Comparison

PetDesk vs Maddie's Pet Assistant

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PetDesk

Manage your pet's health and connect with local pet care professionals. Schedule appointments, track medications, and earn loyalty rewards all in one place to ensure your pet lives a longer, happier life.

Highlights
  • 24/7 appointment requests
  • Health reminders and to-do lists
  • Manage pet care provider contacts
  • Earn loyalty points
  • Request medication refills
Currently charting
Read full description

Our goal is to help your pets live longer, happier, and healthier lives. PetDesk puts you at the center of your pet’s health needs by seamlessly connecting you with the best pet care professionals near you. Now it’s easy to be the best pet parent you can be. Effortlessly manage your pet’s health in one place with these indispensable features: APPOINTMENTS With our 24/7 appointment request tool, your favorite pet care providers are always just a few taps away. REMINDERS, MESSAGES AND TO DO’S Sync reminders and add custom to-do’s to your calendar. PROVIDERS Add and quickly view your pet care professionals in one place (veterinary clinics, grooming facilities, boarding, pet daycare, and more!). LOYALTY Earn points for every dollar spent at your favorite pet care provider locations. MEDICATION REQUESTS Easily request medication refills for your pets.

About

Maddie's Pet Assistant

This app offers health and behavioral support for pet caregivers, from seasoned fosters to new adopters. It provides expert advice on common pet issues, guidance for introducing new pets, and tips for managing behavioral challenges. Receive immediate responses to concerns, vaccination reminders, and track your pet's progress.

Highlights
  • Expert advice on pet health and behavior
  • Guidance for introducing new pets
  • Tips for managing pet behavioral issues
  • Immediate responses to pet concerns
  • Vaccination reminders
  • Pet weight tracking
  • Community forum for pet questions
Features
Read full description

Maddie's® Pet Assistant (MPA) is a free app for smartphones and tablets developed by Pethealth to provide health and behavioral support to caregivers after pets go home. Whether you are a seasoned foster caregiver, or just adopted a pet – the app can teach you a few new tricks. Examples: Kitty have a cold? Pup pooped where he shouldn’t? Let’s see what the experts say! Introducing a new pet to your current pets? We’ve got you! Need tips for your counter-surfing dog? Or constantly meowing cat? Advice is on the way! If you indicate a concern in one of our check-in surveys, you’ll receive an immediate response in the app and in email, with tips, advice and resources crafted by shelter medicine veterinarians and behaviorists, to help you resolve the issue. It's all about support. You can also receive vaccination reminders, track your pet's weight, post questions to a community forum and more – all through the app!

Screenshots

PetDesk4 screens
Maddie's Pet Assistant3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PetDesk at 4.9 against Maddie's Pet Assistant's 3.5. PetDesk also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 51%) and ratings volume (510K vs 69). Maddie's Pet Assistant's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PetDesk holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PetDesk has 510K ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of PetDesk's written reviews are positive against 51% of Maddie's Pet Assistant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PetDesk ships an update every 4 weeks, Maddie's Pet Assistant every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PetDesk versus Maddie's Pet Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPetDeskMaddie's Pet Assistant
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (510K ratings) — better3.5 (69 ratings)
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews — better51.4% of reviews
Number of ratings510K — better69
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#63 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPetDesk, LLCPethealth Inc.

Customer experience

PetDesk

All ratings507,139 ratings
Positive98.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative0.3%
Written reviews540 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative17.0%

Maddie's Pet Assistant

All ratings66 ratings
Positive60.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative30.3%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive51.4%
Neutral13.5%
Negative35.1%

Bugs and requests

PetDesk

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Appointment scheduling issues
  • Inability to paste passwords
  • Crashes during account creation
  • Reminders not updating correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to add end dates for medication reminders
  • Option to archive pet profiles instead of deleting
  • Improved integration with pet owners' calendars
  • Expanded support for non-dog/cat pets
  • More detailed pet health tracking and reporting

Maddie's Pet Assistant

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PetDesk

No in-app purchases

None

Maddie's Pet Assistant

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PetDesk free?
PetDesk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Maddie's Pet Assistant free?
Maddie's Pet Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PetDesk or Maddie's Pet Assistant?
PetDesk is rated higher. PetDesk averages 4.9 out of 5 from 510K ratings, while Maddie's Pet Assistant averages 3.5 from 69 ratings.
Do PetDesk or Maddie's Pet Assistant have ads?
Neither PetDesk nor Maddie's Pet Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PetDesk or Maddie's Pet Assistant?
PetDesk ships an update every 4 weeks, and Maddie's Pet Assistant every 6 weeks. Most recently, PetDesk was updated on November 5, 2026 and Maddie's Pet Assistant on November 1, 2026.

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