Rosy 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, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Rosy Salon Software
Cloud salon and spa scheduling, point of sale and retail stock
Vagaro
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios
Which one is for you
Pick Rosy Salon Software if
- Fits if you run a salon or spa with one or a few stylists
- Works for shops that also sell retail products and want stock tracked
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add stylists, as the price follows the number of providers with their own calendar
- Watch out: text messaging, email marketing and client images are Premium extras with no price shown
- Skip it if you want a native phone app, as only a mobile web app is mentioned
- Tight if you want a free start, as only a 14-day trial 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
| 2.0GPARosy Salon SoftwareFair | 2.6GPAVagaroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$44 a month for 1 provider per the listing, between the cheaper quarter and the middle of the category. The price rises with providers, and the page showed $29 with a RosyPay discount. | 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 | D14-day free trial, with card terms not stated. No free plan. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| Features | CAppointment book, online booking, POS, retail inventory and reports. Text messaging, email marketing and client images are optional Premium features. | 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. A salon builds its services, staff calendars and stock list before it works. | 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 app with Reserve with Google, Facebook, RosyPay and Tippy. A mobile web app is mentioned, but no downloadable apps. | 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 | small salons wanting a browser scheduler, till and stock | 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: Rosy Salon Software and Vagaro. How we grade
Price against what you get
Rosy Salon Software starts at $44 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vagaro starts at $23.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Vagaro scores higher and starts $20.01 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 12 score higher than Rosy Salon Software 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
- Rosy Salon Software also covers reports and sMS marketing.
- Vagaro also covers forms, payroll and class booking.
At a glance
| Rosy Salon Software | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $44 per month for 1 service provider | $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SalonRunner Software, LLC | Vagaro, Inc. |
| Price read from | rosysalonsoftware.com | vagaro.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Rosy Salon Software
- The price follows the number of providers with their own calendar; only the "Just Me" figure is shown without choosing a tier.
- Text messaging, automated and mass email marketing and client images are listed as optional Premium features, with no price shown on the pricing page.
- A browser-based product; the site mentions a mobile web app but no downloadable iOS or Android app.
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
Rosy Salon Software
- Appointment book
- Staff book clients in a few clicks, set up several services in one visit, see client history and send reminders by email.
- Online client scheduling
- Clients book from the salon's website or business Facebook page, and open slots can be offered through Reserve with Google.
- Point of sale
- Checkout with cash drawer, gift cards and card payments. RosyPay is the built-in card processing, provided by Fullsteam Operations in the US.
- Retail inventory
- Running-low alerts, product reservations and mass updates keep retail and back-bar stock counted against sales.
- Reports
- A reporting engine with 60+ reports and filters, exportable to several formats, including reports for accounting and payroll.
- Premium marketing features
- Optional extras: automated email marketing, mass email, enhanced text reminders and confirmations, client images and an image library.
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
Rosy Salon Software
Standard subscription$44
per month and up, for 1 provider with their own calendar
Priced by how many employees need a calendar; the page shows $44 a month for "Just Me" and a higher rate as providers are added.
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
Rosy 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, Rosy Salon Software or Vagaro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vagaro is cheaper to start with: $23.99 a month, against $44 a month for Rosy Salon Software. Rosy Salon Software starts at $44 per month for 1 service provider, 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, Rosy Salon Software or Vagaro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Rosy Salon Software nor Vagaro has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Rosy Salon Software and Vagaro run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Vagaro lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.