Compare
Rock Dog Pro vs Square Appointments
Square Appointments is a general scheduler tied to Square payments; it lists pet services as a business type but has no grooming, boarding or daycare features.
Prices from squareup.com/appointments, checked September 19, 2026. If something changed, tell us and we'll fix it.
| Rock Dog Pro | Square Appointments | |
|---|---|---|
| Photo groom review | ClipSight™: the style, length and most likely blade from a photo, learning your shop as you confirm | Not built in |
| Automatic vaccine records | VaxFetch™: clients text their vaccine records; shots and vet email logged, updates requested from the vet automatically | Not built in |
| Entry price | Grooming $49, Boarding $49, Daycare $39, Mobile $39 a month; $10 off each when you run two or more (grooming, boarding and daycare together $107) | Free, with processing at 2.6% plus 15 cents in person |
| Grooming with payroll and texting | $89 a month (Grooming on Growth: $49 plus a flat $40), 300 texts included, unlimited staff | $49 (Plus) or $149 (Premium) per location, plus payroll at $35 a month and $6 per person |
| Boarding and daycare | Memberships from $49 (Boarding) and $39 (Daycare), never add-ons; $10 off each when bundled | None |
| Mobile grooming | A $39 membership: vans, service areas, routes with real drive times, on-the-way texts with a live tracking link, a safety check-in for groomers working alone | None; a calendar with a travel-time buffer |
| A website for the shop | Included: a free site at yourshop.rockdogpro.com built from your own records, or your own domain | Square Online site builder, free with Square branding |
| Texting | Two-way from your own number, 300 a month included, bigger packages sized to the shop | Reminders included; marketing texts on Plus and Premium |
| Payroll | Commission, hourly or both, overtime by state, time clock, pay stubs (Growth) | Square Payroll add-on: $35 plus $6 per person; contractor-only $6 per person |
| Year-end tax forms | 1099-NEC recipient copies and e-file CSV, digital W-9s (Ultimate) | Square Payroll files 1099s; paper copies $3 each |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card required | 30 days on Plus and Premium |
| Getting help | An interactive Smart Assistant that walks you through anything on your screen, and a phone line answered by a real person, not a machine | 24/7 on Premium |
What Rock Dog Pro has that Square Appointments doesn't
- ClipSight™ photo groom review: it names the style, the length and the most likely blade from a photo, and learns your shop
- VaxFetch™ automatic vaccine records: clients text them in, every shot is logged on the right dog, and the vet is emailed for updates, with no staff time
- Everything a grooming shop needs that a generic scheduler lacks: breeds, vaccines, handling notes, groom history, report cards, skills
- Boarding, daycare and mobile grooming memberships
- Two-way texting from your own number with photos
- Commission payroll with tips split by service share, and 1099s, without a second subscription
- A free website for the shop, built from your services, hours and photos, at yourshop.rockdogpro.com or your own domain, with your dogs, your services and your hours already filled in
- The Smart Assistant walks you through any task on your own screen, typed or spoken, and a phone line answered by a real person, not a machine, and a daily brief before you open, a weekly read on the business, and a drifting-client finder
Where Square Appointments is ahead
- Free to start
- Square hardware and the whole Square ecosystem
- Lowest published in-person processing rate on Premium (2.4% plus 15 cents)
- Square Payroll is a full payroll service with tax filing
Questions
Should a groomer use Square Appointments or Rock Dog Pro?
Square is fine for a solo groomer who only needs a calendar and card processing. Rock Dog Pro is built for the dog side: pet records, vaccines, handling notes, report cards, boarding and daycare, mobile routes, commission payroll and 1099s. Rock Dog Pro also uses Stripe for processing, so the card rate is comparable.