MindMyHouse alternative
MindMyHouse pioneered the "cheap, transparent, fair" housesitting model and we love it for that. We took the same philosophy and built it on a current-decade stack with a current-decade UX.
MindMyHouse has been our favourite of the legacy platforms for years. The pricing is honest (about $20/yr for sitters, free for homeowners). The community is real. The owners aren't trying to maximise margin at users' expense. If you're reading this, you probably already know all of that — and you probably also know that the interface hasn't materially improved since the early 2010s.
We built HouseSit to be MindMyHouse's spiritual successor: the same fair-exchange philosophy, but with a modern map-based discovery, real-time messaging, AI-assisted profile import, ID verification done properly, and a brand and look that doesn't feel like 2008. We're even cheaper — the core platform is free.
Cost
HouseSit
Free
MindMyHouse
~$20/yr for sitters; homeowners free
Discovery
HouseSit
Map + filters, modern card UI
MindMyHouse
List view, basic filters
Messaging
HouseSit
Real-time, in-app
MindMyHouse
Email-driven
Mobile experience
HouseSit
Mobile-first responsive
MindMyHouse
Desktop-first design
ID verification
HouseSit
€29 one-time Stripe Identity
MindMyHouse
Not built-in
Profile import
HouseSit
Paste URL, AI fills your profile
MindMyHouse
Manual entry
Community feel
HouseSit
New, building
MindMyHouse
Established, smaller
Comparison reflects publicly available information at the time of writing. MindMyHouse is a registered trademark of its owner. We're not affiliated.
Housesitting is a free trust exchange. We agree. The platform's job is to connect people, build trust, and protect everyone — not extract subscription money for access. Anything we'd ever charge for is optional — verification, or a few features for standing out — never access itself.
Browse sits visually on a privacy-first Mapbox map. See approximate locations as 1km circles. Filter by dates, pet types, and home type. Click a marker to read the full listing.
Paste your MindMyHouse profile URL into our AI importer. Your bio, experience, languages, and preferences come across in seconds. Edit anything that doesn't feel right, save, done — or start fresh; importing is optional.
MindMyHouse doesn't do ID verification. We will — an optional one-time €29 check through Stripe Identity. The badge will give homeowners the trust signal they need from sitters they've never met.
Sign up free
Email or Google. 30 seconds.
Import your profile or listing — or start fresh
Coming from MindMyHouse? Paste your profile or listing and the AI fills it in. No account to import from? Just fill it in yourself — importing is optional.
Browse and apply
Free, no subscription. Apply to sits that match your destinations and dates — chat opens in-app as soon as the host responds.
Use both for a few months
Don't cancel MindMyHouse right away. Use both platforms in parallel. When you see which one is delivering more matches for your specific situation, decide.
How is HouseSit's community size today?
Smaller than MindMyHouse. We're building network density. The fastest path to growth is members like you bringing real listings and giving honest reviews. Use both platforms for now — you don't have to choose.
What if I don't want my address public?
We hide it by default. Discovery shows a 1km approximate area. The exact address only reveals to a sitter after you've accepted them. That's server-side, not a UI promise.
Are reviews public?
Yes. Star ratings (1-5) and short text reviews from completed sits, both directions. We don't do thumbs-up/down because it's less informative.
Can I keep using MindMyHouse?
Of course. Use both — nothing here requires exclusivity, and the AI importer makes keeping parallel profiles painless.
