9 Best Grooming Scheduling Software for 2026

Most groomers don't go looking for grooming scheduling software on a calm Tuesday. They go looking the week a Goldendoodle got double-booked over a Shih Tzu, or the night they spent an hour scrolling through texts to figure out who confirmed for Saturday. If that's you, you're in good company.

The tricky part is that almost every tool says it does scheduling. What actually separates them is the stuff around the calendar: how many texts you get before you hit a cap, whether clients can book themselves at 10pm, whether the calendar understands that a matted Bernedoodle takes three hours and a Yorkie bath takes forty minutes.

We looked at nine options that groomers actually use, checked what each one charges as of November 2026, and sorted out who each one is built for. Prices change often in this category, so treat the numbers as a starting point and confirm on each vendor's site before you sign up.

What good grooming scheduling software should handle

Before the list, here's the short checklist we used. If a tool misses more than two of these, it's going to cost you time somewhere else.

• Variable appointment lengths by breed, size or coat condition, not one fixed slot length for everything
• Recurring bookings for your 4-week and 6-week regulars
• Two-way texting so clients can reply "yes" or "can we do 10 instead?" without calling
• Reminders that go out automatically, ideally a day or two before the appointment
• Pet profiles with notes like "bites on back feet" or "owner wants a #7 body, scissor the face"
• Online booking that you control, so a new client can't drop a 4-hour doodle into your one free hour
• A waiting list for when Thursday cancellations open up

If you want a deeper look at feature priorities, we broke them down in pet grooming appointment software features that actually matter.

Quick comparison: 9 grooming scheduling tools

1. MoeGo

MoeGo is the name most groomers have heard, and for good reason. The calendar is polished, the mobile plans include route tools, and it handles multi-location setups well. Mobile plans start at $49 a month on Basic, with Growth at $99 per van and Ultimate at $159 per van. Salon plans start at $79 per location.

The catch most owners run into is texting. Lower plans come with a monthly message cap (a few hundred texts on Basic), and a busy salon can burn through that by mid-month once reminders, "your dog is ready" texts and rebooking nudges stack up. Our own MoeGo pricing breakdown walks through the real math.

Good for: Shops that are growing fast and don't mind paying more per van or location.

2. DaySmart Pet

DaySmart Pet (formerly 123Pet) has been around a long time, and plenty of salons have years of client history in it. It's strong on reporting and retail, and it supports grooming, daycare and boarding. Entry pricing sits around $29 a month, climbing to roughly $199 for the top plan.

Two-way texting is the thing to watch. It's included on the higher tiers and sold as an add-on below that, so the cheap plan isn't really the plan most salons end up on. The interface also feels older than newer tools, which matters if you're training a new bather. If you're on an old install, here's what changed when 123Pet became DaySmart Pet.

Good for: Established salons that live in their reports.

3. Teddy

Teddy was built with groomers from The Daily Groomer community, and the pricing reflects who it's for: Budget at $49, Core at $99 for up to five groomers, Plus at $199 per location. Every plan includes unlimited two-way texting, so there's no math to do on reminders.

On the scheduling side you get day, week and staff views, a waiting list, check-in and check-out, saved pricing and duration per pet, and protection against double-booking. Core adds 24/7 online booking, automated reminders and route optimization for mobile groomers. One feature groomers mention a lot is that you can book, reschedule or cancel by just asking Teddy in a text, which helps when your hands are full of a wet Labrador.

It's newer than DaySmart and doesn't try to run boarding kennels, so if you need a full resort system, look elsewhere.

Good for: Solo groomers and small teams who are tired of text limits.

4. GrooMore

GrooMore has a loyal following among independent groomers, and reviewers consistently call out its responsive support team. Its standout feature is a branded client app: your customers download your app from the App Store or Google Play, book through it and message you there. If a client doesn't have the app, your message reaches them as a regular text.

There's a free version, with paid plans listed at $39 and $69 per user. That per-user pricing is worth running through a calculator if you have three or four groomers.

Good for: Groomers who like the idea of their own app.

5. Groomer.io

Groomer.io is grooming-only and has a strong mobile focus: route optimization, en-route updates for clients and payments on the go. It lists unlimited two-way texting and phone calls, plus unlimited customers, employees and logins, with plans at $79 and $99 a month.

The flat pricing makes it predictable for a growing team. It's a bit more expensive for a solo groomer who only needs the basics.

Good for: Mobile businesses with two or more vans.

6. Gingr

Gingr is a boarding and daycare platform first. Its Spa plan, aimed at grooming and training, runs about $100 a month on annual billing. If you groom, board and run daycare under one roof, Gingr makes sense. If you only groom, you'll pay for kennel features you never open.

Good for: Pet resorts with a grooming room.

7. Pawfinity

Pawfinity is a lower-cost grooming tool that covers the basics: calendar, client records and reminders. Texting runs on a credit system, so plan for how many messages you send in a typical month before you compare it to tools with unlimited texting.

Good for: Small shops watching every dollar.

8. Square Appointments

Square Appointments is free for one person and works well if you already take payments through Square. It wasn't built for grooming, though. There are no pet profiles, no vaccine tracking and no concept of "this Poodle needs 2.5 hours because she's matted again." Paid plans for teams run roughly $29 to $69 per location per month.

Good for: A brand-new groomer doing a handful of dogs a week.

9. Vagaro

Vagaro is general salon and spa software that some groomers use, especially in shops that also offer human services. It's priced per bookable calendar, roughly $24 to $30 for the first and about $10 for each extra calendar. Text marketing, forms and a website are separate add-ons, so the final bill is usually higher than the headline price.

Good for: Mixed-service businesses.

How to pick the right grooming scheduling software

Start with how you actually work, not with the feature list.

If you're a solo groomer

Your biggest enemy is interruptions. You need reminders that run themselves, texting you can answer between dogs, and pricing that doesn't punish you for growing. Look hard at the cost of texting before anything else. Our guide on what $49 a month gets a solo groomer on Teddy is a useful reference point for what "basic" should include.

If you run a salon with employees

You need staff calendars, permissions so your bather can't see revenue reports, and commission tracking. DaySmart, MoeGo and Teddy all cover this.

If you're mobile

Routing matters more than almost anything. Driving 25 minutes between two stops when a closer client was free that day costs you a dog a day. MoeGo, Groomer.io and Teddy all offer route tools.

Switching without losing your book

The biggest fear we hear is losing years of client notes. Most vendors, including Teddy, will import your clients, pets and future appointments for free. Ask for a CSV export from your current system first, keep it somewhere safe, and run both systems side by side for a week if you're nervous.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best grooming scheduling software for a solo groomer?

It depends on how many texts you send and whether you need online booking. Square Appointments is free to try, while Teddy and MoeGo Basic both start at $49 a month. Teddy includes unlimited texting at that price, which is often the deciding factor.

Is free grooming scheduling software good enough?

For a few dogs a week, yes. Once you have recurring clients, vaccine records and behavior notes to track, general free tools start to cost you time, because they weren't built with pet profiles in mind.

Do I need online booking?

Not always. Many groomers prefer to approve requests before they land on the calendar, especially for new clients with large or matted dogs. We wrote about why request-based online booking is catching on.

How much should grooming scheduling software cost?

Most solo groomers pay $30 to $80 a month, and small salons pay $80 to $200. Watch for per-staff, per-van and per-text charges, which can double the headline price.

Can I switch grooming software in the middle of the busy season?

You can, but it's easier in a slower month. If you must switch in November or December, import your data first and keep your old system open in read-only mode until January.

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If you're comparing options this week, it's worth trying two side by side with your real calendar. Teddy has a 14-day free trial with no card required, and the team will import your current schedule for you, so you can see how your actual Saturday looks before you commit.