Vagaro vs Zenoti (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 1.8.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 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.
Vagaro
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios
Free trial · from $30/mo
Which one is for you
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
Pick Zenoti if
- Fits if you run several salons or spas and want payroll, stock and booking in one system
- Works for a med spa chain that can go through a demo and a quote
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a posted price, as every plan goes through a demo
- Watch out: the AI agents need the AI Plus package, and add-ons are priced separately
- Watch out: voice, SMS and messaging are billed by use
- Too light for a phone-first user, as the mobile app is tuned for tablets over 9.5 inches
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAVagaroGood | 1.8GPAZenotiWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CNo price is published. Every plan is a quote, so cost cannot be set against the $49.90 middle of the category. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. | FNo free plan and no trial on record, so you pay before you use it. |
| 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. | CBooking, point of sale, payroll and commissions, inventory and a mobile app. The AI agents need the AI Plus package and add-ons are sold apart. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. A multi-site business has a long set-up before it works. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, with one integration listed. The mobile app is tuned for tablets over 9.5 inches. |
| Best for | booking for salons, spas and fitness studios | spa and salon chain software |
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: Vagaro and Zenoti. How we grade
Where they differ
- Vagaro also covers forms, email campaigns, payroll and inventory.
- Zenoti also covers reports.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAppointment bookingClass booking
At a glance
| Vagaro | Zenoti | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Vagaro, Inc. | Zenoti |
| Price read from | vagaro.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Zenoti
- No prices are published: every plan is a quote through a demo request, so cost cannot be compared up front.
- AI agents need the AI Plus package, and add-ons are priced separately.
- Voice, SMS and messaging use is billed by consumption, with optional base packs.
- Zenoti Mobile is optimized for tablets larger than 9.5 inches, per the vendor.
Key features
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.
Zenoti
- Appointment book and online booking
- A scheduling book for providers and rooms, plus an online booking page, social booking and Reserve with Google.
- Point of sale and payments
- Checkout, payment processing, text-to-pay links, gift cards, loyalty rewards, memberships and packages.
- Payroll, commissions and staff
- Employee management, payroll and commission calculation, and staff performance goals sit in the same system.
- Inventory and multi-location tools
- Stock management, resource and room management, and franchise and multi-location controls with cross-location reporting.
- AI agents (Zenoti OS)
- Agents for phone answering, lead handling, marketing, scheduling and inventory. The vendor says they require its AI Plus package.
- Zenoti Mobile app
- A staff-facing app for schedules, check-ins, guest records, digital forms and payments, on iOS and Android.
Plans
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.
Zenoti
Pricing could not be confirmed. See zenoti.com.
Ways to pay less
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.
Zenoti
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Vagaro or Zenoti?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Vagaro starts at $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months, and Zenoti has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Vagaro or Zenoti?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Vagaro nor Zenoti 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.