It's real. I just created a profile two weeks ago. I was going to book a sitter for two weeks in October. At $350, it was affordable and I had decided to book through Rover instead of paying the sitter directly. It's only fair, I thought, since Rover doesn't charge anything extra for their services. To my surprise, I saw when I went to pay that Rover added another $17.50 to my bill. I don't mind Rover getting paid for what they do, but I dislike the "surprise factor." Makes me feel tricked. And regarding the comparison to Uber - I can get across Charlotte NC for $11 in Uber which makes it a great deal, "service fee" or no. Rover's prices are the same or higher than non-Rover sitters or boarding, so adding a service fee at the end makes it even less of a great deal even less palatable. If I had been told about the 5% add-on while looking at sitter prices, I might have had a different opinion. As it is, I'm going elsewhere. :(