Wyndy vs Sittercity: Vetting, Booking, Payments & Price

Which one fits

Both help you find a babysitter or nanny near you. Sittercity is a job board where you message and interview sitters with Premium, then arrange pay between you. Wyndy is only babysitting and nannies, every sitter is a background-checked college student, grad or experienced caregiver, and booking, paying and tipping all happen in the app.

Pick Wyndy if

You want every sitter background-checked before they can take a job, and the check costs you nothing.
You want to book and pay in the app, with your card charged after the job for the hours worked.
You'd like to post a job and book without buying a membership first.

Pick Sittercity if

You need pet care, companion care or housekeeping as well as child care.
Your employer offers the Bright Horizons benefit, which gives you Sittercity Premium for free.
You'd rather pay sitters your own way, with cash, Venmo or Zelle, and no fees on each job.

Full comparison

Wyndy and Sittercity compared, feature by feature
Feature	Wyndy	Sittercity
Who the caregivers are
Caregivers	College students, graduates and experienced caregivers	Independent sitters and caregivers
Kinds of care	Babysitting and nannies	Babysitting, nannies, pet care, companion care and housekeeping
Minimum caregiver age	18	18
Where it works	US, in the Wyndy app (iPhone and Android)	US, on the web and an iPhone app
Safety and vetting
Criminal background check	Every sitter, before they can take a job	Not required. You or the sitter can buy one
Who pays for the check	Included. You never pay for it	Whoever orders it, you or the sitter
Caregiver identity check	Identity and SSN trace through Sterling	ID and live selfie through Persona, when sitters join
Sex offender registry search	Yes	Yes
Listed college verified	Yes	No
You verify your ID	Yes, before messaging or booking	Not by default. You're screened against the Family Watchdog registry
Booking and paying
How you find care	Post a job and pick from sitters who apply, or browse sitters	Post a job or search, then message and interview sitters
Book in the app	Yes	Only if you have an employer benefit
Pay in the app	Yes	No. You pay sitters directly
Tip in the app	Yes	No
Ongoing care	Weekly schedules that start with a trial job	Full-time and part-time jobs, scheduled with the sitter
How your sitter gets paid	In the app after each job, then to their bank	By you, directly (cash, Zelle or Venmo)
What you pay
Free to join and post a job	Yes	Yes. Post jobs and browse profiles
Membership	Starts with a 7-day free trial, then $191.99 a year or $40 a month. Cancel anytime and pay per job.	Premium, needed to message sitters. $94.99 a quarter or $196.99 a year in the app
Fees on each job	Service fee of 20% up to $20 ($0 for members), plus 2.9% to 3.5% card processing	None. You pay sitters directly
What you pay for checks	None	You pay for each check you order

Main differences

Booking and paying

Wyndy

You book a sitter in the app, and booking is instant. After the job you check the hours, add a tip and pay in the app, or your card is charged 24 hours after your sitter submits them.

Who the caregivers are

Wyndy

Every Wyndy sitter is 18 or older, with at least a year of childcare experience. Sitters are college students, grads and experienced caregivers, and any college a sitter lists is verified.

Background checks

Wyndy

Every sitter passes a Sterling check before they can take a job: identity and SSN trace, national, state and county criminal records, and the sex offender registry. It's included, so you never pay for one.

What it costs

Wyndy

Joining and posting are free. Without a membership, each job has a service fee of 20%, never more than $20. The membership is $191.99 a year and takes that fee away.

Where Wyndy does more

A criminal check for every sitter. Every Wyndy sitter passes a Sterling check before their first job, at no cost to you. On Sittercity a criminal check isn't required, and checks need Premium.
Booking and paying in the app. Booking is instant, and you pay after the job. On Sittercity you pay sitters yourself, by cash, Venmo, Zelle or PayPal.
Book without paying for a membership. You start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel it and you can still post, book and pay per job, with a service fee. Messaging on Sittercity needs Premium.
College verified. Any college a Wyndy sitter lists is verified, through the National Student Clearinghouse, a school .edu email or an uploaded document.

Where Sittercity does more

More kinds of care. You can post pet care, companion care and housekeeping jobs on the same site. Wyndy is only babysitting and nannies.
No fees on each job. You pay sitters directly, so Sittercity takes no fee on each job. Wyndy charges a service fee on each job unless you're a member.
Premium through your employer. If your employer offers the Bright Horizons benefit, you get Sittercity Premium for free.
Driving record checks. You can order a Motor Vehicle Records check through Checkr for a sitter who'll drive your kids.
Sitter Adventures. Sitters offer at-home activities for kids, such as baking, arts and crafts or STEM projects, that you can book.

Prices

Wyndy

Pay as you go$0Post jobs, browse and book. Service fee of 20% a job, never more than $20, plus 3.5% card processing.
Annual membership$191.99 a yearNo service fees, 2.9% card processing, and messaging before you book. Starts with a 7-day free trial, or skip it for $100 in Wyndy credit.
Monthly membership$40 a monthThe same perks, with $10 in Wyndy credit every month you pay.

Your sitter keeps 100% of your tip. Every sitter's background check is included, so you never pay for one.

Wyndy pricing

Sittercity

BasicFreePost jobs and browse sitter profiles. Messaging, interviews and background checks need Premium.
Premium, quarterly$94.99Price in the iPhone app for 3 months. Renews until you cancel.
Premium, yearly$196.99Price in the iPhone app for a year. Renews until you cancel.
Background checksNot on its public pagesBasic Criminal, Enhanced Criminal and Motor Vehicle Records checks through Checkr, paid per check.

Sittercity's site doesn't list web prices. The prices above are the in-app purchases on its App Store listing.

Premium purchases and renewals aren't refunded, including partial months.

As listed on Sittercity's public pages on October 15, 2026. Source

Moving from Sittercity

Sittercity Premium renews until you cancel. Downgrade to Basic in your Account Settings, or cancel through Apple if you bought it in the iPhone app.

Get the Wyndy appIt's free to download. Sign up with your phone number, then add your zip code so you see sitters near you.
Post your first jobPick the day, the kids and a rate. Smart Rate suggests one from what other parents nearby pay.
Pick your sitterSitters who apply show up on the job. Open a profile to see their checks, school, experience and reviews.
Book and pay in the appBooking is instant. After the job, check the hours, add a tip and pay, all in the app.

Get the app How Wyndy works

Questions

Is Wyndy a Sittercity alternative?

Yes, for babysitting and nannies. Wyndy sitters are background-checked college students, grads and experienced caregivers, and you book and pay them in the app. For pet care, companion care or housekeeping, Wyndy isn't a fit.

Does Sittercity require a background check?

No. Sittercity verifies sitter IDs and screens members against a sex offender registry, but criminal checks are optional and bought separately. On Wyndy, every sitter passes a Sterling check before they can take a job.

Can I pay a sitter through Sittercity?

No. You pay sitters directly, with cash, Venmo, Zelle or PayPal. On Wyndy, you pay in the app after the job, and tips go 100% to your sitter.

Do I need a membership to use Wyndy?

You start one when you sign up, with a 7-day free trial. Cancel before it ends and you aren't charged, and you can keep posting, booking and paying per job. The membership is $191.99 a year or $40 a month. It removes the service fee, which is up to $20 a job, and lets you message sitters before you book.

How do the prices compare?

Sittercity Premium is $94.99 a quarter or $196.99 a year in its iPhone app, and you need it to message sitters. Wyndy is free to join and charges a service fee per job unless you're a member, at $191.99 a year.

Sources

Checked on October 15, 2026 from Sittercity's public website, help center, terms and app store listings. Prices and features change, so check their site before you decide. If something here is out of date, email support@wyndy.com and we'll fix it.

Sittercity and the Sittercity logo are trademarks of their owner. Wyndy doesn't own them, and isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Sittercity. We show the name, the logo and a screenshot from its App Store listing only to identify the service we're comparing.

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