Care.com vs Sittercity vs Bambino vs UrbanSitter
Compared from the sitter's side, which is not how these usually get compared.
Almost every comparison of babysitting apps is written for parents. It tells you what the family pays and what the family gets. If you are the sitter, the numbers that matter are different ones: what it costs you to be there, whether anybody takes a cut of your earnings, and how long you wait to be paid.
Here they are side by side.
| Cost to you | Commission | How you get paid | Typical rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care.com | Membership varies, plus $15 to $20 a year for a mandatory background check | 10% on instant bookings | Through the platform, into your bank | Varies |
| Sittercity | Free basic account. Optional featured listing $14.99 a month. Background check $20 to $60 | None | Family pays you directly, outside the app | $15 to $40 |
| Bambino | Free. No signup, membership or check fees | None stated | Through the app, then Venmo or direct deposit | $15 to $20 |
| UrbanSitter | $34.95 a year | None | Through the app, direct deposit | $15 to $25 |
Sitter-side fees, commissions and payment methods: Side Hustles, babysitting apps for sitters
What the table actually tells you
Care.com is the expensive one for a sitter
It is the biggest and it has the most jobs on it, and it is also the only one of the four taking a percentage of what you earn. Ten percent on a five hour booking at $22 is $11 of your money. Over a year of regular work that is a meaningful number.
The scale is real though. If you are somewhere quiet, it may be the only one with families on it.
Sittercity pays you outside the app, which cuts both ways
No commission and the family pays you directly, which means you keep everything and you can take cash. It also means there is no platform holding the payment, so if a family does not pay you, chasing it is entirely your problem.
That is a good reason to have a written rate and a payment method agreed before the night rather than after.
Bambino is free and narrower
Nothing to pay at all, which for a sitter is hard to argue with. The reported rate range is the lowest of the four, and it is built around neighbor referrals, so it works well in areas where it has caught on and barely at all where it has not.
UrbanSitter is a flat annual fee
$34.95 a year and no cut of your earnings. If you book steadily through it, a flat fee is much better value than a percentage. If you use it twice, it is not.
The free calculator builds your rate from your area, your experience, the ages and how many children. Two minutes, no card.
Work out my rateThe honest advice
Be on more than one, be on the free ones first, and do not let any of them become your only source of work. Every one of these platforms puts you in a list next to other sitters, and the main thing that separates a list is price. That is a race you win by not entering it.
Apps are best used as a way to fill gaps and to get your first couple of jobs. The bookings that pay properly come from families who were recommended you by name, and we went through six ways to get those separately.
Before you set a profile rate
Whatever you type into that box becomes what you are worth on that platform, and it is very hard to move up later with the same families. Work out the real number first, for your area and your ages, then put that in.
The rest of the profile is the same material as a babysitting resume: ages, availability, certification with a date, and two references.
Common questions
Which babysitting app pays sitters the most?
Sittercity shows the widest reported range at $15 to $40 an hour and takes no commission, though what you earn is mostly set by your area and your own rate rather than the platform.
Does Care.com take a cut of babysitter earnings?
Yes, 10 percent on instant bookings, plus a mandatory background check costing $15 to $20 a year. It is the only one of the four major platforms taking a percentage.
Is Bambino free for sitters?
Yes. No signup, membership or background check fees, and payment comes through the app by Venmo or direct deposit.
Do I need to be on more than one babysitting app?
It helps, especially early, since the free ones cost you nothing but time. Treat all of them as a way to fill gaps rather than as your main source of work, because they compete on price by design.