Gingr alternative for solo and home-based groomers
Last checked 2026-10-17.
Short answer: Pawdmin is the Gingr alternative built for one groomer working from home or a small studio: a free plan, time-based billing, client tiers for raising prices, and a client portal that never shows your calendar.
Gingr is built for boarding, daycare and grooming facilities with staff. Gingr is facility software for boarding, daycare and grooming businesses with staff, lodging maps and a customer portal. Its grooming plan is a slice of a much bigger system.
Why groomers look for a Gingr alternative
- •You only groom, and you are paying for lodging maps, daycare check-ins and report cards.
- •The setup fee and onboarding feel like overkill for a one-person business.
- •You want time-based pricing instead of a per-breed menu.
What changes with Pawdmin
- ✓Hourly billing. Prices on estimates and invoices are calculated from time. Flat-fee services and add-ons still work.
- ✓Client tiers. Start new clients at your new rate and move existing clients up gradually.
- ✓Order before schedule. Review the client and dog, send a one-click estimate, then offer a few penciled-in times. Clients never see your calendar.
- ✓Unlimited reminders. Email and SMS confirmations and reminders with no per-message fees on Grow and above.
- ✓Free to start. Unlimited clients, pets, appointments, invoicing and payments on the Basic plan, no credit card.
What you give up
- •Stay with Gingr if: you board or run daycare as well as groom.
- •Stay with Gingr if: you have front-desk staff and need lodging, feeding and medication tracking.
Side by side
| Feature | Pawdmin | Gingr |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Solo, home-based groomers who charge by time | Boarding, daycare and grooming facilities with staff |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Starting price (paid) | $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) | About $109/month (or $100/month billed annually) for the grooming "Spa" plan; daycare and boarding plans cost more |
| Priced per | Per business, 1 groomer included | Per location, by business type |
| Time-based (hourly) billing Prices on estimates and invoices calculated from time, not a flat or per-breed menu. | Yes | Flat service menu with per-size and per-breed pricing |
| Client tiers (rate groups) Keep new and existing clients at different rates while you raise prices. | Yes | No |
| Offer several time options, client picks one | Yes | No |
| Clients never see your calendar | Yes | Customer portal shows available times for online requests |
| Every booking needs your approval | Yes | Optional: online requests can be approved |
| Build the order and estimate before scheduling | Yes | No |
| Email and SMS reminders | Unlimited email and SMS on Grow and above, no per-message fees | Email included; two-way SMS is an add-on |
| Client portal / app | Yes | Yes |
| Website builder | Included on Advanced and Plus | No |
| Multi-groomer staff, payroll or commissions | Extra staff accounts on paid plans; no payroll or commissions | Yes |
| Route optimization for mobile | No | No |
| Boarding and daycare | No | Yes |
| Card payments | Stripe, paid straight into your account, no markup | Gingr Payments |
| Contract or setup fee | None. Cancel anytime, 30-day refund | One-time setup and onboarding fee reported |
Moving your data
Clients and pets import from CSV, and we help with the migration. Future appointments are re-created in Pawdmin (one per client, then copy or rebook) because every system structures services differently. Most groomers finish in a few hours, or a weekend if the book is full.
Questions people ask
Is Gingr good for a solo groomer?
Gingr can run a grooming-only business, but it is designed around facilities with staff, boarding and daycare. A solo groomer pays for a lot of capability they will not use. Pawdmin is built for exactly that groomer.
Does Pawdmin do boarding or daycare?
No. Pawdmin is grooming-only on purpose. If you board dogs, Gingr or PetExec are better fits.
Who is Pawdmin for?
Solo, home-based pet groomers first, plus solo studio groomers and mobile or house-call groomers. It is not built for multi-groomer salons that need payroll or for boarding and daycare facilities.
Is the pricing on this page current?
Pawdmin prices come straight from our live pricing configuration. Competitor prices were taken from their public pricing pages and software directories on 2026-10-17 and can change; confirm on the vendor's site before deciding.
See the full Pawdmin vs Gingr comparison →
Start free. Charge what you are worth.
Pawdmin’s Basic plan is free forever, no credit card. Upgrade when reminders, the client portal or the website builder start paying for themselves.
Competitor names are trademarks of their owners. Competitor details were taken from their public pricing pages and software directories on 2026-10-17 and may have changed; confirm on the vendor’s site. Pawdmin prices are read live from our pricing configuration. Spotted an error? Email support@pawdmin.com and we will fix it.