How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Salon software pricing runs from $0 (Square Appointments free tier) to $130-plus per month per location (Mangomint), with most tools charging per staff member.
- The real cost driver is not the subscription: it is the add-ons. SMS marketing, intake forms, marketplace commissions and payment processing decide the true monthly bill.
- Vagaro ($23.99 per month, capped at $83.99) and GlossGenius ($28 per month flat) are the predictable picks for small teams. Booksy ($29.99 plus $20 per team member) gets expensive past 5 chairs.
- Barbershops should shortlist Squire (flat rate, no per-barber charges). Premium salons should look at Boulevard and Mangomint for the client experience.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Vagaro | Solo stylists through 7-plus chair salons | $23.99/month for 1 bookable calendar (promo; standard $30) | Free trial (30 days) |
 Fresha | Budget-conscious salons and barbershops with their own clientele | $14.95/month per team member (Team plan) | No |
 Mindbody | Established wellness businesses and multi-location salon and spa brands | $79/month per location (Starter) | No |
 Booksy | Barbershops and beauty businesses wanting every feature for one price | $29.99/month + $20/month per additional team member | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 GlossGenius | Solo providers and small beauty teams wanting transparent pricing | $28/month ($24/month billed annually) | Free trial (14 days, no credit card) |
 Boulevard | Premium salons and spas that treat client experience as the brand | See website (quote-based; reviewers cite ~$143+/month per location) | No |
 Squire | Barbershops of any size | From $30/month (individual barbers); $50/month single-location shops | No |
 Square Appointments | Solo practitioners starting out and businesses on Square POS | $0/month (Free tier, single location) | Yes (genuinely free: online booking, calendar sync, reminders) |
 Mangomint | Growing salons and spas (2-20+ staff) | $130/month (1 location + 1 user); $10/month per additional user | Free trial available |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best salon management software
It is Saturday at 10 a.m. Your chairs are full, the phone is ringing, a walk-in wants a balayage quote, and your 11 o'clock just no-showed. The right salon software handles all of this quietly: online booking fills the gap, automated reminders cut the no-shows, and the client record tells your stylist exactly what formula you used last time. The wrong software means you are paying per text message, per staff member, and per new client the marketplace sends you. These nine cover the real market for beauty salons, barbershops and spas, with the pricing math that decides the true monthly cost.
Starting price$23.99/month for 1 bookable calendar (promo; standard $30)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Vagaro's headline feature is the price cap. The subscription tops out at $83.99 per month no matter how many providers you add, with month-to-month billing and no long-term contract. The consumer marketplace drives new clients without a per-booking commission, and 1,000 free email marketing messages a month are included.
The add-on economy is the catch. A 5-staff salon realistically pays $150-plus per month once SMS marketing and forms are added, and each additional location needs its own full account. Processing runs 2.2% to 3.5% per transaction. For teams under 7 providers that want marketplace exposure without per-staff fees that scale forever, the cap keeps the bill predictable.
What we like- Monthly subscription caps at $83.99 no matter how many providers you add
- Free marketplace listing with no commission on your own bookings
- 24/7 live support with free training and data migration
Watch out for- Text marketing, intake forms and the website builder are paid add-ons
- Each location needs a separate full account
#2
Fresha
Best for: Budget-conscious salons and barbershops with their own clientele
Visit fresha.com
Starting price$14.95/month per team member (Team plan)
Free planNo
Fresha is the cheapest seat in the category at $14.95 per team member per month, with zero fees on returning or direct-booking clients. If your marketing is your own and your clients rebook, almost nothing here costs you beyond the seat. The Team plan includes 20 free messages per member per month and 50 free marketing emails.
The marketplace commission is the trade. New clients who find you through Fresha cost a one-time 20% commission (minimum $6) on their first visit, which can dwarf the subscription for discovery-heavy salons. Steer new clients to book direct and Fresha stays the cheapest option on this list. Confirm regional pricing on fresha.com for your country.
What we like- Among the cheapest per-seat rates in the category
- 0% fees on repeat or direct bookings
- Free messages and marketing emails per member plus a large marketplace
Watch out for- 20% commission (minimum $6) on new clients from the marketplace
- Paid upgrades for insights and rating boosts add up
Starting price$79/month per location (Starter)
Free planNo
Mindbody is the enterprise of the category. Unlimited staff users at every tier means multi-chair teams never pay per seat, the consumer marketplace puts you in front of millions of monthly shoppers, and the platform scales from solo to franchise with class scheduling, memberships and branded apps. A customized website is included from the entry plan.
Only the $79 Starter price is published; Accelerate and Ultimate are quote-only, so the true cost is unknown until a sales call. Contracts auto-renew, and the app takes a fee (20% of the first visit, capped at $30) when it delivers a genuinely new client. Solo operators who just need booking will overpay here. Multi-location wellness brands get the most from the ecosystem.
What we like- Unlimited staff users at every tier
- Huge consumer marketplace with a done-for-you website
- Scales to multi-location and franchise with memberships and branded apps
Watch out for- Only the Starter price is published
- Long-term contracts with auto-renewal
#4
Booksy
Best for: Barbershops and beauty businesses wanting every feature for one price
Visit booksy.com
Starting price$29.99/month + $20/month per additional team member
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
Booksy's pitch is simplicity: one subscription, every feature. Marketing tools, waitlists, gift cards, memberships, no-show protection and custom forms all come in the $29.99 base plus $20 per team member, with 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month. The 14-day trial needs no credit card.
Linear per-staff scaling is the catch: a 6-person shop pays $129.99 per month before processing, making Booksy one of the priciest options past 5 chairs. And the Boost marketplace promotion (30% of the first visit, up to $100) is easy to trigger accidentally, so steer clients to your profile link. Month-to-month with no contract.
What we like- Every feature in one subscription with no tiered upsells
- 2,000 free SMS marketing messages per month
- Large marketplace with no commission unless Boost is on
Watch out for- Per-staff fees compound fast for 5-plus chair shops
- Boost promotion costs 30% of the first visit when enabled
#5
GlossGenius
Best for: Solo providers and small beauty teams wanting transparent pricing
Visit glossgenius.com
Starting price$28/month ($24/month billed annually)
Free planFree trial (14 days, no credit card)
GlossGenius is the anti-add-on. One flat price ($28 monthly, $24 billed annually) covers forms, waivers, waitlists, rebooking reminders and a customizable booking website, with flat 2.6% card processing regardless of payment method. The monthly bill is the bill, which is rare in this category.
The tier jumps are steep: Standard to Gold doubles the cost for a 2-person team, and crossing 9 staff forces Platinum at $148 to $168 per month. There is no consumer marketplace, so you bring your own clients. For solo providers and small teams that want premium branding without per-seat fees or add-on creep, the transparency is the selling point.
What we like- Flat 2.6% card processing on every plan
- All-in-one pricing with no add-on economy
- Same-day payouts and a polished login-free booking flow
Watch out for- Steep jumps between tiers
- No marketplace for new-client discovery
#6
Boulevard
Best for: Premium salons and spas that treat client experience as the brand
Visit joinblvd.com
Starting priceSee website (quote-based; reviewers cite ~$143+/month per location)
Free planNo
Boulevard is the luxury pick. Personalized client profiles, automated messaging, targeted marketing campaigns, real-time inventory with automatic reordering, and the Offset feature that lets clients absorb a 3% card fee so the business pays around 1% processing. The interface is the most polished front-desk view in the category.
The price matches the positioning. Reviewers cite roughly $143 to $176 per month per location for Essentials, with Premier and Prestige higher, usually on 12-month contracts, and Forms/Charts and QuickBooks sync are paid add-ons. Medspas need the Aesthetics bundle. Confirm current promo pricing with sales before budgeting: this is a sales-led purchase, not a signup.
What we like- Premium client experience features with personalized profiles and automated messaging
- Offset feature cuts processing cost to ~1%
- Modern interface with a strong Front Desk view
Watch out for- Priced per location with paid add-ons
- Sales-led buying with 12-month contracts
Starting priceFrom $30/month (individual barbers); $50/month single-location shops
Free planNo
Squire is the only tool here built for barbershops first. Flat-rate pricing with unlimited barbers per shop (from $30 for individuals, $50 for single locations, $150 for growing shops, $250 for multi-location brands), booth rental and commission tracking tuned to shop workflows, and a consumer app where clients discover, book, pay and tip in one flow.
The specialization is the limit: full-service salons, spas and nail studios should look elsewhere. Verify the consumer app's current fee terms before committing. For a barbershop that wants one flat fee covering the whole team plus a client-facing booking app, nothing else here fits as naturally.
What we like- Flat-rate pricing with unlimited barbers per shop
- Built for barbershop workflows (booth rental, waitlist, loyalty)
- Consumer marketplace app for discovery and booking
Watch out for- Barbershop-first design is a poor fit for salons and spas
- Pricing tiers jump steeply
#8
Square Appointments
Best for: Solo practitioners starting out and businesses on Square POS
Visit squareup.com
Starting price$0/month (Free tier, single location)
Free planYes (genuinely free: online booking, calendar sync, reminders)
Square Appointments removes the subscription question entirely at launch. The free tier covers online booking, calendar sync and reminders for a single location, and Plus ($35 per month) and Premium ($85 per month) stay flat per location as staff grows. If you already run Square POS, the whole business lives on one dashboard.
Processing fees run on every card even at $0 per month, and the free plan's feature gating pushes most growing salons to paid tiers. Migration away costs a reported $799, so switching later is expensive. For a solo operator starting out, free is free. For a growing salon, price the paid tier you will actually need.
What we like- Real free tier with no subscription cost
- Deep integration with Square POS, payments and payroll
- Billed per location, not per staff member
Watch out for- Free plan gates cancellation policies, no-show fees and multi-staff booking
- Locked into Square payment processing
Starting price$130/month (1 location + 1 user); $10/month per additional user
Free planFree trial available
Mangomint is the front-desk efficiency play. The interface is the fastest in the category, Express Booking handles multi-service appointments elegantly, and unlimited text and email confirmations come included. Memberships, virtual waiting room, forms and charting (HIPAA with signed BAA) are available to everyone with no tier paywalls.
The $130-per-month entry ($120 per location plus $10 per user) rules out solo operators, and the Phone, Marketing and Payroll add-ons can push a team's real stack past $250 per month. Free onboarding with a dedicated specialist and free data transfer, live in about two weeks. For a growing salon where front-desk labor is the bottleneck, the automation pays for itself.
What we like- Fastest, most polished interface with Express Booking
- Unlimited text and email confirmations included
- All core features for everyone with no tier paywalls
Watch out for- $130 entry price rules out solo stylists
- Phone, Marketing and Payroll are paid add-ons
How to choose salon software without overpaying
Start with your pricing model, because it decides your bill at your size. Per-staff pricing (Fresha, Booksy) is cheapest for 1 to 3 chairs and punishing past 6. Capped pricing (Vagaro) and flat pricing (GlossGenius, Squire) stay predictable as you grow. Per-location pricing (Mindbody, Boulevard, Mangomint, Square) suits multi-chair single locations.
Then model the true monthly cost, not the subscription. Add payment processing (2.2% to 3.5% depending on the tool), SMS marketing (free allowances vary from 20 to 2,000 messages), marketplace commissions (0% to 30% on new clients), and the add-ons you will actually use (forms, website, payroll). The cheapest subscription rarely produces the cheapest total. Ask each vendor for a 6-chair, 200-client scenario quote before you decide.
Marketplace vs. your own bookings: the commission question
Every salon platform with a consumer marketplace faces the same tension: discovery versus commission. Vagaro and GlossGenius charge nothing on your own bookings. Fresha takes 20% (minimum $6) on new clients from its marketplace. Mindbody takes 20% of the first visit (capped at $30) for app-delivered clients. Booksy's Boost costs 30% of the first visit when enabled.
The strategy is straightforward. If you already have a client base, steer bookings to your direct link and treat the marketplace as a bonus. If you depend on discovery, model the commission as a marketing cost and compare it against what you would spend on ads. A 20% first-visit commission that fills an empty chair beats an empty chair, but it should be a decision, not a surprise.
How we chose
We started with the salon tools owners actually evaluate: the marketplace platforms, the flat-rate value picks, the premium experience tools, and the free on-ramp. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own pricing page, checked the subscription model and add-on structure, and read public reviews on G2, Capterra and practitioner discussion on Reddit. Where a price could not be verified on the vendor's page we wrote "See website" rather than guessing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does salon management software cost?
From $0 (Square Appointments free tier) to $130-plus per month per location (Mangomint). Typical small-salon subscriptions run $24 to $85 per month (GlossGenius, Vagaro, Booksy base), but the true cost includes processing (2.2% to 3.5%), SMS marketing, and marketplace commissions. Model a full month, not the subscription alone.
What is the cheapest salon booking software?
Square Appointments at $0 for solo operators, or Fresha at $14.95 per team member per month for small teams with their own clientele. GlossGenius at $24 per month billed annually is the cheapest polished all-in-one. Watch the add-ons and commissions: the cheapest seat is not always the cheapest total.
Do I need a marketplace to get new clients?
Not necessarily. Marketplaces (Vagaro, Fresha, Mindbody, Booksy) drive discovery but take commissions of 20% to 30% on new-client first visits. If your marketing already fills chairs, a non-marketplace tool (GlossGenius, Mangomint, Square) keeps every dollar. If you need new clients, treat the commission as a marketing cost and compare it to ads.
Can I switch salon software easily?
Most vendors offer free data migration (Vagaro, Booksy, GlossGenius, Mangomint, Squire), which covers the client list and appointment history. The hard parts are retraining staff, rebuilding online booking links everywhere they are posted, and contract terms: Vagaro, Booksy and Square are month-to-month, while Mindbody and Boulevard typically lock you into annual contracts.
Should a barbershop use the same software as a salon?
It can, but barbershop-specific tools fit better. Squire is built for barbershop workflows (booth rental, waitlists, shop-level reporting) with flat-rate pricing and no per-barber charges. General salon tools work, but you pay for spa and salon features you will never use.
Sources we checked (11)
- https://www.vagaro.com
- https://www.fresha.com/for-business
- https://www.mindbodyonline.com/business/pricing
- https://booksy.com/biz/en-us/pricing
- https://glossgenius.com/pricing
- https://www.joinblvd.com/pricing/
- https://getsquire.com/pricing
- https://squareup.com/us/en/appointments/pricing
- https://www.mangomint.com/pricing/
- https://www.g2.com/categories/salon-management
- https://www.capterra.com/salon-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.