--- title: "Shelterluv Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Shelterluv Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Animal Shelter products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/179205/Shelterluv/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Shelterluv Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on August 20, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Shelterluv ## What is Shelterluv? Shelterluv is a cloud-based software that provides animal welfare organizations with efficient and effective tools to manage your animal population, support your adopters, and earn donations! \*Features\* -71% of adopters donate $20+ in Mobile Checkout -Mobile-friendly -Robust automated and custom reporting -Direct and free integrations with your website, Adopt-a-Pet.com, Petfinder, Chewy, SAC, SPDA, and more -Integrated digital forms and applications -Foster management tools -Digital signatures on adoption contracts and animal-specific disclaimers -Map-based and mobile-friendly field services module -Edit multiple allows you to add/edit multiple animal records at the same time -Unlimited support, Unlimited user accounts (with varying levels of permissions), photo and document storage, and continuous support -Advanced medical features including quick fill templates and the Task Manager -Map-based and fully-mobile Field Services module -Free post-adoption adopter support ## What is Shelterluv used for? [Animal Shelter](https://www.capterra.com/animal-shelter-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 51 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 98% Neutral 0% Negative 2% Starting price $2 Usage Based, Per Month Free trial available Free version not included Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Shelterluv?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=https://www.shelterluv.com&name=Shelterluv) ## Shelterluv Overview Updated August 2026 AI summary Shelterluv is cloud-based software for organizations of all sizes needing animal shelter management. It covers adoption management, animal databases, medical and intake records, and volunteer coordination, with notable features like customizable digital adoption checkout and integrated donation processing. Optional modules support foster, kennel, and animal control workflows, and the platform is accessible on web, Mac, Windows, and Chromebook devices. ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Shelterluv 4.8 (51) VS. [5.0 (32)](https://www.capterra.com/p/209132/Buzz-to-the-Rescues/reviews/) Starting Price $2 Usage Based, Per Month Starting Price $99 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.7 (51) Ease Of Use 4.9 (44) Value For Money 4.8 (42) Value For Money 4.9 (43) Customer Service 4.7 (45) Customer Service 4.9 (44) ## Shelterluv alternatives [5.0 (1)](https://www.capterra.com/p/232708/PetPoints/#reviews) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [3.0 (4)](https://www.capterra.com/p/233330/Chameleon-CMS/#reviews) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 25% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Pawlytics](https://www.capterra.com/p/194354/Pawlytics/) [4.6 (44)](https://www.capterra.com/p/194354/Pawlytics/reviews/) Starting price $1.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 91% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/194354/Pawlytics/) [Trackabeast](https://www.capterra.com/p/250087/Trackabeast/) [4.9 (27)](https://www.capterra.com/p/250087/Trackabeast/reviews/) Starting price $25.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/250087/Trackabeast/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/179205/Shelterluv/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Shelterluv Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Shelterluv? Shelterluv is most used by animal shelter leaders, operations staff, and volunteer or foster coordinators who manage daily rescue workflows. Executive directors, presidents, and board-level leaders use it for oversight and reporting, while care managers, administrators, and community teams rely on it to track animals, adoptions, fosters, and donor-related activities. Answer based on 51 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Shelterluv built for? Shelterluv is built primarily for small businesses in animal welfare, with 94% of reviewers from small organizations and 51% from nonprofit organization management. It also serves veterinary groups at 22% and civic and social organizations at 4%, with use centered entirely on animal shelter operations. Answer based on 51 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Shelterluv? Shelterluv includes core animal management features like intake management, animal search, medical records, and foster management, plus adoption management with paperless checkout and built-in donation processing. Differentiating capabilities include customizable forms and reports, task-based workflows, volunteer management, and website integrations that support animal listings, transfers, and data entry. Answer based on 19 reviews Overview ### How well does Shelterluv work for shelter operations and volunteers? Shelterluv supports shelter operations well for many rescues by keeping animal records, applications, transfers, and updates in one system. Staff and volunteer teams often find it easy to learn and useful for paperless workflows, though some organizations want a fuller volunteer module, stronger animal control tools, and fewer bugs during major updates. Answer based on 15 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Shelterluv offer? Shelterluv provides in person training, live online sessions, webinars, documentation, and videos. In person and live online formats support guided learning, webinars cover scheduled group instruction, documentation serves as written reference, and videos offer self-paced viewing for teams getting started. Answer based on 5 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Shelterluv offer? Shelterluv provides Email/Help Desk, FAQ/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, and Chat. Users often describe support as quick and helpful, with prompt replies and informative guidance, though some report issues after updates and note that system bugs can make help more necessary. Answer based on 9 reviews Features and Usability ### How easy is it to search for animals in Shelterluv? Shelterluv makes animal lookup and day-to-day navigation easy for many shelter staff, volunteers, and adopters. Teams like the clear records, photos, notes, and historical details in one place, but some users want faster sorting, more search filters, better litter lookup, and fewer occasional loading or search glitches. Answer based on 19 reviews Features and Usability ### How customizable is Shelterluv for shelters and rescues? Shelterluv offers flexible setup for forms, reports, workflows, and animal records, which many rescues value. Teams often tailor applications, kennel cards, and checkout documents to fit local processes, but some users find certain settings tedious, want deeper display and search options, and report occasional issues with custom forms after updates. Answer based on 15 reviews Features and Usability ### How well does Shelterluv handle adoptions and donations? Shelterluv handles paperless adoptions well and helps many shelters collect extra donations during checkout. Rescue teams like the mobile adoption flow, digital documents, and customizable contracts, while some users mention delayed payment deposits, limited editing in donation prompts, and wanting broader fundraising tools beyond the standard adoption process. Answer based on 14 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 107 Animal Shelter reviews Capterra reviewers point to these as the features buyers value most when choosing animal shelter software: - **Animal Database** (**80%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Intake Management** (**70%**) - **Medical Records** (**62%**) Shelterluv supports all three top-priority features: **Animal Database**, **Intake Management**, and **Medical Records**. Together, these capabilities help shelters keep accurate animal profiles, manage admissions and transfers more efficiently, and maintain complete health histories, allowing teams to improve daily operations and provide better care for every animal. Animal Database 4.8 (23) 56.52% of 23 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important A repository of information about animals in an organization's care Intake Management 4.8 (24) 70.83% of 24 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Activities related to the initial admission of a charge into the organization's care Medical Records 4.5 (24) 58.33% of 24 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Records of patients' medical history Adoption Management 4.8 (22) 63.64% of 22 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Document and administer the process of finding a new home for institution's charge Case Management 4.3 (12) 33.33% of 12 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Work on a set of tasks related to a particular charge, patient, legal issue or any other complex entity or process Foster Management 4.7 (20) 65.00% of 20 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Finding a temporary home for the institution's charge Shelterluv 10 features ### All Features - Adoption Management: Document and administer the process of finding a new home for institution's charge - Animal Control: Manage law enforcement functions related to animals including dispatch of field service personnel to check on a reported issue - Animal Database: A repository of information about animals in an organization's care - Case Management: Work on a set of tasks related to a particular charge, patient, legal issue or any other complex entity or process - Foster Management: Finding a temporary home for the institution's charge - Fundraising Management: Activities related to raising money for a specific cause - Intake Management: Activities related to the initial admission of a charge into the organization's care - Kennel Management: Management of housing for dogs and cats within the building - License Management: Track and organize the number of licenses available to the organization - Medical Records: Records of patients' medical history --- Features 4.5 (51) 4.5 Based on 51 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.8 (42) Free Trial Basic $2.00 Usage Based,Per Month Value for money 4.8 (42) 4.8 Based on 42 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.7 (45) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.7 (45) 4.7 Based on 45 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.8 Based on 51 reviews Filter by rating 5(41) 4(9) 3(0) 2(1) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent Margie C. Owner Retail ### "So Happy with my Puppy (thanks to Shelterluv)" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 5/10 May 27, 2026 Easy and simple. It was a neat software to use on the receiving end to view pets, read about the personalities, and see pictures. Pros I adopted my sweet little puppy through Shelterluv, and the process was seamless and easy. The communication was easy to facilitate. Cons The only downside that I noticed about Shelterluv was that I never received the health records automatically from them. There was no way for me to sign in and get them. Thankfully I was able to email the organization directly. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AE Amanda E. Data entry Non-Profit Organization Management ### "Smooth transition" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 29, 2025 Very positive and easy. It was an easy transition. Hardest part was adding all the backup of old files. Pros Easy to use. Easy to navigate and intuitive on what you need to do and how. Doesn’t take many steps to complete a task Cons Not an easy way to add multiple pets at a time. Have to do it one by one which is hard when you have a back up of files from the animal rescue. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JB Jesse B. Development Director Non-Profit Organization Management ### "Come for the features, stay for the service " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 3/10 June 3, 2025 Very happy. Setup was super quick and a breeze. We were up and running in a few hours. Support is phenomenal. Pros It is super easy to setup and use. A lot of our shelter and rescue partners use it making transfers a breeze. API allows for easy integration with other tools and solutions. Love that there is no subscription fee and instead pay $2 per adoption, which is more than covered by our adoption fee, of course. More than anything, the support is phenomenal, which is a rare thing these days, sadly. Cons Being able to access certain features from all screens would be cool. The user experience and interface could use a little improvement but it’s no big deal. Alternatives considered [Shelter Buddy](https://www.capterra.com/p/179248/Shelter-Buddy/) [Animal Shelter Manager](https://www.capterra.com/p/179181/Animal-Shelter-Manager/) [Shelter Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/179172/Shelter-Pro/) [Shelter Management System](https://www.capterra.com/p/179255/Multiple-Options-Shelter-Management-System/) Reasons for choosing Shelterluv Used by most of our partners including large shelters. How could we go wrong when other great organizations we know use it? Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JG James G. Director Veterinary ### "ShelterLuv - Learning curve but good program!" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 1, 2025 We have used ShelterLuv for over a year now and have become accustomed to the little quirks and have seen some improvement over the last several months. We are grateful for the program. Pros Medical record management is really great and the use of adoptions contracts is very helpful. Cons We elect to use ShelterPay - the deposits for our adoptions can sometime take 4-5 days to happen - it is very inconvenient to have the payment so delayed. The other con is customer service - there is no helpline, only an email address. If you have an issue you will have to wait for someone to get back to you. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. MT Maggie T. Surgery Tech Veterinary ### "More about Shelter not so much on the Medical" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 2.0 2.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 4/10 April 25, 2025 Mixed feelings as I have been using it for ~ 8yrs now. Tapering doses of prescriptions have to be entered on different labels. They focused more on the animals in the shelter vs the medical side of things. Now that the shelter life is updated, they need to update and work on the medical side of things Pros Helps keep track of all the animals in custody. Gives you the ability to set up different application options. Lets you add treatments for animals Cons Since the update there have been more issues than before. A lot of my application emails are not being sent/delivered to the applicant. None of my quick forms work anymore, even when I delete them and re-set them up. Surgery notes weren't being saved, so I've had to type out the entire process. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AN Anonymous User Founder and Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management ### "The King has Fallen" 2.0 Overall Rating 2.0 2.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 2/10 November 17, 2024 This review hurts me to write, because I was a huge fan of Shelterluv for the last 7 years. What was once the best system in the market has now fallen. Shelterluv practically abandoned their previous software version for 2+ years and kept telling customers the new version would fix their issues. However, when the new system rolled out it was very buggy and there were even cases where other shelter's data showed up in my reports. Clearly not acceptable. I have opened 17 support tickets (each for a different issue) in the 4 days we have been on the new version. I would urge those looking for shelter management systems to explore all options and not blindly move forward with Shelterluv. Pros Mobile checkout is a nice function for adoption processing. Cons Too many functions of their new system are buggy, inaccurate, impossible to use, etc. I believe their testing practices are very sub-par, because after working on a new system for years the issues are simply too obvious and too plentiful. This upgrade is touted as an architectural overhaul at the foundation of the application, but so far it feels a whole lot like lipstick on a pig. Hopefully the work to the core system will allow them to roll out more reliable functions in the future. Alternatives considered [Petstablished](https://www.capterra.com/p/235584/Petstablished/) [Trackabeast](https://www.capterra.com/p/250087/Trackabeast/) Reasons for choosing Shelterluv We were already using Shelterluv and the hassle of switching was too high. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. MM Megan M. Board President Non-Profit Organization Management ### "Gamechanger for our all-volunteer rescue!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 15, 2024 We've had a wonderful experience with implementation and our team was able to get up and running, even though volunteers who aren't particularly tech-savvy. They aren't kidding when they say that ShelterLuv quickly pays for itself via adopters covering processing fees and/or additional donations at the time of adoption, something we'd previously not been able to do all-in-one place. Pros ShelterLuv is user-friend and unlike other solutions we explored and the solution we'd been using, allows us to automate many processes that were a huge burden on precious volunteer time. Cons I wish we could import our old system more easily, but that was bound to be an issue with many options in this space. Review source Vendor Referred: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Alexis S. Population and Pathways Manager Veterinary ### "We love ShelterLuv!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 15, 2024 Pros Very responsive support team, and the ability to offset fees through donations at the time of checkout. I am also fond of the fairly robust reporting features. Cons When certain features break, the support team will acknowledge this promptly, but it can be a very long time before fixes occur (if ever). These are typically not operationally critical, but it's still a source of frustration. Switched from [Shelter Buddy](https://www.capterra.com/p/179248/Shelter-Buddy/) [Chameleon-i](https://www.capterra.com/p/77315/Chameleon-i/) [PetPoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/232708/PetPoints/) Price, issues integrating data (merger between legacy organizations each utilizing different shelter management software), responsiveness of support teams, etc. Review source Vendor Referred: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. ES Emily S. Treasurer Non-Profit Organization Management ### "Highly recommend" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 14, 2024 Excellent experience. There is a dedicated team behind the emails, feels like a small company atmosphere, with big company results. I highly recommend using SelterLuv. Pros Paperless adoptions (amazing during Covid, but still great every day), customer service is responsive and helpful, continuous improvements of the software. One of the best features is the digital adoption checkout process, that gently asks the adopter to make a donation or cover the fees (software and credit card) for the adoption. We earn more in donations than the per-adoption software fees we are charged. Cons I'd like to import my own data from our previous system, but it probably is safer and cleaner that they do it. Switched from [Microsoft Access](https://www.capterra.com/p/233275/Microsoft-Access/) Needed something better than the custom built program. Review source Vendor Referred: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. KD Katrina D. Executive Director Non-Profit Organization Management ### "Affordable streamlined animal management software" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 May 11, 2024 10/10. Customer service is attentive and responsive. I love the customization options for many items and having one software to manage all aspects of our rescue. Pros Remote/mobile adoptions that allows us to customize everything about it. We choose the files sent to the new adopters, customize the contract and so much more. The integrations are also a wonderful asset. Collaboration with Maddie’s pet assistant and petfinder has been very helpful. Cons The learning curve was hard without the training. While it is an easy to use software, I opted to try to learn on my own and it took so much longer. Switched from [Trackabeast](https://www.capterra.com/p/250087/Trackabeast/) Wanted a more versatile software to meet all of our needs instead of just a few. Review source Vendor Referred: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/179205/Shelterluv/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Pawlytics vs Shelterluv](https://www.capterra.com/compare/179205-194354/Shelterluv-vs-Pawlytics)[Trackabeast vs Shelterluv](https://www.capterra.com/compare/179205-250087/Shelterluv-vs-Trackabeast) [Buzz to the Rescues vs Shelterluv](https://www.capterra.com/compare/179205-209132/Shelterluv-vs-Buzz-to-the-Rescues)