The best pet apps in 2026
We make one of these, so let’s get the bias on the table: this is the guide we wish existed when we started — what’s genuinely best in every category, including the categories where the answer isn’t us. No affiliate links, no pay-to-rank.
| Category | Our pick | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training (self-serve) | Dogo | Freemium · ~$30/mo | Structured obedience lessons with video feedback |
| Training (live trainer) | GoodPup | ~$30/week | 1:1 video sessions with a certified trainer |
| Health records | 11pets | Free core | DIY medical, vaccination and grooming records, any species |
| Vet telehealth | Airvet | ~$35/mo or ~$75/call | 24/7 “is this an emergency?” triage |
| GPS & lost pets | Tractive | Device + from ~$5/mo | Live GPS tracking for dogs and cats, worldwide |
| Sitting & walking | Rover | Free app · ~11% booking fee | The biggest sitter and walker marketplace |
| Dog-friendly places | BringFido | Free | Hotels, restaurants and parks that welcome dogs |
| Daily bonding & social | PetCool | Free to start | Making the everyday routine with your dog or cat into games, challenges and memories |
The honest notes
- Training (self-serve) — Dogo: The full experience is paywalled, and it’s dog-only. Woofz is the gamified alternative, but check the billing reviews first.
- Training (live trainer) — GoodPup: Nothing self-serve competes for serious behavior work — including us. It’s also ~$120 a month.
- Health records — 11pets: Pure utility with a dated UI — it works, it’s just no fun. PetDesk is great if (and only if) your vet clinic uses it.
- Vet telehealth — Airvet: Often free through employers. Vetster is better for scheduled visits and, where allowed, prescriptions.
- GPS & lost pets — Tractive: The category king. QR collar tags (like ours) are a found-pet fallback, not live tracking — different jobs. PawBoost and Petco Love Lost are free and worth knowing either way.
- Sitting & walking — Rover: Fees stack on both sides and quality varies by sitter. Wag still operates post-restructuring with a smaller network.
- Dog-friendly places — BringFido: A directory, not a community. Sniffspot is the rent-a-private-dog-park complement ($5–15/hr).
- Daily bonding & social — PetCool: Yes, this is us — and this is the one category with no incumbent: BarkHappy is gone and pets-only photo feeds never stuck. Judge for yourself below.
What changed in 2026
- BarkHappy shut down (January 2025) — many older lists still recommend it.
- Wag restructured through Chapter 11 in 2025 and re-emerged private; the app still works.
- No major training app is fully free anymore — Dogo, Puppr and Woofz are all freemium with subscriptions.
- A wave of new “best pet apps” lists are vendor blogs ranking their own app #1 — check who publishes the list you’re reading. Including this one: we’re PetCool, and we only claim the bonding category.
Where PetCool actually fits
PetCool is for the daily five minutes with your pet: species-aware challenges (cats get the Hunt — a guided four-stage play session, not a screen game), territory marking with a neighborhood leaderboard, coins and medals, and a printable QR collar tag. If you need a trainer, hire GoodPup. If you need GPS, buy Tractive. If your pet just needs more good minutes with you — that’s the job we do.
Fair asks
What’s the best free pet app in 2026?
Depends on the job: BringFido (dog-friendly places), PawBoost and Petco Love Lost (lost pets), 11pets (DIY health records), and PetCool (daily bonding, free to start) all have genuinely useful free tiers. No major training app is fully free anymore.
What’s the best app for cat owners?
Most “cat apps” are screen games the cat paws at (Cat Fishing, Mouse for Cats). For health records, 11pets covers cats well. For guided play you do WITH your cat, PetCool’s four-stage Hunt sessions are the only structured option we know of.
Is BarkHappy still around?
No — BarkHappy shut down in January 2025, though older listicles still recommend it. For local dog-friendly places, BringFido and Sniffspot cover most of what it did.
Is Wag still operating?
Yes. Wag went through a prepackaged Chapter 11 in mid-2025 and re-emerged as a private company; the app still works. Rover remains the larger marketplace.
Last verified June 2026. Prices and availability change — check each app’s store listing. Nobody paid to be here, and nobody can.