Best Pet Boarding Software 2026: 6 Features That Matter for Kennels & Daycares
Running a pet boarding kennel without proper software is like trying to manage a hotel with a paper notebook. You might get by with a handful of bookings, but as your business grows, things start falling through the cracks — double bookings, missed medications, customers calling to check on their pets, and invoices piling up on your desk.
The right kennel management software doesn't just organize your bookings. It transforms how you run your entire operation, from the moment a customer discovers your business to the day they pick up their happy, well-cared-for pet.
What Makes Great Pet Boarding Software?
Not all pet care software is created equal. After working with dozens of pet boarding businesses, here are the features that actually matter day-to-day:
1. Online Booking That Works 24/7
Most pet parents look for boarding while they're planning a trip — often late at night or during their lunch break. If they have to call during business hours to book, many will just move on to the next kennel. Your software should let customers browse availability, select dates, add their pet's details, and confirm a booking without ever picking up the phone.
2. Customer Communication That Runs Itself
The biggest time sink in pet boarding? Answering the same questions over and over. "Is my dog okay?" "What time is pickup?" "Did they eat today?" Good software automates booking confirmations, sends reminders before drop-off, and — this is a big one — lets you send daily updates with photos. Pet parents absolutely love getting a photo of their dog playing during the day. It builds trust and turns one-time customers into regulars.
3. Flexible Scheduling for Different Services
Most pet businesses don't just offer boarding. You're probably running daycare, grooming, maybe dog walking or training too. Your software needs to handle all of these under one roof, with different pricing structures, time slots, and capacity limits for each service.
4. A Shared Pet Portal
Here's something most software misses entirely: what happens when two family members share a pet? Maybe mom books the boarding but dad does drop-off. A shared pet portal lets multiple people access the same pet's profile, see upcoming bookings, and get updates. It sounds simple, but it eliminates a huge amount of confusion and phone calls.
5. Digital Waivers and Vaccination Tracking
Chasing down vaccination records and getting liability waivers signed on paper is a hassle. The best software lets customers upload vaccination documents when they register and sign waivers digitally before their first visit. Everything is stored automatically — no filing cabinets required.
6. Payment Processing
Whether you collect deposits at booking or full payment at pickup, your software should handle payments seamlessly. Look for integrated payment processing that supports deposits, holds, and automatic invoicing. The less time you spend on billing, the more time you spend with the animals.
How to Choose the Right Software for Your Business
When evaluating pet boarding software, ask yourself these questions:
- Does it match your workflow? Some software forces you into a rigid process. Good software adapts to how you already work.
- Can your customers actually use it? If the booking process is confusing, customers will call you instead — defeating the purpose.
- Does it grow with you? You might start with just boarding, but what about when you add daycare or grooming? Make sure it can handle multiple services.
- What does support look like? When something goes wrong at 7 AM on a Monday with 15 dogs arriving, you need help fast — not a ticket that gets answered in 48 hours.
- Is the pricing fair? Some platforms charge per booking or take a percentage of revenue. Look for simple, flat-rate pricing so your costs don't spike as you grow.
Pet boarding software compared: pricing and model
The five names that come up most for boarding kennels, side by side. Prices are the vendors' own published figures as of September 2026; check the linked pages before you decide, because tiers change.
| Software | Pricing model | Entry price | What moves the price | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BooknBuddy | One flat subscription, all services included | CAD $39.99 / month | Nothing. Boarding, daycare, grooming, training and walking are all in. 1.5% platform fee on card payments taken through the platform. | 30 days, no card | Kennels that also groom, train or walk and want one calendar and one checkout |
| Gingr | Tiered, per location | USD $109 / month (Spa) | Tier: Spa, Play, Stay (USD $179 with integrated payments, $209 without), Enterprise on request | Not listed on the pricing page | Larger multi-service facilities that want webcams, marketing tools and an ecosystem |
| ProPet | Base plus modules | USD $49.99 / month base (CAD $69.99) | Each service is an add-on: boarding +$20, daycare +$15, grooming +$15, training +$20 (USD). Setup fee per module on monthly and annual terms; free on two-year. | First month free | Businesses that want to pay only for the modules they run and will commit to a term |
| KennelBooker | Tiered by capacity | USD $49.99 / month (up to 10 rooms) | Room and daycare-space count: 30 rooms $65.99, 60 rooms $94.99, 100 rooms $122.99 | Yes, no card | Boarding-first kennels that know their run count |
| PetExec | Single plan | From USD $105 / month | Listed as a single plan on Capterra; contact the vendor for current availability | Not listed | Established daycare and boarding operations already on it |
Sources: each vendor's pricing page (Gingr, ProPet) and its Capterra pricing listing (KennelBooker, PetExec), checked September 7, 2026. Currency as published by the vendor.
Two things the table cannot show. First, the per-booking and payment fees: Gingr discounts its Stay tier when you use its payment processing, BooknBuddy charges 1.5% on cards run through the platform and nothing per booking, and ProPet's setup fees only disappear on a two-year term. Work out a year's cost with your real booking volume before comparing headline prices. Second, what happens when you add a service: on a modular product a new service is a new line on the bill, on a flat product it is a switch in settings.
Why We Built BooknBuddy
We built BooknBuddy because we saw pet care professionals struggling with software that was either too complicated, too expensive, or missing the features that actually matter. BooknBuddy includes everything listed above — online booking, daily photo updates, shared pet portals, digital waivers, flexible service management, and payment processing — all for a flat $39.99 CAD per month.
There are no per-booking fees, no percentage cuts, and no hidden charges. You get a 30-day free trial to see if it works for your business, and you can cancel anytime.
Ready to simplify your pet boarding business?
Try BooknBuddy free for 30 days. No credit card required.
Start Free Trial →The Bottom Line
The best pet boarding software is the one that saves you time, keeps your customers happy, and doesn't cost a fortune. Focus on finding a platform that handles online booking, automates communication, and gives your customers the transparency they're looking for. Your pets (and your sanity) will thank you.
Comparing specific platforms?
If you have already shortlisted a couple of names, these go into detail with each vendor's published pricing:
- Best kennel software in Canada — CAD billing, GST/HST and e-Transfer
- Best dog grooming software in 2026 — coat-based pricing and groomer scheduling
- Looking for a Gingr alternative? — why businesses switch, and what to check before you do
- How to start a dog boarding business — if you are setting up rather than switching