Table of Contents
Wag! and Rover are the two top dogs in pet care platforms. So here’s the question: is Wag or Rover better for you? When over half of pet parents use pet care apps, it’s worth asking.
In a head-to-head comparison, Rover is our choice for the best pet care business platform in 2025. But, depending on what you’re looking for, you may find value in using Wag, Rover, or both.
Wag! vs Rover at a Glance
Here are the TL;DR highlights. We’ll walk through key elements of each platform next.
 |
 |
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|---|---|---|
|
Business Model |
You bid on clients or Wag matches you with clients. |
Clients find you through local searches. |
|
Number of Customers |
671,000 across 50 states |
2 million+ internationally |
|
Main Strength |
The Uber of dog walking On-demand dog walking makes this service ideal for speed, convenience, and ease of use. |
The private chauffeur of pet care Initial meet-and-greets make this service ideal for relationship-building and finding recurring clients. |
|
Price of Caregiver |
Free or $149 annual Pro account To sign up: $49.95 background check fee |
Free To sign up: $40 profile review fee |
|
Fees for Caregivers |
40% commission |
20% commission |
|
Screening Process |
Average approval time: 14 business days |
Average approval time: 10-20 business days |
|
Bookable Services |
Dog walking (20, 30, or 60 minutes) |
Dog walking (30 minutes+) *Rover pet sitters define their own specialty services like excursions and administering medicine |
|
Most Used For |
Dog Walking |
Pet Sitting |
|
|
|
|---|---|
|
Business Model |
Business Model |
|
Number of Customers |
Number of Customers |
|
Main Strength |
Main Strength |
|
Price of Caregiver Account |
Price of Caregiver Account |
|
Fees for Caregivers |
Fees for Caregivers |
|
Screening Process |
Screening Process |
|
Bookable Services |
Bookable Services |
|
Most Used For |
Most Used For |
Rover vs Wag! Platform Overview
Whether you choose Wag or Rover ultimately depends on the type of jobs, clients, and schedule you want. Each has a core strength that makes it better for some pet pros and worse for others.
Business Model: How Clients Find and Book You
Rover Uses Search Marketing
You optimize a Rover profile, and your clients come to you.
Rover pet caregivers create detailed profiles, including their qualifications, services, rates, testimonials, scheduling, and preferences. Clients browse profiles for pet pros in their area that match their service and needs. Ideally, you build a fantastic profile and set reasonable prices, and then clients come to you.
Wag Uses AI Matchmaking & Auctions
Wag matches you with open jobs, or you bid on jobs you want.
Wag pet pros also create a profile. But, rather than clients always picking you directly, you can also bid on open client requests. Wag’s algorithm then matches a pet owner with a pet care provider in their area and price range. This leaves room to accept care requests that come to you or be proactive and seek out jobs.
Part of the reason for this quicker matching process is that Wag also offers on-demand dog walking — a feature Rover doesn’t have. While clients can request a specific caregiver or recurring service, many choose the quick, app-promoted match. This gets you from bid to booking in record time.
Types of Pet Owners on Wag! vs Rover
Rover is designed to build a client base of repeat customers.
Rover suggests pet parents schedule a meet-and-greet before their first service to check for a good pet-caregiver match. (Meetups also let you spot safety concerns like aggressive pet behavior.) Plus, face time with clients builds relationships (and possibly recurring jobs).
Think of Rover like a private chauffeur. While getting to your destination may be slower, the interaction is personal and tailored directly to the client. Both parties know what to expect because they know and trust each other. (Read our Rover app review for more insights.)
Wag makes it easy to book dog walks on demand.
Wag has been called “the Uber of dog walking” for good reason. Like a taxi service connects drivers with passengers for quick rides, Wag’s on-demand dog walking feature connects clients looking for a walk now with pet caregivers looking for a job now. This means unbeatable flexibility to find a walk whenever spare time opens up. (Learn more in our Wag app review.)
Getting Started on Rover or Wag! as a Pet Caregiver
Applying at Wag or Rover is a similar experience. Both apps ask you to fill out a profile, pay a fee, download the app, and vet you to ensure you’re trustworthy. The process takes anywhere from two to three weeks. Here’s what to expect.
Screening and Application Process
All Wag or Rover pet caregivers must be at least 18 years of age, reside in a city where the app operates, live in a residence that allows pets, and download the app.
Here are the steps to apply for pet care on Rover.
Start your application
- Go to the Become a Rover Sitter page.
- Select your service (dog walking, pet sitting, etc.) You can choose multiple services.
- Service setup: Set your rates, availability, and pet preferences.
- Create your profile: Upload photos, your contact information, and your pet care experience and specialities.
- Request testimonials: While not required, Rover highly recommends that you reach out to past clients or even friends and family who can talk about their positive experiences with your pet care.
- Pass a safety quiz: All pet sitters and dog walkers must pass this quiz, which includes educational videos and questions.
- Pass a background check: All Rover pet sitters and dog walkers must complete a background check. You’ll need to provide your full legal name and Social Security number or two forms of ID, and pay the $35 fee. Passing an enhanced background check will give you a background check badge for your profile.
Fees
Along with your background check fee (if needed), every pet caregiver who applies pays a $40 application processing fee. This fee is non-refundable if your application is not accepted.
Approval Time
Rover’s pet care specialists will review your application and reply soon. Rover states that the average review time is 10 to 20 business days. Since processing time can vary widely, expect Rover to take a little longer than Wag.
Follow these steps to apply as a caregiver on Wag.
Start your application
- Use the Wag! app or on the Become a Wag Walker page to access the application.
- Provide your legal name, email address, and phone number.
- Provide testimonials: While not required, Wag recommends that applicants provide at least five endorsements of their pet care from former clients or colleagues, friends, and family members. This speeds up the application process.
- Pass a background check: All Wag caregivers must pass a background check, including supplying some personal information and a valid form of ID. The background check fee is $49.95 and is non-refundable.
- Pass a pet care quiz: You have two attempts to pass the quiz, and you’ll receive an email if you pass and are approved.
- Once approved, you’ll download the Wag app and complete a test “walk” for your training. You’ll also have a chance to customize your profile.
Fees
The background check is the only fee to apply with Wag.
Approval Time
It usually takes about 14 days for Wag’s panel of pet care specialists to process your application.
Pet Services You Can Offer on Rover vs. Wag!
You can offer most of the same services via Rover or Wag in 2025. Even if the app doesn’t give pet parents a button to click for your service (for example, adventure excursions as a walk upcharge), caregivers often add personalized services and pricing to their profiles. Here’s a notable service quirk from each platform:
- Rover requires more from dog trainers. Rover lets you apply to offer training consultations virtually or in person. However, you must have a dog training certification and experience to be a Rover trainer.
- Wag caregivers can offer doggy daycare, but it’s not a formal menu option. To offer daycare via Wag, ask your clients to book recurring, short pet sitting, drop-in, or boarding visits for your agreed-upon times and days. Voila, DIY dog daycare!
Most Popular Services (Based on Search Data)
Is Rover or Wag better for your specific services? That depends.
Google Search Trends by Service and Platform
How many times people use Google to search for a pet care service plus “Rover” or “Wag” is public information. It’s not the number of clients who book these services, but it shows the general popularity and awareness of pet services on each platform.
| Rover's & Wag's Most Popular Services (Based on Google Searches) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Dog Walking |
Dog Sitting |
Drop-In Visit |
Doggy Daycare |
Dog Boarding |
Dog Grooming |
Dog Training |
|
Wag! |
2,500 |
691 |
483 |
20 |
31 |
27 |
31 monthly |
|
Rover |
7,100 monthly searches |
5,600 |
605 |
260 |
240 |
47 |
39 monthly |
|
| Rover's & Wag's Most Popular Services | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Dog Walking |
Dog Walking |
|
Dog Sitting |
Dog Sitting |
|
Drop-In Visits |
Drop-In Visits |
|
Doggy Daycare |
Doggy Daycare |
|
Dog Boarding |
Dog Boarding |
|
Dog Grooming |
Dog Grooming |
|
Dog Training |
Dog Training 39 monthly searches |
*We chose the term for each service with the highest search on our publication date.
Most Frequently Booked Services (Real Client Usage Insights)
- In general, dog walking is the most searched service on Wag.
- In general, dog sitting is the most searched service on Rover.
- Dog walking, sitting, and boarding are the services most searched for both.
Remember, these are nationwide averages. A service’s popularity on each platform can vary by city. You might live in a Wag town or an area with more Rover users. Check Wag’s top dog-walking neighborhoods and do a Rover local search for your services to gauge prospects in your area.
Pet Care Pricing and Earnings Comparison
How you make money is one of the most crucial things to know before you sign up for either platform. Understanding commission fees and setting the right prices can be the difference between flourishing and struggling on a pet care app.
Cost to Join or Upgrade
Rover and Wag! Free Membership
It’s technically free to sign up as a pet caregiver on Rover and Wag and get your account. However, you need to factor the background check and application processing fees into your budget.
Paid Membership Options: Wag! Pro Account
While Wag does not charge a base membership fee, the platform offers a $149 Wag Pro account. Pro member benefits include faster onboarding, a badge for your profile, priority access to new users, partner discounts, and priority search placement.
The real benefit here is priority search. Wag puts Pro profiles higher on the results lists when pet parents search for local care. Wag Pro accounts earn up to 10% more than base accounts, and free plan members report that staying competitive is getting hard. Whether a paid account is worth it may depend on how often you use the platform.
Commission Fee and Tipping Comparison
Rover keeps 20% of each service booked through the app. Wag takes a meaty 40% commission, double Rover’s fee, from every service you book — one of the biggest bites from your profits among all its competitors. Fees cover marketing and running the platform.
Wag and Rover allow tipping to ease the sting of commissions, and 100% of client tips go to you. Note that Rover has a tipping window, after which clients can’t tip you through the app. Wag’s tipping system is less limited, allowing pre-service, post-service, or past-service tips.
How You Get Paid on Rover and Wag!
Rover direct deposits your earnings two days after completing a service through their app. You’ll submit your Social Security number and bank account information to set up direct deposit when you join.
Wag pays via your Stripe-connected bank account once weekly. For a fee of $1.99, you can use the Instant Pay feature to get your funds immediately through your Stripe-connected debit card.
Setting Your Prices
Some pet care apps (like Fetch! Pet Care) set a standard price for everyone offering the same service in the same area. Since January 2024, both Wag and Rover let you set your own rates based on supply and demand.
This has good news and bad news: you have more freedom, but you can also price yourself out of jobs or undervalue your services by setting the wrong rates.
Tips for Setting Competitive Rates
Need help with setting prices on Rover or Wag? These are the main things to keep in mind:
Research local competitors
Check what other caregivers charge by browsing Rover and Wag profiles near you for similar services and experience. Wag’s Dynamic Pricing tool helps you find the average price in your area.
🧠 Pro Tip: Metro areas tend to have higher rates than rural regions. Price accordingly.
Factor in commission
Many app pet pros manage commission fees by raising their overall price to cover the cost.
Don’t forget the cost of doing business
Make sure you’re charging rates that balance staying competitive with the price of gas, metro passes, pet care insurance, pet wear-and-tear on your car or home, and other costs built into pet care.
💡Pro Tip: Our pet sitter pricing guide breaks down some typical costs to consider.
Experience matters
The more trust and professionalism you offer (like Pet CPR certification, bonding and insurance, or years of experience), the more you can charge.
📈 Pro Tip: Start competitive with your pricing, then raise rates to match the worth of
your services as you build reviews and credibility.
Offer tiered pricing
Try providing base rates and upselling extras like longer walks, medication administration, senior pet and puppy care, or weekend and holiday rates.
How to Get Booked on Rover or Wag
Clients on both apps view you head-to-head with other pet caregivers offering the same services in your area. To be pick of the litter, you need a built-out profile and A+ customer service.
Customize Your Profile
Building a strong profile is key. Rover and Wag clients pick the provider that fits their needs based on their profiles and rates. A personalized profile helps you attract exactly the type of client you want, so make sure to include the following information:
A bright, friendly profile photo of you with an animal
Show off your love of pets and let your personality shine with an approachable but professional photo.
Specific pet care experience
Let clients know about unique skills and strengths that separate you from the pack. Do you have experience with rescue dogs from five years of volunteering at a fostering center? Have you cared for the special medical needs of senior pets? Be clear about your skills so the clients you want can find you.
A descriptive, eye-catching heading
Use your Rover tagline or Wag catchphrase as a snapshot to capture what makes you unique:
- Dog boarding ➡️ 2 acres of fenced yard and lots of ❤️
- Senior and special needs care ➡️ CPR-certified animal carer and vet tech
- Broad animal care options ➡️ Paws, fins, and feathers welcome!
- Specialized doggy daycare ➡️ Tiny 🐾, big fun — playdates for small dogs
A service-centric photo gallery
Show your skills in action with photos that inspire FOTPMO (fear of their pet missing out). Try images of you walking dogs in beautiful places, grooming relaxed pups, or signaling as pets complete training behaviors.
Testimonials
Pet parents want the best for their fur babies, so quotes from happy customers or people who already trust your experience can put potential clients at ease.
Clearly stated preferences and availability
Tell pet parents upfront about your schedule and any animal type, size, or breed restrictions (for example, if your apartment only allows small dogs). This reduces messages from jobs you can’t take.
Build Repeat Clients vs One-Time Walks
The key to success and income you can count on with either app is repeat clients. Many pet pros want to transition off the app and run their own businesses. That means building a dedicated client base who will follow you if you make the move.
Both Rover and Wag pet pros benefit from intentionally growing relationships. Along with the obvious — providing top-notch pet care — here are some tips to turn one-time gigs into loyal customers:
- Respect the client’s home, yard, and stuff
- Be reliable and on time
- Go the extra mile (little things like cleaning up small messes go a long way)
- Communicate consistently and professionally
- Stay in touch (especially with upcoming busy season reminders)
- Ask for reviews from happy clients after a successful service
- Suggest setting up a recurring service after the second booking (Both apps have a repeat booking feature for some services, though Rover’s is a little more user-friendly)
- Promote new services to existing clients first
- Personalize your care (make a point of getting to know each pet and their preferences)
Wag! vs. Rover Platform Features & Tools
As similar apps for similar services, Rover and Wag have many tools in common and a few unique to each experience.
| Exclusive to the Rover App | Exclusive to the Wag! App |
|---|---|
|
Recurring service bookings for daycare Rover allows clients to book multiple walks, drop-ins, and daycare via the app’s recurring service feature. Wag supports recurring booking for walks and drop-ins only. |
AI-powered matching algorithm Wag’s AI matches pet owners to pet care pros based on location, availability, care requirements, and more to support on-demand walks. |
|
Higher-rated app interface We’ll get into app reviews later, but caregivers rank Rover software much higher than Wag’s. Rover has a 4.9/5 star Apple App Store rating and generally positive reviews. |
Lockboxes for house keys Wag simplifies key exchanges with custom lockboxes (a feature Rover doesn’t offer.) Pet parents order their box and share their unlock code with you through the app. |
|
Rover and Wag! App Features 24/7 emergency support team |
|
Exclusive to the Rover App
Recurring service bookings for daycare
Rover allows clients to book multiple walks, drop-ins, and daycare via the app’s recurring service feature. Wag supports recurring booking for walks and drop-ins only.
Higher-rated app interface
We’ll get into app reviews later, but caregivers rank Rover software much higher than Wag’s. Rover has a 4.9/5 star Apple App Store rating and generally positive reviews.
Exclusive to the Wag! App
- AI-powered matching algorithm
- Wag’s AI matches pet owners to pet care pros based on location, availability, care requirements, and more to support on-demand walks.
- Wag’s AI matches pet owners to pet care pros based on location, availability, care requirements, and more to support on-demand walks.
- Lockboxes for house keys
- Wag simplifies key exchanges with custom lockboxes (a feature Rover doesn’t offer.) Pet parents order their box and share their unlock code with you through the app.
Rover and Wag! App Features
- 24/7 emergency support team
- Separate caregiver and pet parent apps
- Real-time GPS tracking
- In-app messaging
- Customizable profile
- Secure digital payments
- Report card recaps
Insurance & Risk Protection
If an animal gets hurt or damages a client’s stuff on my watch, will Rover or Wag protect me?
Sadly, the answer is often no. One of the best things about working with Wag or Rover — the freedom to set your hours and be your own boss — comes with extra responsibility. Both companies hire you as an independent contractor, so you’re on your own for pet care liability insurance.
Pet care claims can be expensive, so protection against your risks is vital to caring for pets safely, even as a side gig. Let’s look at how these apps’ risk-management programs stack up.
The Rover Guarantee: What It Covers (and Doesn’t Cover)
The Rover Guarantee is a reimbursement program designed to protect pets and address their owners’ need for safety. This free-to-you program may repay vet costs for your pet and the client’s pet or cover damage to their property if accidents happen on the job.
Here’s the problem: Even though the Rover Guarantee sounds like insurance, it’s not. The Rover Guarantee is a helpful failsafe, but it isn’t truly designed to cover your pet care risks — it’s designed to protect pets. Comprehensive coverage, like our dog sitter insurance or our dog walker insurance, is tailored to cover your business risks and the pets in your care.
Exclusions and missing coverages like these in the Rover Guarantee leave crucial gaps in your financial safety net:
- Property damage to the owner’s property by the owner’s pet: A client wants to charge you for a ruined antique rug when their cat has an accident on the carpet during your drop-in visit.
- Injury to third-party pets during service: Max escapes his leash and injures another dog in the park during your walk.
- Jobs booked outside of Rover: A recurring client calls you directly for ASAP boarding and pays you in cash. Their cat falls ill during his stay, and the client blames you.
- Employee dishonesty: An employee in your pet grooming business steals from a client during an in-house service.
- Personal and advertising injury: A client claims your profile falsely represented your special-needs pet experience when a dog with a chronic illness has an episode during a stay with you.
- Equipment and inventory: Daisy the Great Dane gets excited and bumps your arm as you take a client update photo, sending your work phone tumbling to the pavement.
- Lost keys: You accidentally lose the key to a house-sitting client’s condo, and their building has to be rekeyed.
Check out our simple guide to insurance vs the Rover Guarantee for a full breakdown.
Wag! Mediation & Pet Insurance Plans
Wag takes no financial responsibility for harm to pets, people, or property related to your service. Per their incident resolution guidance, the company will mediate if there is an accident, but that’s it. You are responsible for already having insurance or paying the bill yourself.
Wag promotes optional pet insurance plans, which owners can buy for their animals to cover potential vet bills. A pet owner’s pet insurance and your pet business insurance are not the same thing. Relying on an owner’s pet insurance leaves you vulnerable in these ways:
- It’s optional (and most pet parents don’t insure their pets). A recent Harris Poll found that only 24% of pet parents have pet insurance. That means 76% of the time on Wag gigs, you’re responsible for the entire cost if something goes wrong.
- Pet insurance looks out for them. Pet business insurance looks out for you. Pet insurance usually just covers vet bills. Along with pet injuries and illness, pet business insurance could also cover your legal costs if you’re sued by a client, property damage and injuries that you or a pet in your care cause, lost pets, lost keys, and more.
Why Rover and Wag! Pet Pros Need Pet Business Insurance
Whether you’re an experienced pro or new to pet care, pet business insurance has serious benefits for you and the pets you care for:
- It proves you’re a responsible professional. Insurance says you’re serious about pet safety, which makes it easier for clients to trust you.
- It may get you a gig. Our survey of 1,000+ pet parents and pros found that 80% of pet owners are more likely to hire a pet pro with liability insurance.
- Pets are unpredictable. Animal lovers know the situation can go from cute to critical in seconds. Liability insurance, like a pet business policy, can protect you against common pet care claims (like Ginger swallowing a shoestring during your drop-in or Luna knocking over a pedestrian on a walk).
- Pet care claims are expensive. Our average pet claim at PCI costs $1,758, but we’ve had claims in excess of $1 million and everything in between.
Wag and Rover have programs to help manage risk, but they don’t insure pet care providers, and they’re not designed to keep you from paying for accidents, injuries, or damage. To sit, walk, or board safely, you need to buy your own pet business insurance.
Rover and Wag! Reviews: What Real Users Say
So, is Rover or Wag better for dog walkers and pet sitters? Pet caregiver reviews of the job and the app experience seem to prefer Rover, but it depends on which core features matter to you.
For more details, see our Rover app review or try our Wag app review for pet pros.
Rover Reviews
Working for Rover: 4.3/5 ⭐ Indeed
Rover Caregiver App: 4.7/5 ⭐ Google Play
Rover Indeed reviews suggest an overall positive experience for pet caregivers, with a few areas for improvement. While the client side of the Rover app gets some criticism, caregiver Rover Dog Boarding & Walking App reviews are mostly positive, citing user-friendly design.
Positive feedback from Rover pet business owners often mentions:
- Freedom to choose your prices, schedule, jobs, and clients
- In-depth training
- Getting to work regularly with pets
- A safer environment due to client meet-ups, which help screen jobs before a booking
- Security that you will get paid since pet parents pay Rover upfront
- A good environment to gain experience if you’re starting out in the pet care field
Negative feedback from Rover caregivers tends to discuss:
- The 20% commission fee (reviewers concede that the fee hasn’t been raised in years)
- Inconsistent help hotline quality for pet care providers
- Competition for business and the difficulty of getting your first bookings
- Inconsistent workflow — best for those in larger cities and densely populated areas
- The Rover Guarantee is often hesitant to respond since it exhausts other options first
- The difficulty of making a living wage for pet caregivers who would prefer full-time work
Wag! Reviews
Working for Wag: 3.7/5 ⭐ Indeed
Rover Caregiver App: 3.9/5 ⭐ Google Play
Wag Indeed reviews suggest moderate approval with a few significant pain points. Likewise, Wag! Pet Caregiver App reviews are relatively positive, though several mention glitching and lack of human customer support as reasons for lower ratings.
Common positive comments from pet professionals about working at Wag include:
- Flexibility with setting your schedule
- A good environment for a side hustle or extra money on top of another job
- A system built for self-starters who want to request walks regularly
- An easy and convenient way to build experience for people interested in pet care
- The ability to request as many walks as you want, as often as you want
Negative reviews from Wag walkers tend to discuss the following:
- The 40% commission fee — pet caregivers agree this cut makes it tough for Wag to be a full-time job unless you live in a highly populated area
- Encountering aggressive pets
- Low cancellation payout for dog walkers that doesn’t recoup travel costs
- Difficulty talking with a human support rep for non-emergency questions
- A perceived decrease in available walks and an increase in competition
Pros & Cons Summary
Let’s review the highs and lows of each platform.
| Pros of Rover | Cons of Rover |
|---|---|
|
Meet-and-greets before your service
|
Lacking infrastructure for on-demand care
|
|
Rover Guarantee offers some protection
|
Slower, less active route from booking to gig |
|
Widest service area and most clients |
More caregivers, more competition |
|
Lower commission fee |
Longer application processing period |
|
Repeat booking feature for dog daycare |
No lockbox feature to facilitate key handoff
|
|
Pay is distributed every two days |
No instant pay feature |
| Pros of Wag! | Cons of Wag! |
|---|---|
|
On-demand booking for quick gigs
|
Lacks meet-and-greets for safety
|
|
Bidding allows a more proactive approach
|
No reimbursement plan or pet care insurance
|
|
Wag! Pro account for enhanced benefits
|
Higher commission fee
|
|
Lockbox feature for key convenience
|
No repeat bookings feature for daycare
|
|
Shorter application processing period
|
May require Pro account to stay competitive
|
|
Instant pay available via a Stripe debit card
|
Pay distributed (without a fee) once weekly
|
Using Both Platforms to Grow Your Pet Business
As we discussed the pros and cons of working for Rover and Wag, you probably noticed a big opportunity. These apps appeal to pet parents who want different things. Why not enjoy the benefits of both?
Many pet care pros create free accounts on both platforms to build different parts of their business. If you offer multiple services, try this method to let Rover and Wag each do what they do best:
- Customize your Wag profile for on-demand dog walking and drop-ins.
- Tailor your Rover profile for recurring pet sitting, boarding, and daycare jobs.
Which Platform Is Right for You?
If you’re going to choose one of the two, Rover is Pet Care Insurance’s recommendation for the best pet care app in 2025.
With better reviews, more customers, a lower commission fee, and a more personal approach, Rover is currently the stronger option for pet professionals looking to grow their client base.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t snag some last-minute dog walking and pet sitting gigs on Wag while also nurturing long-term clients on Rover. Each has its specialties, and either or both might get your tail wagging.
Wag! vs Rover FAQs
The most significant difference between Wag and Rover is how you get clients. Wag is known for quick, convenient, and on-demand dog walking, while Rover’s slower but more personalized service is best known for pet sitting. Rover also has a larger user base. In 2022, Rover had 91% of U.S. sales between the two companies.
Rover is usually better for recurring pet sitting, boarding, and daycare, while Wag is better for dog walking, drop-in visits, and other on-demand services. Rover also tends to have overall higher reviews from pet caregivers and a larger client base.
Wag is usually considered the best app for dog walking since it’s tailored to be fast and responsive for on-demand walks. Wag matches clients who need a walk quickly to dog walkers who want to bid on the job. However, both Wag and Rover connect pet parents with vetted and background-checked dog walkers available for one-time or recurring walks.
Dog walkers often earn more on Rover because it has a lower commission fee than Wag. However, dog walkers set their own prices on both apps, so how much they charge and earn often depends on location, competitor pricing, experience, special services, and availability.
To get bookings on Wag, optimize your profile and set locally competitive rates and availability for your services. Be sure to bid on walks regularly to get matched with clients, and consider a Wag! Pro membership to score priority search placement for your profile.
To get bookings on Rover, update your pet caregiver profile regularly and fill it with specific info about your services, experience, and what makes you stand out from other options. Doing meet-and-greets with clients and increasing your availability can open the door for recurring bookings.
