Mindbody vs Vagaro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 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 2.2.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mindbody grades higher on ease of use. Vagaro grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mindbody
Studio, gym, spa and salon software with a consumer booking app
Vagaro
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios
Which one is for you
Pick Mindbody if
- Fits if you run a yoga, Pilates or fitness studio and want to be listed on a consumer booking app
- Works for brands with several locations that need corporate-level controls
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it on your own first: there's no free plan or self-serve trial, only a demo
- Not for you if you want a full price list, as Accelerate and Ultimate are only priced on a sales call
- Tight if you want automated email and text campaigns or the AI front desk, which need Ultimate
- Watch out: a branded client app is an add-on, and room booking and Pick-a-Spot need Accelerate or higher
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
| 2.2GPAMindbodyFair | 2.6GPAVagaroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $79 a location a month and up, the only figure on the page, which is above this category's middle ($49.90). Accelerate and Ultimate have no published price, so the plans with marketing are priced only on a sales call. | 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 | FNothing free: no free plan and no self-serve trial. New customers start with a demo. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| Features | BClass and appointment scheduling with unlimited staff logins, memberships, packages, retail and payments, reports and a listing on the Mindbody app. Room booking, Pick-a-Spot, automated marketing and the AI front desk come on dearer plans. | 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 | BMindbody rates 4.6 on the US App Store from 23,558 ratings, which puts it at B on our ease ladder. | 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 a business app for iPhone and Android and a listing on the Mindbody consumer app. ClassPass is the only integration on record, no API is listed, and there's no desktop 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 | fitness studios listed on a consumer booking app | 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: Mindbody and Vagaro. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mindbody starts at $79 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vagaro starts at $23.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Mindbody scores higher, and starts $55.01 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Mindbody for less, and 1 scores higher than Vagaro 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
- Mindbody also covers marketing automation and sMS marketing.
- Vagaro also covers forms, payroll and inventory.
At a glance
| Mindbody | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $79 per location / month and up | $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 | MINDBODY, Inc. | Vagaro, Inc. |
| Price read from | mindbodyonline.com | vagaro.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mindbody
- Plans are sold through a sales call: the page gives only a starting price of $79 per location a month and no figures for Accelerate or Ultimate.
- Automated email and text marketing and the AI front desk are limited to the top Ultimate plan.
- A branded client app is an add-on, and room booking and Pick-a-Spot need Accelerate or higher.
- There is no free plan or self-serve trial; new customers start with a demo.
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
Mindbody
- Class and appointment scheduling
- Schedule classes and appointments with unlimited staff logins, and on Accelerate and up book rooms, chairs and equipment and let members pick their spot.
- Mindbody app listing
- Every plan lists the business on the Mindbody consumer app, which Mindbody says reaches more than 3 million shoppers a month.
- Payments and point of sale
- Sell memberships, packages and retail in person or online with integrated payments, which Mindbody says carry no monthly fees or minimums.
- Business app
- Staff schedule, check clients in, take payments and look up clients from an iOS or Android app; some setup and deeper reports are easier on a desktop.
- Email and text marketing
- Ultimate adds automated campaigns triggered by client actions, list-growth tools and a lead dashboard to follow up on prospects.
- AI front desk and branded app
- Ultimate includes an AI assistant that answers calls and questions around the clock. A branded client app is sold as an add-on.
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
Mindbody
Starter$79
per location / month and up
Booking, payments, website booking widgets, a business website, a Mindbody app listing and basic reports. Sold through sales; $79 is the stated starting price.
AccelerateCustom
Adds advanced reporting, room and resource booking, Pick-a-Spot for classes, promo codes and access to premium add-ons.
UltimateCustom
Adds automated email and text campaigns, a 24/7 AI front desk, a lead pipeline, retention analytics and lower rates on marketing messages.
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
Mindbody
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, Mindbody or Vagaro?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Vagaro is cheaper to start with: $23.99 a month, against $79 a month for Mindbody. Mindbody starts at $79 per location / month and up, 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, Mindbody or Vagaro?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Mindbody 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.