GroomRules vs
GroomRules vs Tuft
Tuft is the strongest UK-built rival: a free plan, a client app and the best social proof in the category. GroomRules is for the groomer who wants the booking itself to know the dog, and the diary to refill itself.
By Owen Fleming, founder of GroomRules · Published
Pick Tuft if you want to start free and your clients will install an app. Pick GroomRules if your prices change with the dog, you want recalls that go out on their own, and you need your income by tax quarter. Texts are the swing factor: Tuft's start at £35 a month, GroomRules includes 200 at £29.
Prices, checked 10 October 2026
| Tuft | GroomRules | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: one calendar, client app, online booking, contracts, deposits. No texts. | Yes: up to 100 clients, no texts |
| Paid, one groomer | £35 a month, or £29 billed yearly, before VAT | £29 a month |
| Team plan | £49 a month (£41 yearly), unlimited calendars | £59 a month, up to 10 staff |
| Trial | 14 days, no card (paid plans) | 30 days, no card |
| Texts | None free; unlimited on Pro | 200 on Starter, 500 on Professional, then 6p |
| Prices by breed and coat | Price override per breed on Pro | Yes, before the slot is offered |
| Recalls when a dog is due | No | Text and email, with follow-ups |
| Income by tax quarter | No | Yes |
Five differences that matter
The client app versus a link
Tuft gives your clients an app to book, pay and manage appointments. GroomRules gives them a link that opens in the browser, with nothing to install and no password. Some owners like an app on their phone; others never download one. Ask your own clients which they would use.
Who decides the slot length
On Tuft you set a slot length per service and can override a price per breed on the £35 plan. On GroomRules the booking page asks the breed, coat condition, size and last groom before it offers a slot, and the time and price come from those answers and your rules. A matted doodle books a longer, dearer slot without you stepping in.
Recalls
Tuft has recurring bookings, which work when a client books a standing appointment. GroomRules sends a text and an email when a dog is due, every four weeks for a Cockapoo or eight for a Labrador by default, and follows up if the owner doesn't book.
Texts
Tuft's free plan sends email and push notifications. Texts start on the £35 plan, where they are unlimited. GroomRules includes 200 a month on the £29 plan and 500 on £59, then 6p each. If you send more than 200 reminders and recalls a month, Tuft's unlimited plan is the better deal.
Tax
Neither Tuft's site nor its blog mentions Making Tax Digital. GroomRules groups your booking income by UK tax year and quarter and exports it as a CSV for your accountant or accounting software. From April 2026 sole traders over £50,000 need quarterly digital records; from April 2027, over £30,000.
Stay on Tuft if
- You want to pay nothing and your clients will use an app.
- You send a lot of texts and want them unlimited for £35.
- You want deposits and card on file today. GroomRules does not have them live yet.
- You like Tuft's community, videos and case studies. They are real and they are good.
Move to GroomRules if
- Your prices depend on breed and coat and you are tired of arguing about them on the day.
- You want dogs that are due to be reminded without you remembering.
- You want 200 texts included at £29 rather than £35 before VAT.
- You want your tax quarters done for you.
How to move
- Export your clients from Tuft as a spreadsheet.
- Start a GroomRules trial (30 days, no card), add your services and hours, and load the breed rules.
- Upload the spreadsheet. Each dog's breed is captured the first time it books; returning clients are recognised by email.
- Share your GroomRules link where the old one lived, and keep Tuft until its last booked appointment has happened.
Where this page quotes Tuft's prices or features, they are what its site showed on 10 October 2026. If something has changed, email owen@groomrules.com and we'll correct it.