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Booksy vs Vagaro (2026)

By Noahlast updated

Verdict: Choose Booksy if you run a salon or barbershop and want loyalty cards, custom forms, no-show protection and 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month in one $29.99/month plan. Choose Vagaro if you want a lower $23.99/month entry price, a marketplace listing with no new-client fee, or fitness studio tools like live-streamed classes and membership sales. The deciding factor is fees: Booksy adds $20/month per extra team member and a one-time 30% Boost fee (capped at $100) on new marketplace clients, while Vagaro includes its marketplace listing in the subscription.

Booksy

Appointment scheduling and payments software for salons, barbershops, spas, and independent beauty and wellness professionals.

Pricing
From $20/mo
License
Freemium

Best for Solo barbers and small salon teams who want one flat monthly fee covering booking, calendar, payments, and marketing without paying extra for feature tiers

Visit booksy.comRead our review

Vagaro

An appointment booking and business management platform for salons, spas, and fitness studios, priced at $23.99/month (or $30/month for multiple locations) with a 30-day trial.

Pricing
From $23.99/mo
License
Paid

Best for single-location salons, spas, and fitness studios that want booking, payments, and marketing bundled into one monthly subscription with a free spot in a consumer booking marketplace

Visit vagaro.comRead our review

Which should you choose?

Choose Booksy if…

wins 2/6 use cases

  • You want loyalty cards, custom forms and no-show protection included in the base $29.99/month plan
  • Text promotions matter more than email: Booksy includes 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month
  • You want to use a Stripe Reader M2 or BBPOS WisePOS E card reader with your booking app
  • You run a barbershop, hair salon, nail salon or spa and want software built only for beauty and wellness pros

Choose Vagaro if…

wins 3/6 use cases

  • You want the lowest entry price: $23.99/month for one location versus Booksy's $29.99/month plus tax
  • You run a fitness studio and want live-streamed classes alongside booking
  • You sell memberships, packages or retail products and need inventory tracking, invoicing and a waitlist
  • You want marketplace discovery without Booksy's one-time 30% Boost fee on new clients
  • You want a 30-day free trial to test booking and payments before you pay

Booksy vs Vagaro: feature comparison

FeatureBooksyVagaro
Starting priceYesfrom $29.99/mo per location, plus taxYesfrom $23.99/mo (Single Location)
Free tierNoNo
Free trialUnknownPartial30 days; excludes email marketing, text marketing and the branded app
Extra staff membersPartial$20/mo per additional team memberUnknownno per-staff fee in the listed pricing
Multiple locationsYes$29.99/mo per locationYes$30/mo per location (Multiple Locations)
Cancel anytimeYesno commitmentYesbilled monthly, no cancellation fees
PlatformsYesweb, iOS, AndroidYesweb, iOS, Android
Consumer marketplaceYesBooksy app; optional Boost visibility takes 30% of a new client's first visit, capped at $100Yesfree listing in the Vagaro app with every subscription
Included marketing messagesYes2,000 free SMS marketing messages/moYes1,000 free marketing emails/mo
Appointment remindersYesfree reminders and confirmationsYesunlimited reminders
Payment processingPartialbuilt in; 2.69% + $0.30 per keyed-in transaction, billed separatelyPartialbuilt in via Vagaro Merchant Services; rates not listed
Card reader hardwareYesBBPOS WisePOS E and Stripe Reader M2Yescard readers and receipt printers; free reader offer requires Vagaro Merchant Services
Loyalty cards, custom forms, no-show protectionYesincluded in the base planUnknown
Memberships, packages, inventory, invoicingUnknownYesincluded, plus a customer waitlist
Business types coveredPartialsalons, barbershops, nail salons, spas, beauty and wellness prosYessalons, spas, barbershops, fitness studios with live-streamed classes

Booksy vs Vagaro: pricing

Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.

Booksy

  • Base subscriptionOne business location, all features included, plus tax; no commitment, cancel anytime$29.99/mo
  • Additional team memberPer extra staff member added to the account$20/mo
Verified November 1, 2026Latest pricing

Vagaro

  • Single LocationBilled monthly, cancel anytime with no cancellation fees. Includes booking, calendar, payments, 1,000 free marketing emails/month, memberships, packages, invoicing, and marketplace listing.$23.99/mo
  • Multiple LocationsPer-location rate for businesses operating more than one site; same feature set as the single-location plan.$30/mo
Not yet verifiedLatest pricing

Booksy vs Vagaro pricing: which costs less?

Vagaro costs less to start, at $23.99/month for one location against Booksy's $29.99/month plus tax.

Booksy adds $20/month for each additional team member, so a three-person salon pays $69.99/month before tax and processing fees. Vagaro's listed pricing does not show a per-staff charge, and its Multiple Locations plan is $30/month per location, close to Booksy's $29.99 per location. Booksy bills card processing separately at 2.69% + $0.30 per keyed-in transaction, and its optional Boost feature takes a one-time 30% of a new client's first visit, capped at $100. Vagaro's processing rates are not in the listing data.

Which has better marketing tools, Booksy or Vagaro?

Booksy bundles 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month plus loyalty cards, while Vagaro bundles 1,000 free marketing emails a month and a marketplace listing with no extra fee.

Both platforms run a consumer marketplace app where clients find and book businesses. Vagaro includes the listing in every subscription and says over 220,000 professionals list services there. Booksy's marketplace is built in too, but its Boost visibility feature charges a one-time 30% fee on a new client's first visit, capped at $100. Vagaro's 30-day trial excludes email marketing, text marketing and the branded app, so those tools cannot be tested before paying.

Which is better for fitness studios, Booksy or Vagaro?

Vagaro is the better fit for fitness studios, with live-streamed classes, membership and package sales in its base plan, while Booksy is built for beauty and wellness pros such as barbers, stylists and nail techs.

Vagaro's listing also includes inventory tracking, invoicing and a customer waitlist. Booksy's listing centers on salon workflows: no-show protection, loyalty cards, custom forms and client records. Booksy's own listing notes it lacks the general-purpose scheduling flexibility of horizontal booking tools.

Can Vagaro replace Booksy?

Yes, Vagaro can replace Booksy for most salons and barbershops, since both bundle online booking, calendars, payments, marketing and a consumer marketplace app in one monthly plan.

Check the features you rely on before switching. Booksy's listing documents loyalty cards, custom forms, no-show protection and 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month; Vagaro's listing does not document loyalty cards, custom forms or no-show protection. Vagaro's free card reader offer requires Vagaro Merchant Services, so a salon taking payments on a Stripe Reader M2 through Booksy would change processors.

Strengths and weaknesses

Booksy

Pros

  • Single flat subscription ($29.99/month) includes every feature with no locked-behind-a-higher-tier upsells
  • Built-in consumer marketplace app gives businesses discovery traffic beyond their own client list
  • Includes 2,000 free SMS marketing messages per month plus free appointment reminders and confirmations
  • Card reader hardware (BBPOS WisePOS E, Stripe Reader M2) integrates directly with the Booksy app

Cons

  • Per-team-member pricing ($20/month each) can get expensive quickly for multi-chair salons
  • Boost marketing feature charges a one-time 30% fee on a new client's first visit, which is steep compared to flat referral fees elsewhere
  • Payment processing fees are billed separately from the subscription, so the effective monthly cost is higher than the advertised base price
  • Focused specifically on beauty and wellness businesses, so it lacks the general-purpose scheduling flexibility of horizontal booking tools

Vagaro

Pros

  • Single flat monthly price ($23.99) covers booking, payments, marketing, and marketplace listing together.
  • Free listing in the Vagaro consumer marketplace app drives discovery beyond the business's own site.
  • 1,000 free marketing emails per month included in the base subscription.
  • No cancellation fees, unlike some competitors that require annual contracts.

Cons

  • 30-day trial excludes email marketing, text marketing, and the branded app, limiting what can be tested before paying.
  • No permanently free tier; every business must eventually subscribe.
  • Multiple-location pricing is per location ($30/month each), which adds up for growing chains.
  • Payment processing is tied to Vagaro's own Merchant Services for the free card reader offer, limiting flexibility to use an existing processor.

Which fits your use case?

Use casePickWhy
Solo barber or stylist on a tight budgetVagaroVagaro's single-location plan is $23.99/month against Booksy's $29.99/month plus tax.
Salon that relies on text-message promotionsBooksyBooksy includes 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month; Vagaro's included allowance is 1,000 marketing emails.
Fitness or yoga studio selling memberships and streaming classesVagaroVagaro lists live-streamed classes plus membership and package sales; Booksy's listing is built around beauty and wellness appointments.
Salon that rewards repeat clients with loyalty cardsBooksyBooksy includes loyalty cards and custom forms in its base plan; Vagaro's listing does not mention loyalty cards.
Business that wants new marketplace clients without a commissionVagaroVagaro includes its marketplace listing in the subscription; Booksy's Boost visibility takes 30% of a new client's first visit, capped at $100.
Business with several locationsTieBooksy charges $29.99/month per location and Vagaro $30/month per location, so location costs are nearly identical.

Neither a match?

Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.

3 alternatives to Booksy3 alternatives to Vagaro

Booksy vs Vagaro: migration FAQ

Should I use Booksy or Vagaro?

Use Booksy if you run a salon or barbershop and want loyalty cards, no-show protection and 2,000 free SMS messages a month in one plan; use Vagaro if you want a lower $23.99/month entry price, fitness studio features, or a marketplace listing without a new-client fee.

Is Booksy cheaper than Vagaro?

No — Booksy starts at $29.99/month plus tax for one location, while Vagaro starts at $23.99/month. Booksy also adds $20/month per extra team member and bills card processing separately at 2.69% + $0.30 per keyed-in transaction.

Can Vagaro replace Booksy?

Yes for most salons, barbershops and spas, since Vagaro covers booking, payments, marketing and a marketplace app. Booksy's listing documents loyalty cards, custom forms and 2,000 free SMS messages a month that Vagaro's listing does not.

Does Vagaro have a free trial?

Yes — Vagaro offers a 30-day free trial, but it excludes email marketing, text marketing and the branded app. Neither Vagaro nor Booksy has a permanently free tier.

How much does Booksy Boost cost?

Booksy Boost charges a one-time fee of 30% of a new client's first-visit cost, capped at $100, for businesses using Boost to get marketplace visibility. Vagaro includes its marketplace listing in the subscription at no extra cost.