Monday morning drop-off at a busy boarding facility looks like this: Three phone calls, two walk-ins, one expired vaccine record blocking a check-in, a payment question the front desk can't answer without opening a separate spreadsheet, and staff waiting on feeding instructions that are still in yesterday's text thread.

Kennel software puts all of those moving parts into one operating view. The global dog-boarding market reached $5.0 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $8.9 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research (2026). That growth means more competition for pet-care operators and more pressure to run cleanly at scale, without the owner resolving every morning crisis.

This guide covers 10 kennel management software tools, compares them against the criteria that actually matter for boarding and daycare operations, and helps you identify which one fits your facility size and service mix.

What's inside

  • The 10 kennel software tools compared across boarding, daycare, grooming, and training operations
  • The buying criteria that matter most: Online booking, pet health records, billing workflows, staff execution, and reporting depth
  • Verified pricing for every tool, sourced from current vendor pricing pages
  • How to route your decision by facility type, service mix, and operational complexity

Tools were selected for category fit, online booking capability, pet records management, operational administration, reporting functionality, and pricing transparency.

TL;DR

  • Best overall for multi-service facilities: Gingr covers daycare, boarding, grooming, and training in a single platform with built-in pet parent tools and live occupancy management
  • Best for branded customer experience: Paw Partner pairs a custom-branded app and website with staff task management and care records
  • Best for boarding-first simplicity: KennelBooker handles online reservations, capacity, deposits, and care records without a complex setup
  • Best free option: DoggieDashboard offers a $0 plan with core records, scheduling, waivers, and invoicing for smaller operations
  • Best for grooming-led businesses: MoeGo is built around grooming workflows and extends to boarding and daycare with full scheduling and payment tools
  • Best for service-route and field operations: Time To Pet fits pet-sitting, dog-walking, and hybrid facility teams that need mobile staff coordination

What is kennel software?

Kennel software is business scheduling software purpose-built for pet boarding, dog daycare, grooming, training, and related pet-care facilities. It centralizes reservations, pet health records, payments, staff workflows, and reporting into one operating system.

What kennel software manages

  • Online reservations, availability calendars, capacity limits, deposits, and waitlists
  • Pet and owner profiles, including multiple pets per household
  • Vaccination status, medication schedules, feeding instructions, and care notes
  • Digital waivers, check-in forms, and service agreements
  • Boarding rooms, daycare attendance, grooming appointments, and staff task lists
  • Payments, invoices, refunds, packages, memberships, and add-on services
  • Automated confirmations, text reminders, and customer updates
  • Occupancy, revenue, cancellation, and service reports
  • Data exports, migration support, and account permissions

Kennel software vs generic scheduling software

Generic appointment tools break down when a facility manages overnight capacity, multiple pets per family, vaccination requirements, and care instructions alongside the booking itself. The table below shows where the gap shows up.

Capability Generic appointment tool Kennel software
Multi-night boarding reservations Limited Core workflow
Vaccination expiration checks Usually absent Built for pet records
Room and daycare capacity Basic calendars Occupancy controls
Feeding and medication notes Manual workaround Pet-level care profiles
Multiple pets per family Often awkward Standard data structure
Waivers and intake forms Add-on or external Native workflow
Occupancy and revenue reports Limited Facility-specific

A generic tool can handle a one-to-one training appointment. Once you're managing recurring daycare, overnight boarding, multi-pet households, and vaccination holds, you need a purpose-built system.

When to use kennel software

Replace paper, spreadsheets, and shared calendars

Once a business handles recurring daycare, overnight boarding, or more than one front-desk person, manual systems create booking conflicts, missed vaccine checks, and billing gaps. Signs you've hit the limit: Double-bookings on busy weekends, feeding instructions that live in text messages, or revenue reporting that requires a Sunday night spreadsheet session.

Let pet parents book without calling

Online reservations with deposit collection, vaccination upload prompts, and automated confirmations reduce front-desk call volume and extend your booking window to 24/7. Pet parents book when it's convenient for them, not only during staffed hours.

Run a multi-service facility from one operating view

Boarding, daycare, grooming, training, retail, and staff scheduling generate separate data streams when run on disconnected tools. Kennel software pulls those streams together so a manager can see today's occupancy, tomorrow's grooming appointments, overdue vaccine alerts, and pending payments from a single screen.

Kennel software comparison for 2026

Pricing and G2 ratings below were verified against each vendor's live pricing page and current G2 listing in October 2026. G2 ratings reflect the tool's listed score at verification time.

# Product Best for Key differentiator Pricing G2 rating
1 Gingr Multi-service pet-care facilities Full facility ops with pet parent app and live occupancy From $100/month 3.8/5
2 Paw Partner Branded customer and staff experience Branded website, custom app, staff tasks, and care records From $44.99/month Not listed on G2
3 KennelBooker Boarding-first online reservations Boarding capacity, deposits, vaccination checks, SMS reminders From $49.99/month Not listed on G2
4 Revelation Pets Boarding and daycare operators Reservation management, pet records, and integrated payments From $60/month 5.0/5
5 Time To Pet Pet-service and field-team businesses Scheduling, mobile staff access, client portal, GPS tracking From $25/month 4.7/5
6 Kennel Connection Established kennel and boarding facilities Modular kennel administration with online booking and payments From $89/month Not listed on G2
7 DoggieDashboard Small businesses needing a free start Free tier with records, waivers, scheduling, and 50+ reports Free / $40/month 5.0/5
8 ProPetWare Operations with integration requirements Modular add-ons for boarding, daycare, grooming, and training From $49.99/month 5.0/5
9 Pawfinity Mixed-service facilities needing POS POS, inventory, payroll, two-way SMS, and boarding in one plan From $55/month 3.9/5
10 MoeGo Grooming-led and mobile pet businesses Grooming workflow, client engagement, marketing, and staff payroll From $79/month 4.9/5

Best 10 kennel software tools for 2026

1. Gingr

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Gingr is an all-in-one pet-care business management platform covering boarding, daycare, grooming, training, and dog parks. It is built for facilities that need a detailed operational system, not just an online booking page. The platform includes pet parent mobile app access, live kennel-room occupancy, a PreCheck feature for validating vaccination status before arrival, and integrated payment processing across all plan tiers.

Best for: Growing or established multi-service pet-care facilities that need one system across front-desk, pet-care, and owner-facing workflows.

Key features

  • Pet scheduling, boarding rooms, and live occupancy management
  • Pet parent mobile app with self-service booking
  • Gingr PreCheck for pre-arrival vaccination and waiver validation
  • Integrated payment processing and membership management
  • Business analytics, automated reminders, and pet report cards

Why choose Gingr: It suits operations where the owner wants daily visibility into room occupancy and staff execution without building workarounds. Buyers evaluating Gingr should confirm which capabilities are included in each plan versus available as add-ons, since the platform tiers by service type.

Gingr pricing: Plans start at $100/month (billed annually). The Spa plan covers appointment-based services. The Play plan ($142/month annually) adds daycare and training. The Stay plan ($154/month annually) adds overnight boarding management. Enterprise pricing requires contacting the company. No free tier is available.

Gingr G2 rating: 3.8/5

2. Paw Partner

Paw Partner pet-care software showing customer app and pet-care management tools

Paw Partner is a pet business management platform focused on branded customer experience alongside staff operations. It combines online and app-based booking, pet profiles, feeding and medication tracking, staff scheduling, time-clock management, and reporting for occupancy, sales, and income. The standout feature for operators focused on customer retention is its custom-branded app option.

Best for: Boarding and daycare businesses that want a consistent branded experience for pet parents alongside staff task management and care records in one system.

Key features

  • Online booking, payments, and package purchases via branded app
  • Pet profiles with feeding, medication, and behavior notes
  • Staff scheduling, task lists, and time-clock management
  • Photo timeline with automated client notifications
  • Occupancy, sales, and income reporting

Why choose Paw Partner: The value case is strongest when the customer-facing brand experience matters as much as the operational layer. Operators should review optional costs for text messaging, the custom app, and integrated payment processing before comparing total cost.

Paw Partner pricing: The Grooming Only and Training Only plans start at $44.99/month each. The Boarding, Daycare, and Multi-Service plan runs $99.99/month. Text messaging adds $10.99/month for 700 messages. A custom branded app costs $99.99/month plus a $300 one-time setup fee. QuickBooks integration is free for US customers. Annual billing works out to $479.88 for single-service plans and $1,079.88 for the multi-service plan.

3. KennelBooker

KennelBooker software showing online boarding reservations and booking management

KennelBooker is cloud-based kennel booking software built specifically for boarding, daycare, grooming, training, and cattery businesses. It covers 24/7 online booking, room availability controls, deposits, vaccination checks, automated reminders, and customer records. The platform also includes product sales, inventory management, and accounting integrations with QuickBooks and Xero.

Best for: Boarding facilities that need an approachable, boarding-first platform for reservations, vaccination management, and client communication without a complex onboarding process.

Key features

  • 24/7 online booking portal with room availability controls
  • Vaccination checks, alerts, and digital intake forms
  • Deposits, payments, invoices, and POS product sales
  • Automated email and SMS reminders for bookings
  • QuickBooks and Xero accounting integrations

Why choose KennelBooker: It is a direct fit when the primary bottleneck is booking friction and front-desk communication, rather than advanced staff scheduling or multi-location management. All plans include a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

KennelBooker pricing: Plans start at $49.99/month for the Dachshund Package (also $538.89/year billed annually). The Beagle Package runs $65.99/month, the Husky Package $94.99/month, and the Great Dane Package $122.99/month. Plan tiers are based on boarding room and daycare space capacity, not staff seats.

4. Revelation Pets

Revelation Pets kennel software showing boarding reservations and pet records

Revelation Pets is cloud-based pet-care management software for boarding, daycare, cattery, grooming, and training businesses. It covers online booking, pet profiles, vaccination records with expiration reminders, digital agreements, email photo updates, integrated payments, and reports across occupancy, payments, feedings, and vaccination compliance.

Best for: Small to mid-size boarding and daycare operators that want reservation management, vaccination tracking, and client communication in one system without over-engineering the setup.

Key features

  • Online booking portal and customer self-service
  • Vaccination records with expiration alerts and digital agreements
  • Boarding, daycare, and grooming calendars
  • Integrated payment processing and automated reminders
  • Reports for occupancy, payments, feedings, and vaccination compliance

Why choose Revelation Pets: It suits operators who want boarding workflows to remain central rather than adapting a generic booking tool to a kennel context. A free trial is available with no credit card required, which makes it straightforward to test with a real-week scenario before committing.

Revelation Pets pricing: The Silver plan costs $60/month or $605/year. The Gold plan costs $77/month or $770/year. Both plans are billed in USD. A free trial is available and no credit card is required to start.

Revelation Pets G2 rating: 5.0/5

5. Time To Pet

Time To Pet scheduling software showing client, pet, and staff service management

Time To Pet is a pet-care business management platform designed for service-based operations: Pet sitting, dog walking, training, and hybrid businesses with mobile staff. It handles scheduling, client and pet management, staff mobile access, GPS tracking, invoicing, and automated client communication. The platform also includes a Facility plan for businesses with physical locations.

Best for: Pet-service businesses with field or mobile staff, recurring visits, dog walking routes, training appointments, or a hybrid of facility and field work.

Key features

  • Client and pet management with a self-service client portal
  • Staff scheduling with mobile app and GPS tracking
  • Invoicing, online payments, and automated client messaging
  • Visit reports and service tracking per appointment
  • Time and mileage tracking for mobile staff

Why choose Time To Pet: It is the better choice when mobile service coordination matters more than detailed kennel-room capacity management. Boarding-heavy facilities should compare the Facility plan against boarding-first tools before committing.

Time To Pet pricing: The Lite plan starts at $25/month or $250/year. The Solo plan runs $50/month or $500/year. The Team plan costs $40/month plus $16/month per active staff member. The Facility plan runs $79/month. Large Team pricing requires contacting the company. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required.

Time To Pet G2 rating: 4.7/5

6. Kennel Connection

Kennel Connection software dashboard for boarding reservations and pet records

Kennel Connection is a modular pet-care management platform covering boarding, daycare, grooming, training, retail, and pet-sitting services. It includes online booking, a client portal, integrated payment processing with Text-To-Pay, scheduling, invoicing, pet profiles, and operational communication tools. Plans are structured by the number of modules included, which lets operators pay for what their facility actually uses.

Best for: Established boarding and mixed-service facilities that want modular kennel administration with online booking and payment tools in a platform with a long category track record.

Key features

  • Online booking, reservations, and client portal
  • Integrated payment processing and Text-To-Pay
  • Pet profiles, scheduling, and invoicing
  • Staff communication and operational tools
  • Modular structure: Standard (one module), Pro (two modules), Platinum (unlimited)

Why choose Kennel Connection: The modular pricing model means a grooming-only shop pays differently than a full-service boarding resort. A 30-day full-featured demo is available before any purchase commitment.

Kennel Connection pricing: The Standard plan starts at $89/month. The Pro plan runs $109/month. The Platinum plan costs $149/month and includes unlimited modules. Corporate pricing requires contacting the company. All plans are billed monthly.

7. DoggieDashboard

DoggieDashboard free kennel software showing pet records, scheduling, and invoices

DoggieDashboard is cloud-based management software for dog daycares, boarding facilities, kennels, groomers, trainers, and walkers. It stands out as the only tool on this list with a genuinely functional free tier. The free plan supports up to 10 pet profiles and includes client records, scheduling, electronic waivers, invoicing, and access to over 50 PDF reports. For smaller operations evaluating whether dedicated software is worth the cost, it's the lowest-risk place to start.

Best for: Small or early-stage pet-care businesses that need core pet-care administration before moving to a more feature-complete paid platform.

Key features

  • Free plan for up to 10 pet profiles
  • Client records, vaccine expiration tracking, and microchip information
  • Appointment scheduling, recurring bookings, and staff management
  • Electronic signable waivers and intake forms
  • Over 50 PDF reports and invoicing tools

Why choose DoggieDashboard: The free plan answers the question of whether structured software saves time before you spend a dollar. Businesses approaching or exceeding the 10-pet-profile limit will need the paid plan, where the full feature set including advanced reporting and automation becomes available.

DoggieDashboard pricing: The Free plan covers up to 10 pet profiles at $0/month. The Premium Monthly plan costs $40/month on a month-to-month basis. The Premium Yearly plan is $400/year, which includes two months free compared to the monthly rate.

DoggieDashboard G2 rating: 5.0/5

8. ProPetWare

ProPetWare kennel management software showing booking, pet records, and business reporting

ProPetWare is cloud-based business process management software for boarding kennels, dog daycares, groomers, trainers, and pet retailers. Its pricing model is modular: A required base subscription covers client and pet management, and operators add boarding, daycare, grooming, or training modules depending on their service mix. The platform includes vaccination management, automated text messaging, integrated online payments, QuickBooks Online integration, and customizable forms and templates.

Best for: Pet-care operators that need a configurable system matching their exact service lines, with attention to integrations and process customization.

Key features

  • Vaccination management with expiration alerts
  • Online booking and client self-service portal
  • Automated text reminders and customer communication
  • Reporting and QuickBooks Online integration
  • Customizable pricing, forms, processes, and templates

Why choose ProPetWare: The modular structure is a genuine advantage when a business runs two or three services and doesn't want to pay for modules it won't use. The first month is free, though setup and data migration fees may apply depending on the onboarding scope.

ProPetWare pricing: The Pet and Client Manager base costs $49.99/month and is required. Add-on modules are Boarding ($20/month), Daycare ($15/month), Grooming ($15/month), and Training ($20/month). A full-service facility running all four modules pays $119.99/month. The first month of the base subscription is free.

ProPetWare G2 rating: 5.0/5

9. Pawfinity

Pawfinity pet-care management software showing reservations, pet profiles, and services

Pawfinity is a pet-care business management platform for grooming, boarding, daycare, pet sitting, training, and related services. It is one of the more feature-dense options on this list, including a built-in point-of-sale system, inventory management, employee time clock, payroll tracking, and two-way SMS messaging alongside the standard booking and pet-records workflow. All plans include unlimited calendars, staff logins, and pet profiles.

Best for: Mixed-service facilities that run grooming, boarding, and daycare and want scheduling, POS, and staff payroll in one system.

Key features

  • Boarding and daycare reservations with food and medication tracking
  • Point of sale, inventory, and stored payment management
  • Employee time clock, payroll, and commission tracking
  • Two-way SMS messaging and client communication
  • QuickBooks integration and marketing tools

Why choose Pawfinity: Facilities that would otherwise stitch together a booking tool and a separate POS system will find value in having both under one plan. A 7-day free trial is available with no credit card required.

Pawfinity pricing: The Groom and Train plan and Stay and Play plan both start at $55/month billed annually. The Royal Package, which covers all service types and includes add-ons, runs $100/month billed annually. Optional add-ons include SMS messaging, marketing tools, secure document storage, and location services. Monthly billing is available at different rates.

Pawfinity G2 rating: 3.9/5

10. MoeGo

MoeGo pet business software showing grooming appointments, client records, and payments

MoeGo is an all-in-one business management platform designed primarily for grooming salons and mobile groomers, with boarding, daycare, retail, and enterprise tiers also available. Its grooming-specific strengths include smart scheduling, commission and payroll management, marketing automation, and review collection alongside standard booking, payments, invoicing, and client and pet management. Boarding and daycare plan pricing is custom rather than publicly listed.

Best for: Grooming businesses, mobile groomers, and hybrid pet-care operators where grooming is the commercial core and boarding or daycare is a secondary service.

Key features

  • Smart grooming scheduling and appointment management
  • Integrated payments, invoicing, and POS
  • Staff payroll, commission tracking, and scheduling
  • Marketing automation and review-boosting tools
  • Client and pet profiles with automated messaging and reminders

Why choose MoeGo: Grooming-led operations will find that MoeGo's scheduling logic and staff management tools are built around grooming workflows in a way that general pet-care platforms aren't. Facilities where boarding accounts for the majority of revenue should compare its capacity management tools carefully against boarding-first options.

MoeGo pricing: Grooming salon plans start at $79/month (Basic), $149/month (Growth), and $239/month (Ultimate). Enterprise pricing is custom. Boarding, daycare, and salon-plus-mobile plans require contacting the company for a quote. No free tier is available.

MoeGo G2 rating: 4.9/5

Considerations when choosing kennel software

Booking rules and capacity control

Test whether the platform handles your specific configuration: Room types, overnight stays, pet compatibility rules, waitlists, peak-period blackout dates, and multi-pet families booking in one transaction. Ask each vendor to run a simulated high-volume Monday morning that includes an expired vaccine hold, a multi-dog family booking, and a last-minute cancellation with deposit refund.

Pet health records and digital forms

Confirm each pet profile can store vaccinations with expiration dates, medication schedules, feeding instructions, behavioral notes, emergency contacts, signed waivers, and uploaded documents. A generic customer notes field is not an acceptable substitute when staff need that information at the point of care during a morning rush.

Staff operations and daily execution

Check staff scheduling, task assignment, check-in and check-out flows, daily feeding and medication task lists, and mobile access. Good client management software at the customer layer cannot compensate for a weak staff-side workflow when 15 dogs arrive in the same 45-minute window.

Payments, packages, and all-in cost

Compare deposits, payment processing fees, invoice workflows, package tracking, retail sales, and accounting integrations. Calculate the real monthly cost by adding payment processing fees, SMS volume charges, branded app costs, onboarding fees, and any integration charges to the advertised plan price.

Reporting, data exports, and migration

Verify which reports come standard: Occupancy by room type, revenue by service, cancellation rate, labor cost by shift, and repeat-customer rate. Before switching, confirm the vendor can import your client records, pet profiles, vaccination data, signed waivers, and open reservation balances. Also confirm what you can export if you ever leave.

Conclusion

The best kennel software for your operation is the one that handles your service mix without workarounds, not the one with the longest feature list.

Here's how the 10 tools break down:

  • Gingr: Broad facility management for multi-service operations with live occupancy and pet parent tools
  • Paw Partner: Branded customer experience alongside staff workflows and care records
  • KennelBooker: Boarding-first booking with vaccination management and SMS reminders
  • Revelation Pets: Reservation and capacity management for boarding and daycare with a clean free trial
  • Time To Pet: Mobile and service-business workflows for field staff and hybrid operations
  • Kennel Connection: Modular kennel administration for established facilities with a 30-day demo
  • DoggieDashboard: The free entry point for smaller facilities not yet ready to commit to a paid plan
  • ProPetWare: Modular service add-ons for operations that want to pay only for active service lines
  • Pawfinity: Mixed-service facilities needing scheduling, POS, and payroll in one system
  • MoeGo: Grooming-led businesses that need commission management, smart scheduling, and marketing tools

Shortlist three tools from this list. Then ask each vendor to run the same busy-day scenario using your actual service mix, room capacity, vaccine rules, and payment process. The tool that handles those details without a workaround is usually the better long-term choice.

Frequently asked questions about kennel software

Kennel software is business management software for pet boarding, dog daycare, grooming, training, and related pet-care facilities. It replaces disconnected booking tools, paper records, and manual billing with a single system covering reservations, pet health records, payments, staff operations, and facility reporting.

The right tool depends on whether your facility needs room-capacity controls, online booking with vaccination checks, staff task visibility, or multi-location reporting. Gingr and Revelation Pets are both strong boarding-first options. KennelBooker suits smaller facilities focused on online reservations and client communication. Review the comparison table above against your service mix before deciding.

DoggieDashboard offers a genuinely free plan covering up to 10 pet profiles, with scheduling, waivers, invoicing, and access to over 50 PDF reports. Before treating the free tier as a long-term option, check whether its limits on pet profiles, reporting depth, and payment tools match your current volume and near-term growth.

Most kennel platforms store vaccination records with expiration dates, upload capabilities, automated alerts, and check-in restrictions for pets with expired or missing records. Before purchasing, test how the system handles a pet that arrives with an expired vaccine. The check-in block should surface immediately, not after the pet is already in a room.

Most kennel platforms support online booking with service selection, deposit collection, automated confirmations, and digital intake forms. Feature availability varies by plan, so check which tier includes online booking, whether payment processing carries an additional fee, and which payment processors the platform supports before committing.

Dog daycare software needs attendance tracking, daily capacity management, pet profiles with vaccination checks and behavioral notes, digital waivers, staff task visibility for feeding and medication, package and punch-card tracking, automated client updates, and attendance or revenue reports by day or period.

The monthly plan price is rarely the full cost. Add payment processing fees (typically 2% to 3.5% per transaction), SMS messaging charges, branded app fees, onboarding costs, and integration fees to get the real number. Facilities running multiple service lines on modular platforms like ProPetWare or Kennel Connection pay more as they activate additional modules. Use verified pricing from this list as a starting point, then request a full cost breakdown from any vendor you shortlist.

Start with a clean export of your current data: Client records, pet profiles, vaccination dates, signed waivers, open reservation balances, and future bookings. Map each field to the new platform's data model before importing. Run both systems in parallel for at least two to four weeks, covering at least one busy boarding weekend. Train staff on the new workflows before the cutover date, and confirm that historical data including health records and payment history transferred correctly before turning off the old system. Good payment processing software integrations can simplify the financial reconciliation side of the migration.

Useful kennel reports cover daily and weekly occupancy by room or space type, revenue by service line, package redemption, cancellation rates, labor cost per shift, and repeat-customer frequency. Before choosing a platform, request sample exports or a live demo of the reporting interface. Reports that require a manual export to a spreadsheet for analysis add back the administrative overhead you're trying to eliminate.