Most "best babysitting apps" lists are written for the US, and a parent in Canada finds half of them won't install. So this one covers both. We looked at each app's own pricing and safety pages and at its App Store listing in each country, in October 2026. Prices change, so check the app before you pay.
One thing to know before you start: almost all of these apps are directories. They help you find someone. Interviewing that person, checking their references and deciding to hire them is still your job, and most of these companies say so in their own terms.
The short version
| App | Where | What a parent pays | Background checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care.com | US | Free to look; Premium to message (price not published) | Every caregiver gets a basic check; fuller ones cost extra |
| Sittercity | US | Premium to contact sitters (App Store lists $94.99 a quarter) | Only if someone orders one |
| UrbanSitter | US | Membership to message or book (price not published) | Every caregiver, every year |
| Bambino | Some US cities | Sitter's rate plus a fee, or Premium from $19.99 a month | Optional for sitters |
| Babysits | US, Canada and more | Premium $34.99 a month on babysits.ca | Not stated on its pricing page |
| Sitly | Canada (not US) | Free account; Premium $39 a month | None |
| CanadianNanny.ca | Canada | Not published | A check tool is offered |
Care.com
The biggest name, and the one most people try first. A free account lets you look; to message caregivers you need Premium, which renews monthly, quarterly or yearly. Care.com doesn't publish the price outside the app. It also sells add-ons, such as a social media check for $29.99 (Care.com plans).
Screening. Every individual caregiver gets a check through First Advantage: an SSN trace, the national sex offender registry and criminal record searches. You see that it was done, not the report. Families can buy fuller checks, including driving records (Care.com background checks). Care.com is plain that a check "is not a substitute for conducting thorough in-person interviews," and that it doesn't employ any caregiver.
Worth knowing. In 2024 the FTC sued Care.com, saying it overstated how many jobs were on the site and what caregivers would earn, and made cancelling hard. Care.com paid $8.5 million to settle, and in 2025 the FTC sent refunds to about 194,000 people (FTC). The settlement requires an easy way to cancel. Still, note the renewal date when you subscribe.
Rating: 4.4 stars from about 43,000 ratings on the US App Store (the parent app). Not on the Canadian App Store.
Sittercity
A large US directory of sitters and nannies. Contacting caregivers needs Premium. Sittercity doesn't publish the price on its site; its App Store listing shows a quarterly subscription at $94.99 and a yearly one at $196.99.
Screening. Checks aren't automatic. A parent or sitter orders one through Checkr, and Premium is needed to do it. Sittercity says checks "can provide a false sense of security" and capture one moment in time (Sittercity). That's an honest warning, and it applies to every app here.
Rating: 4.7 stars from about 60,000 ratings on the US App Store. Not on the Canadian App Store.
UrbanSitter
Built around booking: you find a sitter, book a time, message and pay, all in the app. Looking and posting a job are free. Messaging or booking needs a membership, and UrbanSitter doesn't publish its price outside the app.
Screening. Every caregiver must pass a Checkr check each year (county, national criminal, sex offender, SSN trace and a global watchlist) and be at least 18. UrbanSitter still says it's up to the family to vet and hire.
Rating: 4.8 stars from about 15,000 ratings on the US App Store. Not on the Canadian App Store.
Bambino
A booking app for last-minute sitters, in a list of US cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Nashville and Washington, DC. Sitters set their own rates. Without a membership you pay the sitter plus a service fee; Premium waives the fees and costs $19.99 for a month, $39.99 for three or $99.99 for a year (Bambino pricing). Cancel within 24 hours and there's a $4.95 fee; within two hours, an hour of the sitter's pay or $20.
Screening. Optional for sitters. Its "Elite" sitters have state and federal checks.
Rating: 4.9 stars from about 26,000 ratings on the US App Store. Not in Canada.
Babysits
One of the few that works on both sides of the border, with a Canadian site at babysits.ca. On babysits.ca Premium is $34.99 a month, $69.98 a quarter or $139.96 a year, and it lowers the member protection fee from 15% to 3% (Babysits pricing). It's free for sitters.
Screening. Its pricing page doesn't say what checks it runs. Ask, or plan to do your own.
Rating: 4.5 stars from about 1,000 ratings in the US, and 4.4 from about 450 in Canada.
Once you've found someone: Kid Pickup
This one doesn't find sitters, and that's the point of putting it here. After you've hired someone, the schedule usually ends up in a text thread: which days, which kid, which door, and whether this Thursday is still on. Kid Pickup is where that goes.
- The sitter gets their own role. Invite them as a babysitter or nanny. Their account is free under your plan.
- They see their pickups, not your week. A sitter sees the pickups that are theirs or still open, and the kids on those. Not your work hours, other people's phone numbers or a child's notes, unless you widen it.
- Yes or no from the notification. They tap I'll do it, or Can't make it so you know to ask someone else.
- A reminder before they leave, at the time you set on the pickup.
- Your emergency contacts are there for whoever is at the gate.
It's for iPhone, with a 14-day free trial. More on using Kid Pickup with a sitter or nanny.
Sitly
A Canadian and European directory, on the Canadian App Store but not the US one. It lists sitters in cities including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Mississauga, Brampton and Surrey. A basic account is free, and Premium is $39 for a month or $87 for three (Sitly).
Screening. None. Sitly says it isn't an agency, doesn't run background checks and doesn't verify certificates. It tells parents to check references and interview. Treat it as a noticeboard.
Rating: 4.4 stars from about 1,700 ratings on the Canadian App Store.
CanadianNanny.ca
A Canadian nanny and babysitter directory covering most big cities, Victoria included, with tools for payroll and background checks (CanadianNanny.ca). Its app is new (June 2026) and has only a handful of ratings. Prices aren't on its homepage.
Also worth a look
- Wyndy: college-student sitters across the US. Its App Store listing shows a parent membership at $40 a month.
- NannyServices.ca: a free-to-browse Canadian directory where profiles can show ID checks, a criminal record check and first aid. In the US the same app is called American Sitters.
- Upwards: US daycare, nanny and sitter matching, often through an employer benefit.
Which app is best?
- In a big US city and need someone tonight: Bambino or UrbanSitter, which are built for booking.
- Looking for a regular sitter or nanny in the US: Care.com or Sittercity have the most people on them. Budget for the checks you want, because the basic one may not be all you'd like.
- In Canada: Babysits, Sitly and CanadianNanny.ca. The big US apps weren't on the Canadian App Store when we checked.
- Already have a sitter: you don't need another finder. You need the days written down, with a name on each. That's Kid Pickup.
Hiring safely, whichever app you use
A background check covers one person, at one moment, in the records it searched. Do the rest yourself:
- Meet them, with your kids there for part of it.
- Call two references, and ask what the sitter did when something went wrong.
- Ask about first aid and CPR. The American Academy of Pediatrics says a sitter should know both (HealthyChildren.org).
- Start with a short paid trial while you're home.
- Leave everything written down. Our free babysitter information sheet is one page.
And agree on pay before the first night: here's how much to pay a babysitter in the US and Canada.
FAQ
What's the best babysitting app?
In the US, Care.com and Sittercity have the most sitters and UrbanSitter and Bambino are best for booking. In Canada, Babysits, Sitly and CanadianNanny.ca are on the App Store; the big US apps weren't when we checked in October 2026.
Are babysitting apps safe?
They help, but none of them can promise a sitter is safe. Some check every caregiver, some only when you pay, and some never. Interview, check references and start with a trial.
Is Care.com available in Canada?
Care.com's apps weren't on the Canadian App Store in October 2026. Canadian parents can look at Babysits, Sitly, CanadianNanny.ca and NannyServices.ca.
Do babysitting apps do background checks?
It varies. UrbanSitter checks every caregiver each year and Care.com runs a basic check on every caregiver. On Sittercity and Bambino a check is optional, and Sitly runs none.
Is there an app to schedule a babysitter I already have?
Yes. Kid Pickup puts pickups and sits on one calendar with a name on each, and the sitter sees only theirs. It doesn't find or pay sitters.