MoeGo vs DaySmart vs Teddy: True Cost for 3 Groomers

Software pricing pages are designed to make the smallest plan look like the obvious choice. Then you add a second groomer, start sending reminders, and realize you need the plan two rows to the right.

So instead of comparing headline prices, we built one realistic salon and priced it out for a full year on three popular pet grooming management software options: MoeGo, DaySmart Pet and Teddy. Yes, Teddy is our product. We've tried to keep the math honest, and we've shown our assumptions so you can swap in your own numbers.

Prices below were taken from each vendor's public pricing information in October and November 2026. Plans change, so double-check before you decide.

Meet the salon

Our example is a storefront shop with:

• 3 groomers (the owner plus two employees) and one part-time bather
• About 18 dogs a day, five days a week, so roughly 390 appointments a month
• Mostly 4 to 8 week regulars, with a handful of new clients each week
• A need for online booking, automated reminders, two-way texting and commission tracking

How many texts does a salon like this send?

This is the number that changes everything, so let's be specific. For each appointment, a typical shop sends:

1. A booking confirmation
2. A reminder a day or two before
3. A "ready for pick-up" text

That's three outbound texts per appointment, or about 1,170 a month. Add replies, rebooking nudges, "running 10 minutes late" messages and new-client back-and-forth, and many three-groomer salons land between 1,300 and 1,800 texts a month. Check your current system's message log for your real number.

The plans each salon would actually need

A few notes on how we got there.

MoeGo. The salon Basic plan is $79 per location, but it includes around 300 texts a month, which this salon would use up in the first week. Growth, at $149 per location, raises that to roughly 1,350. Busy months could still go over, so ask MoeGo what overage costs before you sign. For more detail, see our MoeGo pricing breakdown.

DaySmart Pet. DaySmart's plans start around $29 and go up to about $199, with slightly lower prices if you use DaySmart's own payments. Two-way texting is included starting at the $149 tier and sold as an add-on below that. Plans also cap the number of users, so confirm your groomers and bather fit.

Teddy. Core is $99 per location for up to five groomers, with unlimited two-way texting, online booking, automated reminders and route optimization. Payroll and commission tracking are included on every plan.

The costs that don't show up on pricing pages

Subscription fees are only part of the year. Here's what else to budget for.

Card processing

All three tools take card payments. Teddy runs payments through Square and doesn't add its own fee on top, so you pay Square's standard rate. MoeGo and DaySmart offer their own payment processing, and DaySmart prices its plans slightly lower when you use it. On $250,000 a year in card sales, a 0.3% difference in processing is $750, which can outweigh the subscription difference. Ask each vendor for their exact rate.

Text overages

If a plan caps messages, find out what happens when you go over. Some tools charge per extra text, some throttle, and some push you to upgrade. December alone can blow through a cap.

Setup and data migration

Moving years of client notes is the scariest part of switching. Teddy imports clients, pets and appointments for free. Ask the others whether migration is included or billed separately.

Hardware

You'll likely need a card reader and a tablet or computer at the front desk, regardless of which software you choose. That's roughly the same across all three.

Year-one cost, side by side

Using the same salon, here's a realistic year-one estimate for subscription plus extras that vary between platforms. Processing is left out because it depends on your rate negotiations.

On subscription alone, Teddy comes out about $600 a year cheaper for this salon. That's roughly six or seven full grooms on a mid-size dog. It's not life-changing on its own, but it's real money, and it doesn't count the time you'd spend watching a text counter in December.

Where MoeGo and DaySmart are the better fit

Price isn't the only thing that matters, and neither tool is a bad choice.

Pick MoeGo if you're running several locations or a large mobile fleet and want deep marketing automation and a big feature set. MoeGo has invested heavily in growth tools and enterprise support.

Pick DaySmart Pet if you also run daycare or boarding and want everything in one system, or if your team has used DaySmart for years and switching would cause more disruption than it saves. Its reporting is extensive.

Pick Teddy if you're a solo groomer or a team of up to five who wants unlimited texting, a simpler setup and a lower monthly bill. You can also ask Teddy to book, reschedule or message clients by text or voice, which helps on days you're short-staffed at the front desk.

Run the numbers for your own salon

Grab a notepad and fill in these five lines:

1. Groomers and bathers who need their own login or calendar
2. Average texts per month (check your current system's message history)
3. Annual card sales, and the processing rate each vendor quotes you
4. Must-have features: online booking, route optimization, commission, boarding
5. Switching cost: time to train staff and move data

If you want to see your profit after software, labor and supplies, The Daily Groomer's free profit calculator is a handy companion to this exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest pet grooming management software for a small salon?

For a 3-groomer salon that needs online booking and plenty of texting, Teddy Core at $99 a month is among the lowest-cost options we compared. Cheaper entry plans exist elsewhere, but they often limit texts or users.

Does MoeGo charge per groomer?

MoeGo salon plans are priced per location, while mobile plans are priced per van. Each tier comes with different text limits, so the plan you need depends heavily on how many messages you send.

Is DaySmart Pet more expensive than MoeGo?

At the tiers a busy salon usually needs, they land in a similar range, around $149 a month. DaySmart's price varies depending on whether you use its payment processing.

Should I choose grooming software based on price?

Price matters, but text limits, user caps and processing fees usually matter more. A plan that's $30 cheaper but forces you to upgrade in December isn't really cheaper.

How hard is it to switch grooming software?

Most of the work is moving client and pet records. Ask your new provider to import them for you, and run both systems for a week if possible.

If you'd like to test the math on your own calendar, Teddy offers 14 days free with no card, and the team will import your current client list so you're comparing real days, not demo data.