TidyCal for veterinarians and pet professionals
Take the $500 new-patient consult before anyone opens the chart
A setup for a veterinary behavior practice: a paid new-patient intake, a vet tech intake, Zoom follow-ups for returning patients, and questions about the pet before the visit. Works the same for groomers, behaviorists and dog-field rentals.
Free plan with no time limit. No card needed.
TidyCal is the best scheduling app for veterinarians and pet professionals who charge for their time. Clients pay when they book, with packages and subscriptions on the Free plan, and Individual Lifetime is $29 once. Pick Square Appointments if you work from a storefront and already take payments with Square, and Acuity Scheduling if you sell gift certificates or run a waitlist.
Three paid appointment types
Here is how a veterinary behavior practice might set it up. Calm Paws is made up. The prices are in the range specialty behavior practices charge; use yours.
| Booking type | Length | Price | Type | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New patient behavior consult | 120 min | $500 | Paid | Two hours with the veterinarian. Paid at booking. |
| Vet tech intake call | 45 min | $189 | Paid | History, routine, video review. Before the vet visit. |
| Follow-up on Zoom (returning patients) | 60 min | $250 | Paid, online | Progress check, medication review. |
Example prices. Charge what you charge.
The 4 best scheduling apps for veterinarians and pet professionals
I make TidyCal, so it's listed first. Each tool below says what it does better than us.
| # | Tool | Best for | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TidyCal Best value | Solo pros who charge for their time | $29 once |
| 2 | Square Appointments | In-person services already on Square | Free for solo pros |
| 3 | Acuity Scheduling | Appointment businesses with intake forms | $20/mo |
| 4 | Calendly | Sales teams on Salesforce or HubSpot | $10/seat/mo |
01
Best value
Best for: solo pros who charge for their time
- Price
- Free plan. Individual Lifetime is $29 once. Pro is $12 a month or $99 a year.
Free plan with paid bookings, packages and subscriptions. $29 once if you want more.
02
Square Appointments
Best for: in-person services already on Square
- Price
- A free plan for solo professionals. Paid plans on Square's pricing page.
Built for in-person services with Square at the counter. Less suited to online calls.
03
Best for: appointment businesses with intake forms
- Price
- No free plan, a 7-day trial. Starter is $20 a month ($16 billed yearly).
Strong intake forms, gift certificates and a waitlist. No free plan, from $20 a month.
04
Best for: sales teams on Salesforce or HubSpot
- Price
- $10 per seat a month on Standard, billed yearly ($12 monthly). The free plan is one event type.
Familiar to clients. The free plan is one event type and payments need Standard at $10 per seat a month.
Take payment for the new-patient consult when it is booked. A two-hour specialist slot that goes empty is the most expensive thing on your calendar, and "we will bill you after" is how it goes empty.
Ask about the pet before the visit
Five questions on the new-patient consult. The date field gives you a real date of birth instead of "he's like 4?"
- Pet's name On: New patient behavior consult
- Species (Dog / Cat / Other) On: New patient behavior consult
- Pet's date of birth (roughly is fine) On: New patient behavior consult
- What is the main behavior problem, and when did it start? On: New patient behavior consult
- Your regular vet clinic (we will request records) On: New patient behavior consult
One honest limit: TidyCal booking questions are text, dropdowns, checkboxes, dates and phone numbers. There is no file upload. Ask for their regular clinic and request records yourself, or put "email records to [email protected]" in the booking description.
How a practice actually uses it
A client on the waitlist gets the link. They pick a new-patient slot three weeks out, pay $500 through Stripe, and answer the five questions. The front desk requests records from the clinic they named that afternoon.
A week before, the vet tech intake happens by phone: routine, triggers, the videos the owner took. Paid separately at $189, because it is real work.
After the consult, returning patients book Zoom follow-ups at $250 from the same page. Each booking gets its own Zoom link on the Lifetime and Pro plans.
With more than one clinician, round robin spreads new patients across whoever is free, and the team page lets returning clients pick their own doctor.
Settings for a clinic
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 3 days on new-patient consults | Time to get records in. |
| Buffer | 30 minutes after a consult | Notes and the discharge summary. |
| Cancellation fee | Full fee inside 48 hours (Lifetime and Pro) | Say so in the description. |
| Team | Round robin across clinicians (Agency Lifetime and Pro) | Agency Lifetime covers up to 4 people; Pro has no seat fees. |
| Reminders | 24 hours and 1 hour before (default) | Add texts on Agency Lifetime and Pro. |
For groomers, trainers and dog fields too
Group bookings
Renting a fenced dog field or a dog pool by the hour? Seats cap how many dogs share a slot (Lifetime and Pro).
Lifetime and Pro plansBuffer time
Groomers: 15 minutes between dogs to clean the table.
Free planPackages
Sell 4 grooms or 6 swim sessions up front; the client picks dates and pays once.
Free planText reminders (US and Canada)
Text reminders for US and Canadian numbers (Agency Lifetime and Pro).
Agency Lifetime and ProWhat TidyCal costs
Free, $0
Most of the setup above. Group classes, approvals, cancellation fees, booking limits and automatic video links need a paid plan. Not a trial.
Individual Lifetime, $29 once
Pay one time through AppSumo. Adds group bookings, custom reminders, automatic Zoom and Google Meet links, and 10 calendars.
Pro, $12/mo or $99/yr
All of it, with no TidyCal branding, unlimited calendars and team scheduling with no seat fees.
Stripe and PayPal charge their usual processing fees on paid bookings. On the Free plan, Stripe bookings also carry a 1% TidyCal platform fee. See payment fee details. Compare every plan.
How we checked
Every competitor price comes from that company's own pricing page, read on September 30, 2026, at the billing period shown next to it. Tools with no published price we could verify carry no dollar figure. The ranking is for veterinarians and pet professionals who take bookings and charge for some of them. Nobody paid to be on this list. TidyCal's prices come straight from the plans we sell, so they match what you will pay, and the 1% platform fee on Stripe bookings is the live rate.
Questions veterinarians and pet professionals ask us
Can clients pay for a consult when they book?
Yes. Connect Stripe or PayPal and set a price on the appointment type. Clients pay at booking. Paid bookings are on every plan, including Free.
Can clients upload medical records on the booking form?
No. Booking questions support text, dropdowns, checkboxes, radio buttons, dates and phone numbers, but not file uploads. Ask for the regular clinic and request records, or tell clients where to email them in the booking description.
Can several vets share one booking page?
Yes. Agency Lifetime (up to 4 people) and Pro include a team booking page and round robin. Pro does not charge per seat.
Is TidyCal a practice management system?
No. TidyCal handles booking, payment at booking and reminders. Keep medical records in your practice management software.
Keep reading
Copy this setup in about 10 minutes
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