Fee explainer · Childcare & senior careHow much does Sittercity cost?
Browsing Sittercity costs nothing. Messaging and booking sitters is the part you pay for. Here is what that runs in 2026, taken from Sittercity's own support pages.
Pricing sourced July 2026 · Pre-launch comparison
In short
Sittercity puts messaging and booking caregivers behind a Premium membership. It costs about $42 per month, or $30 per month billed quarterly, or $16 per month billed annually. The free basic membership lets families search and post jobs, but not message sitters directly.
Sittercity vs a flat fee, side by side
| Sittercity | Bobby (pre-launch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee model | Monthly membership subscription | Flat fee per booking |
| What the family pays | $16 to $42 per month by billing term | Flat $1 per booking |
| To message a sitter | Requires a paid Premium membership | Included; no subscription |
| Cost in a month with no sitter booked | The membership still bills | Nothing |
A worked example
Say you need a sitter twice this month.
Sittercity: To message and book sitters you hold a Premium membership, which bills monthly whether you use it twice or not at all, from $16 up to $42 a month by billing term.
Bobby (being built): With Bobby it is a flat $1 a booking and no membership, so two sitters run you $2 and a month where you book no one costs nothing.
Sittercity is a subscription at heart. On a free basic membership a family can search and post a job, but messaging and booking sitters needs Premium, which comes to about $42 a month, $30 a month on the quarterly plan, or $16 a month if you pay annually. The membership is what you are buying, not a fee per booking.
That pins the cost to time rather than to sitters you actually book, so a quiet month with no bookings still bills. Pay per booking instead and the charge only lands when care happens. Bobby is being built with no membership and a flat $1 per booking, so a family pays only when they book.