tiered features, processing markups, per-employee charges, and SMS limits create a pricing structure where the real cost is only visible after you have signed up and started using the system.

The groomers who save the most are the ones who calculate total cost of ownership before they commit — subscription plus processing plus add-ons plus per-employee fees, multiplied by twelve months.

If you want to see how BarkBook’s transparent pricing compares for your specific business, you can start a 14-day free trial with full access to every feature. No credit card required, no onboarding fee, no surprises.

Pricing information in this article was gathered from publicly available sources and competitor websites as of February 2026. Processing fee rates that are not publicly disclosed are noted as such. Always verify current pricing directly with each vendor before making a purchasing decision.