Every pet-care platform operating in Britain, compared on the things that actually differ: who holds your money, what it costs each side, and whether anyone checks the sitter's licence.
There is no single best Rover alternative — it depends on which part of Rover you want. If you want a marketplace that handles booking, payment and disputes, Tailster and Pawshake are the closest equivalents. If you would rather find a local sitter and pay them direct with no commission, Rogers Pets is a UK directory built for exactly that. For longer trips where pets stay in their own home, TrustedHousesitters swaps payment for accommodation. For cats specifically, Cat in a Flat does nothing else.
The structural difference that matters most is whether the platform sits inside the booking or not. Everything else follows from that.
| Platform | Model | Owner pays | Sitter pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers PetsUK | Directory. You search, then contact the sitter yourself — the platform is not part of the booking. | Free. No booking fee, no service fee. | Free listing. £8 per qualified enquiry, or an optional subscription from £19/mo for higher placement. |
| RoverUS, operating in the UK (acquired DogBuddy in 2018) | Full booking marketplace. Search, book and pay inside the platform. | Service fee added at checkout, typically around 5–7%. | Commission on every booking, typically around 15–20%. |
| TailsterUK | Booking marketplace focused on walks, daycare and boarding, with insurance bundled in. | Platform fee at checkout. | Commission on every booking, around 15%. |
| PawshakeBelgium, operating across Europe and the UK | Booking marketplace with vetted sitter profiles. | Service fee at checkout. | Commission on each booking. |
| TrustedHousesittersUK | Membership exchange, not a paid-sitting marketplace. Sitters stay in your home and care for your pets free, in return for the accommodation. | Annual membership, roughly £100–£250 depending on tier. | Annual membership on the sitter side too. |
| Cat in a FlatUK | Booking marketplace dedicated to cat sitting only. | Service fee at checkout. | Commission on bookings. |
| BorrowMyDoggyUK | Membership matching service connecting owners with local people who want to walk or sit a dog for the enjoyment of it. | Annual membership, roughly £45–£90. | Annual membership on the borrower side. |
| Bark.comUK | General lead-generation marketplace across many trades, pet care among them. You post a job and businesses contact you. | Free to post a request. | Businesses buy credits to respond to each lead, whether or not it converts. |
Fees and commission rates change. The figures above are approximate and were checked in July 2026 — confirm current pricing on each platform's own site before deciding.
In England, any business boarding dogs or cats needs a licence from its local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018. Those licences appear on public council registers, and the star rating is part of the record.
Most platforms run their own ID or background check, which is not the same thing. Whichever you use, it is worth asking a boarder for their licence number and checking it against the council register yourself — it takes a minute and it is the single most useful verification available to you.
Dog walking and drop-in visits are not licensable activities in England, so a walker will not hold a boarding licence and does not need one. Ask about public liability insurance instead.
It depends what you want Rover to do for you. If you want a booking marketplace that handles payment and disputes, Tailster and Pawshake are the closest equivalents. If you would rather find a local sitter and pay them direct with no commission, Rogers Pets is a UK directory built for that. For longer trips where pets stay home, TrustedHousesitters uses a membership exchange instead of paid sitting, and for cats specifically, Cat in a Flat is dedicated to cat visits.
Yes. Rover operates in the UK and acquired the European platform DogBuddy in 2018, which is how it gained much of its UK sitter base.
Rover takes a commission on each booking, typically in the region of 15–20% from the sitter, and adds a service fee for the owner at checkout. Confirm current rates on Rover's own site, as they change.
Yes. Rogers Pets is a directory rather than a booking marketplace, so it takes 0% of any booking — owners contact sitters directly and pay them direct. Sitters pay only for qualified enquiries or an optional placement subscription. The trade-off is that there is no held payment or platform dispute process.
Contacting a local sitter directly is cheapest, because no commission or service fee is added to the price. Directories and local search let you do this free. Marketplaces cost more because the platform fee is built into what you pay, but you get booking protection in return.
Anyone running a business boarding dogs or cats in England needs a licence from their local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, and licences are listed on public council registers. Dog walking and drop-in visits are not licensable activities, so a walker will not have a boarding licence and does not need one.
The sit itself involves no payment — sitters care for your pets in exchange for staying in your home — but both owners and sitters pay an annual membership, typically in the region of £100–£250 for owners depending on the tier.
Rogers Pets is a directory, not a marketplace. Search your town, message a sitter direct, and pay them direct — we never take a cut of the booking.
We run Rogers Pets, so treat our own entry above with the scepticism you would apply to any company describing itself. The competitor facts are stated as neutrally as we can manage and every platform links out so you can check them yourself.
Last reviewed 2026-07-31. Comparison covers Rover, Tailster, Pawshake, TrustedHousesitters, Cat in a Flat, BorrowMyDoggy, Bark.com.