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You’ve done hours worth of research and you’ve finally narrowed it down to two different babysitter sites: Sittercity vs Urbansitter. But, before you sign up for a website to book a sitter, you have to figure out what website is really worth your money.
After all, you don’t want to get stuck being committed to a website that really isn’t a match for your personal needs.
So today, we’re here to answer all of your questions and tell you which babysitter website is really the better choice, depending on what you’re looking for. Let’s get started!
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What both sites offer
Both Sittercity and Urbansitter are reliable and credible sitter sites that offer parents a convenient way to find local babysitters.
While both websites have super easy to use websites, you can also access each company through a mobile app, giving you the option to literally find a babysitter whenever, wherever.
Sittercity and Urbansitter also both offer auto-renewing subscriptions, which you can easily turn off and on as you need!
It’s also very obvious that both of these websites prioritize your child’s safety, as they both offer background checking services that you can look over at your own convenience.
Plus, if you’re not sure whether or not you’re ready to sign up for a membership, both websites also offer free basic access. You can also pay your babysitter through the app or website (whichever you choose)!
Bottom Line Summary Up Front: Due to having more thorough background checks and a deeper bench of talent (particularly in or near cities), I lean towards Sittercity here.
The Main Differences Between Sittercity and Urbansitter
- Pricing: Urbansitter offers a cheaper membership than Sittercity
- Availability: Sittercity is more prominent in larger cities, rather than suburban areas
- Background checks: Sittercity offers a more in-depth background check, faster than Urbansitter does
We personally preferred the wider response rate (talent pool) and more thorough background checks offered my Sittercity!
Sittercity
Sittercity is a decent bet to go with if you’re interested in trying out a sitting service that highlights baby sitter’s specific skill sets. As soon as you log on to Sittercity, you can go through and you’ll see that some babysitters have badges on their profiles.
These badges give you the ability to see what specific skills they can bring to your needs; some of the badges that you may see on the profiles of babysitters are CPR certifications and First-Aid certifications.
Sittercity offers a free month trial to let you test out the full features of the website, but after your free trial, requires you to pay their monthly membership fee.
If you’re interested in looking through a large selection of babysitters, Sittercity has a massive selection of sitters. You can even find children as young as 12-years-old to babysit your children.
With a paid membership, you also get complete access to reviews that people leave who are using the babysitter that you’re currently interested in.
Sittercity doesn’t offer a one month access pass, although their one month premium membership is $35 a month, a three-month membership is $70 ($23.33/month), and their one year premium membership is $140 (or $11.67 a month).
Sittercity Pros
- You can run your own background checks by yourself, starting off at $14.99
- Last minute background checks are a breeze, especially because you’re completing the background check by yourself.
- The background checks that are offered through Sittercity allow you to pull criminal records, motor vehicle history, and any registries that your sitter may be one.
Sittercity Cons
- More expensive than Urbansitter for both their monthly and annual memberships.
- If you don’t remember to cancel your subscription in time, you will keep being charged for your account until you remember to cancel (even if you aren’t using your membership).
- Sittercity doesn’t screen their caregivers personally, so you may take the chance of running into an unsavory character if you don’t run a background check by yourself or just running into a sitter that doesn’t have enough experience for your family.
- This site is more suited for finding a part time baby sitter or a once-in-a-while sitter, rather than trying to find a full-time caregiver.
We personally preferred the wider response rate (talent pool) and more thorough background checks offered my Sittercity!
Urbansitter
Urbansitter is unique from the majority of other babysitting websites, as this company links up to your Facebook and Linked-In accounts. In addition, Urbansitter also asks you what neighborhood you live in or around, and what groups or activities your child spends time at.
Urbansitter takes this information to match you with caregivers that parents you may know are using often. This develops a sense of familiarity, as well as trust when trying to find a sitter.
It’s comforting knowing that you’re not hiring a complete stranger that nobody knows, but instead, you’ll be hiring a stranger that your friends know, use, and trust!
Another really cool feature about Urbansitter is that they offer a Repeat Hires Indicator for their babysitters, which shows how many repeats hires a caregiver has had with families.
This may help sway your decision towards one babysitter, as the more repeat hires that a babysitter has with a family, the more is shows that the sitter is trustworthy and providing excellent services!
A one-month pass membership is $34.95, a one-month premium membership is $19.95, and a one-year membership is $99.95 (or $8.33 a month).
Urbansitter Pros
- You can have access to feedback and reviews that parents leave on the profiles of the babysitters, which can help you decide whether or not a potential candidate is a perfect fit.
- Background checks start off at $9.95, cheaper than Sittercity.
- With all of the membership option that Urbansitter offers, they’re all much cheaper than Sittercity.
- Urbansitter also allows sitters to upload videos on their profiles, which means that you can watch any videos uploaded by sitters through your mobile app or desktop. This gives you the option to get a better understanding of who you’re really hiring and not just depending on reviews!
Urbansitter Cons
- Is more popular in areas near major cities, so if you live in a rural area, you may have a harder time finding a sitter.
- In order to run a background check on Urbansitter, you have to contact their support team so that they can run the background check themselves. You won’t be able to review the report until it’s ready.
- It’s difficult to get a last-minute background check on Urbansitter since you have to depend on their support team to complete the background check.
We personally preferred the wider response rate (talent pool) and more thorough background checks offered my Sittercity!
Which service you should choose
When to choose Urbansitter
If you’re on a budget and you’re not interested in spending a lot of money on trying to find the perfect sitter. Plus, Urbansitter will put you in contact with babysitters that have worked for people you may have connections with.
If you’re looking to find a baby sitter that’s been heavily vetted and is currently being employed by friends or co-workers.
When to choose Sittercity
If you have tried Urbansitter and didn’t find the type of babysitter you were looking for. Or you’re looking to keep your hiring a bit more private and you aren’t interested in sharing as many personal details as Urbansitter asks for.
Final thoughts Sittercity vs Urbansitter
It can be a tough choice to make if you aren’t exactly sure what the differences between Sittercity and Urbansitter are. Hopefully, now, you have a better understanding of what the differences are between these two childcare websites!
Both of these babysitter websites are easy to access and have a mobile version for you to conveniently use whenever you need. Good luck with finding your new babysitter!
Bottom Line Summary: Due to having more thorough background checks and a deeper bench of talent (particularly in or near cities), I lean towards Sittercity here.
Recommended Reads:
- Care.com vs Sittercity Compared [2021 Edition] | Which Nanny Service is Best for Your Family?
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