Groomsoft vs Shepherd

Groomsoft is web-based software for managing a pet grooming business, with tools for appointments, payments, customer and pet records, and mobile grooming. Its calendar supports online booking, recurring visits, waiting lists, groomer schedules, business hours, and days off. Paid subscribers can send automated email reminders. Payment options include card processing, card-on-file storage, paperless billing, and plug-and-play terminals. Mobile groomers get route optimization, mileage tracking, live-traffic maps, and customer notifications when they are on the way. Profiles can hold tags, appointment histories, notes, unlimited pet photos, and vaccination alerts. Appointments sync with Google Calendar, and a MailChimp integration supports email marketing. Grooming Shops costs $29.95 per month; Mobile Groomers costs $39.90 per month. Both paid plans include 100 free text-message reminders, with additional messages requiring SMS packs. A 30-day free demo is listed. Subscriptions have no contract and can be cancelled at any time.

Shepherd is cloud-based veterinary practice management software for clinics, with tools for medical records, client requests, payments, and student-facing workflows. Its SOAP process updates the medical record and invoice, then creates discharge instructions. TranscribeAI generates SOAP notes, while DiagnoseAI offers clinical decision support and treatment suggestions; ShepherdAI features are optional. Through the client portal, clients can request appointments and prescription refills, review medical history, and access vaccine certificates. Shepherd Pay is integrated into the system and supports USB terminals, stored cards, and online pet portal payments. The subscription includes unlimited users and work stations, expert training, veterinary-experienced support, Shepherd Pay, and no implementation fees. Listed connections include IDEXX diagnostics, HomeAgain, AllyDVM, CoVet, and PetDesk; the help center also lists Shepherd OpenAPI. The company says onboarding takes four to six weeks without historical data migration, or eight to ten weeks when migrating records. Pricing is discussed during a demo. Shepherd reports an annually renewed SOC 2 Type II examination and says its production data is hosted on AWS in Ohio across multiple availability zones.