Best Software for Home-Based Dog Groomers (5 Picks)

Home groomers get overlooked by software companies. Most products are built for salons with a front desk or fleets with a dispatcher, then sold to everyone. If you groom five dogs a day in a converted garage, most of those features are clutter. Good grooming software for home groomers does a short list of things well and stays cheap.

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Here's that short list, then five tools measured against it. One of them is ours and is marked.

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What a home groomer needs (and doesn't)

Need

• A calendar that's easy to read on a phone

• Client and pet records with notes and vaccine dates

• Reminders that go out without you

• Texting, since you're your own receptionist

• A way to collect a signed agreement and intake form

• Card payments

• A way to keep your home address private until someone's a confirmed client

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Don't need

• Multi-location reporting

• Staff permissions and payroll

• Kennel or run management

• A branded client app

• An API

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Every item in the second list adds cost or complexity. Don't pay for it.

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Quick comparison

Prices for other vendors come from third-party listings as of October 2026.

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1. Square Appointments: best if money is tight

Free for a single user, and you likely already take cards with Square. Online booking and email reminders are included.

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The limit: no pet records. Breed, coat, blade lengths and behavior all go in a notes box. That's manageable at 30 clients and messy at 150.

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Use it when: you're in your first few months and every dollar counts.

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2. GrooMore: best low-cost grooming-specific option

Grooming-only software with scheduling, client and pet management, messaging and automatic reminders. Listings put it around $39 to $69 a month with no contract or setup fee.

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The limit: fewer extras than the bigger names.

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Use it when: you want proper pet profiles for the lowest monthly cost.

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3. Teddy: best if you'd rather text than click (ours)

The Budget plan is $49 a month for one groomer. It includes the calendar, client and pet records, vaccination tracking, intake forms, digital agreements, payments through Square and unlimited two-way texting.

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It also has an assistant. Between dogs, with wet hands, you can say "what's my day look like tomorrow" or "book Pepper for a bath on the 22nd at 1" and confirm with a tap. For someone working alone, that's the main reason to pick it.

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The limit: online booking and automated reminders start on the $99 Core plan. On Budget you can still ask the assistant to message clients for you. If automatic reminders are a must and $99 is too much, GrooMore or MoeGo Basic may suit better.

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Full plan details are on the pricing page, and there's a 14-day trial with no card.

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4. MoeGo: best if you might go mobile

MoeGo's Basic plan is reported at about $49 a month and includes smart scheduling, two-way messaging, online booking, payments and reminders. It's a lot of software for the price.

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The limit: messaging beyond the included amount can cost extra according to several pricing breakdowns, and the product is built with vans and fleets in mind, so there's more on screen than a home groomer uses.

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Use it when: home is a stepping stone and you plan to buy a van.

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5. Pawfinity: best for record-keepers

Detailed pet records, inventory tools and a long history. Starts around $50 to $55 a month with a free trial.

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The limit: a busier interface with a learning curve.

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Use it when: you like thorough records and don't mind spending a weekend on setup.

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Five things that matter more at home

Protecting your address

You don't want your home address on a public booking page. Look for a setup where new clients send a request first and get the address only after you've accepted them. Request-based booking, which Teddy uses, works this way by default.

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A separate business number

Giving clients your personal mobile means texts at 10 p.m. forever. Software with built-in texting gives you a business number or thread, so your own phone stays yours.

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Spacing out drop-offs

One driveway, one dog at a time. Build 15-minute gaps between appointments so two clients and two reactive dogs don't meet at your gate.

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Deposits for new clients

A no-show hurts more when you only see five dogs a day. Take a deposit or card on file from first-timers. Wording for that is in our no-show and cancellation policy template.

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Paperwork before arrival

At home there's no reception desk. Send the intake form and agreement by text in advance so drop-off takes two minutes at the door.

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Do you need software at all?

Possibly not yet. Under about 40 active clients, a paper diary, a notes app and your phone's reminders can work. The signs it's time:

• You've double-booked or forgotten an appointment

• You're hunting through old texts for a dog's last cut

• You spend your evening sending tomorrow's reminders by hand

• Clients ask to book online

• No-shows are costing you a dog a week

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Once two of those are true, $40 to $50 a month pays for itself with one saved appointment.

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Many home groomers start exactly where you are and grow into something bigger. $300 and a Dream on The Daily Groomer podcast is the story of Groovy Pups doing just that, and From a Studio Apartment to a 70 Acre Facility is what the far end can look like.

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For more options, see our lists of the best dog grooming scheduling apps and appointment software.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best grooming software for home groomers?

For free, Square Appointments. For low-cost grooming-specific tools, GrooMore and Teddy. If you plan to go mobile, MoeGo.

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Is there free software for home-based dog groomers?

Square Appointments is free for one user. It isn't pet-specific, so you'll track pet details in notes.

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How much should a solo groomer spend on software?

Most home groomers spend between $0 and $60 a month. Past that, you're usually paying for team or fleet features.

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Can I run a home grooming business from my phone?

Yes. Pick software designed for mobile use. Teddy and MoeGo both work well on a phone.

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How do I keep my home address private when taking bookings?

Use request-based booking and send your address only in the confirmation message to accepted clients.