GlossGenius vs StyleSeat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StyleSeat grades higher than GlossGenius: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
GlossGenius grades higher on features. StyleSeat grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GlossGenius
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and medspas
StyleSeat
Booking, payments and a client marketplace for beauty pros
Which one is for you
Pick GlossGenius if
- Fits if you're a solo stylist or small salon that wants booking, deposits and card payments in one app
- Works for medspas that want charting and client photos kept beside the booking calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want to stay free: there's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and every card payment carries a fee of 2.4% + $0.15 in person or 3.4% + $0.15 online
- Pricey if you need forms and waivers, the automated waitlist or included text credits, which start on Gold at $48 a month billed yearly ($56 monthly)
- Pricey if you want payroll or the AI phone receptionist: payroll is $40 a month plus $6 a seat and Reception is $50 a month, on top of the plan
- Not for you if you run a medspa on a small budget, as charting starts on Practice Essentials at $148 a month billed yearly ($168 monthly)
- Watch out: teams of 10 or more need Platinum at $148 a month billed yearly, and each extra location pays its own plan price, less 15%
Pick StyleSeat if
- Fits if you work alone or in a small team as a stylist, barber or similar and want clients to book and pay a deposit
- Works for a pro who wants to be found through a marketplace profile
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if the marketplace sends you a new client, as it keeps 30% of that first appointment, up to $50
- Watch out: the join page says $19 a month and the help centre says $35
- Watch out: card payments cost 2.5% + $0.30 in person or 2.6% + $0.30 for a card on file
- Tight if you turn on its pricing add-on, which takes 5.5% of the extra booking total, up to $16.50
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAGlossGeniusFair | 2.6GPAStyleSeatGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $24 a month billed yearly ($28 monthly), and Gold covers up to 9 staff for $48, so a team of five pays about $9.60 a head. GlossGenius is the only booking tool on our site so far, so this category is too thin to compare yet, and it sits at the ordinary grade until there's something to set it against. | B$19 a month after the trial, which is inside the cheapest quarter of the category and just above 60% of it. The help centre lists $35 for the same plan, so we cannot be sure. Card fees and marketplace cuts come on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of any plan with no credit card. After that it's $24 a month at least, and card payments carry fees on top: 2.4% + $0.15 in person and 3.4% + $0.15 online. | CA free trial with no card needed, then a paid plan. There is no free plan. |
| Features | BA booking site, a staff calendar with deposits, payments and point of sale, email and text marketing, forms, SOAP notes, commissions and reports, with charting on the medspa plans. Nothing in the booking job is missing, but forms, the automated waitlist and text credits need Gold, and payroll costs extra. | CBooking, deposits, payments, marketing and team calendars. The marketplace takes 30% of a first visit from a client it brings you, which is a cost the listing shows in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating on record. Before clients can book and pay, you set up a booking site from templates, your services, staff and deposit and cancellation rules, and card readers or Tap to Pay. | BThe page quotes 4.9 from over 350,000 ratings across both app stores. We did not check that against the stores themselves, so it sits at B. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Tap to Pay on both phones, plus Reserve with Google, Google Reviews and two-way calendar sync. No desktop app and no API on record, which keeps it from an A. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps. No integrations are listed. |
| Best for | booking and payments for salons and spas | booking and marketplace for solo beauty pros |
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: GlossGenius and StyleSeat. How we grade
Price against what you get
GlossGenius starts at $24 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. StyleSeat starts at $19 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and StyleSeat starts $5 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than GlossGenius for less, and none scores higher than StyleSeat for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- GlossGenius also covers forms, email campaigns, payroll and clinical notes.
At a glance
| GlossGenius | StyleSeat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly) | $19 per month after a free trial (help center says $35) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required | Free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | GlossGenius, Inc. | StyleSeat, Inc. |
| Price read from | glossgenius.com | styleseat.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GlossGenius
- There is no free plan. In-person card payments cost 2.4% + $0.15 and online payments 3.4% + $0.15, with invoices at 2.9% + $0.30.
- Payroll is an add-on at $40 a month plus $6 per seat, and Reception, the AI phone and text answering service, is $50 a month.
- Forms and waivers, the automated waitlist, chargeback protection and included text credits start on the Gold plan.
- Each additional location is charged its own plan price, at a 15% discount.
StyleSeat
- The join page shows $19 a month after the trial, while the help center lists a $35 monthly subscription; confirm at sign-up.
- Payments cost 2.5% + $0.30 card present, or 2.6% + $0.30 on card on file, per the help center.
- New Client Connection keeps 30% of a first appointment with a client the marketplace brings you, capped at $50.
- Smart Pricing, when used, takes 5.5% of the increased booking total, capped at $16.50.
Key features
GlossGenius
- Booking website and calendar
- A booking site with templates and team profiles, 24/7 online booking without a client login, gap and processing times, and two-way calendar sync.
- No-show protection and waitlist
- Deposits, card-on-file and cancellation policies on every plan; the automated waitlist and room and resource booking start on Gold.
- Payments and point of sale
- Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, card readers, split payments, tips, invoices, gift cards, memberships, packages and Buy Now, Pay Later.
- Email and text marketing
- Unlimited marketing emails on every plan, with text credits included on Gold (500) and Platinum (2,500) and an AI marketing assistant.
- Forms, notes and EMR
- Intake forms and waivers the vendor describes as HIPAA-compliant, SOAP notes, and charting with photo markup on the medspa plans.
- Staff, payroll and reports
- Roles and permissions, commissions, time tracking, sales and staff reports, and add-on payroll that files payroll taxes in all 50 states.
StyleSeat
- Online booking and deposits
- Clients book open slots online, with deposits, kept late-cancellation fees and automatic reminders.
- Payments
- StyleSeat Payments handles checkout, tips and card on file, with payouts to a linked bank account. Cash and outside methods are also allowed.
- Marketplace profile
- A profile and portfolio that clients can find through StyleSeat search. A New Client Connection fee applies to clients the marketplace sends you.
- Marketing tools
- Email and text marketing, rebooking reminders, loyalty, promotions, packages, AI social posts and review management.
- Smart Pricing and waitlist
- Optional higher rates for busy slots, and a waitlist that offers a cancelled slot to clients waiting for that time.
- Team calendars
- Staff calendars, roles and permissions, with no extra charge per team member according to the join page.
Plans
GlossGenius
Standard$24
per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly)
Booking website, unlimited client notifications, email and text marketing, inventory and retail, packages and memberships.
Gold$48
per month, billed annually ($56 billed monthly)
For teams of up to 9 staff: adds forms and waivers, Google booking and reviews, automated waitlist, time tracking and 500 text credits.
Platinum$148
per month, billed annually ($168 billed monthly)
For teams of 10 or more: unlimited team members, goal setting, custom commissions, Google marketing analytics and 2,500 text credits.
Practice Essentials$148
per month, billed annually ($168 billed monthly)
Medspa and aesthetics plan with EMR charting, photo markup, medical director sign-off and 50 GB of client photos.
Practice Advanced$248
per month, billed annually ($298 billed monthly)
Medspa plan for unlimited providers with the full AI clinical suite, 100 GB of client photos and premium support.
StyleSeat
Premium$19
per month, after a free trial
One flat plan with staff calendars, marketing tools and marketplace profile. Help center, dated Oct 2, 2026, still lists $35 a month.
Ways to pay less
GlossGenius
- Annual discount
Save up to 14% with annual billing
The pricing page lists a 14% saving on Standard, Gold and Practice Essentials and 12% on Platinum and Practice Advanced when billed annually.
- Other savings
15% off each additional location
GlossGenius charges each additional location the plan price at a 15% discount.
StyleSeat
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GlossGenius or StyleSeat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StyleSeat is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $24 a month for GlossGenius. GlossGenius starts at $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly), and StyleSeat starts at $19 per month after a free trial (help center says $35).
Which has a free plan, GlossGenius or StyleSeat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither GlossGenius nor StyleSeat has a free plan. Both have 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.