Wag takes about 40% of your booking. Here's how to keep 100%.
Honest comparison · Updated July 2026
Wag is good at one thing: putting your name in front of people who need a walk or a sit right now. But it's the most expensive way to do the work. Its cut is commonly reported at about 40%, one of the highest in the industry, so on a $20 walk you keep roughly $12 and Wag keeps $8. Houndtrust is the other half of the equation: the software you run your own clients on, at a 0% cut, so the business you've earned actually stays yours.
Wag's cut, spelled out
A flat commission on every booking, per Wag's published materials and independent reporting (July 2026).
What it costs you
Say you do $2,000 of bookings in a month. On Wag's ~40% cut you keep about $1,200 and hand over $800. Run those same clients direct on Houndtrust and you keep the full $2,000, minus a flat $24 for the software, so the difference is roughly $775 back in your pocket every month. The more you work, the bigger the gap.
Wag vs Houndtrust, side by side
| Wag | Houndtrust | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A marketplace that finds you walks & sits | Software you run your own book on |
| Cut of your bookings | About 40% commission (you keep ~60%) | 0%, now and forever |
| Fee your client pays on top | A booking fee (~$2.99 walks / drop-ins, $14.99+ sitting & boarding) | None - your client pays your rate, nothing added |
| Who owns the client relationship | The platform keeps it on Wag | Yours. Referrals and repeats are your business, not a middleman's |
| Tips | 100% yours (Wag doesn't cut tips) | 100% yours, suggested after the stay, never pre-selected |
| Intake, waiver & emergency vet authorization | Not the product's focus | One link books the job, e-signs the waiver, and captures vet auth |
| How clients pay you | Through Wag, minus the 40% | Directly, via your own Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or Stripe |
| Monthly cost | No subscription, but the 40% cut adds up fast | $24/mo Solo (founding rate, first 300, founding status for life) + a free tier |
Wag figures from its own published materials and independent reporting, July 2026. Fees vary by market and change over time. Check Wag's site for the current terms where you live.
You don't have to quit Wag. Just stop paying 40% on the clients you already have.
Treat a marketplace as a billboard, not a business. Let Wag find you strangers if it's working. But the clients who found you by word of mouth, the referrals, and the repeats who keep rebooking? Those are your business, and there's no reason a middleman should take 40% of them. That's what Houndtrust is for:
- One intake link that books the job, e-signs your liability waiver and emergency-vet authorization, and drops it straight onto your calendar.
- Clients pay you directly through your own Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or Stripe. Houndtrust never touches the money, and there's no cut on the clients you bring.
- A money dashboard that shows your month at a glance, plus photo updates that become collectible Stay Cards your clients actually share, so referrals compound.
- Free to start, no card. Solo is $24/mo, a founding price locked for life for the first 300 pros, versus about 40% of every booking.
Common questions
How much does Wag take from walkers and sitters?
Wag's commission is commonly reported at about 40% of each booking, so the walker or sitter keeps roughly 60%. On a $20 walk that's about $12 to you and $8 to Wag. Wag also charges the pet parent a separate booking fee on top (commonly around $2.99 for walks and drop-ins, and $14.99 or more for sitting and boarding). Tips are not cut - those go 100% to you. Figures are from Wag's published materials and independent write-ups as of July 2026; check Wag's site for current terms.
Is Wag's fee higher than Rover's?
Yes. Wag's roughly 40% commission is widely reported as one of the highest cuts in the pet-care industry, noticeably higher than Rover's 20% flat fee (or the 30% new-client tier Rover is piloting in some cities). If you're comparing where more of each booking stays in your pocket, a marketplace that takes 40% is the most expensive way to work.
Does Houndtrust take a cut of my bookings like Wag?
No. Houndtrust is software, not a marketplace, so there is no percentage taken from what your own clients pay you. Clients pay you directly through your own Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or Stripe link. Houndtrust never touches the money and takes no cut on the clients you bring: 0% on your own clients, full stop. You pay one flat monthly price instead ($24 founding, with a free tier).
Can I keep using Wag for new clients and run the rest on Houndtrust?
Yes, and it's what a lot of pros do. Let a marketplace find you strangers if it's working for you. But the clients who found you by word of mouth, your referrals, and the repeats who keep rebooking are your business, and there's no reason a middleman should take 40% of them. Run those on your own link and keep the whole booking.
Is Houndtrust affiliated with Wag?
No. Houndtrust is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wag. 'Wag' is used here only to make a factual comparison. Fee figures are from Wag's own published materials and independent reporting as of July 2026; check Wag's site for the current terms in your market.
Keep 100% of the business you earned.
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Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wag. “Wag” is used only for factual comparison. Fee figures are from Wag's own materials and independent reporting, as of July 2026, and may change.
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