Best pet sitting apps in the UK: 2026 comparison for owners

In short: The best pet sitting apps in the UK for 2026 differ more than their marketing suggests — on fees, on how sitters are verified, and on how much you can actually learn about a sitter before booking them. The right platform depends on how often you need care, whether you're looking for regular arrangements or occasional cover, and how much the final price at checkout matters once platform surcharges are added. The UK pet sitting market has its own shape. Some platforms that dominate in the US have limited presence here. Others exist only in the UK. TrustedHousesitters — a secondary option in the US market — is one of the most widely used services among UK owners, particularly those who travel regularly. Understanding which platforms actually operate here and how they compare on the things that matter saves a significant amount of time before your first booking.

What to look for in a UK pet sitting platform

The evaluation criteria are the same regardless of market: how well you can know the sitter before booking, what verification is genuinely in place, whether the price shown is the price paid, and what support exists if a pet is injured during a sitting. What varies in the UK is which platforms score well on each.

Visibility into the sitter before you commit

A profile photo and a star rating tell you that previous clients were satisfied. They don't tell you what a sitter's home looks like, how they handle a nervous dog, or what kind of person they are beyond the curated frame of a platform listing. For owners who feel genuinely uneasy handing their pet to a stranger, that snapshot at the point of booking rarely resolves it. The right platform gives you a way to build real familiarity before the booking, not after.

Sitter verification

Most UK platforms advertise background-checked sitters, but the scope varies. Identity verification — confirming the person is who they claim to be — and a criminal background check are separate things, and not every platform requires both. Check what specifically is screened for and whether it applies to every listed sitter or only to those who choose to display a badge.

Fee transparency

UK pet sitting platforms vary significantly in how they charge pet owners. Some add a service fee at checkout on top of the sitter's advertised rate. Others charge annual membership fees rather than per-booking surcharges. One charges owners nothing on top of the sitter's rate. Knowing the real cost before you compare sitter rates across platforms is worth a few minutes of reading.

Coverage if something goes wrong

Pet injuries during a sitting are uncommon but not unheard of. Some platforms include financial protection toward eligible vet costs; others don't, or offer it only as a paid add-on. Understanding what support exists before you book — not after a vet bill lands — is the sensible order of operations.

Best pet sitting apps in the UK compared

Petme: best overall for UK pet owners

Petme's core differentiator is the same in the UK as it is anywhere: every sitter has a social profile rather than a static bio. An active feed of posts about their daily life with animals — their home, their own pets, the dogs and cats currently in their care — gives UK pet owners a window into who the sitter actually is before any contact is made. Pet parents browse sitter profiles the way they'd follow someone on a social network. By the time a booking is confirmed, most already feel they know the person. All sitters go through both identity verification and a background check before their profile goes live. Pet parents initiate all contact — sitters cannot search for or reach out to owners. On fees: Petme charges UK pet owners 0% in service fees. The rate shown on a sitter's profile is the total amount you pay. No surcharges at checkout. Every completed booking also earns cashback toward future care — which compounds meaningfully for owners who book regularly throughout the year. Every eligible booking also includes the Petme Protection Plan, a discretionary fund that may contribute toward vet costs up to €20,000 for serious injuries during a sitting — at no extra cost to you. Petme is available across the UK and in major markets across Europe and the US.

Rover: largest UK network, with limitations worth knowing

Rover is the largest pet sitting platform in the UK, with sitters listed across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It covers boarding, house sitting, drop-in visits, doggy daycare, and dog walking — which makes it a common starting point for owners in areas where sitter availability is a practical concern. Sitters go through background screening and identity verification. Profiles include reviews, photos, and bios. Rover also offers the Rover Guarantee, a financial protection program toward vet costs for covered incidents during a booking. The main limitation is how much you can actually learn about a sitter before booking. Profiles are static — a bio written once, a set of photos, a star rating aggregated from previous bookings. There's no ongoing window into who the sitter is day-to-day. Rover also adds a service fee for pet owners at checkout on top of the sitter's advertised rate, which means the price shown is not the price paid. For owners in smaller towns or rural areas where sitter availability is thin, Rover's network size is a genuine practical argument. For owners in larger cities with more options, the limitations become more relevant.

TrustedHousesitters: best for UK owners who travel regularly

TrustedHousesitters is unusually popular in the UK relative to other markets — partly because the model suits the British tendency toward extended holidays, and partly because the platform originated in the UK. The model itself is straightforward: no money changes hands for the care. Vetted sitters stay in your home in exchange for free accommodation. Both owners and sitters pay an annual membership fee (owner plans start from around £99–£199 per year depending on the tier). For UK owners who travel multiple times a year — city breaks, longer holidays, family visits away — the annual membership structure means the cost per trip drops quickly. Pets stay in their own home, which works well for animals who settle better in familiar surroundings. The tradeoffs: finding a sitter requires active effort. You post your listing, review applications, and choose who to invite. Background checks are available but not mandatory in every region. For short-notice needs or occasional care, the platform is slower and less reliable than a standard marketplace.

Pawshake: lower fees, solid for regular care

Pawshake operates across the UK and is known for lower booking fees than most competitors — a meaningful difference for owners booking recurring services like weekly dog walks or regular daycare. Sitters are vetted and the platform includes veterinary coverage on bookings. Profiles include reviews, photos, and availability calendars. Pawshake works well for owners who have already found a sitter they trust and want a reliable platform for ongoing bookings. For first-time owners still evaluating who to trust, the profile format is closer to a standard marketplace listing than a tool for building genuine familiarity before booking.

Tailster: UK-specific, bid-based model

Tailster is a UK-only platform that works differently from a standard marketplace. Rather than browsing sitter profiles and making contact, owners post their requirements and receive bids from vetted, insured sitters in their area. Tailster verifies and insures all listed sitters. The bid model suits owners who want multiple options to compare for a specific booking rather than managing an ongoing search. It's particularly useful for occasional or specialist needs. The tradeoff is less control over who responds — you receive applications rather than choosing who to approach — which can feel like a less deliberate process for owners who want to vet sitters carefully before any contact. A brief note: Cat in a Flat, the UK cat-sitting specialist, was acquired by Rover and is currently in the process of being absorbed into the Rover platform.

How much does pet sitting cost in the UK?

UK pet sitting rates vary considerably by location and service type. London and major cities consistently sit at the higher end; rates in the Midlands, North, and rural areas are generally lower for the same service. For drop-in visits, expect to pay between £12 and £20 per visit nationally, with London sitters typically at the upper end of that range or above. For overnight boarding at a sitter's home, national averages sit around £30–£70 per night, with rates in Leeds, Birmingham, and London regularly reaching £60 or higher. House sitting overnight — a sitter staying in your home — runs to similar rates. Dog walking (a single 30–60 minute walk) typically costs £12–£20, again with significant regional variation. Cat sitting tends to come in at slightly lower rates than dog care for equivalent services, reflecting the shorter visit times most cats require. Most professional cat sitters charge per visit rather than per day, typically £12–£20 nationally for a 30–45 minute visit. These are market rates across platforms. What you actually pay depends on the sitter, the service, and the platform fee structure on top. Our guide to dog sitter rates covers what affects pricing and what's reasonable to expect at different service levels.

UK pet sitting platforms comparison: how fees stack up

The pet sitting platforms UK comparison changes significantly once you factor in what owners actually pay versus what sitters advertise. Rover adds a service fee on top of the sitter's rate at checkout — the same model it uses in the US. Pawshake charges lower fees than most competitors, which is part of its appeal for regular bookings. TrustedHousesitters removes per-booking fees entirely in favour of an annual membership, making it cost-effective for frequent users but carrying an upfront cost for occasional ones. Tailster's fee structure varies by booking, with sitters factoring their costs into bids. Petme charges UK pet owners 0% in service fees, with cashback earned on every completed booking. For owners using pet care regularly throughout the year — a dog walker twice a week, daycare during busy periods, boarding for holidays — the gap between a 10–15% surcharge and nothing compounds into a meaningful annual difference. If you're comparing platforms for the first time and want the full step-by-step process for vetting and booking a sitter, our guide on how to book a pet sitter covers the process from start to finish.

How to choose the right pet sitting platform in the UK

Three questions narrow it down for most UK owners. How often do you book? For occasional use — one or two trips a year — the platform fee model matters less. For regular bookings, the difference between paying a 12% surcharge on every sitting and paying nothing accumulates quickly. Cashback on top of 0% fees compounds that further. How much do you want to know about your sitter before booking? If a background check and a set of reviews feel like enough, Rover or Pawshake will serve you well. If you want to spend time following a sitter's profile before making any contact — seeing their home, how they handle different animals, how other owners describe extended stays — you need a platform where sitter profiles are designed for ongoing browsing rather than a single booking decision. Where in the UK are you? In London and major cities, all the main platforms have reasonable sitter coverage. In smaller towns, rural areas, or less densely populated regions, network size becomes a more practical constraint — and it's worth checking actual sitter availability in your location before committing to a platform. 💷

Frequently asked questions about pet sitting apps in the UK

What is the best pet sitting app in the UK?

For UK owners who prioritise knowing their sitter before booking, Petme offers social sitter profiles that let you build real familiarity before making contact, charges 0% in owner service fees, earns cashback on every booking, and includes the Petme Protection Plan on eligible bookings. Rover has the widest UK network and suits owners in areas with fewer listed sitters. Pawshake is a strong option for regular bookings where lower fees matter. TrustedHousesitters is best for owners who travel frequently and want ongoing care without per-booking costs.

How much is a pet sitter per day in the UK?

For dog boarding overnight, national averages run from £30 to £70 per night, with London and major cities consistently at the higher end. Drop-in visits typically cost £12–£20 per visit. House sitting overnight is broadly similar to boarding rates. Cat sitting per visit runs £12–£20 nationally. Rates vary significantly by location, sitter experience, and any additional services required — medication administration, multiple pets, and extended visit times all add to the base rate.

Is Rover available in the UK?

Yes. Rover operates across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and is the largest pet sitting network by sitter count in the UK. It covers boarding, house sitting, drop-in visits, doggy daycare, and dog walking. Note that Rover adds a service fee for pet owners at checkout on top of the sitter's advertised rate.

What happened to Cat in a Flat?

Cat in a Flat was a UK-based platform specialising in in-home cat sitting with vetted, cat-experienced sitters. It was acquired by Rover and is currently in the process of being absorbed into the Rover platform. Cat owners in the UK looking for sitters with specific feline experience can find cat-sitting services through Rover, Petme, and Pawshake among others.

Do UK pet sitting apps do background checks on sitters?

Most major UK platforms require background checks as part of sitter onboarding, but the scope varies. Petme requires both identity verification and a background check before any sitter's profile goes live. Rover runs background screening on UK sitters. TrustedHousesitters offers background checks to members but availability varies by region. "Background checked" doesn't cover the same ground everywhere — worth checking what specifically each platform screens for rather than treating the badge as equivalent across services.

Are there any UK-only pet sitting apps?

Tailster is UK-specific — a bid-based platform where owners post requirements and receive applications from vetted, insured sitters. It operates differently from a standard marketplace and is the only major UK-only platform in the mainstream market. Pawshake operates across the UK and other European markets. Most other major platforms — Rover, Petme, TrustedHousesitters — are international with UK coverage. For more on evaluating individual sitters once you've chosen a platform, our guide to how to choose the right pet sitter covers what to look for at each stage of the process, from profile to meet and greet to first booking.