Cara vs ShelterBuddy
Cara
carashelters.ieShelterBuddy
shelterbuddy.comSide by side
| Figure | Cara | ShelterBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 3 |
| Spec score · Animal Shelter Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.5 (#2) |
| Animal records | Animal profiles support photographs, medical notes, status, foster details and a chronological care history. | The system keeps a centralized record containing physical details, photos, status, treatments, consultations, behavior and identification data. |
| Rating on Capterra | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews | 3.0 out of 5 from 1 review |
| Rating on Software Advice | No rating published from 0 reviews | 3.0 out of 5 from 1 review |
| Security controls | The DPA states AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2 or higher in transit, organisation-level row security, bcrypt passwords and rate limiting. | The product offers configurable user access settings and auditing of who updated records and when. |
| Support | The official site provides support contact through [email protected] and testimonials describe setup and ongoing assistance. | US and Canada support is offered by ticket and email, with published contacts for the CEO and general manager. |
| What it does | Cara is a SaaS platform for animal rescue and rehoming organisations, combining shelter records, applications, adoption workflows and a public portal. | ShelterBuddy is cloud and app based software for shelters, rescues, municipalities and regional facilities to manage animal operations and records. |
Plans
ShelterBuddy
- ExpressPriced on request
- GoldPriced on request
- ProPriced on request
In their own words
Cara
Cara is web-based animal shelter software for rescues, combining adoption applications, animal and medical records, and a public adoption portal. Shelters can track enquiries, move applications through stages, add notes, and approve or decline them. Animal records can include photos, medical notes, current status, foster details, and a timeline of care and applications. Cara can send adoption contracts digitally for legally binding signatures. It also provides shareable animal links for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, plus automated emails to applicants. Cara says it can import animal histories from Trackabeast and Animal Shelter Manager exports, as well as spreadsheet records while retaining unmapped columns. The Free plan supports up to five animals and includes application management, basic email notifications, and Cara branding on the portal. Pro costs $34.99 a month, billed monthly; subscriptions are billed in euro. It includes unlimited animals, e-sign contracts, advanced email workflows, a white-label portal, welfare incident reports, donation capture, and priority support. The service is intended for shelters and rescues worldwide, though Cara says most current users are Irish and some defaults lean toward Ireland.
ShelterBuddy
ShelterBuddy has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.