Research-based guide. Compared on the vendors' official pricing pages, documentation and help centers. We have not tested these products hands-on yet; results will be added when we do. How we test
On this page
The best salon booking system depends on how many chairs you run and how you want to pay for it. On vendor pages checked November 7, 2026, Square Appointments lists a $0 subscription tier, Fresha Team charges per bookable team member, Booksy charges for additional users, and Boulevard and Meevo sell by plan or quote.
Solo stylists should compare Square’s free plan, Fresha Independent and Booksy. Small teams of three to ten should price Vagaro, Fresha Team, Booksy and Mangomint at their actual headcount. Larger or multi-location salons will end up looking at Boulevard, Meevo or Mangomint.
This guide compares eight products on documented plans, chair-based cost and marketplace fees. For the wider category, see our Scheduling & Booking Software Guide (2026) and our overview of booking software by industry.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links. It never affects our selections. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Quick Picks
These are fits based on documented features and price, not test winners.
- Best fit for most small salons: Vagaro. One published price covers calendar and resource management, waitlists, memberships and a free Marketplace listing.
- Best fit if you want a free plan: Square Appointments. The Free tier costs $0 a month; you pay card processing fees.
- Best fit for solo stylists: Fresha Independent ($19.95) or Square Free. Booksy ($29.99) bundles every feature in one price.
- Best fit for multi-location salons: Boulevard, Meevo or Mangomint, which all publish multi-location options.
Cost for 1, 5 and 10 Chairs
Monthly subscription in USD, treating each chair as one bookable team member. Payment processing and optional texting or add-ons may cost extra.
| Product | 1 chair | 5 chairs | 10 chairs | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vagaro | $30 ($23.99 for first 6 months) | About $70* | About $90* | 30 days |
| Square Appointments | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | Free tier; 30 days for Plus and Premium |
| Fresha | $19.95 | $74.75 | $149.50 | 7 days |
| Booksy | $29.99 | $109.99 | $209.99 | 14 days, no card |
| GlossGenius | $28 (Standard) | $56 (Gold) | $168 (Platinum) | 14 days, no card |
| Boulevard | $159 (Essentials, billed monthly) | $159 (Essentials, billed monthly) | See vendor site | Demo; free trial not listed |
| Mangomint | $130 | $170 | $220 | Free trial |
| Meevo | Not publicly listed (quote-based) | Demo; free trial not listed | ||
Pricing checked November 7, 2026. *Vagaro: arithmetic from the $30 one-calendar price and the $10 per added calendar license (up to seven) stated in its FAQ. Fresha, Booksy and Mangomint: arithmetic from published per-person prices; Mangomint counts front-desk staff as users, so add $10 for each. Square Free includes unlimited staff calendars; Plus and Premium are feature upgrades rather than chair-based charges. Boulevard Essentials lists up to 5 providers; see its pricing page for larger teams.
How We Evaluated
This is a research-based guide comparing products through their official pricing pages, documentation and help centers, checked November 7, 2026. We have not yet run our hands-on salon test scenario on these products. When we do, the results will be added and the page will be marked as tested. Our approach is on the how we test page.
Salon Booking Software Reviews
Vagaro
Vagaro’s pricing page shows $30 a month for one calendar, with an exclusive $23.99 rate for the first six months (exclusions apply). Its FAQ says each added bookable calendar license costs $10, up to seven, and further employees cost nothing extra. Every plan includes calendar and resource management, waitlists, memberships and packages, loyalty programs, 1,000 free emails monthly and a free Marketplace listing.
Best fit: small teams that want one price with many features. Limitations: several tools are paid add-ons: Forms $10 a month, Online Shopping Cart (card capture and deposits) $10 a month, MySite $20 a month, Branded App $100 a month for a limited time plus a $100 one-time development fee, and Text Marketing from $20 a month.
Square Appointments
Square lists Free ($0), Plus ($49) and Premium ($149) per location per month. All tiers include unlimited staff calendars, an online booking site, appointment deposits and reminders. Plus adds processing time for hair color, multi-staff appointment booking, cancellation policies with no-show fees and waitlists. Premium adds resource management, service cost tracking and a future bookings report.
Card rates drop by tier: in person, 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium; online and invoice payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ above; cards on file are 3.5% + 15¢. Best fit: solo stylists and owners who already want Square checkout. Limitations: color-processing time and no-show fees require Plus. Plus and Premium each offer a 30-day free trial.
Fresha
Fresha charges $19.95 a month for Independent (one calendar column) and $14.95 per bookable team member for Team, each with a 7-day trial. Enterprise is custom for businesses with over 20 team members. Its plan table lists waitlists, packages, memberships, group bookings, processing and finishing times, resources and no-show and cancellation fees.
Best fit: solos and mid-size teams that want a low base price and a marketplace. Limitations: new clients from the marketplace cost 20% (see below), and add-ons such as Client Loyalty are extra.
Booksy
Booksy costs $29.99 a month plus $20 for each additional team member, plus tax, with all features in one plan. It lists waitlists, no-show protection, gift cards, memberships and packages, and 2,000 free marketing texts a month. The trial is 14 days with no credit card. Processing is 2.69% + $0.30 for mobile and keyed payments and 2.49% + $0.10 on the Booksy Card Reader.
Best fit: solos and small teams that want no tiers. Limitations: the per-person price adds up at ten chairs, and Boost carries a commission.
GlossGenius
GlossGenius sells Standard ($28 a month, or $24 a month billed annually), Gold ($56 a month, or $48 a month billed annually, listed for up to 9 staff) and Platinum ($168 a month, or $148 a month billed annually, for 10 or more). Standard lists a booking website, client notifications, email and text marketing, inventory, packages and memberships. Gold adds forms, Google booking, an automated waitlist, time tracking and room and resource management.
Best fit: small beauty businesses that want website, booking and payments together. Limitations: in-person payments cost 2.4% + $0.15; online invoicing is 2.9% + $0.30. Instant payouts add 1.8%, payroll is $40 a month plus $6 per seat, and Reception is $50 a month.
Boulevard
Boulevard lists Essentials for one location with up to 5 providers at $159 a month billed monthly, or $143 a month billed annually. Premier includes unlimited professionals; see the vendor site for Premier and Prestige pricing. Its pricing page advertises a limited-time offer for new customers. Forms start at $65 per month per location, and QuickBooks sync is $45 per month per location.
Best fit: growing salons and spas with several locations. Limitations: no free trial is listed, only a demo.
Mangomint
Mangomint charges $120 per location and $10 per user a month, with free onboarding and data transfer and no contracts. Add-ons are Phone at $70 per line, Marketing from $30 and Payroll at $50 plus $8 per worker. In-person payments are 2.45% + 15¢ and virtual payments 2.90% + 30¢.
Best fit: salons and spas that want one flat price per location and per user. Limitations: every profile counts as a user, including front desk, and no marketplace is described.
Meevo
Meevo sells Lite (5 users), Essentials and Premier (both with unlimited users) plans on an annual contract, all by quote. Every plan lists appointment deposits, a wait list, group booking, resource book and Google Book Now. Premier adds API access, digital forms and dynamic pricing tools.
Best fit: established or multi-location salons that expect a sales process. Limitations: no public prices, and no free trial is listed.
Marketplace Fees Explained
A marketplace can send new clients, and some charge for them.
- Fresha: a 20% one-time commission on brand-new clients from its marketplace. See the vendor site for the applicable minimum fee. Returning clients and your own booking links carry no marketplace commission.
- Booksy: no commission on clients who find you online or through your own marketing, unless Boost is on. Boost charges 30% of a new client’s first visit, up to $100, so a $400 first visit costs $100.
- Vagaro: a Marketplace listing is free in every plan. Fill My Books has a booking fee; its amount is not shown on the pricing pages checked.
- Square: describes Square Go as a free marketplace app. No new-client commission appears on its pricing page.
- Others: the Boulevard, GlossGenius, Mangomint and Meevo pricing pages list no marketplace commission.
FAQ
What booking system do salons use?
Salons use Vagaro, Square Appointments, Fresha, Booksy, GlossGenius, Boulevard, Mangomint and Meevo, among others. Small shops can compare published prices; larger salons usually need multi-location tools and onboarding, which Boulevard, Meevo and Mangomint document.
What are the best apps for booking salon services?
For clients, the relevant apps are the vendor marketplaces. Vagaro lists a free Marketplace listing, Fresha lists a client booking app, Booksy says its customer app is free for clients, and Square describes Square Go as a free marketplace app.
What is the best booking system for hairdressers?
Look for processing time so color clients can overlap with other appointments. Square lists it from Plus, Fresha lists processing and finishing times, and GlossGenius lists processing time in its compare table. Meevo lists client-specific appointment timing. Confirm the plan that includes it.
Is there a free salon booking app?
Square Appointments has a Free tier at $0 a month, though processing fees apply and no-show fees need Plus. Vagaro, Booksy, Fresha and Mangomint offer trials rather than free plans. If you also schedule field crews, see our construction scheduling software list, and for treatment businesses, our spa booking software picks.
Sources
- Vagaro pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Vagaro US pricing and premium features (checked November 7, 2026)
- Vagaro text messaging rates (checked November 7, 2026)
- Square Appointments pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Square Appointments overview (checked November 7, 2026)
- Square processing-time documentation (checked November 7, 2026)
- Square resource management (checked November 7, 2026)
- Fresha pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Fresha salon software and USD subscription prices (checked November 7, 2026)
- Booksy pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Booksy features (checked November 7, 2026)
- GlossGenius pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Boulevard pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Boulevard salon pricing and billing periods (checked November 7, 2026)
- Mangomint pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Mangomint multi-location documentation (checked November 7, 2026)
- Meevo pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
Mehmet Değirmenci is the founder and editor of BusinessSoftwareAtlas. He runs a law office in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he has spent years choosing, setting up and running the practice-management, scheduling and automation software his own team works with every day, including an in-house case-management system. He decides what this site covers and is responsible for everything it publishes.