Comparison
The best dog grooming software in the UK, compared
Eleven products a UK groomer will actually be offered, with prices in pounds, trial terms and what each one is best for. GroomRules is our pick, and we say why. The others get their real prices and a fair hearing.
By Owen Fleming, founder of GroomRules · Published
The best dog grooming software for most UK groomers is GroomRules. It is the only product on this list that prices every booking by breed and coat before the slot is offered, brings dogs back when they are due without you chasing anyone, groups your income by UK tax quarter, and never takes a commission on your clients. It costs £29 a month and you get 30 days free with no card.
We write GroomRules, so read this knowing that. We've still put every rival's real price on the page, checked on 10 October 2026, and said what each one does better than us, because there are groomers for whom another product is the right call. The short version is below. The detail follows.
Our pick, and who the others are for
- GroomRules for most UK groomers, and for any groomer whose prices change with the dog. The booking page knows the breed and the coat, the recalls run themselves, the tax quarters are done, and your clients stay yours.
- Tuft if you want to start free and your clients will install an app. Texts start at £35 a month, so GroomRules is cheaper once you need them.
- GroomSlot if you groom from a van and route planning matters more than breed pricing. It is £24 with deposits included, and it does not know the dog.
- Savvy Pet Spa if you run a salon with staff and need card-on-file no-show protection today. Online booking costs £48 a month and there is a three-month minimum.
- Fresha if you are starting from zero and need a marketplace to find clients. The 20% fee on each new client's first visit is the price of that.
Booksy, Square, Vagaro, ShakeYourTail, Topline Dogs and Pawfectly Booked are covered below. None of them prices by breed, and none of them groups income by tax quarter.
How we compared them
We read each vendor's UK pricing page on 10 October 2026 and took the price for one groomer, the trial terms, and whether the entry plan includes online booking and text reminders. We checked review counts on Capterra, Trustpilot and the App Store on the same day. We did not test every product with a live salon, and we say so where a claim comes from the vendor rather than from us. Prices are per month and, unless we say otherwise, are what the page shows before any VAT line.
The table
| Product | From | Trial | Online booking | Texts | Prices by breed | Recalls | MTD export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GroomRules | Free (100 clients, no texts); £29 a month Starter; £59 Professional | 30 days, no card | Yes, a link that asks about the dog first | 200 a month on Starter, 500 on Professional, then 6p each | Yes: breed, coat condition, size and temperament set the time and price | Yes, by text and email, with follow-ups, interval set per breed and per dog | Yes: income by UK tax year and quarter, exported as CSV |
| Tuft | Free, or £35 a month (£29 billed yearly), prices before VAT | 14 days on the paid plans, no card | Yes, through a client app and online | None on the free plan; unlimited on Pro (£35) | Price overrides per breed on Pro | Recurring bookings; no breed-based recall | No |
| Savvy Pet Spa | £25 a month; online booking from £48; three-month minimum | 14 days, no card (per its Capterra listing) | Only on the £48 plan and above | None on Basic; 150 a month on Advanced (£38); 350 on Extra (£48) | Not offered | An overdue-groom reminder, on the £38 plan and above | No |
| GroomSlot | £24 a month, one plan | 30 days, no card | Yes | 150 texts and WhatsApp reminders a month | Not offered | Not offered | No |
| ShakeYourTail | Free (100 clients), then £15, £35 or £45 a month | 30 days | On the paid plans | 100 to 300 credits a month by plan | Not offered | Not offered | No |
| Topline Dogs | £24.99 a month; online booking from £34.99 | 30 days | From the £34.99 plan | 150 to 600 a month by plan | Not offered | Not offered | No |
| Pawfectly Booked | £10 a month; texts from £20 | 14 days, no card | Yes | Only on the £20 Gold plan | Not offered | Not offered | No |
| Fresha | £14.95 a month, plus 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit (minimum £4) | 7 days | Yes, plus the Fresha marketplace and app | 20 free a month, then 6p each | Not offered; pet profiles are notes | Rebooking nudges, not breed-based | No |
| Booksy | £40 a month plus VAT, plus £5 per extra staff member | 7 days, no card | Yes, plus the Booksy marketplace and app | 500 a month, then 5p each | Not offered | Not offered | No |
| Square Appointments | Free; £29 a month for Plus | Free plan | Yes | Reminders included on the free plan | Not offered | Not offered | No |
| Vagaro | £20 a month for one calendar; add-ons for texts and forms | 30 days | Yes, plus the Vagaro marketplace | Text marketing is a paid add-on | Custom fields, not pricing rules | Not grooming-aware | No |
Each one, in a few lines
GroomRulesUK (Northwall Technologies Limited)
Best for: Most UK groomers. The only product here that prices every booking by breed and coat, brings dogs back on its own, groups your income by tax quarter, and never takes a commission. Price: Free (100 clients, no texts); £29 a month Starter; £59 Professional. Trial: 30 days, no card.
What it does well:
- The booking link asks the breed, coat and last groom before it offers a slot, so the time and price are right before you see it
- Recalls by text and email, with follow-ups, that fill quiet months without you chasing anyone
- Income grouped by UK tax quarter on the £29 plan, which nothing else on this list does
- No marketplace, so no commission and no other groomers in front of your clients
- 30 days free with no card, the longest trial in the set
What it doesn't do:
- No marketplace or client app, by design: it works for groomers who already have their clients
- Deposits and card on file are being built and are not live yet
Reviews: Quoted by groomers at DTails UK, Buddy's Cabin Dog Grooming and HappyTails on groomrules.com.
TuftUK (Tuft Global Limited)
Best for: A free start, and clients who like booking through an app. Price: Free, or £35 a month (£29 billed yearly), prices before VAT. Trial: 14 days on the paid plans, no card.
What it does well:
- A free plan with online booking, digital contracts and deposits
- A client-side app, and 13 named UK testimonials with five on video
- Unlimited texts on the £35 plan
Where it falls short:
- Texts cost £35 a month before you get any
- The marketplace is a waiting list, not a live feature
- No tax reporting, no recall by breed, prices shown before VAT
Reviews: App Store (pet parents) 3.9 from 39 ratings; none on Capterra.
Savvy Pet SpaUK-rooted
Best for: Established salons that want no-show protection, a client portal and a community. Price: £25 a month; online booking from £48; three-month minimum. Trial: 14 days, no card (per its Capterra listing).
What it does well:
- The most reviewed UK-built product, with 1,500 customers claimed
- Card-on-file no-show protection, a customer portal and a staff rota
- A Facebook community and a podcast
Where it falls short:
- Online booking costs £48 a month
- A three-month minimum term
- The site shows a 4.8 Trustpilot badge; the Trustpilot page shows 4.0
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.0 from 98 reviews; Capterra 4.6 from 75.
GroomSlotUK (Brighton)
Best for: Mobile groomers who want one cheap plan with WhatsApp reminders and route planning. Price: £24 a month, one plan. Trial: 30 days, no card.
What it does well:
- One plan at £24 with deposits and card storage included
- WhatsApp reminders, and a day planner that loads your route into Google Maps
- Free tools: a price-list generator and a savings calculator
Where it falls short:
- No team features, no app, no recalls, no tax reporting
- Almost no social proof yet
Reviews: None on Capterra; one testimonial on the site.
ShakeYourTailUK (since 2009)
Best for: The cheapest way to start with a free diary and email reminders. Price: Free (100 clients), then £15, £35 or £45 a month. Trial: 30 days.
What it does well:
- A free plan for up to 100 clients
- Fifteen years in the UK market
Where it falls short:
- Online booking is paid
- A thin product with no blog, demo or app
Reviews: Capterra UK 4.3 from 7 reviews.
Topline DogsUK
Best for: Salons that want to flag problem clients across the Topline network. Price: £24.99 a month; online booking from £34.99. Trial: 30 days.
What it does well:
- Topline Aware, a shared list of customers to be careful with
- Plans up to 10 groomers
Where it falls short:
- No reviews anywhere we could find
- A dated site and no online booking on the entry plan
Reviews: None found.
Pawfectly BookedUK-rooted, sells in the UK and US
Best for: The lowest paid price if you only need a diary. Price: £10 a month; texts from £20. Trial: 14 days, no card.
What it does well:
- £10 a month
Where it falls short:
- One review, no testimonials, no blog
- Texts cost double the base price
Reviews: Capterra 5.0 from 1 review.
FreshaGlobal, with a UK pet-grooming page
Best for: Being found by new clients on a marketplace, if you accept the fee. Price: £14.95 a month, plus 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit (minimum £4). Trial: 7 days.
What it does well:
- A marketplace and consumer app with 25 million customers
- Deposits, card on file, review collection, 24-hour chat support
- The cheapest subscription in the set
Where it falls short:
- The 20% fee applies to clients who saw your Fresha profile, even if they booked through your own link, and it still applies if you cancel
- No breed or coat pricing, and no recall schedule
- Fresha was subscription-free in 2022; paid plans arrived in 2025
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.8 from 7,328; Capterra UK 4.8 from 1,446.
BooksyGlobal, UK pricing in GBP
Best for: Salons that want the consumer app and marketplace at one flat price. Price: £40 a month plus VAT, plus £5 per extra staff member. Trial: 7 days, no card.
What it does well:
- Every feature on every plan, with 500 texts included
- Reserve with Google and an Instagram booking button
Where it falls short:
- No pet grooming page in the UK and no pet records we could find
- Optional Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit
- Clients have to install the app to book through your referral link
Reviews: Capterra UK 4.4 from 481; Trustpilot 3.0 from 16,568 (consumers and businesses mixed).
Square AppointmentsGlobal, UK pricing in GBP
Best for: A free diary with card payments and text reminders, if you don't need dog records. Price: Free; £29 a month for Plus. Trial: Free plan.
What it does well:
- Genuinely free, with text reminders
- Card readers, Tap to Pay, gift cards and loyalty
Where it falls short:
- Customer notes only, no dog records
- No way to time or price by breed
Reviews: App Store (UK) 4.8 from 1,900; Capterra 4.5 from 258.
VagaroUS company with a UK office in Stevenage
Best for: The most grooming-aware of the generic platforms, with a marketplace. Price: £20 a month for one calendar; add-ons for texts and forms. Trial: 30 days.
What it does well:
- Pet profiles with vaccination records, intake forms and waivers
- Memberships, packages and card readers
Where it falls short:
- Add-ons stack up fast
- A reviewer reports a new-client fee even on their own link; we could not verify it
Reviews: Capterra 4.7 from 3,642; Trustpilot 3.6 from 709.
How to choose
Ask four questions, in this order.
- Do your prices change with the dog? If a matted doodle and a short-coated Lab cost the same on your booking page, you are either undercharging or arguing on the day. Only GroomRules sets the time and price from breed and coat before the slot is offered. Tuft lets you override a price per breed on its £35 plan.
- Who brings clients back? Reminders for booked appointments are standard. Reminders for dogs that are due but not booked are not. Savvy has an overdue-groom reminder from £38. GroomRules sends a text and an email when a dog is due, follows up, and lands the booking in your diary.
- Do you need a marketplace? If you are full, no. If you are starting out, Fresha and Booksy will put you in front of people, and you pay per new client. Decide whether that is worth 20% of a first groom.
- What happens at tax time? From April 2026 sole traders over £50,000 keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates; over £30,000 follows in April 2027. GroomRules is the only product here that groups your income by tax quarter for you. Read our Making Tax Digital guide for groomers.
What this page doesn't cover
US products priced in dollars (MoeGo, Gingr, DaySmart, Groomsoft) are good, and some UK groomers use them, but none quotes in pounds or knows what a UK tax quarter is, so we left them out. If one of the prices above is wrong, email owen@groomrules.com and we'll fix it the same day.