Dog daycare software
Dog Daycare Software at a Flat $79 a Month, Unlimited Staff
Porchlight is dog daycare software for a small daycare, or for a sitting company that also boards and runs daycare. Rooms and runs, capacity checks, a waitlist, vaccination checks, a daily ops board and stay invoicing are in every plan. Team is a flat $79 a month with unlimited staff (source: porchlight.pet/pricing). For a big facility, look at Gingr.
Porchlight competes with the tools named on this page and wrote it. Check each vendor’s own pricing page before you decide. Every competitor price below was read on that vendor’s own pricing page, with the date checked. Porchlight is made by Hive Asset Group, LLC. Last updated: October 25, 2026.
What a small daycare actually needs
You run a few dozen dogs a day at most, with a handful of staff. You do not need a hundred features. You need seven things to work every morning.
- Capacity checks. Every day is checked against the room or run before a booking is approved. A full day does not get double booked.
- Vaccination checks. Expiry is stored for each pet. An expired record warns you or blocks the booking, your choice.
- A waitlist. When a day or night is full, the request goes on the list. When a spot opens, you offer it.
- A daily ops board. Today’s check-ins and check-outs, who is on site, feeding and medication notes, and quick logs for meals, potty breaks and play.
- Stay invoicing. Full days, half days, nights and extra pets are priced from your rates and land on the client’s invoice with no re-entry. Clients can pay by card through your own Stripe account.
- A staff app that works in a bad signal. The sitter app is an installable web app, not a native app. A full visit can be completed offline and syncs later. GPS check-in and check-out give you proof.
- A way out. You can export everything as CSV and JSON, so your records are never stuck.
What Porchlight includes and what to check elsewhere
| Need | Porchlight | Check before you buy |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Rooms and runs with limits. Every day and night checked. Full goes to the waitlist. | If you cap by yard or play group instead of room or run, test that in the trial. |
| Vaccinations | Expiry stored per pet. Warns or blocks. | Test with an expired date on a fake pet. |
| Waitlist | Included. | Ask any vendor how a freed spot gets offered. |
| Daily ops board | Included, with quick logs and photos. | Check that your floor staff can use it on a phone. |
| Stay invoicing | Included. Card payments through your own Stripe account. | Check how packages or memberships are handled if you sell them. |
| Staff app | Installable web app. Works offline. GPS proof. | It is not a native app. If you need one from an app store, we do not have it. |
| Payroll | Calculates sitter pay and exports CSV for Gusto or QuickBooks. | It does not run payroll. |
| Grooming and retail | Not what Porchlight is built for. | Look at Gingr. |
More on the building side, rooms and runs, is on the boarding and daycare feature page, and the sitter app is described on the offline sitter app page.
Where Gingr or a kennel system fits better
Porchlight started as software for dog walkers and pet sitters. Daycare and boarding are built in, but it is not a facility-first system.
A big daycare with many dogs a day fits better in Gingr. So does a kennel with many runs, and so does any business that sells grooming or retail at a front desk. Those tools are built around the building. Look at Gingr first.
Porchlight fits better when the daycare is small, or sits next to dog walking, drop-ins and house sitting, and you want one account for visits, stays, staff and invoices.
What dog daycare software costs, as of October 2026
Porchlight Solo is $35 a month ($350 a year) for the owner only. Team is $79 a month ($790 a year) with unlimited staff. It is the same price for 2 sitters or 40. Boarding and daycare are included in both, so there is no facility plan to add. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial, no card. The first 100 companies get a price lock while the subscription stays active. See the full pet sitting software pricing.
Gingr lists $100, $142 and $154 a month billed annually, or $109, $169 and $179 month to month (source: gingrapp.com/pricing, checked October 2026). Its top plan price assumes Gingr’s Integrated Payments are active. Time To Pet lists Lite at $25, Solo at $50 and Team at $40 plus $16 per active staff member (owners count), and sells boarding as a separate Facility plan (source: timetopet.com/pricing, checked October 23, 2026). At 6 people including the owner, Time To Pet Team is $40 plus 6 x $16, or $136 a month, before boarding. Porchlight Team is $79 for the same 6. Plans differ in what they include, so compare features, not only price.
Coming from Time To Pet? Switchers get a 90-day trial, and the Switch Kit imports your CSV with a dry run and rollback.
Questions about dog daycare software
What is the best dog daycare software for a small daycare?
It depends on size. For a small daycare, or a sitting company that also runs daycare, Porchlight covers capacity checks, vaccination checks, a waitlist, a daily ops board and stay invoicing for $35 or $79 a month. For a big facility or a kennel with many runs, Gingr fits better.
How much does dog daycare software cost?
As of October 2026, Gingr lists $100, $142 and $154 a month billed annually. Time To Pet Team is $40 plus $16 per active staff member, with boarding sold as a separate Facility plan. Porchlight is $35 a month for Solo and $79 for Team, boarding and daycare included.
Does the price go up when I hire more staff?
No. Team is $79 a month with unlimited staff, the same price for 2 sitters or 40. Solo is $35 a month for the owner only.
Can I try it with my real dogs first?
Yes. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial, no card. If you are switching from Time To Pet, the trial is 90 days. Set up one run with a capacity of 1 and try to double book it. The tool should waitlist the request.
Can I bring my data from another system?
Yes. The Switch Kit imports CSV exports from Time To Pet, Precise Petcare, Pet Sitter Plus and LeashTime, with a dry run and rollback. You can also export everything from Porchlight as CSV and JSON.
Sources: porchlight.pet/pricing, porchlight.pet/features/boarding-daycare, porchlight.pet/features/offline-field-app, porchlight.pet/switch, gingrapp.com/pricing, timetopet.com/pricing.