Updated March 2026

Same scheduling. But we also answer your phone. And we’re 42% cheaper.

Time To Pet Solo costs $50/month for scheduling. HeyDogWalker gives you scheduling AND a 24/7 AI receptionist for $29/month. That’s 42% less — with more features.

Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →
No credit card needed · Free tier available forever

Time To Pet is Great Software. It’s Also Expensive.

TTP has been around for years and serves 4,000+ businesses. We respect that. But look at the pricing: even their cheapest plan is $25/month, and most solo walkers need the $50/month Solo plan. That’s 2–3 walks just to cover your software bill.

Plan Time To Pet HeyDogWalker
Entry plan Lite $25/mo Free (5 clients)
Solo operator Solo $50/mo Pro $29/mo
Team (3 staff) $40 + $48 = $88/mo $29/mo flat
Annual cost (Solo) $600/yr $348/yr
Free tier ✗ 14-day trial only ✓ Free forever (5 clients)
Per-staff charges $16/mo per person $0
AI receptionist ✗ Not available ✓ Included

Solo walker savings: $252/year. Small team of 3? TTP costs $88/mo ($1,056/yr). HeyDogWalker: $29/mo ($348/yr). You save $708/year.

TTP pricing from timetopet.com/pricing — verified March 25, 2026.

Side-by-Side Feature Comparison

Every feature that matters — Time To Pet vs HeyDogWalker.

Feature HeyDogWalker Time To Pet
📞 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
Scheduling calendar
Recurring bookings
Client portal/app
Pet profiles
Overnight bookings
Multi-dog pricing
💰 Payments & Billing
Online payments (Stripe)
Automated invoicing
Text messaging ✓ Included +$10/mo extra
QuickBooks integration Coming Soon
🗺 Walk Tracking
GPS walk tracking Coming Soon
Visit report cards with photos Coming Soon
Staff time tracking Coming Soon
👥 Team Management
Multi-staff support
Per-staff pricing $0 extra $16/mo per staff
Shift scheduling Basic ✓ Advanced
Staff payroll tools Coming Soon

Neither Time To Pet nor any other pet care software at this price includes AI. An AI answering service alone costs $99–149/month from providers like My AI Front Desk. HeyDogWalker includes it free.

Try the AI receptionist Time To Pet doesn’t offer

Get everything TTP has (minus GPS for now), plus AI that answers calls and books clients 24/7. 42% cheaper. No credit card required.

Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →

Let’s Do the Math

Solo Walker

Time To Pet (Solo) HeyDogWalker (Pro) You Save
Software $50/mo $29/mo $21/mo
Text messaging +$10/mo $0 (included) $10/mo
Annual total $720/yr $348/yr $372/yr

Small Team (3 Staff)

Time To Pet (Team) HeyDogWalker (Pro) You Save
Base $40/mo $29/mo $11/mo
Staff charges +$48/mo (3 × $16) $0 $48/mo
Annual total $1,056/yr $348/yr $708/yr

The AI Receptionist Factor

Here’s what most people miss: HeyDogWalker includes an AI receptionist that answers calls, texts, and emails 24/7. With Time To Pet, you’re still answering your own phone while walking dogs.

Even conservatively valuing the AI receptionist at $99/month, that’s $1,188/year in included value.

Combined annual value: $1,560+

$372 saved on software + $1,188 in AI value = $1,560/year better off with HeyDogWalker vs Time To Pet.

Why Dog Walkers Are Looking for Alternatives

“I’ve been using Time to Pet for over 10 years. In that time the price has increased 400% but functionality, for me, has not.”
— Reddit, r/petsitting
“The cost was outrageous and I had to pay extra for each additional staff as well as paying all the credit card fees.”
— Capterra Review
“Time To Pet failed to notify me of new prospective client requests. All notifications were turned on.”
— Capterra, January 2026 (1-star review)
“I originally didn’t want to go that route because of the monthly subscription cost.”
— Reddit, r/petsitting

We’re not saying TTP is bad software. It’s been the industry standard for years. But at $50–88/month with no AI and rising prices, solo walkers are rightfully asking: is there a better deal?

What We’ll Tell You Straight

What Time To Pet Does Better (for now)

  • GPS walk tracking with real-time maps
  • Photo visit report cards for clients
  • QuickBooks integration for accounting
  • Deep multi-staff shift scheduling (5+ employees)
  • 10+ years of polish and edge-case handling
  • 4,000+ businesses trust it

What HeyDogWalker Does Better

  • AI receptionist that answers your phone 24/7
  • $21–59/mo cheaper depending on your plan
  • No per-staff charges (TTP: $16/mo per person)
  • Text messaging included (TTP: $10/mo add-on)
  • Google review automation
  • Marketing tools to help you grow
  • Free tier (TTP has no free plan)

Who Should Stay with TTP

If you’re a 10+ person team with complex scheduling needs, use QuickBooks daily, and GPS tracking is essential to your workflow — TTP’s Team plan is built for that.

Who Should Switch

If you’re a solo walker or small team paying $50–88/month for scheduling and wishing someone would answer the phone while you’re out walking dogs — that’s exactly what we built.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will I actually save switching from Time To Pet?

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Solo walkers save $252–372/year in direct software costs. Small teams save even more because HeyDogWalker has no per-staff charges ($0 vs TTP’s $16/mo per person). Plus you get an AI receptionist worth $99+/mo included free.

Can I try HeyDogWalker before canceling TTP?

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Yes — we recommend it. Start your free trial (no credit card), run both for 1–2 weeks, then cancel TTP when you’re comfortable. TTP is month-to-month with no cancellation penalties.

What about GPS tracking and report cards?

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Both are on our roadmap and coming soon. If GPS tracking is critical to your daily workflow today, you may want to wait. Everything else — booking, scheduling, payments, AI receptionist — works now.

Do you charge per staff member?

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No. $29/month flat. No per-staff charges, no text messaging add-ons, no hidden fees. Compare that to TTP’s $40 base + $16/staff + $10 for texting.

Is there a free plan?

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Yes. HeyDogWalker’s free tier supports up to 5 active clients with all features including AI. Time To Pet has no free plan — only a 14-day trial.

How long does it take to switch?

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About 45 minutes of setup, plus 1–2 weeks of overlap. Read our complete switching guide →

Same scheduling. Plus AI.
42% cheaper.

Your dogs don’t care what software you use. Your bank account does.

Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →
14-day Pro trial · No credit card needed · Free tier available forever