8 Vagaro Alternatives for Salons, Spas and Barbers

People look for Vagaro alternatives because its price grows with each bookable calendar and many features are paid add-ons. The best three: Booksy for barbers who want one flat price and a client app, Square Appointments for solo pros who want a free plan, and startbuddi for salons in Africa that take Paystack deposits and talk to clients on WhatsApp.

startbuddi is our product. We’ve included it where it fits and listed its limits as plainly as everyone else’s.

Key takeaways

• Vagaro starts at $30 a month for one calendar, with $10 for each extra calendar up to seven, on its US pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026).
• Forms, an online shopping cart, a website, text marketing and a branded app are separate monthly add-ons, so compare the total you’d actually pay.
• Only Fresha and Booksy offer a marketplace like Vagaro’s. The others expect you to bring your own clients.
• Card payments are charged on top of the subscription, so check each tool’s pricing page as well as the monthly price.
• Export your customer list from Vagaro before you cancel, and plan to collect card details and deposits again.

Why salons, spas and barbers look for a Vagaro alternative

Vagaro is booking, payments and business software for salons, spas, barbers and fitness studios, with a consumer marketplace where clients can find and book you. Its core plan includes a lot: calendar, payments, reminders, memberships, inventory, reports and a free marketplace listing. People who move away usually do so for reasons you can check on Vagaro’s pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026):

• The price grows with your team. $30 a month covers one bookable calendar (shown as $23.99 a month for the first six months), and each extra calendar costs $10, up to seven. A seven-chair salon pays for seven.
• Many features are add-ons. Forms cost $10 a month, the online shopping cart $10, the MySite website builder $20, text marketing from $20, a branded app $100, QuickBooks sync $10 and Xero sync $30.
• Payments run through Vagaro. Card payments go through Vagaro Merchant Services. Its pricing is in US dollars, so businesses elsewhere should check which payment methods work for their clients.
• More than a small shop needs. A barber with two chairs who books through Instagram may not use the marketplace, inventory or payroll at all.

None of these makes Vagaro a bad choice. For a busy US spa that wants one system for bookings, retail and memberships, it’s good value. But if your needs are simpler, your team is large, or your clients pay by bank transfer, another tool may fit better.

Vagaro alternatives compared

Prices are the starting prices on each vendor’s own pricing page on 1 October 2026, in the currency the page showed (US pages, unless stated). They change, so check before you sign up.

Tool	Best for	Starting price	Free plan	Standout feature
Booksy	Barbers and solo beauty pros	$29.99 a month plus tax, $20 per extra team member	No (14-day trial)	Client app and Boost marketplace
Square Appointments	Solo pros in Square’s countries	$0 (Free plan); Plus $49 a month per location	Yes	Free plan with card payments
startbuddi	Salons in Nigeria and Africa that want bookings, clients and payments together	Free plan; paid plans on pricing	Yes	Paystack deposits plus a customer inbox
Fresha	Salons that want a marketplace at a lower per-person price	$19.95 a month (Independent); $14.95 per team member (Team)	No (7-day trial)	Large consumer marketplace
GlossGenius	US independent stylists and small salons	$28 a month ($24 billed yearly)	No	Booking site and card payments in one app
Timely	Hair and beauty salons that want no new-client fees	$26 per staff member a month	No	Plans priced by staff member, with SMS included
Mangomint	Busy salons and spas that want unlimited reminders	$120 a month per location plus $10 per user	No (free trial)	Free onboarding and data transfer
Boulevard	Larger salons, spas and med spas	$143 a month for up to 5 providers	No (demo first)	Precision Scheduling and deposits on every plan

How we chose these Vagaro alternatives

We looked for tools that a salon, spa or barbershop could run its day on: online booking, staff calendars, reminders, deposits or prepayment, and a client record. We checked each vendor’s own pricing page on 1 October 2026 and noted the free plan, any trial, per-staff charges, marketplace fees and published card rates. We didn’t test the tools hands-on and haven’t included ratings. Where a detail wasn’t on the vendor’s page, we left it out. For a broader view, see our list of the best booking software.

1. Booksy

Booksy is booking software and a consumer app for barbers, hair stylists, nail techs and other beauty pros. Clients find and book you in the Booksy app, and you run your calendar from yours.

Best for: barbers and solo or small beauty businesses that want one all-inclusive price and a client-facing app.

Key features:

• Online booking through your own profile link and the Booksy app.
• Appointment confirmations and reminders are always free, and plans include 2,000 SMS marketing messages a month.
• Boost puts you in front of new clients in the Booksy marketplace.

Pricing: Booksy’s pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026) lists $29.99 a month plus tax, and $20 a month for each additional team member, with a 14-day free trial. Boost is free to turn on, with a one-time fee of 30% of a Boost client’s first visit, up to $100. Card payments are charged separately; see the same page for current rates.

Pros:

• One price with all features, no add-on tiers.
• Generous SMS marketing allowance.
• Marketplace exposure if you want it.

Cons:

• The per-member charge adds up for bigger teams.
• Boost commission on new clients’ first visits.
• Built around the US market.

Skip it if: you run a large team, or you don’t want any of your bookings coming through a marketplace.

2. Square Appointments

Square Appointments is booking software from Square, the payments company, and it shares Square’s card readers and point of sale.

Best for: solo stylists, barbers and therapists in Square’s countries who want to start free.

Key features:

• Online booking site, reminders and a client list.
• Card payments in person and online through Square.
• Point of sale and hardware from the same company.

Pricing: Square Appointments pricing (checked on 1 October 2026) shows a Free plan and Plus at $49 a month per location. Card payments go through Square, at the rates on Square’s fees page.

Pros:

• A real free plan.
• Payments and booking in one account.
• Good hardware options.

Cons:

• Only available in a handful of countries; not in Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya.
• Advanced features need the paid plans.
• No marketplace.

Skip it if: you’re outside Square’s countries. For a detailed side-by-side, see startbuddi vs Square Appointments.

3. startbuddi

startbuddi is an all-in-one workspace for service businesses. Its Bookings module handles services, staff and deposits, and the rest of the app holds your clients, messages, invoices and marketing.

Best for: salons, spas and barbers in Nigeria and across Africa that take deposits through Paystack and talk to clients on WhatsApp and Instagram.

Key features:

• Services with a price, duration and staff, plus “Require payment to book” for a full payment or a deposit.
• Clients pay by card through Stripe, or by card, bank transfer, USSD or mobile money through Paystack. The slot is held while they pay.
• Reminder emails at the time you choose, and a follow-up email when someone misses their slot.
• Team scheduling with round robin, each stylist’s own hours and a personal booking page per stylist.
• Every booking creates or updates a client record in Customers, and WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger messages land in one Inbox.

Pricing: a free plan is available, with one live service. See pricing for paid plans. Automations, WhatsApp and SMS are on paid plans, and WhatsApp messages from automations need a message template approved by Meta.

Pros:

• Bookings, client records, inbox, invoices and payments in one account.
• Paystack payment options that suit Nigerian clients, in naira.
• No marketplace, so no fee on new clients.

Cons:

• No marketplace: you bring your own clients.
• No card terminal or till, no stock management for retail products, and no Apple Pay or Google Pay.
• Managing bookings is a desktop job: on a phone you get the overview and your booking links only.
• Calendar sync pushes bookings to Google Calendar but doesn’t read your busy times.

Skip it if: you need a front-desk till and card reader, or most of your new clients come from a marketplace. Read more about startbuddi Bookings.

4. Fresha

Fresha is booking and payments software for salons, spas and wellness businesses, with a large consumer marketplace. It’s the closest like-for-like swap for Vagaro.

Best for: salons and spas that want marketplace bookings at a lower per-person price.

Key features:

• Direct booking links, plus bookings from Instagram, Facebook and the Fresha marketplace.
• Point of sale, card terminals and online payments.
• Messages and marketing emails included each month.

Pricing: Fresha’s pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026, US prices) lists Independent at $19.95 a month for one person and Team at $14.95 per bookable team member a month, each with a 7-day trial and 100 free messages. Brand-new clients who find you through the marketplace carry a one-time 20% commission, with a $6 minimum. Card payments are charged separately. Prices vary by country.

Pros:

• Lower per-person price than Vagaro’s extra calendars for small teams.
• No fee on returning clients or direct bookings.
• Strong marketplace.

Cons:

• No free plan, and a short trial.
• The 20% new-client commission adds up if the marketplace is busy for you.
• Messages beyond the allowance cost extra.

Skip it if: you don’t want to pay a commission on new clients. Our full list of Fresha alternatives covers this choice in more depth.

5. GlossGenius

GlossGenius is booking, payments and marketing software for independent beauty pros and small salons in the US.

Best for: US independent stylists and small salons that want simple pricing on card payments.

Key features:

• Booking site, client records and point of sale.
• Tap to Pay, cards on file and manual entry built in.
• Gold adds Google reviews, text marketing, waitlists and payroll for up to 9 staff.

Pricing: GlossGenius pricing (checked on 1 October 2026) lists Standard at $28 a month ($24 billed yearly), Gold at $56 ($48 yearly) and Platinum at $168 ($148 yearly). Card payments and instant payouts are built in, with rates on the same page.

Pros:

• Payments built in, with published rates.
• Booking site builder on every plan.
• Gold covers a team of up to 9 for one price.

Cons:

• US-focused.
• No free plan.
• Bigger teams need Platinum.

Skip it if: you’re outside the US.

6. Timely

Timely (gettimely.com) is salon and spa software priced per bookable staff member.

Best for: hair and beauty salons that want predictable per-staff pricing and SMS reminders included.

Key features:

• Online booking, client records and consultation forms.
• Staff access controls and performance tracking.
• SMS included per staff member each month, with targeted SMS campaigns on higher plans.

Pricing: Timely’s pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026) lists Build at $26, Elevate at $39 and Innovate at $47 per staff member a month, with 100, 200 or 350 SMS per staff member included and 5c per extra SMS.

Pros:

• Simple per-staff pricing that includes SMS.
• Staff tools on every plan.
• No marketplace commission.

Cons:

• Costs grow with every bookable staff member.
• Stock and staff reporting need Elevate or higher.
• No marketplace for new clients.

Skip it if: you have a large team of part-time stylists, each counted as a staff member.

7. Mangomint

Mangomint is salon and spa software built for busy teams, with express booking, self checkout and memberships.

Best for: established salons and spas in the US that want unlimited reminders and help moving their data.

Key features:

• Unlimited text and email confirmations and reminders at no extra cost.
• Express Booking, a virtual waiting room and self checkout.
• Free onboarding and free data transfer of clients, products and gift cards.

Pricing: Mangomint’s pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026) lists $120 a month per location plus $10 per user. Add-ons are Phone at $70 a month per line, Marketing from $30 a month, and Payroll at $50 a month plus $8 per worker. Card payments are charged separately, at the rates on the same page.

Pros:

• No reminder or notification fees.
• Free, hands-on migration.
• No contracts, and you can take your data with you.

Cons:

• Higher starting price than most on this list.
• Every staff profile counts as a user.
• Some advanced features need Mangomint’s own payment processing.

Skip it if: you’re a solo pro or a small shop on a tight budget.

8. Boulevard

Boulevard is premium software for larger salons, spas and med spas, sold through a demo.

Best for: multi-location or high-end salons and spas that need advanced scheduling and memberships.

Key features:

• Precision Scheduling, waitlists, group bookings and booking deposits on every plan.
• Two-way texting, memberships, packages and client-specific prices.
• Inventory with purchase orders.

Pricing: Boulevard’s pricing page (checked on 1 October 2026) lists Essentials at $143 a month for up to 5 providers, Premier at $234 a month per location (shown as a limited-time price, normally $293) and Prestige at $328 (normally $410). Card payments are charged separately.

Pros:

• Deep scheduling and client tools.
• Built for larger teams and multiple locations.
• Texts and email blasts included.

Cons:

• The most expensive option here.
• Demo-led sales rather than instant sign-up.
• More than a small shop needs.

Skip it if: you have fewer than five providers and simple services.

How to choose the right Vagaro alternative

Start with how clients find you and how they pay, then do the sum for your team size. Here’s what the monthly subscription alone would be for an illustrative salon with four stylists, using the list prices above. Processing fees, tax and add-ons come on top.

Tool	How it’s charged	Monthly subscription for 4 stylists
Vagaro	$30 for the first calendar + $10 for each of 3 more	$60
Fresha (Team)	$14.95 × 4 team members	$59.80
Booksy	$29.99 + $20 × 3 extra team members	$89.99 plus tax
GlossGenius (Gold)	One price for up to 9 staff	$56
Square Appointments (Plus)	$49 per location	$49 (or $0 on Free)
Timely (Build)	$26 × 4 staff	$104
Mangomint	$120 per location + $10 × 4 users	$160
Boulevard (Essentials)	One price for up to 5 providers	$143

Then ask four questions:

1. Do you get new clients from a marketplace? If yes, Fresha and Booksy are the only like-for-like swaps. If clients come from Instagram, WhatsApp and referrals, don’t pay for a marketplace.
2. How do your clients pay? In Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya, look for Paystack, bank transfer and USSD. In the US, compare card rates.
3. How big is your team? Per-person pricing is cheap for one or two chairs and expensive for ten.
4. Which add-ons do you really use? Price the forms, website and text marketing you actually need, not the full list.

Deposits are the single best fix for no-show appointments, so whichever tool you choose, make sure it can take one at booking. If you’re new to the category, our short explainer on booking software covers the basics, and our guide to salon appointment software goes deeper on features.

How to move from Vagaro to another booking app

1. Export your customer list. In Vagaro, go to Reports, then Customers, apply any filters you want, and select Export to save it as Excel or PDF, as Vagaro’s help article (checked on 1 October 2026) explains. Only the business owner can export the list. Choose Excel so you can save it as CSV.
2. Record your services and future bookings. Write down every service, price and duration, and list the appointments already booked for the coming weeks.
3. Check what’s tied to Vagaro. Memberships, packages, gift certificates and cards on file may not move. Decide how you’ll honour them.
4. Set up the new tool first. Add services, staff hours and your deposit rule, then make a test booking yourself.
5. Import clients. In startbuddi, that’s Customers → Contacts → Import, up to 10,000 contacts at a time from a CSV.
6. Change every booking link. Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, WhatsApp Business profile, Facebook and your website.
7. Tell your clients, with one short message and the new link, and keep existing bookings in Vagaro until they’ve passed.
8. Cancel Vagaro last, once the new link has taken bookings for a week or two.

How to run your salon bookings in startbuddi

1. In Bookings, open Services and click Create Service. Add the name, duration, colour and stylist.
2. Open the service, set the price and turn on “Require payment to book” with a deposit amount.
3. In Availability, set working hours, a buffer after each appointment and how far ahead clients can book.
4. Connect Paystack or Stripe in Money Manager settings so clients can pay when they book.
5. From Overview, click Share booking link and post it on WhatsApp and Instagram.

For the business side of running a salon, from pricing to staff, read our guide on how to run a salon business.

Try startbuddi for your salon

If your clients book through Instagram and WhatsApp and pay by transfer, you don’t need a marketplace or a stack of add-ons. Start free with startbuddi, no card needed, set up one service with a deposit and share the link today.

Frequently asked questions