Compare · Shelter
Shelterluv vs. Vivetra: pricing, adopter insurance and the alternatives
The short answer: Shelterluv charges per adoption, $2.00 billed monthly, with data import, support, non-adoption outcomes and unlimited users free. It integrates with Petfinder and Adopt a Pet. “Shelterluv insurance” is pet insurance from Lemonade that adopters can choose to buy at checkout. It’s a Lemonade policy. For many small and mid-sized shelters, Shelterluv is a genuinely good, inexpensive choice, and we’d rather say that than pretend otherwise.
Vivetra Shelter is a different shape: a flat $200/mo with unlimited staff and volunteers, running on the same clinical record a full veterinary practice uses. Every Shelterluv fact below is quoted from Shelterluv’s own pages, or its adopter help center for the insurance offer, with a link. Each was checked on the date shown.
Shelterluv vs. Vivetra, side by side
Shelterluv’s cells quote its own pages, with a “source” link on each. Vivetra’s cells describe our own product.
| Compared on | Shelterluv | Vivetra (Shelter service) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | "Core software: $2.00 USD/adoption (billed monthly)"; "Always free: Data import, support, all non-adoption outcomes, and unlimited users"; "Optional add-on: Volunteer module: $1 USD/adoption (cap $300/month)" source for Shelterluv (opens in new tab) |
$200/mo flat for one service, unlimited staff and volunteers, managed hosting included. No per-adoption or per-outcome metering. |
| Scope | "shelter and rescue management software" covering "intakes, adoptions, microchips, foster/volunteer management, field services, licensing, community programs, and more" source for Shelterluv (opens in new tab) |
Intake through adoption on one animal record: intake exams, stray holds, medical, fosters, cruelty-case and legal-hold tracking, and adoption paperwork. |
| Medical and daily work | "Manage medical treatments, behavior plans, and intakes in real time with our live to-do list"; "Process adoptions in 2 minutes and instantly raise donations at checkout"; offers a free trial source for Shelterluv (opens in new tab) |
Runs on the full veterinary clinical core, so the medical record is the same one a practice would keep. |
| Listings and syndication | "Shelterluv integrates with popular animal welfare platforms, including Petfinder and Adopt a Pet" source for Shelterluv (opens in new tab) |
A public, no-login adoptable-animals page and donation page you embed on your own website. No Petfinder or Adopt-a-Pet syndication. |
| Adopter pet insurance | adopters can add Lemonade pet insurance at checkout — "When adopters add pet insurance at checkout, they are opting in to purchase a policy" — or later "buy a Lemonade pet insurance policy on their Shelterluv page" source for Shelterluv (opens in new tab) |
None. Vivetra has no adopter insurance offer. |
| Hosting | "Shelterluv is a cloud-based platform hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS)" source for Shelterluv (opens in new tab) |
A dedicated deployment, fully managed for you and never shared with another organization’s data. |
About this comparison. This is Vivetra’s own comparison — we picked the dimensions and wrote the framing, so read it as an interested party’s argument checked against sourced facts, not a neutral review. Every competitor fact above is quoted from the linked vendor page (or the cited record) and was verified as of October 29, 2026. All product names and trademarks belong to their owners, who are not affiliated with and do not endorse Vivetra. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us at [email protected] and we correct or remove it within 5 business days. Competitor prices are shown in the vendor’s own currency; only Vivetra’s figure follows the currency selector, and never by conversion.
Which is right for you?
Choose Shelterluv if…
you want low, usage-based cost with unlimited users, you want a system that integrates with Petfinder and Adopt a Pet, and you’d like an adopter insurance option at checkout. For many rescues, that combination is hard to argue with.
Consider Vivetra if…
you run an in-house clinic or high medical volume and want shelter work on a real veterinary chart, you’d rather have a predictable flat $200/mo than a bill that rises with adoptions, or you also run a vet practice and want both on one record.
What “Shelterluv insurance” actually is
People search for “Shelterluv insurance” expecting either insurance for the shelter or a Shelterluv-branded policy. According to Shelterluv’s adopter help center, it’s neither. It’s Lemonade pet insurance offered to adopters. “When adopters add pet insurance at checkout, they are opting in to purchase a policy,” and adopters can also buy a Lemonade policy later from their Shelterluv page.
The source we checked doesn’t say what the policy costs, whether any coverage is free, or whether the shelter receives anything for the referral. We don’t state any of those either. Ask Shelterluv or Lemonade directly. To be clear on our side: Vivetra Shelter has no adopter insurance offer of any kind.
Where Vivetra fits
Vivetra Shelter makes sense when the medical side of your shelter is substantial, or when you want shelter, clinic and adoptions on one record at one flat price. Adopters and fosters get a portal for applications, e-signed agreements, fee payment and follow-up. Your public listings and donation page embed on your own site, and payments run through your shelter’s own Stripe account. See the Shelter service or the full shelter comparison.
Where Vivetra genuinely falls short
- No Petfinder or Adopt-a-Pet syndication. Shelterluv integrates with both. Vivetra’s public listing page lives on your website, not a national portal. This is our sharpest gap in shelter work.
- Usage-based can be cheaper. At low adoption volumes, a $2.00-per-adoption bill can easily come in under a flat monthly fee. Do the math for your own numbers.
- No volunteer scheduling and no adopter insurance offer. Shelterluv lists foster/volunteer management, field services, licensing and community programs, plus an optional volunteer module. Vivetra doesn’t schedule volunteers.
- Payments go through your own Stripe account, with a platform fee. A small Vivetra platform fee applies on top of Stripe’s own rate.
- Newer vendor. Vivetra is newer to shelter work, and that’s a fair thing to weigh.
Questions about this comparison
What is Shelterluv insurance?
It’s Lemonade pet insurance that adopters can opt in to buy at checkout when adopting through a Shelterluv-powered shelter, or buy later from their Shelterluv page. Shelterluv’s adopter help center says adopters who add it are “opting in to purchase a policy.” It isn’t insurance for the shelter itself, and the source we checked doesn’t state its price or any free-coverage period.
How much does Shelterluv cost?
Per Shelterluv’s own FAQ: "Core software: $2.00 USD/adoption (billed monthly)"; "Always free: Data import, support, all non-adoption outcomes, and unlimited users"; "Optional add-on: Volunteer module: $1 USD/adoption (cap $300/month)".
Does Shelterluv post animals to Petfinder?
Yes. Shelterluv says it integrates with Petfinder and Adopt a Pet. Vivetra doesn’t syndicate to either. It gives you a public adoptable-animals page to embed on your own website instead.
Is Vivetra cheaper than Shelterluv?
It depends on volume. Shelterluv charges per adoption, and Vivetra charges a flat $200/mo however many animals you place. A shelter with few adoptions will usually pay less on a per-adoption model. A busy shelter, or one also running a clinic, may find a flat fee more predictable. Work it out with your own adoption numbers.
Where is Shelterluv hosted?
Shelterluv says it is a cloud-based platform hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Vivetra runs each customer on a dedicated deployment that we fully manage, with no server for you to run.
See the flat number for your shelter
One monthly price, with unlimited staff and volunteers and managed hosting included. Check it in your own currency before you talk to anyone.
More comparisons: Full shelter comparison · UK & Ireland shelter software · All comparisons