At a glance: DogPack vs. Rover

Category	DogPack	Rover
App Store rating	4.6 / 5	4.4 / 5
Total downloads	2.6M+	5M+
Sitter commission fee	0% commission	20% per booking
Owner service fee	No additional fee	+10-11% on top
Listing your business	Free	$49-$79 profile review fee
Dog park finder	200,000+ locations	Not available
Dog-friendly travel	Booking.com partnership	Not available
Community and social features	Full social features	Not available
Lost dog alerts	Yes	No
GPS walk tracking	No	Yes
Sitter background checks	No (community-vetted)	Yes (Checkr)
Booking protection	No	Rover Guarantee (up to $25K)
Pet marketplace	Food, toys, gear	No
Pet insurance	Healthy Paws partnership	No

DogPack: the app built around dog owners’ whole lives

DogPack   4.6 stars · 2.6M+ downloads · 0% commission

DogPack is more than a pet care marketplace. It layers pet care services on top of a network of dog parks, dog-friendly places, a social community, and a pet marketplace. Where Rover focuses exclusively on booking pet care, DogPack is built around the entire dog owner lifestyle: finding great spots to bring your dog, connecting with local dog owners, sourcing pet products, and booking trustworthy pet care. The app has been downloaded 2.6M+ times across 20+ countries and charges sitters 0% commission, meaning every dollar a client pays goes directly to the sitter.

DogPack app screenshots

DogPack pros and cons

Protect your dog with coverage built in

Vet bills are one of the biggest surprise costs of dog ownership, and it is not something a booking marketplace helps with. DogPack has partnered with Healthy Paws, a Chubb company, to offer accident and illness coverage you can access right from the app. Plans reimburse up to 90% of eligible vet bills, carry no annual or lifetime payout caps, and most claims are processed in about two days. Coverage is available for dogs and cats of all breeds and ages at any licensed vet across the US and Canada.

Pet insurance coverage is offered and administered by Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, LLC, a Chubb company. DogPack is not an insurance provider. Insurance terms, conditions, and exclusions apply, including for pre-existing conditions. See Healthy Paws for full plan details.

Free to list, with an optional upgrade to stand out

Listing your dog business on DogPack is free, and bookings are 0% commission. That covers everything you need to get discovered and start earning. If you want to go further, DogPack Premium is an optional paid upgrade for businesses that want to stand out in a crowded local market.

Getting verified builds trust with owners who are choosing who to hand their dog to, and it lifts your visibility when they search. You can try DogPack Premium free for one month to see whether the extra exposure is worth it for your business, no commitment.

Rover: the established pet care marketplace

Rover   4.4 stars · 5M+ downloads

Rover is the largest pet sitting and dog walking marketplace in the US and Canada, acquired by Blackstone in 2024 for $2.3 billion. With over 100,000 listed sitters, it has more coverage than any competitor, particularly in rural areas or for last-minute bookings. It also acquired cat-sitting platform Cat in a Flat in October 2024, which continues to operate as its own brand serving nine countries across Europe. The platform offers built-in GPS tracking, Checkr background checks on all sitters, and the Rover Guarantee, which covers vet expenses up to $25,000. Recent user reviews have documented concerns about fee increases, app reliability, and support response times.

Rover app screenshots

Rover pros and cons

How fees actually work on each platform

Rover charges fees to both sides of a transaction independently: sitters pay 20% of everything they earn, and pet owners pay a separate 10-11% service fee on top of the sitter’s listed rate. DogPack charges sitters 0% commission. The table below shows what each party actually pays and receives at different booking values.

Sitter’s listed price	Sitter receives (after Rover’s 20%)	Owner pays total (after 10-11% service fee)	On DogPack: sitter receives (0% fee)
$50	$40	$55-$56	$50 (full amount)
$100	$80	$110-$111	$100 (full amount)
$200	$160	$220-$222	$200 (full amount)
$500	$400	$550-$555	$500 (full amount)

Rover’s owner service fee varies by market and booking type. Figures above use the 10-11% range disclosed in Rover’s Help Center. DogPack charges sitters 0% commission; the full booking amount goes to the sitter.

The practical takeaway: because Rover applies a commission to the sitter and a separate service fee to the owner, the platform’s total cut on a booking lands well above the headline 20%. On DogPack, the sitter keeps the full amount and the owner pays no added service fee.

App reliability: what users report

Issue	DogPack	Rover
Photo and video upload failures	Rarely reported	Frequently reported
App slow to load	Occasional (map loading)	Multiple reports
Login or account issues	Rarely reported	Very common complaint
GPS tracking errors	Feature not available	Glitches reported regularly
In-app messaging delays	Rarely reported	Reports of lost or delayed messages
Overall Play Store rating	4.6 stars	4.4 stars

“The app is so bloated, it takes forever to load… I shouldn’t need to wait indefinitely for the home page to load.”
– Stuart Anderson, 2-star Google Play review, March 2026

Which app is right for you?

You are…	Best choice	Why
A dog owner who loves exploring with your pet	DogPack	200,000+ dog-friendly parks, trails, and places in one app
A sitter or walker who wants to list without upfront fees	DogPack	No profile review fee. Free listing. 0% commission, so you keep every dollar clients pay you.
A pet owner in a rural area needing broad coverage	Rover	Rover’s sitter network is the largest available, especially outside metro areas
A pet owner who needs background-checked sitters	Rover	Rover runs Checkr background checks on all sitters. DogPack uses community vetting instead.
A dog owner who travels regularly with their pet	DogPack	Dog-friendly hotel bookings via Booking.com, plus a local park finder at every destination
A pet business (groomer, trainer, daycare) seeking visibility	DogPack	Free listing plus DogPack Premium for boosted search placement
A new sitter building their first client base	Both	List on DogPack for free to start. Add Rover later if you want broader initial exposure and can absorb the profile review fee risk.

What reviewers are saying

The following quotes are verbatim from verified Google Play and App Store reviews.

Frequently asked questions

Is DogPack free to use?

Yes. DogPack is free to download and free for pet owners to use. Pet businesses (sitters, walkers, trainers, groomers) can also list their services for free, and bookings are 0% commission. DogPack Premium is an optional paid upgrade that boosts your visibility in search results.

Do I have to pay to get verified on DogPack?

Listing your business and taking bookings is free, with 0% commission. Getting verified is part of DogPack Premium, an optional paid upgrade that adds a verified badge, boosted placement in search and feeds, and profile analytics. You can try Premium free for one month to see whether the added visibility is worth it before you pay anything.

Does DogPack offer pet insurance?

DogPack has partnered with Healthy Paws, a Chubb company, to offer accident and illness coverage for dogs and cats. Plans reimburse up to 90% of eligible vet bills, have no annual or lifetime payout caps, and cover any licensed vet in the US or Canada. DogPack is not the insurer; coverage is offered and administered by Healthy Paws, and terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. You can get a free quote in a couple of minutes from the pet insurance page.

What is Rover’s $49-$79 profile review fee?

Before you can offer services on Rover, you must pay a one-time profile review fee that varies by location ($49-$79). This fee covers application processing and includes a background check. The fee is non-refundable regardless of whether your profile receives bookings. DogPack does not charge a fee to list your business.

Does DogPack do background checks on sitters?

DogPack does not run platform-mandated background checks on sitters. Instead, the platform uses community reviews and social accountability to vet service providers. Rover uses Checkr background checks on all sitters. If a background check is a firm requirement for you, Rover has the edge on this specific point.

Did Rover acquire Cat in a Flat?

Yes. Rover acquired Cat in a Flat in October 2024. Cat in a Flat continues to operate as its own brand and entity, led by its original founders. The acquisition expanded Rover’s European coverage into Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Ireland.

Can I use both DogPack and Rover at the same time?

Yes. Many sitters use DogPack as their primary platform for its lower fees and free listing, while also maintaining a Rover profile for broader coverage. The two platforms serve different strengths and are not mutually exclusive.

Is Rover still worth using in 2026?

Rover is still the largest pet care marketplace, which gives it more coverage in lower-density areas and the most recognized brand name. However, a $49-$79 non-refundable signup fee, a 20% commission, a separate service fee charged to pet owners, and persistent app complaints are pushing a growing share of sitters and owners toward alternatives. Whether it is worth it depends on your market, your booking volume, and how much the fee structure affects your take-home.

The bottom line