PetExec vs Pet Manager: Comparing Features for Multi-Service Pet Facilities

So, you’re running a business that’s more than just a kennel or just a daycare. You’re a one-stop-shop for pet parents. You’ve got dogs checking in for a week-long stay, pups coming for a day of play, floofs getting their bi-weekly groom, and maybe even a training class in the back paddock. Managing this beautiful chaos requires a seriously powerful piece of software.

Two contenders that aim to be the central nervous system for such a facility are PetExec and Pet Manager. Both are designed to be all-in-one solutions, but they approach the task with different feature sets and philosophies. Let’s put them side-by-side to see how they stack up for the modern, multi-service pet facility.

The All-in-One Promise

The goal is simple: one system to rule them all. No more disconnected calendars, separate payment terminals, and client data scattered across multiple apps.

PetExec has been serving the industry for years and is known for its robust dashboard and comprehensive approach. It offers modules for daycare, boarding, grooming, training, and retail, consolidating many of your core business functions into a single platform.

Pet Manager also delivers a true all-in-one experience, with dedicated, purpose-built modules for every service you can imagine—from boarding and daycare to highly specialised areas like canine hydrotherapy and in-home pet care. The focus is on providing deep functionality within each module, not just surface-level management.

A Feature-by-Feature Showdown

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty and compare some key areas.

1. Scheduling & Service Management:

• PetExec: Provides a calendar-based system where you can schedule different service types. It has specific features for managing daycare attendance, grooming appointments, and boarding stays.
• Pet Manager: Offers a visually distinct and interactive scheduler for each service area. Your boarding scheduler looks and functions differently from your grooming roster or your daycare calendar. This is crucial for clarity when you have multiple things happening at once. Features like drag-and-drop pen changes, handling of “split bookings” (a pet moving rooms mid-stay), and managing complex training courses with fixed or rolling session dates give you granular control that is hard to match.

2. The Power of the Dashboard:

• PetExec: Its “Dashboard” is a central feature, showing check-ins, check-outs, and other key metrics for the day.
• Pet Manager: Its main dashboard is highly interactive and customisable. You can click on tiles to instantly see who’s in-house, who’s checking in, and who’s checking out. More importantly, you can create custom tiles for things that matter to your operation—like a list of all pets needing medication today, taxi pickups scheduled, or uninvoiced bookings. It even shows you photos of the pets checking in, complete with birthday reminders.

3. Financials and Payments:

• PetExec: Includes invoicing, payment processing, and package management. It integrates with credit card processors to handle transactions.
• Pet Manager: This is a real powerhouse area. The system follows robust accounting principles for its invoicing, payments, and credit notes, ensuring your financials are clean and accurate. The rules-based pricing engine is a standout, capable of automating complex pricing for any service. For businesses with a retail component, Pet Manager offers a complete retail module with POS, purchase orders, and inventory management. And for Aussie/NZ businesses, the deep sync with Xero and integration with Tyro EFTPOS terminals are significant workflow enhancers.

The “Who’s on First?” Comedy of Errors

Ever have a kennel staff member check out a dog that was supposed to get a groom first? Or a daycare dog miss its scheduled taxi ride home? In a multi-service facility, communication and clarity are everything. Without a single, clear source of truth, you’re living in a constant comedy of errors.

A system like Pet Manager is designed to prevent this. With a staff calendar showing all booked services for the day across all staff members in a visual layout, and custom reports for things like “Baths to be done today” or “Taxi Pickups”, everyone is on the same page. The chaos subsides.

4. Customer Portal and Experience:

• PetExec: Offers a branded online portal for customers to request appointments and manage their information.
• Pet Manager: Provides a highly customisable portal that can be embedded seamlessly into your own website. You can control required fields, change the colour scheme, and even adjust the wording to match your brand’s personality. Forcing digital signature of your T&Cs on first login or requiring vaccination uploads automates key compliance steps and saves immense admin time.

Both PetExec and Pet Manager are strong contenders for managing a complex pet business. The choice often comes down to your need for detailed customisation, automated pricing, and deep financial integration. If you’re looking for a system that offers granular control over every facet of your multi-service operation, from custom dashboard tiles to hyper-specific pricing rules, Pet Manager makes a very compelling argument.

Don’t just manage your business, command it. Discover the power of a truly integrated system by starting your free 30-day trial of Pet Manager today.