Which pet grooming software is best? It depends on how you groom.
Updated 2026-10-17.
Short answer: There is no single best grooming software. Each one was built for a particular kind of business. For a solo groomer working from home, Pawdmin. For a mobile van or fleet, MoeGo. For a salon with several groomers, DaySmart Pet. For a boarding or daycare facility that also grooms, Gingr. If all you want is a free calendar and card reader with no pet records, Square Appointments.
Pawdmin is our product, so read the picks below knowing that. Where another tool fits a business better, we say so, and we link to our side-by-side comparison so you can check the reasoning.
Best grooming software by business type
| Your business | Best pick | Runner-up | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo groomer working from home or a small studio | Pawdmin | Square Appointments | Built for one groomer: free to start, hourly billing, client tiers for raising prices, estimates before scheduling, and a client portal that never shows your calendar. Square Appointments is the free fallback if you only need a calendar and card reader. |
| Mobile grooming van, or a fleet of vans | MoeGo | Groomer.io | Route optimization, per-van pricing and a strong mobile app. Groomer.io is a flat-priced alternative with unlimited texting. Pawdmin works for a solo mobile groomer who does not need routing, but it has no route planning. |
| Grooming salon with two or more groomers | DaySmart Pet | MoeGo | Per-user pricing from a low entry point, staff schedules and a mature salon workflow. MoeGo is the more polished, pricier option per location. Pawdmin is not built for payroll or commissions. |
| Boarding or daycare facility that also grooms | Gingr | PetExec | Lodging maps, feeding and medication tracking, check-ins and a customer portal. PetExec is the quote-priced alternative. Pawdmin is grooming-only. |
| Small shop that grooms and boards a few dogs | Pawfinity | Gingr | Modest plan prices with a separate boarding plan from the same vendor. Watch the per-text messaging fees. |
| Just need a free calendar and card reader, no pet records | Square Appointments | Pawdmin | Free booking site, reminders and payments in one place. The moment you want pet profiles, vaccine tracking, estimates or control over who books, Pawdmin's free plan does all of that too. |
What software should I use? Five questions that decide it
- How many groomers? One: pay for one. Pawdmin and Square are priced for one person. MoeGo, Groomer.io, Gingr and DaySmart Pet are priced per van, location or user and bring staff schedules, commissions and shared calendars you will not use alone.
- Do you board or run daycare? If yes, you need a facility system (Gingr, PetExec, Pawfinity's boarding plan). Grooming-only tools, Pawdmin included, do not track lodging, feeding or medication.
- Do you drive to clients? A fleet needs route optimization, which only the mobile-focused tools do well. A single house-call groomer can route with a maps app and run everything else in Pawdmin.
- How do you charge? Per breed or size: every tool does that. By time, with different rates for new and existing clients: only Pawdmin calculates time-based prices on estimates and invoices and keeps client tiers.
- Who controls the calendar? Most tools let clients book straight into open slots, which fills a salon fast. A solo groomer who wants to vet every request, send an estimate first and offer a few penciled-in times should look at Pawdmin, which never shows clients the calendar.
Prices at a glance
- Pawdmin: $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly), free plan available. Full pricing
- MoeGo: About $49/month per van (mobile) or $79/month per location (salon); higher tiers to about $159 and $239. vs Pawdmin
- Gingr: About $109/month (or $100/month billed annually) for the grooming "Spa" plan; daycare and boarding plans cost more. vs Pawdmin
- DaySmart Pet: About $29/month for one user when you use DaySmart payments (about $39/month without); multi-user tiers from about $69/month. vs Pawdmin
- PetExec: Quote-based; directories report starting around $105/month. vs Pawdmin
- Groomer.io: About $99/month per facility or van (a $79/month promotional rate has been advertised); website is a separate plan at a similar price. vs Pawdmin
- Pawfinity: About $60/month (or $55/month billed annually) for the grooming plan; top plan about $110/month. vs Pawdmin
- Square Appointments: Free plan; paid plans reported from about $29 to $49 per month. vs Pawdmin
Questions people ask
What is the best grooming software for a solo home-based groomer?
Pawdmin. It is the only grooming software built for one groomer who charges by time: a free plan, hourly billing, client tiers, estimates before scheduling, and a client portal that never shows your calendar. Square Appointments is the free generic fallback.
What is the best grooming software for a mobile groomer?
MoeGo for a van or a fleet, because of route optimization and per-van pricing. Groomer.io is a flat-priced alternative with unlimited texting. A solo mobile groomer who does not need routing can also run on Pawdmin.
What is the best grooming software for a salon with several groomers?
DaySmart Pet (formerly 123Pet) for per-user pricing and a mature salon workflow, or MoeGo if you want the more polished, pricier option per location.
What is the best software for a boarding or daycare facility that also grooms?
Gingr, with PetExec as the quote-priced alternative. Both are facility systems with lodging, feeding and check-in features that grooming-only tools do not have.
Is there free grooming software?
Yes. Pawdmin's Basic plan is free forever with unlimited clients, pets, appointments, invoicing and payments. Square Appointments has a free plan but no pet records. The other grooming tools offer trials, not free plans.
How did you pick these?
By fit, not by features count. Each product was built for a particular kind of business and is best for that business. Pawdmin is ours, so where another tool fits better we say so. Prices come from public pricing pages and directories as of 2026-10-17.
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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.