Starting at $10/mo
Vagaro is the transparent category-leading salon/spa management platform with cheapest base tier + comprehensive add-on ecosystem. Standard $23.99/month (single location) or $30/month (multiple locations) with 1 bookable calendar + customizable calendar + waitlist + resource management + free Vagaro Marketplace listing + automated notifications + online booking (Vagaro + Instagram + Facebook + Apple Maps) + booking widgets + advanced reporting + customer loyalty + 1,000 free email marketing messages/month + invoice creation + memberships/packages/gift certificates + 24/7 support. 14+ modular add-ons: Payments 2.2%+, Text $20/mo, Branded App $100/mo, Payroll $34+$5/employee, Data Lake $40, QuickBooks $10/mo, Xero $30/mo, and more.
Cheapest transparent entry ($23.99/month) + comprehensive 14+ add-on ecosystem Free Vagaro Marketplace listing vs Fresha 20% commissions (dramatic LTV preservation) Branded App $100/month is category's cheapest branded mobile app Starting at $49/mo
Square Appointments offers freemium with tiered processing rate improvements. Free $0 + 2.6%+$0.15 in-person processing + unlimited staff calendars + appointment reminders + online booking. Plus $49/month/location + 2.5%+$0.15 + 500 SMS included (3¢/additional) + cancellation policy + no-show fees + multi-staff booking + waitlist + 30-day free trial. Premium $149/month/location + 2.4%+$0.15 + 2,500 SMS included (1.5¢/additional) + 0% gift card load fee + future bookings report + service cost tracking + resource management + 30-day free trial. Pro custom for $250K+ annual processing. Hardware separate (Square Terminal $299+). Month-to-month no contracts.
Unlimited staff calendars ALL tiers (including Free) — category-unique Processing rate improves with tier upgrade (2.6→2.5→2.4%) rewards high-volume Free tier competitive production entry (unlike Booksy/Phorest paid-only) Starting at Custom
Fresha uses a UNIQUE commission-based marketplace revenue model: $0/month free subscription for partners with 20% commission (industry-reported) on first-time client bookings from Fresha marketplace discovery. Core salon/spa management platform (calendar + online booking + payments + client management + reporting) included in free subscription. Payment processing ~2.19-2.29% (industry estimates). Fresha operates global consumer marketplace (UK, US, Canada, Australia, others) with millions of app users driving discovery-based bookings. No contracts. Pricing page returned sparse content in audit — specific commission rates + fees require vendor contact.
UNIQUE free subscription model ($0/month software) Category-leading consumer marketplace brand drives significant new client discovery Competitive integrated payment processing (~2.19-2.29% industry estimates) Starting at Custom
Phorest is the premium salon/spa management platform with dedicated Med Spa tier differentiation. Salons & Spas: 4 tiers custom-quote — Starter (3+ staff), Grow, Complete Advantage (Most Popular, larger salons/medspas), Elite (most inclusive). Med Spas: Core Aesthetics + Elevate Aesthetics (HIPAA-compliant medical record handling + injection tracking + before/after photo documentation). All plans include unlimited devices + staff + affordable SMS + PhorestGo mobile app + appointment scheduling + POS + online booking + automated communications. Add-ons: branded apps + 2-way SMS + memberships separate. Industry estimates: salon tiers $79-600+/month, med spa tiers $150-500+/month.
UNIQUE Med Spa tiers (Core Aesthetics + Elevate) with HIPAA + injection tracking + photos Unlimited devices + staff ALL tiers (vs per-staff scaling competitors) Category-leading for 15+ staff salons with unlimited staff economics