Rover fees calculator: what does Rover really cost you?
Free tool · Updated August 2, 2026
Rover is testing a 30% tiered fee in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Chicago, Naperville, Elgin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington. With the pet owner's ~11% booking fee on top, that's up to 41% of a booking going to the platform on new clients. If you sit, board, or walk dogs in one of these metros, here's what it costs you.
Sources checked August 2, 2026: Rover's official service-fee page and selected-city pilot page. Rover lists the sitter and owner fees separately. Terms and pilot cities can change.
Rover takes a 20% service fee on most bookings, so a sitter keeps about 80% of what the owner pays, and tips are yours in full. In 2026 Rover is piloting a higher tiered fee in nine metros that charges up to 30% on a new client, then steps down to 15% and 10% as that client books more. This calculator shows what either structure leaves in your pocket, and what the same booking looks like at 0% when the client is yours.
Enter what you charge and how often you book below, and see what the marketplace cut adds up to in a year, versus flat-price software that takes no percentage of the clients you bring.
On Rover
Fees on a $450 booking
41%
of your rate, gone
Your 30% cut ($135) plus your client's 11% booking fee ($50), billed on top.
Client pays
$500
You take home
$315
Rover keeps
$185
On Houndtrust
Fees on a $450 booking
0.6%
of your rate
A flat $24/mo - about $3 per booking at 9 a month. No cut of your bookings. The more you book, the less each one costs you.
Client pays
$450
You take home
$447
Houndtrust keeps
$3
Even one booking pays for the whole month.
Book a single $450 client here instead of the marketplace and you keep the $135 Rover would've taken from your cut - that covers your $24 month of Houndtrust 5× over. Every booking after that is pure profit.
What you take home in a year
Same 9 bookings a month, same $450 each - just no cut.
$34,020
On Rover
$2,835/mo
$48,312
On Houndtrust
$4,026/mo
You keep $14,292 more a year - $1,191 a month that stops going to a middleman.
Keep it all, start freeRover's tiered-fee pilot cities (2026)
In 2026 Rover began replacing its flat ~20% cut with a per-client tiered service fee, based on your booking history with each client: 30% on a new client's first $599, 15% from $600–$1,199, then 10%past $1,200. It's automatic, with no opt-out, in these metros:
Washington
- Seattle
- Tacoma
- Bellevue
Illinois
- Chicago
- Naperville
- Elgin
Texas
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Arlington
Because the pet parent still pays a roughly 11% booking fee on top of your rate, a new-client stay in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, or any pilot city can lose up to 41% of the bookingto the platform. Set your city's rate in the calculator above to see your exact number. A parallel pilot is running in Canada, and terms move - re-check your current Rover agreement.
How the marketplace cut works
A marketplace commission is a percentage skimmed off the top of what the client pays you. It isn't a one-time finder's fee: it's charged on the first booking and on every repeat booking after. A client you keep for years can pay the platform for years. The cost grows with your business.
Business software is a different model entirely. You pay one flat monthly price for the tools (bookings, waivers, a client portal, your money in one place) and keep 100% of every booking. On Houndtrust that's $24/mo (a founding rate for the first 300 pros, with founding status locked for life; there's a free tier too), and the client relationship is yours, not a platform's.
The catch worth naming: a marketplace bringsyou clients, and software doesn't. Houndtrust is built for pros who already have a book, or who want to keep the clients they earn instead of renting them back every month.
Try it with one client who's already yours
You don't have to move your whole book or leave anywhere. Pick one client you found on your own - a referral, a neighbor, a repeat regular who already knows your name - and run their next stay through Houndtrust. Keep the marketplaces for discovery; for the clients who came to you directly, book them here and keep the whole thing.
- 1
Pick a direct client
Someone who found you by word of mouth, not through a platform. Their next booking is a perfect first test.
- 2
Send one link
They fill out intake, e-sign the waiver, and pay you directly. About two minutes to set up, nothing to install.
- 3
Keep 100%
Watch a full booking land with no cut taken. Once it clicks, add the next client whenever you want.
Doing this the clean way. Bring the clients who are already yours - the referrals, the regulars, the folks who found you by name. Nobody owns a dog or its family. But a client you first booked througha marketplace comes with that platform's own terms attached, so keep those stays there and start here with the ones you earned yourself. It's not about taking anyone's clients - it's about finally running the business you built, your way.
Keep every dollar you earn.
One flat price, no cut of your bookings, and your clients stay yours. Free to start, no card.
Start freeCommon questions
How much does Rover take from sitters?
Rover's commission is commonly reported at around 20% of each booking (Rover's own support docs describe a service fee in that range; higher rates have been reported in some markets and for newer sitters). Wag has been reported closer to 40%. Because it varies, the calculator lets you set your own rate.
How do I avoid Rover's booking fees?
The only way to keep 100% is to book clients off the marketplace, on software you control. A flat-subscription tool like Houndtrust charges one monthly price ($24 founding, with a free tier) and takes no cut of your bookings, so every dollar a client pays is yours.
Is Houndtrust a marketplace like Rover?
No. Rover is a marketplace that finds you clients but takes a per-booking cut and keeps the client on its platform. Houndtrust is business software you run your own book on: no per-booking fee, and your clients stay yours. It's for pros who already have clients or want to keep the ones they earn.
How much could I save by leaving Rover?
It depends on your volume. A sitter doing $2,000/month at a 20% cut loses about $4,800 a year to fees; on Houndtrust that's $288 a year ($24/mo), so you'd keep roughly $4,500 more. Enter your own numbers above to see your figure.
Which cities is Rover's 30% fee in?
Rover's 2026 tiered-fee pilot runs in Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue (Washington); Chicago, Naperville, and Elgin (Illinois); and Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington (Texas), with a parallel test in Canada. In these metros a new client's first $599 of bookings is charged at 30%, then 15% from $600–$1,199, and 10% past $1,200. Pilots change - check your current Rover agreement.
Is Rover really taking 30% in Seattle, Chicago, and Dallas?
In the 2026 pilot metros - Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Chicago, Naperville, Elgin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington - yes, the first $599 you book with a new client is charged the 30% tier. Combined with the roughly 11% booking fee the pet owner pays, that's up to 41% of a booking going to the platform on new clients. The rate steps down to 15% and 10% as your history with that client grows.
Am I in the 30% pilot in Seattle?
Seattle is one of Rover's 2026 pilot metros, so yes, the tiered fee is live and automatic there with no opt-out. Washington's pilot covers Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue. A new client's first $599 of bookings with you is charged at 30%, then 15% from $600–$1,199, and 10% past $1,200. Read the tiered-fee guide →
Am I in the 30% pilot in Chicago?
Yes, if you sit in Chicago, Naperville, or Elgin, the three Illinois pilot metros. Rover boarding in Chicago averages about $53.91 a night, so a new client's first $599 is roughly your first eleven nights, all charged at the 30% tier before it steps down to 15% and then 10%. Read the tiered-fee guide →
Am I in the 30% pilot in Dallas?
Yes. Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington are the Texas pilot metros. Rover boarding in Dallas averages about $44.40 a night, so a new client's first $599 works out to roughly your first thirteen nights at 30%, then 15% from $600–$1,199, and 10% past $1,200. Read the tiered-fee guide →
When did Rover's tiered fee take effect?
Rover began piloting the tiered service fee in 2026 in select US metros and Canada, replacing the flat ~20% cut with a per-client 30% / 15% / 10% schedule. It's automatic with no opt-out in the pilot cities. Terms and cities can change, so check your current Rover agreement for what applies to you.
What's the best Rover alternative for sitters in a pilot city?
If you're in Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, or another pilot metro and want to stop losing up to 41% per booking (your 30% sitter cut plus the owner's ~11% fee, all-in), the alternative isn't another marketplace - it's business software you run your own clients on. Houndtrust gives you an intake link, e-signed waivers, a calendar, and your money in one place for a flat $24/mo, and takes no cut of any booking.
Fee figures are commonly reported ranges, not a guarantee of your specific rate. Set your own numbers in the calculator, and check your current agreement for exact terms. See a fuller comparison of Rover, Wag & pet-care software.