GlossGenius vs Vagaro (2026): which should you pick?

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.