Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) 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.
Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon)
Salon scheduling and checkout, now sold as DaySmart Salon
Vagaro
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios
Which one is for you
Pick Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) if
- Fits if you cut hair alone and want booking and card payments in one place
- Works for salons of up to 6 on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow, as users are capped at 1 on Basic, 3 on Deluxe and 6 on Premium
- Pricey if you want text marketing or two-way texting, which need Deluxe Growth at $149 a month
- Watch out: reputation management and the website builder are add-ons on Basic
- Watch out: Premium Growth has no published price
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a two-week 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
| 2.0GPASalon Iris (DaySmart Salon)Fair | 2.6GPAVagaroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $29 a month for 1 user, between the cheaper quarter ($25) and the middle ($49) of the category. Deluxe is $69 for 3 users. | 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 | DTwo-week free trial on every plan. No free plan, and card terms are not stated. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| Features | CBooking, reminders, payments, team tools and a mobile app. Text marketing, two-way texting and reputation management need Deluxe Growth, and a website builder is an add-on on Basic. | 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. You set up services, staff and payments first. | 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, iOS and Android apps with Instagram, Facebook and QuickBooks. | 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 | salon booking and checkout for solo stylists and small teams | 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: Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) and Vagaro. How we grade
Price against what you get
Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) starts at $29 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 $5.01 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 10 score higher than Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) 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
- Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) also covers reports, time clock, sMS marketing and review collection.
- Vagaro also covers forms, payroll, inventory and class booking.
At a glance
| Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 1 user (Basic) | $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Two-week free trial on every plan | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | DaySmart Software | Vagaro, Inc. |
| Price read from | daysmart.com | vagaro.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon)
- The salon-iris address now redirects to DaySmart Salon, so this listing reads the DaySmart Salon pages.
- User counts are capped per plan: 1 on Basic, 3 on Deluxe and Deluxe Growth, 6 on Premium.
- Text marketing, two-way texting and reputation management need Deluxe Growth or above; on Basic, reputation management and the website builder are add-ons.
- Premium Growth has no published price.
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
Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon)
- Scheduling and online booking
- Appointment book for online bookings, walk-ins and multi-service visits, with Instagram and Facebook booking from the first plan.
- Reminders and texting
- Automated appointment reminders on every plan; two-way texting and text marketing start at Deluxe Growth.
- Integrated payments
- Card payments and online deposits are built in; the page says funds reach the account the next business day.
- Team management
- Basic payroll starts at Deluxe; sliding-scale commission, overtime rules and commission exceptions appear on the higher plans.
- Marketing and reviews
- Email marketing from Deluxe, text marketing and reputation management from Deluxe Growth, and a website builder as an add-on.
- Mobile app
- iOS and Android apps are linked from the DaySmart Salon page, and the feature list shows a mobile app on every plan.
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
Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon)
Basic$29
per month for 1 user
Online booking, confirmations, Instagram and Facebook booking, payment processing and online deposits; 500 texts and 1,000 emails a month.
Deluxe$69
per month for up to 3 users
Adds online gift cards, digital forms, a client loyalty system, basic payroll and email marketing.
Deluxe Growth$149
per month for up to 3 users
Adds text marketing, two-way texting and reputation management to Deluxe.
Premium$199
per month for up to 6 users
Adds QuickBooks Connect and a larger text and email allowance.
Premium GrowthCustom
Unlimited users, expense tracking, advanced payroll and commission tracking; priced by contacting DaySmart.
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
Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon)
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, Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) or Vagaro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vagaro is cheaper to start with: $23.99 a month, against $29 a month for Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon). Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) starts at $29 per month for 1 user (Basic), 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, Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) or Vagaro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Salon Iris (DaySmart Salon) nor Vagaro 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.