Solo Groomer A dog grooming app, for the purpose of this guide, is an app a groomer uses to run the business from a phone: client and dog records, the appointment book, reminders, and what you earned. This page is for groomers. If you are a dog owner looking for someone to groom your dog, this is the wrong page; search for groomers near you or a booking marketplace instead.
A search for "pet grooming app" mixes two different things. Some results are apps for groomers, like the ones below. Others are booking apps for pet owners: Groomit, for example, calls itself "Pet Grooming On Demand" on the App Store and has a separate app for its groomers. An owner booking app does not keep your client book or your schedule, so it is not what this guide covers.
If you are a groomer who works alone, from a van, a home salon or a rented booth, read on. Below is what the app on your phone should do, what you can safely skip, and a checklist to test any app before you move your book into it.
Why the phone matters more than the desktop
A salon has a front desk and a computer. A solo groomer has a phone in an apron pocket or on the van's dash. Most of your admin happens in short gaps: between dogs, at a red light (parked, please), or at the kitchen table after the last groom.
That changes what "good" means. A tool can have every feature and still be wrong for you if it takes six taps to see what blade you used on a dog last time. On a phone, speed on the few screens you use all day beats a long feature list.
What a dog grooming app should do
Dog records you can read in five seconds
The dog is the unit of your business. A good app shows, on one screen: the dog's name and photo, breed and coat, temperament and medical notes ("hates the dryer near his ears", "seizures, keep calm"), the owner's name and phone, and what you did last visit. "Last visit" should mean the real spec: blade or length, face, feet, any extras, how long it took, and what you charged.
Before-and-after photos tied to the groom
Photos in your camera roll get lost among family pictures. Photos attached to the visit record let you show an owner last time's cut and settle "that's not what we had last time" in seconds.
Fast rebooking
The best time to book a regular's next groom is while the owner is standing there. The app should let you book the same service, length and price again in one or two taps, and show you where there is room in the next couple of weeks.
A day view that matches how you work
Mobile groomers need travel time between stops. Home and booth groomers need breaks and set working hours. Look for an app that respects working hours and time off, and leaves a buffer between appointments, so the free slots it shows you are slots you can really use.
Reminders that do not take your whole evening
There are two ways apps handle reminder texts:
- Automatic. The app sends them for you at a set time, usually through the vendor's text service. No work for you, but most apps limit how many texts are included per month, and replies may land in the app instead of your normal messages.
- Tap to send. The app writes each message with the dog's name and time and opens your messages app; you tap send for each one. It costs nothing per text and comes from your own number, but you do the tapping.
Neither is wrong. Decide which you prefer before you look at prices.
Money in and out of the day
At minimum, mark a groom as done and record what was paid and the tip. Better apps show your earnings for the week and month without a spreadsheet. If you want to take cards inside the app, that is a payments feature, and only some apps have it.
What you can probably skip
If you work alone, you can usually ignore: staff calendars and permissions, payroll and commissions, inventory and retail, gift cards and loyalty points, and big marketing campaign tools. They are useful in a salon with staff. For one groomer, they add menus and cost.
Two features to think about carefully rather than skip:
- Online booking. Worth it if you miss jobs because you cannot answer the phone. Less useful if most of your book is regulars you rebook at each visit.
- Route optimization. Useful for a mobile groomer with many stops spread out. Less useful if you work a tight area or a home salon.
Checklist: test an app before you commit
Do these with a free trial or free tier, on the phone you use at work.
- Add a client and a dog with only a name and a phone number. How long did it take?
- Import a few clients from your phone contacts. Does it work, or must you retype them?
- Log a groom with blade, face, feet, price and two photos. Can you find it again from the dog's card in one tap?
- Rebook that dog for the same service in four weeks. Count the taps.
- Put the phone in airplane mode. What still works?
- Send tomorrow's reminders. From which number do they go? What does each one cost?
- Search by dog name, owner name and phone number. Does each one find the right client?
- Find out how you get your data out (export or backup) before you add 100 dogs.
- Add up the true monthly cost: plan, extra texts, card fees, add-ons.
If an app fails the first four items, the rest does not matter. Those are the screens you will use every day.
Is there a free dog grooming scheduling app?
Yes, but each free option has a limit. As listed on each product's own page on November 7, 2026:
| Option | What is free | The limit |
|---|---|---|
| Your phone's calendar, contacts and notes | Everything | No dog records or groom history in one place; reminders typed by hand |
| Clipped (iPhone) | Free to start on the App Store | A client limit (the listing does not say how many); text templates and navigation need Pro, $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
| DaySmart Pet | A 14-day free trial, no card | After 14 days you pay, from $29 a month, or access is locked and the data is lost |
| SchedulingKit (general booking tool) | A free plan at "$0 forever" | 1 team member, 50 bookings a month, no text messages; not built for grooming, so it has no dog-specific records as listed |
A free tier is a good way to test the checklist above on your own phone. Before you put 100 dogs into a free app, find out what happens when you pass the limit and how to get your data out.
Phone apps from bigger software vs apps built for one groomer
Most salon software has a phone app. MoeGo, DaySmart Pet and Schedule My Groom all list a mobile app with their plans (as listed on their sites in November 2026). These apps connect to a cloud account, so the same book is on your phone, tablet and computer, and they usually include online booking and card payments.
Other apps are made only for the phone and only for one groomer. Clipped, for example, lists a free start and a Pro plan at $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year on the App Store (November 2026). Phone-first apps tend to be quicker on the small screen and cost less, but they may leave out online booking, payments, or access from a computer.
For a wider look at the categories and prices, see our guide to dog grooming software.
Solo Groomer: one option, with clear limits
Solo Groomer is the app we are building for one-person grooming businesses. It is not released yet; the site collects an early-access list. It is for iPhone and Android.
What it is built around:
- A Today view of the day as dog cards, the dog's name first and the owner second.
- Dog cards with breed, coat, temperament and medical notes, visit history, and a groom log for each visit (blade or length, face, feet, duration, price, notes, before-and-after photos).
- Same as last time: rebook a regular with last visit's service, duration and price in one tap.
- Find a slot: free time over the next two weeks, using working hours, time off and a travel buffer. Multi-dog households can be booked back to back.
- Reminder run: "5 dogs tomorrow, send reminders". Each text is written for you and opens in your Messages app; you tap send for each one, from your own number, with no per-text fee from us.
- A due list of dogs that are due for their next groom, message templates, payment and tip recording, and weekly and monthly earnings.
- No account and no server. It works with no signal. You make a backup file with one tap and save it to Files or Google Drive.
What it does not do: no online booking for clients, no automatic texts, no card payments, no team features, and no sync between devices or a web version. If those matter to you, a cloud product will suit you better.
Planned pricing: free for up to 15 dogs, then $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Pricing may change before launch.
If you are comparing it with MoeGo specifically, read the MoeGo alternative guide. If you are setting up a new business, start with how to start a dog grooming business and how much to charge for dog grooming.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an app for dog groomers?
Yes, several. Some are the phone version of salon software such as MoeGo or DaySmart Pet. Others are smaller apps built for one groomer, such as Schedule My Groom or Clipped. They differ most in online booking, how reminders are sent, payments, and price.
Is a pet grooming app the same as a dog grooming app?
It depends on who it is for. Some pet grooming apps are for groomers running a business, like the ones in this guide. Others, such as Groomit, are for pet owners who want to book a groomer, and they do not help you run your own book.
Is there a free dog grooming scheduling app?
Only with limits. As listed in November 2026, Clipped is free to start with a client limit, DaySmart Pet has a 14-day free trial, and SchedulingKit, a general booking tool, has a free plan for 50 bookings a month with no text messages. Your phone's own calendar and contacts are free with no limit.
What is the best app for a mobile dog groomer?
One that opens fast in the van, shows the dog's last groom on one screen, rebooks in a few taps, and works when you have weak signal. If you also want online booking and card payments, pick an app that includes them; if you book by phone and text, a simpler app is usually enough.
Do grooming apps send reminder texts automatically?
Many paid apps do, often with a monthly text allowance. Some apps instead write each text for you and open your messages app, and you tap send. That way is slower per text but free and comes from your own number.