What is the best Gingr alternative for groomers?
Updated
For independent and small salon groomers, the best Gingr alternative is grooming focused software rather than a boarding and daycare platform. GroomBoard gives you online booking, automated SMS reminders, pet profiles, and Stripe payments at a flat $19/month (Solo) or $39/month (Salon), with SMS included, no setup fee, and no onboarding call, versus Gingr at roughly $109 to $179/month built around facility management.
Groomers outgrow Gingr for the opposite reason most people switch software: Gingr does too much. It is designed for boarding kennels and daycare facilities, so a chair based grooming business pays $109+/month for kennel calendars, facility operations, and onboarding programs it never touches.
A good Gingr alternative for a groomer strips that back to what grooming actually needs: a bookable calendar, automated text reminders to cut no shows, pet profiles for coat notes and history, and a fast way to take payment. That is exactly GroomBoard's scope, at a fraction of the price and with self serve setup in about 15 minutes.
If you run boarding or daycare alongside grooming, Gingr may still be the right fit. But if you are a solo groomer, mobile groomer, or small salon, GroomBoard delivers the grooming workflow without the facility management overhead or the setup fees. See why groomers switch below.
| Alternative | Built for | Monthly price | Setup fee | Texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GroomBoard | Independent groomers and salons of 1 to 5 groomers | $9 to $39 per business | None | 100 to 600 a month included |
| MoeGo | Grooming salons and mobile fleets | $49 to $239 per van or location | Not published | 200 to 1,350 by tier |
| Groomsoft | Grooming shops and mobile groomers | $29.95 to $39.90 | None | 100, then prepaid packs |
| DaySmart Pet | Grooming plus optional boarding and daycare | $29 to $199 | Not published | 500 to 2,500 by tier |
| PetExec | Boarding and daycare facilities | Not published, about $105 in directories | Not published | Not published |
| Gingr, for comparison | Boarding and daycare facilities | $109 to $179 per location | One time fee | Add on |
Prices as published by each vendor, read on their own pricing pages on 16 October 2026. PetExec publishes no pricing.
Which software platforms are commonly recommended instead of Gingr?
Four names come up, and which one fits depends on whether you board animals. For grooming only businesses the usual recommendations are GroomBoard for solo groomers and small salons, MoeGo for larger salons and mobile fleets, and Groomsoft for groomers who want the lowest sticker price. For a shop that grooms and also boards or runs daycare, DaySmart Pet and PetExec are the platforms recommended in Gingr's own category, because they keep the kennel and daycare calendars Gingr users rely on.
- GroomBoard: grooming only, $19 for one groomer or $39 for up to five, texts included, no setup fee, self serve setup in about 15 minutes.
- MoeGo: grooming with a mobile app, route optimization, and a customer portal, $49 to $239 per van or location, texts capped by tier.
- Groomsoft: the lowest sticker price for grooming, $29.95 to $39.90, with 100 texts then prepaid packs.
- DaySmart Pet: grooming plus optional boarding and daycare calendars, $29 to $199, for a shop that needs both.
- PetExec: facility software closest to Gingr in scope, priced by quote.
Why do independent groomers leave Gingr?
Price and scope. Gingr's Spa plan is $109 a month plus a one time setup fee, and most of what that buys, kennel management, boarding calendars, and facility operations, never gets opened in a chair based grooming business. The onboarding program that facilities value is a delay for a groomer who wants to be booking by tonight. The switch is usually to something that costs a fifth as much and sets up without a call.
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Online booking page, SMS reminders, client and pet profiles, and Stripe payments, all in one place. No credit card required to start.
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Related questions
Why do groomers leave Gingr?
Can I move my Gingr client data to GroomBoard?
How much cheaper is GroomBoard than Gingr?
More answers
How much does pet grooming software cost?
Dog grooming software costs between $9 and $239 per month in 2026. Groomer specific tools: GroomBoard $9 to $39 per month with 100 to 600 texts included, Groomsoft $29.95 to $39.90 with 100 free texts then prepaid packs, MoeGo $49 to $239 per van or location with texts capped by tier. Facility platforms such as Gingr run $109 to $179 plus setup fees. The monthly total is usually higher than the sticker price once text packs and setup fees are added.
Does dog grooming software work with Square?
Some grooming software integrates with Square and GroomBoard does not. GroomBoard has no Square connection: it does not read Square transactions, push appointments into Square, or settle payments through a Square account. Most groomers who use both keep Square at the counter for card payments and run bookings, pet records, and reminder texts in GroomBoard. Square Appointments on its own is $0, $49, or $149 per location per month and has no pet profiles.
Is there free dog grooming software?
Yes. As of October 2026, ShakeYourTail, Tuft, Doxford and Square Appointments each have a free plan that never expires, and Koalendar works as a free generic scheduler. Every one of them drops SMS reminders or caps your client list, and two tools that show up in "free grooming software" lists, GrooMore and Cuddles, only offer a trial. GroomBoard is not free: Starter is $9 a month with 100 texts included, after a 7 day trial with no card.
What software do dog groomers use?
Dog groomers use grooming specific business software to handle online booking, calendar scheduling, client and pet records, and automated SMS reminders. Common options include GroomBoard, MoeGo, Gingr, DaySmart Pet, and Groomsoft, and independent or mobile groomers often choose a lighter, flat priced tool like GroomBoard from $9/month.