Time To Pet review
Time To Pet review: what it does well, and where it falls short
We make a competing product, so we kept this to facts from timetopet.com and said plainly where they win. No star ratings, no made-up quotes.
Prices checked Oct 2026 on timetopet.com. Sources: pricing, payroll, staff management. Porchlight competes with Time To Pet, so check their pages too.
What Time To Pet does well
A full payroll product
Time To Pet payroll handles hourly, commission, salaried and contractor pay, with automatic tax filing, direct deposit, and W-2 and 1099 forms. Porchlight exports payroll reports but does not file taxes.
Facility and boarding plans
If you run a kennel or daycare, Time To Pet has a Facility plan and an In-Home + Facility option. Porchlight does not build boarding at all.
Client and staff apps, GPS and roles
It has a client app and a staff app, GPS capture on check in and check out, time-off requests, and four staff roles: admin, office manager, staff and trainee.
Online payments in the client portal
Clients can request services and pay by credit card, ACH, or Google and Apple Pay through Time To Pet Payments.
Low entry price and no contract
Lite starts at $25 a month for a one-person company. Accounts are billed monthly with no contract, and you can cancel any time with no fees.
A long track record
It is an established product, and Porchlight is newer. That counts for something when you are trusting a tool with your schedule.
Where it falls short
The bill grows with your team
Team is $40 a month plus $16 per active staff member, and office managers and administrators always count as active. Owner plus five sitters is $136 a month. Owner plus ten is $216.
Payroll is a separate price
Staff pay in the main app is a default rate per service, with pay stubs built from a date range. Hourly pay, tax filing and direct deposit live in the payroll product, listed at $40 a month plus $6 per worker. If you pay sitters hourly, plan for two bills.
Phone experience for the owner
Their mobile apps page describes a client app and a staff app. It does not describe a separate admin app. We cannot say how running the whole business from a phone feels, so test your own day on a phone during the trial.
Fees that are not on the pricing page
We found no price for texting or card processing on the pricing page. That is not proof of extra fees, but ask for a full monthly number before you commit.
A shorter trial
The trial is 14 days with no card. That is often less than one full billing cycle of invoices and payroll.
Sources: pricing, payroll, staff management, mobile apps.
At a glance
| Feature | Porchlight | Time To Pet | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team of six (owner plus five) | $79 a month | $136 a month | Porchlight |
| One-person price | $35 a month | Lite $25 or Solo $50 a month | Even |
| Tax filing and direct deposit for staff | No. CSV export for QuickBooks and Gusto | Yes, in the payroll product | Time To Pet |
| Boarding and facility | No | Yes | Time To Pet |
| Offline field app | Whole visit works with no signal | Not described publicly | Porchlight |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | 14 days, no card | Porchlight |
Who should switch
- You have three or more active people and expect to hire more.
- You hire seasonal sitters and do not want the software bill to follow them.
- Your sitters work in basements, elevators or rural areas where signal drops.
- You want one flat number you can budget a year ahead.
Who should stay
- You run boarding, daycare or a facility.
- You are a one-person company and Lite at $25 a month covers what you need.
- You want payroll with tax filing and direct deposit in the same product.
- Your current setup works and your team is small and stable.
Questions we get
Is Time To Pet any good?
Yes, for many businesses. It is an established product with payroll, a client portal, mobile apps and a facility plan. Its weak spot for growing companies is that the Team plan bills per active staff member.
What are the main downsides of Time To Pet?
Cost that rises with each active staff member, payroll priced separately, and no price for texting or card fees on the pricing page. We also found no description of an admin mobile app or offline use on their public pages, so test those in the trial.
Is this review biased?
Porchlight competes with Time To Pet, so read it with that in mind. Every fact here comes from timetopet.com pages we checked in October 2026, and we list the places where Time To Pet is stronger.
Can I cancel Time To Pet any time?
They say accounts are billed monthly with no contract and no cancellation fees. Export your data first. Porchlight’s Switch Kit imports the CSVs.
Who should switch from Time To Pet?
Growing in-home sitting and dog walking companies with three or more active people, seasonal hiring, or sitters who work with poor signal.
Try Porchlight free for 30 days
No card needed. Solo is $35 a month, Team is $79 a month with unlimited staff. Already on Time To Pet? The Switch Kit imports your CSV exports with a dry run first.