Boarding operations sell stays against limited runs, rooms or staff capacity. Reservations also rely on pet-specific records, required vaccination documents, feeding and medication instructions, add-ons and precise pickup dates. Compare the reservation and check-in workflow together.
Boarding operations sell stays against limited runs, rooms or staff capacity. Reservations also rely on pet-specific records, required vaccination documents, feeding and medication instructions, add-ons and precise pickup dates. Compare the reservation and check-in workflow together.
What the software costs—and where your margin can improve.
Start with the bill and one costly workflow. The comparison is straightforward: recurring software costs you can actually remove, minus the hosting, AI, integrations and upkeep a replacement needs. Time saved is a separate gain, and only becomes margin when the business can use it.
Current software · researched prices
$313/ month
$3,756 a year in this worked example
One facility running BOTH daycare and overnight boarding, 6 staff, on DaySmart Pet Premium, using DaySmart's payment processing, wanting a website
DaySmart Pet Premium, 6 users, with integrated payments$199/mo
A source-priced scenario, not a claim about your invoice. Check required modules, usage fees and your negotiated terms.
A focused tool · under your control
Pay for the parts this workflow needs.
One time: map the rules, build, test edge cases, move only the data needed and train the people who use it.
Each month: affordable hosting, coding-AI usage, any database or integrations, backups and maintenance. Price these for the actual application; a $0 or low hosting tier is not the total cost.
You control: the code repository, domain, data and service accounts. Someone on your side owns updates, access, recovery and support.
MarginVendor costs removed − the replacement’s full monthly operating cost.
Admin timeFirst target: Capacity by lodging type. Book two dogs sharing a family run, then add another request when one night is full. Check the conflicting dates only.
Business valueDurable, documented margin can strengthen a business; buyers still assess risk and whether someone else can run the workflow.
The exact replacement cost depends on scope and usage. Bring your invoice and one frustrating task; we’ll map what can stay, what could be owned and the costs to verify.
What a safe switch means for pet boarding, daycare & kennels
Build a service catalog and customer workspace, then staff availability, booking and reminders. Add packages or a customer portal after the core booking flow passes testing.
These terms appear in the same research category. Check your specific workflow before treating products as interchangeable.
pet boarding software
kennel management software
dog boarding reservation system
pet lodging software
kennel
dog boarding
cattery
pet hotel
pet resort
doggy daycare
dog daycare
day training
dog training
board and train
A shortlist to investigate
Compare by the job you need done
Fit notes are our assessment of the linked vendor descriptions, not hands-on product reviews. Feature sources checked Oct 2, 2026; pricing records below retain their own dates.
This synthetic boarding reservation checks dates, capacity, records, add-ons and billing as one flow.
Create one family account with two pets, separate feeding instructions and different vaccination expiry dates.
Request a three-night shared stay with one grooming add-on. Make one required record expired and observe the booking and check-in alerts.
Extend one pet by a night and record an approved service add-on. Check whether only the relevant pet and run occupancy change.
Check out the family and reconcile stay dates, discounts, add-ons, payments and next reservation reminders.
Plan a controlled data move
Import customer and pet identities, future stays, lodging types and capacity, vaccine records, care instructions, feeding schedules, deposits, balances and staff access roles. Reconcile the live occupancy board with the physical kennel before allowing new online bookings.
Where a first build could stop
Reservation software cannot assess animal health or decide whether a pet should be admitted or treated. The facility sets admission rules and care protocols with qualified staff, and should protect client data and limit access to necessary animal-care information.
Workflow documentation checked Oct 2, 2026. Pricing tables elsewhere on this page retain their own capture dates. The demo scripts and migration guidance are our proposed evaluation method, not hands-on vendor reviews.
Gingr kennel software ↗ Vendor overview of capacity, vaccinations, reservations and boarding pricing.
PetExec ↗ Vendor overview for pet-care facility operations.
DaySmart Pet ↗ Vendor overview of pet-business software; confirm boarding capabilities in a demo.
What does the software cost?
For pet boarding, daycare & kennels, our worked example runs $313 a month, which is $3,756 a year. A website-related price point in the research is $15 a month; check whether it is a plan rate or a separate fee. 14 of 36 vendors have quote-only pricing in our research.
See the worked example: One facility running BOTH daycare and overnight boarding, 6 staff, on DaySmart Pet Premium, using DaySmart's payment processing, wanting a website
Software auditPet boarding, daycare & kennels
One facility running BOTH daycare and overnight boarding, 6 staff, on DaySmart Pet Premium, using DaySmart's payment processing, wanting a website
DaySmart Pet Premium, 6 users, with integrated payments$199/moKeep
The base plan is $199 a month for six users with DaySmart's payment processing. Then the unbundling: $25 for a daycare calendar, another $25 for a boarding calendar, $49 for Reputation Management and $15 for the Website Builder. Gingr prices by service instead, from $109 for Spa to $179 for Stay, and Stay is $209 if you skip its payment processing.
What to keep
Keep your kennel software. Run sheets, feeding and medication schedules, vaccination expiry checks and per-night pricing are real work, and a mistake there hurts an animal.
What to verify
Ask providers to demonstrate this workflow using your edge cases. Check which plan includes each step, what costs extra and how your records can be exported.
24 vendors and options researched for pet boarding, daycare & kennels
Researched vendors and published prices
Listed A to Z, not ranked. Prices and every quoted catch come from each vendor's own pricing page or terms, linked and dated. 14 have quote-only pricing in our research.
These agencies appear in the business-category research but do not yet have a full software pricing profile. Rates are shown only when verified from the provider's own source.
How is boarding software different from daycare software?
Boarding needs dated lodging capacity, overnight billing, arrival and departure rules, and often pre-stay record checks. Test those alongside shared pet and customer data.
Can online booking enforce vaccination requirements?
Some systems document configurable record requirements. Demonstrate how missing or expired records affect requests and check-in; the facility remains responsible for its admission policy.
How much does kennel software cost?
DaySmart Pet runs from $29 a month on Basic to $199 on Premium, before add-ons. Gingr's plans are $109, $169 and $179 a month. A facility doing daycare and boarding on DaySmart Premium with the website and reputation add-ons pays $313.
Does DaySmart Pet include a website?
No. The Website Builder is a $15-a-month add-on. Reputation Management is another $49, and the daycare and boarding calendars are $25 each.
Why does Gingr cost more without its payment processing?
Gingr prices its plans assuming you use its integrated payments. The Stay plan is $179 a month with them and $209 without, so processing cards elsewhere puts you on the higher rate.
Could software for pet boarding, daycare & kennels work on your terms?
Bring one workflow or software bill to a free 30-minute conversation. We’ll map what a coding AI and affordable hosting might cover, and what ownership would require.