EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) vs Vagaro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Vagaro: it is third in our ranking of salon, spa and studio booking apps, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Vagaro grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software)
Salon, spa and barber booking software now sold as EnvisionNow
Vagaro
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios
Which one is for you
Pick EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) if
- Fits if you run a salon, spa or barbershop and want a waitlist and calendar sync
- Works for owners who want their appointments in Google Calendar or Outlook
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to compare prices, as none are shown
- Watch out: Standard is 1 user, then $20 each added up to 5
- Tight if you send many texts: allowances are 500, 5,000 and 10,000 a month by plan
- Watch out: the vendor is now a PatientNow brand, so check what changed
- Skip it if you want a trial, as none is listed
Pick Vagaro if
- Fits if you run a salon, spa or barbershop on one to seven bookable calendars
- Works for studios that run classes alongside appointments in one calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: $23.99 a month lasts 6 months, then one calendar is $30 and each added calendar $10, up to seven
- Pricey if you want text marketing, a branded app or a MySite website, as the page sells them à la carte with no price
- Watch out: the free card reader needs Vagaro Merchant Services, whose rates are advertised from 2.2%
- Skip it if you have several locations and want a price up front, as multi-location plans are quoted by sales
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAEnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software)Fair | 2.6GPAVagaroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo plan price is shown, only "pricing tailored to your practice". Standard includes 1 user and charges $20 for each extra up to 5. | BOne calendar is $30 a month after an introductory $23.99 for 6 months, level with this category's cheaper quarter ($29.99). Each added calendar is $10 up to seven, so five people pay $70, but extras like text marketing have no published price. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial shown on the listing, so nothing here is free. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| Features | BOnline booking, waitlist, calendar sync, client notes, payments, reviews and marketing. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. | BBooking from its marketplace, Google, Apple Maps and Instagram, classes and resources, checkout with Affirm, memberships, forms and SOAP notes, payroll and multi-location tools. That's the whole booking job, for salons and studios alike. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and tiers by size mean choosing and setting up. | CNo rating for the business app is on record, since the App Store listing found is the client-facing app. You set up services, staff and payments before taking bookings. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android, with QuickBooks, Google Calendar, Outlook, WooCommerce and Canva links. No computer app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Xero, Affirm, Google, Apple Maps, Instagram, Facebook and Salesforce, and APIs and webhooks for multi-location accounts. No desktop app. |
| Best for | salons, spas and barbers on a plan by size | booking for salons, spas and fitness studios |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) and Vagaro. How we grade
Where they differ
- EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) also covers reports, sMS marketing and review collection.
- Vagaro also covers forms, payroll and class booking.
At a glance
| EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | PatientNow | Vagaro, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | vagaro.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software)
- The pricing page cards say "Pricing tailored to your practice" with no figures, so no plan prices are recorded here.
- Standard includes 1 user and charges $20 for each added user up to 5 seats.
- Included allowances: 500, 5,000 and 10,000 SMS notifications a month on Standard, Amplify and Ultimate.
- The envisionsalon.com address now redirects to envisionnow.com, a PatientNow brand.
Vagaro
- The $23.99 price lasts 6 months; after that one calendar costs $30 a month and each added calendar $10, up to seven.
- The pricing page calls its model à la carte but gives no prices for extras such as text marketing, a branded app or a MySite website.
- The free card reader requires signing up for Vagaro Merchant Services, which advertises processing rates from 2.2%.
- Multi-location pricing is quoted by sales, with each location priced by the features chosen for it.
Key features
EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software)
- Online booking and waitlist
- Branded 24/7 booking with required deposits, tiered pricing by stylist, and a waitlist that fills cancelled slots.
- Calendar sync
- The calendar syncs with Google, Outlook or iPhone calendars and tracks team availability and resources.
- Marketing and reviews
- Automated SMS and email campaigns with templates and AI assistance, review requests and Canva for before-and-after photos.
- Client notes and payments
- Client preferences, formulas and photos are stored with each client, with integrated payments, Tippy tipping and QuickBooks.
- Mobile apps
- A custom client app for Android and iOS handles booking, loyalty and push notifications, and there is an employee app.
- Plans by size
- Standard, Amplify and Ultimate allow 1, 25 and unlimited users, with SMS and campaign email allowances that rise by tier.
Vagaro
- Online booking and calendar
- Clients book through Vagaro's marketplace, a website widget, Google, Apple Maps, Instagram, Facebook or Alexa, with waitlists, classes and resource scheduling.
- Checkout and card readers
- Take Apple Pay, Google Pay and cards on Vagaro's own readers and terminals, offer Affirm pay-later plans, and sell memberships, packages and gift certificates.
- Forms and SOAP notes
- Intake forms and SOAP notes sit on each client profile, which also tracks history, retention and loyalty points.
- Vera AI assistant
- Vera helps write marketing and service descriptions, answers client messages, and its Fill My Books feature promotes open slots to Vagaro's customer network.
- Payroll and team access
- Vagaro Payroll pays staff and booth renters, tracks hours and time off, and access levels set what each employee can see at each location.
- Multi-location tools
- Sync services, clients, classes, products and pricing across locations, with SSO and SCIM, APIs and webhooks, and exports to Power BI, Salesforce and other tools.
Plans
EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software)
Pricing could not be confirmed. See envisionnow.com.
Vagaro
One location$30
per month for 1 calendar, plus $10 per added calendar
Advertised at $23.99 a month for the first 6 months. Calendars beyond seven cost nothing extra; 1,000 emails a month and a marketplace listing are included.
Multiple locationsCustom
Features chosen per location, with SSO, data lake exports, a dedicated success manager and data migration, through sales.
Ways to pay less
EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software)
No public discounts listed.
Vagaro
- Other savings
$23.99 a month for the first 6 months
Vagaro's pricing page shows a one-calendar account at $23.99 a month for the first 6 months, against the regular $30.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) or Vagaro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) has no price we could confirm, and Vagaro starts at $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months.
Which has a free plan, EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) or Vagaro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither EnvisionNow (Envision Salon Software) nor Vagaro has a free plan. Vagaro has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.