# The Dog Stop vs Barkive

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Dog Stop at none against Barkive's 2. The Dog Stop also leads on ratings volume (88 vs 3). Barkive's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Barkive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. The Dog Stop asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for The Dog Stop against 5.0 for Barkive. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Dog Stop has 88 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of The Dog Stop's written reviews are positive against 100% of Barkive's.

The Dog Stop ships an update fortnightly, Barkive every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Dog Stop | Barkive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (88 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-dog-stop/id6502044648/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barkive/id6759880204/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **88** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 60 MB | 117 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Dog Stop LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1387525892) | [Barkive LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881431111) |

## What reviewers say

### The Dog Stop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-dog-stop/id6502044648)

Easily schedule daycare, boarding, and grooming for your dog. Monitor your pet's activities live via 24/7 cameras and manage all your appointments and history in one place.

**Highlights:** Schedule daycare, boarding, and grooming, Live 24/7 pup camera monitoring, Create and manage pet parent profiles, Modify existing appointments, Add extra services (Delights), Track appointment history

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Barkive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barkive/id6759880204)

Log every dog you see or meet to build a personal collection of canine encounters. Capture details like breed, notes, and photos, and watch your virtual Dog Park grow. Reflect on your memories with monthly logs and yearbooks.

**Highlights:** Log dog encounters, Capture breed, notes, and photos, Unlock and collect breed cards, Build a virtual Dog Park, View monthly Field Logs, Explore Yearbook

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Curator Mode | $2.99 | per month |
| Curator Mode | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Dog Stop free?

The Dog Stop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Barkive free?

Barkive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Dog Stop or Barkive?

Barkive is rated higher. The Dog Stop averages 4.9 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Barkive averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do The Dog Stop or Barkive have ads?

Neither The Dog Stop nor Barkive shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Dog Stop or Barkive?

The Dog Stop ships an update fortnightly, and Barkive every 4 days. Most recently, The Dog Stop was updated on November 12, 2026 and Barkive on November 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*