Loading
Last reviewed September 14, 2026
If you're reading this, there's a decent chance you already have a base of clients who book you again and again — and you've started noticing how much of each of those bookings goes to Rover's service fee. That's not a knock on Rover: it's a marketplace, and marketplaces charge for the leads they bring you. The question is whether every booking still needs to go through it.
Rover and Solo Sitter solve different problems. Rover finds you strangers who need a sitter. Solo Sitter helps you run the clients you already have — booking, deposits and visit reports — without a marketplace in the middle.
| Rover | Solo Sitter | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A marketplace that connects you with new clients searching for a sitter | Software for booking, deposits and visit reports with clients you already have |
| Sitter fee | A percentage of every booking — roughly 20% in most US states, though Rover states fees can vary by region and by individual account | Flat $19/month or $200/year — the price doesn’t change with how much you book |
| Finds you new clients | Yes — that’s the core product | No. It’s built for clients who already know and book you directly |
| How clients book | Through the Rover app or site, with a Rover account | A link you send them — no account or app to install |
| Deposits & no-shows | Handled inside Rover’s own booking and payment flow | You set the policy; money goes straight to your own Venmo, PayPal or card link |
| Best fit | Sitters who need a steady stream of new leads | Sitters with a base of repeat/referred clients who want to stop paying a cut to keep them |
Rover's lead generation and trust signals are genuinely useful, especially early on — that's not something a flat-price booking tool replaces. Plenty of sitters run both at once: Rover for discovery, and a direct booking link for the relationship once a client becomes a regular. Switching everything over on day one usually isn't the right move if new-client discovery is still your biggest need.
Yes. Plenty of sitters keep a Rover profile for discovering new clients and move the ones who become regulars to a direct booking link — so the fee only applies to bookings that actually came from Rover.
That's Rover's published service fee for sitters and dog walkers in most US states, per Rover's own help center. Rover notes fees can vary by region and by individual account, so check your own dashboard for your exact rate rather than assuming one number applies everywhere.
Usually only the ones who already trust you personally — someone who found you cold through Rover's search has no reason to leave the platform. This page isn't legal advice, so it's worth checking Rover's current terms of service on contacting clients you met through the platform before reaching out off-app.
No — and that's intentional. Solo Sitter never holds your money. It calculates deposits and remaining balances, sends the request with a reference code, and marks a booking paid once you confirm — but the money itself goes straight to your own Venmo, PayPal or card link.
Probably not yet. If you're still building a client base, Rover's lead flow is worth more than the percentage it takes. The fee usually starts to sting once you have enough repeat and referred clients that you'd be booking them directly anyway.
Yes — every new Solo Sitter account starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.
Competitor pricing, fees and policies change — this page was last checked against the official sources below on September 14, 2026. Solo Sitter isn't affiliated with Rover; always confirm current details on their own site before deciding.
Also comparing Time To Pet or PetSitClick? Or go straight to pricing.