The True Cost of Dog Daycare Software in 2026: What Gingr, MoeGo & Others Really Charge
Every software vendor advertises a monthly price. Almost none of them advertise what you'll actually pay. Between payment-processing markups, SMS caps, per-staff seats, and onboarding fees, the real annual cost of "affordable" daycare software is routinely two to three times the sticker price.
We pulled the published pricing from the major platforms — as listed on their own pricing pages in August 2026 — and broke down where the extra costs hide, so you can compare the total cost before you commit. (Vendors change pricing often; always confirm current rates before signing.)
Quick answer
How much does dog daycare software cost in 2026? Mainstream platforms run roughly $79–$239 per month per location before add-ons: Gingr lists $109–$179+/month, MoeGo's salon/facility plans run $79–$239/month, and Time to Pet's facility plan starts at $79/month. The real cost is higher once you add payment-processing markups (some platforms add ~1% of every transaction), SMS overages, staff seats, and onboarding — often $3,000–$7,000+ per year all-in for a mid-sized facility.
Published Pricing at a Glance (August 2026)
Figures below are from each vendor's own public pricing page as of August 2026. Pricing changes frequently — treat this as a starting point, not a quote.
| Platform | Entry price | Higher tiers | Billed | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gingr | $109/mo (Spa) | $179+/mo (Stay) | per location | Higher listed price if you decline integrated payments; annual billing discounts available |
| MoeGo | $79/mo | $239/mo | per location (salon/facility); $49–$159 per van for mobile | SMS text caps per tier; unlimited auto-messaging only on the top tier |
| Time to Pet | $79/mo (Facility) | $40/mo + $16 per staff (in-home teams) | per location / per staff | Facility plan is separate from the in-home sitting product |
| PawStack.AI | $349 setup + $69/mo (Starter website) | $999 setup + $149/mo (Pro: portal, admin & apps) | your own platform | Everything under YOUR brand — no percentage fee on your transactions |
Want feature-by-feature detail? See the full platform comparison →
The 5 Costs That Don't Show Up on the Pricing Page
This is where the sticker price and the invoice part ways. Before signing with any platform, get written answers on all five.
Payment-processing markups & gateway fees
Every platform lets you take cards — but read the fine print on what it costs. On top of standard card-processing rates (typically ~2.6–2.9% + 30¢ per transaction), some platforms add their own percentage. Industry reporting in 2026 documented Gingr adding a 1% gateway fee on transactions through its integrated payments — that's $2,000/year for a facility processing $200,000. Fees that scale with your revenue are the most expensive kind, because they grow as you grow.
SMS text-message caps and overages
Appointment confirmations, day-before reminders, pickup notifications — a busy daycare sends thousands of texts a month. MoeGo bundles a capped SMS allotment into each tier and reserves unlimited automated messaging for its top plan. Gingr bills SMS per message or as bundles. Either way, the daycare that texts every client rarely stays on the entry-level price.
Per-staff and per-seat charges
Some platforms charge for additional staff logins — Time to Pet's team plan, for example, is priced at $16 per active staff member per month on top of the base fee. If you're growing a team, multiply before you sign.
Onboarding, setup & training fees
Many vendors route new accounts through paid onboarding programs with training calls. These one-time fees are frequently quoted only on the sales call, not the pricing page — always ask for the all-in first-year number in writing.
The lock-in premium
The biggest hidden cost isn't a line item. Once your client list, vaccination records, booking history, and workflows live inside a vendor's platform, switching is painful — and vendors know it. That's how fees get added after you sign up. When you own your platform, nobody can change your pricing mid-relationship.
A Worked Example: The Real Year-One Bill
A hypothetical illustration: a single-location daycare doing $300,000/year in revenue, with 3 staff and heavy client texting, on a mid-tier plan at $169/month, with a platform that charges a 1% gateway fee. Your actual numbers will differ — this is the math to run on any quote you receive:
| Base subscription (12 × $169) | $2,028 |
| 1% platform/gateway fee on $300,000 (where applicable) | $3,000 |
| SMS bundles / overages (estimate) | $300–$600 |
| Onboarding & training (one-time, varies) | $0–$1,000+ |
| Realistic year-one total | ~$5,300–$6,600+ |
And that's before standard card-processing rates (~2.6–2.9% + 30¢) that every business pays regardless of platform. The kicker: none of that spend builds anything you own. Your clients book inside the vendor's brand, your data lives on their servers, and your "website" is usually a page on their domain.
The Alternative: Pay for Software You Actually Own
PawStack.AI flips the model. Instead of renting a seat inside someone else's platform, we build your platform. The Starter package ($349 setup + $69/month) gets your custom website live on your own domain; the Pro package ($999 setup + $149/month) adds the branded client portal, admin portal, booking management, payments, and native mobile apps under your business name — see full pricing.
- No percentage fee skimmed off your transactions — your payment processor, your rates
- No per-text caps engineered to push you up a tier
- No per-staff seat charges
- Flat, predictable pricing that doesn't grow just because your revenue does
- Your brand, your data, your client relationships — portable and owned by you
At $300K/year in revenue, a 1% platform fee alone is $3,000/year — more than the annual cost of PawStack.AI's Pro subscription. Growth should compound in your pocket — not your software vendor's.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does dog daycare software cost in 2026?
As of August 2026, mainstream dog daycare software runs roughly $79–$239 per month per location before add-ons. Gingr lists plans at $109–$179+ per month, MoeGo salon/facility plans run $79–$239 per month per location, and Time to Pet's facility plan starts at $79 per month. The advertised price is rarely the real cost: payment-processing markups, SMS caps, extra staff seats, and onboarding fees typically add hundreds to thousands of dollars per year.
How much does Gingr cost per month?
As of August 2026, Gingr's published plans are Spa at $109/month, Play at $169/month, and Stay at $179/month (with discounts for annual billing), plus custom Enterprise pricing for multi-location businesses. The $179 Stay price assumes you use Gingr's integrated payments; the listed price is higher if you bring your own payment processor. Industry reporting in 2026 also documented a 1% gateway fee on transactions processed through Gingr's integrated payment system, on top of standard card-processing rates.
How much does MoeGo cost per month?
As of August 2026, MoeGo prices mobile grooming at $49, $99, or $159 per month per van, and salon/facility plans at roughly $79–$239 per month per location, with custom Enterprise quotes above that. Each tier includes a capped SMS text allotment, and unlimited automated messaging is reserved for the top tier — so businesses that text every client often end up on a higher plan than the headline price suggests.
What hidden fees should I watch for in pet-care software?
The five most common hidden costs are: (1) payment-processing markups or gateway fees charged on every transaction on top of standard card rates; (2) SMS text-message caps with per-message overage or forced plan upgrades; (3) per-staff or per-user seat charges; (4) one-time onboarding, setup, or training fees; and (5) price increases after you're locked in, because your client list, booking history, and workflows live inside the vendor's platform.
Why do percentage-based transaction fees matter so much for daycares?
Because they scale with your revenue, not with the software's value. A 1% platform fee on a facility processing $300,000 per year is $3,000 every year — on top of the subscription and standard card-processing rates of roughly 2.6–2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. As your daycare grows, a percentage fee grows with it, which is why the total cost of 'cheap' software often exceeds the cost of owning a custom platform within a few years.
Is custom dog daycare software cheaper than Gingr or MoeGo long-term?
Often, yes. PawStack.AI builds a custom ecosystem under your brand: the Starter website package is $349 setup plus $69/month, and the Pro package — which adds the branded client portal, admin portal, booking management, payments, and native mobile apps — is $999 setup plus $149/month. A daycare paying $169/month for rented software plus a 1% gateway fee on $300,000 of revenue spends roughly $5,000 per year; PawStack.AI Pro costs a predictable flat rate with no percentage skim on your transactions, and you own your brand, your data, and your client relationships.
Know your real number before you sign anything.
Book a free strategy call and we'll walk through what you're paying today — subscription, fees, and all — versus what owning your own branded platform would cost.