What you actually get from free grooming software

The costs behind three free plans

A groomer looking for free software is likely to find these three plans, set out below as each company published them on 22 September 2026. We're not calling any of them a bad deal. A company still has to make money on a free plan, and each of these three says on its own pricing page how it does.

Per-transaction fees. Square Appointments' free plan costs $0 a month per location. Card payments on it cost 2.6% plus 15 cents in person, 3.3% plus 30 cents online, and 3.5% plus 15 cents on a card on file. Goldie's free Starter plan includes built-in payment processing, and Goldie doesn't list the rate on its pricing page. Tuft says clients who book through the Tuft app pay a small convenience fee, while booking through your website or by phone stays free for them.

Card payments cost money on FurSlot too. Stripe charges its fees to your own Stripe account, and FurSlot adds no percentage on top.

Metered text messages. On Goldie's Starter plan, you send reminders by hand from your own phone, on your own carrier plan. Automated reminders and 500 text credits a month come with Pro at $19.99 a month, and you can buy extra messages. Tuft's free Essential plan sends email and app reminders only; unlimited texts come with Pro at £35 a month plus VAT. Square, on the other hand, includes automatic text and email reminders in its free plan.

Features behind the next tier. Goldie's Starter caps you at 20 appointments a month and puts unlimited appointments and no-show protection on Pro. Square's free plan takes appointment deposits, but a cancellation policy with no-show fees needs Plus at $49 a month per location. Tuft reserves cards on file for no-show fees, recurring bookings and its groomer app for Pro.

FurSlot tools you can use with no account

These are free, need no account and ask for no email address:

• No-show calculator. Put in your dogs a day, your average price and your no-shows a week, and see what missed appointments cost you in a year. Open the calculator.
• Cancellation policy generator. Fill in four fields (your shop name, notice window, no-show fee and deposit) and get a plain-English policy to paste into your booking page and texts. Write your policy.
• Price list template. A price list by size you can edit on screen, starting from the same prices FurSlot preloads, and nothing you type leaves the page. Make your price list.
• Price and time for 243 breeds. One page per breed showing the time and price for each service, so you can check your own numbers against a starting point. Browse the breeds.

They stay free for as long as you use them, whether or not you sign up.

The parts of FurSlot that cost money

FurSlot has no free plan. It costs $19, $24 or $49 a month, flat, billed monthly, and you can cancel any time. All three plans include the whole product, and they differ in how many groomer profiles you can run, the level of support, and how many text segments are included each month: 200, 500 or 1,500 a month. A reminder is usually one segment, two when the shop or pet name is long.

• The trial. You get 14 days free, starting at Stripe checkout, where you enter your card. FurSlot charges nothing until the trial ends, and if you cancel before then you pay nothing.
• The founding offer. While fewer than 50 shops hold a paid subscription, a new Pro subscriber keeps $19 a month for life instead of $24.
• Extra texts. Past your plan's allowance, you pay 2 cents a text on your next monthly bill.
• Card fees. Stripe charges its fees to your own Stripe account. FurSlot takes no percentage of any groom and adds no fee per booking.

Goldie Pro at $19.99 a month costs about what FurSlot Solo does, so compare the two on features. FurSlot arrives with 243 breeds already priced and charges deposits on your own Stripe account, and Goldie advertises neither on its pricing page. Read why your own Stripe account matters, or see the full pricing.

Cases where a free tier is enough

If you groom two dogs a week, stay on a free plan. Goldie's Starter plan covers 20 appointments a month, which is four or five a week, and does not ask for a card to sign up. At that volume FurSlot's $19 is money you do not need to spend, and the free tools above are still yours.

If you already take cards on Square's hardware and no-shows are rare, Square's free plan books appointments and sends reminders. Tuft built its free plan for groomers in the UK and prices it in pounds.

FurSlot is worth a trial when a missed slot a week costs you more than $19 a month, or when you are still quoting prices by text after the last dog goes home. Run your own numbers in the no-show calculator first, then decide.

Free plans and the FurSlot trial

Is there free dog grooming software?

Yes. Goldie, Tuft and Square Appointments each publish a free plan. Goldie's free plan caps you at 20 appointments a month. Tuft's free plan, designed for UK groomers, sends email and app reminders but no texts. Square's free plan charges card fees on each payment and leaves no-show fees to its $49 plan.

Is FurSlot free?

No. FurSlot costs $19, $24 or $49 a month after a 14-day trial. The no-show calculator, the cancellation policy generator, the price list template and the breed price pages are free, and none of them needs an account or an email address.

Do I need a card for the FurSlot trial?

Yes. The 14-day trial starts at Stripe checkout, where you enter your card, and FurSlot charges nothing until the trial ends. If you cancel before the last day you pay nothing. Stripe holds your card, and FurSlot never sees the full number.

What does FurSlot cost after the trial?

You pay for the plan you picked: $19 for Solo, $24 for Pro or $49 for Team, each month, flat. Texts past your allowance are 2 cents each on the next bill, and Stripe charges its card fees to your own account. While fewer than 50 shops are paying, Pro locks at $19 for life.