Wag keeps roughly 40% of what clients pay. A $20 walk? You see about $12. With HeyDogWalker, you set your prices and keep every penny — for a flat $29/month.
Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →Wag charges clients a booking fee AND takes a cut from walkers. Here’s the real math:
| Wag | HeyDogWalker | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | “Free” (but…) | $29/mo |
| Walker commission | ~40% per walk | $0 (keep 100%) |
| Client sees / Walker gets | Client pays $20 → You get ~$12 | Client pays $30 → You get $30 |
| Revenue on 100 walks/mo at $25 | You earn ~$1,500 (Wag keeps ~$1,000) | You earn $2,500 (keep all) |
| You own your clients | ✗ Wag owns them | ✓ They’re yours |
| Set your own prices | ✗ Wag sets rates | ✓ Full control |
| AI receptionist | ✗ Not available | ✓ Included |
At 100 walks per month (doable for full-time walkers), Wag keeps roughly $1,000 of YOUR work. That’s $12,000/year. HeyDogWalker costs $348/year. You’d keep $11,652 more per year. That’s not a rounding error — that’s a salary.
Wag pay structure based on reported walker earnings — verified March 2026.
Marketplace gig app vs. your own business platform — side by side.
| Feature | HeyDogWalker | Wag |
|---|---|---|
| 🏢 Business Ownership | ||
| You own your client list | ✓ | ✗ |
| Your own brand name | ✓ | ✗ (you’re “a Wag walker”) |
| Set your own prices | ✓ | ✗ (Wag dictates rates) |
| Your own booking page | ✓ | ✗ |
| Direct client communication | ✓ | ✗ (filtered through Wag) |
| Can’t be deactivated overnight | ✓ | ✗ (Wag can drop you anytime) |
| 📞 AI Features | ||
| AI receptionist | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI text responses | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI chat widget | ✓ | ✗ |
| Google review automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Marketing automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| 📅 Scheduling & Booking | ||
| Online booking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recurring bookings | ✓ | ⚠ Limited |
| Calendar management | ✓ | ⚠ Basic |
| Overnight sitting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-service (walks + sitting + boarding + daycare) | ✓ | ✓ |
| 💰 Payments | ||
| Online payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revenue share | $0 — keep 100% | ~40% to Wag |
| Direct payment | ✓ | ✗ (weekly Wag payouts) |
| Set your own rates | ✓ | ✗ |
| 🗺 Walk Tracking | ||
| GPS walk tracking | Coming Soon | ✓ |
| Walk report cards | Coming Soon | ✓ |
Wag has no AI features. Wag’s app sends you walk requests. That’s it. No AI to answer your phone, no automation to grow your business. Because on Wag, you don’t HAVE a business — you have a gig.
Stop working for Wag. Start working for yourself. Keep 100% of your revenue.
Start Your Free Trial →| Wag | HeyDogWalker | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walks per month | 50 | 50 | — |
| Client pays per walk | $25 | $30 (you set prices) | — |
| You receive | ~$750 (~$15/walk) | $1,500 ($30/walk) | +$750/mo |
| Monthly platform cost | $0 (but 40% gone) | $29/mo | — |
| Annual earnings | $9,000 | $17,652 | +$8,652/yr |
| Wag | HeyDogWalker | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walks per month | 120 | 120 | — |
| Client pays per walk | $25 | $30 | — |
| You receive | ~$1,800 (~$15/walk) | $3,600 ($30/walk) | +$1,800/mo |
| Monthly platform cost | $0 (but 40% gone) | $29/mo | — |
| Annual earnings | $21,600 | $42,852 | +$21,252/yr |
A full-time walker nearly doubles their income by switching from Wag to HeyDogWalker. And that’s using conservative numbers.
There’s a fundamental difference between running a business and working a gig. Wag is a gig app — and here’s what that means for you:
You’re not building equity on Wag. Every walk you do builds Wag’s business, not yours. On HeyDogWalker, every client you add is YOUR client forever.
If you just started walking dogs yesterday and need your first 3–5 clients fast — Wag’s marketplace can help. Use it as a launchpad, not a career.
If you’re tired of getting $12–15 for walks that clients pay $25+ for, if you want to own your client list, set your own prices, and actually build a business — it’s time to graduate from the gig apps.
Stop giving away 40%. Start keeping it all.
Try HeyDogWalker Free — 14-Day Pro Trial →