Rover takes ~20% of your earnings plus charges your clients 11%. HeyDogWalker is $29/month flat — you keep 100% of what you charge. Own your clients. Build your brand.
Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →Rover markets itself as “free to join.” That’s technically true. But every booking costs you:
| Rover | HeyDogWalker | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | “Free” (but…) | $29/mo |
| Provider commission | ~20% per booking | $0 (keep 100%) |
| Client service fee | ~11% (added to client’s bill) | $0 |
| Cost on $1,000/mo revenue | ~$200 gone | $29/mo flat |
| Cost on $3,000/mo revenue | ~$600 gone | $29/mo flat |
| You own your clients | ✗ Rover owns them | ✓ They’re yours |
| AI receptionist | ✗ Not available | ✓ Included |
At $3,000/month revenue (common for full-time walkers), Rover takes ~$600/month. That’s $7,200/year. HeyDogWalker costs $348/year. You save $6,852/year.
Marketplace vs SaaS — Rover vs HeyDogWalker, side by side.
| Feature | HeyDogWalker | Rover |
|---|---|---|
| 🏢 Business Ownership | ||
| You own your client list | ✓ | ✗ |
| Your own brand/business name | ✓ | ✗ |
| Set your own prices (no cap) | ✓ | ✗ (Rover suggests prices) |
| Your own booking page URL | ✓ | ✗ |
| Direct client relationships | ✓ | ✗ (Rover mediates) |
| 📞 AI Features | ||
| AI receptionist (answers calls 24/7) | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| AI text message responses | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| AI chat widget | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| Google review automation | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| Marketing automation | ✓ Included | ✗ |
| 📅 Scheduling & Booking | ||
| Online booking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recurring bookings | ✓ | ✓ |
| Calendar management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-service (walks + sitting + boarding) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| 💰 Payments | ||
| Online payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revenue share | $0 — keep 100% | ~20% to Rover |
| Direct payment to your bank | ✓ | ✗ (Rover pays you) |
| Tipping | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🗺 Walk Tracking | ||
| GPS walk tracking | Coming Soon | ✓ |
| Walk report cards | Coming Soon | ✓ |
| 📣 Marketing | ||
| Marketplace exposure | ✗ | ✓ (their main value) |
| Walker directory listing | ✓ (free) | ✓ |
| SEO booking page | ✓ | ✗ |
Rover has no AI features — and never will. Rover is a marketplace that connects clients to walkers. They have no interest in helping you automate your business — because they ARE your business. HeyDogWalker puts you in charge.
Stop renting your career from Rover. Build something you own. Start free, no credit card.
Start Your Free Trial →| Rover | HeyDogWalker | You Keep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1,500/mo | $1,500/mo | — |
| Platform fee | -$300/mo (~20%) | -$29/mo | $271/mo more |
| Annual total fees | $3,600/yr | $348/yr | $3,252/yr saved |
| Rover | HeyDogWalker | You Keep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4,000/mo | $4,000/mo | — |
| Platform fee | -$800/mo (~20%) | -$29/mo | $771/mo more |
| Annual total fees | $9,600/yr | $348/yr | $9,252/yr saved |
A full-time walker keeps $9,252 more per year with HeyDogWalker vs Rover. That’s a vacation. Or an emergency fund. Or reinvesting in your business.
Rover markets itself as “free to join” — and technically, it is. You create a profile, set your rates, and wait for clients. But here’s what that “free” actually costs you:
Rover’s Terms of Service make it clear: they own the client relationship. If you leave Rover, you leave your client list behind. If Rover bans your account — even by mistake — you lose everything overnight.
Every time a client searches on Rover, they see you alongside every other walker in your area. You’re competing on price against walkers willing to charge less. There’s zero brand differentiation — you’re just another profile in a feed.
Whether it’s your first walk or your thousandth, Rover takes ~20%. That commission doesn’t decrease as you build your reputation. You never “graduate” to a lower rate. The more you earn, the more Rover takes.
Rover adds an ~11% service fee on top of what you charge. So when you set a $30 walk, your client actually pays about $33.30. That hidden cost makes you look more expensive — even though you never see that money.
The math is simple. If you earn $3,000/month, Rover takes $600. That’s $7,200/year. HeyDogWalker costs $348/year. You’d need exactly 1 client (about 4 walks) to cover your entire annual software cost.
If you’re brand new to dog walking with zero clients and need Rover’s marketplace to get your first 5–10 bookings — use Rover to get started. Then graduate.
If you have even 3–5 regular clients, you’re already paying Rover hundreds per month in fees for clients who’d book you directly. Switch to HeyDogWalker, give your clients your booking link, and keep every dollar.
Stop renting your business from Rover. Start owning it.
Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →