GlossGenius review (2026): is it worth $24 a month, billed yearly?
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and medspas
GlossGenius report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 24, 2026
Best for booking and payments for salons and spas
GlossGenius puts a salon's booking website, staff calendar, card payments and email and text marketing in one app, from $24 a month billed yearly, with charting for medspas on dearer plans. What holds it back is how the extras stack up: forms, the automated waitlist and text credits start on Gold at $48, payroll is $40 a month plus $6 a seat, and there's no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Who GlossGenius is for
- 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
Who GlossGenius is not for
- 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%
Why GlossGenius gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyStandard is $24 a month billed yearly ($28 monthly), and Gold covers up to 9 staff for $48, so a team of five pays about $9.60 a head. GlossGenius is the only booking tool on our site so far, so this category is too thin to compare yet, and it sits at the ordinary grade until there's something to set it against.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of any plan with no credit card. After that it's $24 a month at least, and card payments carry fees on top: 2.4% + $0.15 in person and 3.4% + $0.15 online.
- BFeaturesA booking site, a staff calendar with deposits, payments and point of sale, email and text marketing, forms, SOAP notes, commissions and reports, with charting on the medspa plans. Nothing in the booking job is missing, but forms, the automated waitlist and text credits need Gold, and payroll costs extra.
- CEase of useNo app store rating on record. Before clients can book and pay, you set up a booking site from templates, your services, staff and deposit and cancellation rules, and card readers or Tap to Pay.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Tap to Pay on both phones, plus Reserve with Google, Google Reviews and two-way calendar sync. No desktop app and no API on record, which keeps it from an A.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from GlossGenius's own pages on 24 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/glossgenius#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/glossgenius.svg" alt="GlossGenius: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where GlossGenius stands among salon, spa and studio booking apps
GlossGenius's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 15 other salon, spa and studio booking apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 3 of 15) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $24 a month, against a middle price of $49.45 for the category: 3 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 16 salon, spa and studio booking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. GlossGenius’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 15, level with 9
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 15, level with 9
- BFeaturesAbove 3 of 15, level with 12
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 15, level with 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 15, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 salon, spa and studio booking apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep GlossGenius, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace GlossGenius you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $288 a year.
What you could make
- Appointment booking, forms, clinical notes and review collection: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers.
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: HIPAA and roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. GlossGenius’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is GlossGenius?
GlossGenius is booking and point-of-sale software for beauty, wellness and health businesses, from solo stylists to multi-location salons and medspas. It combines a booking website, a staff calendar with waitlist and deposits, card payments, client records, and email and text marketing. Medspa plans add charting, photo markup and medical director sign-off, and payroll and an AI phone receptionist are sold as add-ons.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
GlossGenius pricing
As of Oct 24, 2026, GlossGenius is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $24per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly) | Booking website, unlimited client notifications, email and text marketing, inventory and retail, packages and memberships. |
| Gold | $48per 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 | $148per 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 | $148per 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 | $248per 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. |
Read from glossgenius.com on Oct 24, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with GlossGenius before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on glossgenius.com - Other savings15% off each additional location
GlossGenius charges each additional location the plan price at a 15% discount.
Stated on glossgenius.com
Works with
- Reserve with Google
- Google Reviews
- Tap to Pay on iPhone
GlossGenius alternatives
- GlossGenius vs Vagaro
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- GlossGenius vs Fresha
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
- GlossGenius vs Mangomint
Free trial · from $120/mo
- GlossGenius vs Boulevard
From $143/mo
- GlossGenius vs Booksy
Free trial · from $29.99/mo
Common questions
Does GlossGenius have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. GlossGenius is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does GlossGenius have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. GlossGenius is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is GlossGenius open source?
GlossGenius is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 24, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 24, 2026.