Booksy vs Vagaro: what each actually costs a salon
Most comparisons stop at the monthly price. The monthly price is rarely the biggest number. Card processing and new-client fees usually are. Here is what to add up, what each one publishes, and how to run the comparison with your own bookings.
Where these prices come from. Booksy's figures: Booksy's own pricing page, checked . Vagaro's figures: Vagaro's own help-centre pricing article, checked (its pricing page blocks automated checks, so we read Vagaro's own help centre). Each date is the day we last read that page. Prices change, so confirm both before you decide. We make Hue & Hair, another salon booking app.
The five kinds of fee to add up
- Subscription. The monthly price on the pricing page.
- Staff. A charge per extra team member or calendar. For a salon this can outgrow the subscription.
- Booking or new-client fees. A cut of the booking, often only on clients who found you through the app's marketplace.
- Card processing. A percentage plus a fixed amount per payment. At 80 card payments a month it is usually the largest line.
- Add-ons. Texts, marketing, card readers, faster payouts.
Booksy's published fees
Booksy's own pricing page, checked
| Booksy (one plan) | $29.99 per month + tax, all features included |
|---|---|
| Extra users | $20/month each |
| Boost (marketplace promotion) | Free to turn on; a one-time 30% fee based on the total cost of a Boost client's first visit, up to a maximum of $100 |
| Card processing: mobile payments and keyed-in | 2.69% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Card processing: Booksy card reader | 2.49% + $0.10 per transaction |
| Card processing: Tap to Pay | 2.49% + $0.20 per transaction |
| Payouts | Next business day free; fast payouts (30 minutes) 1.5% fee |
| Text messages | Plans include 2,000 free SMS marketing messages per month; appointment confirmations and reminders are always free |
| Card readers | Stripe Reader S710 $299 + shipping; Stripe Reader M2 $53.10 + shipping |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card |
Booksy's page says it doesn't charge a commission on clients who find you through your own link or marketing, or on the marketplace while Boost is off. It suggests sharing your Booksy profile link so returning clients aren't counted as Boost clients.
Vagaro's published fees
Vagaro's own help-centre pricing article, checked
| Base subscription (United States) | $23.99 per month, marked "Only for a limited time"; one calendar license included |
|---|---|
| Additional employee calendar | $10 per month for up to seven licenses; after seven, new employees at no additional charge |
| Card processing, Small Merchants (under $4,000 a month) | 2.6% + $0.10 swipe, dip or tap; 2.6% + $0.16 per Tap to Phone; 3.5% + $0.19 keyed-in |
| Card processing, Large Merchants (over $4,000 a month) | 2.29% + $0.19 swipe, dip or tap; 2.29% + $0.25 per Tap to Phone; 3.5% + $0.19 keyed-in; plus a $10 monthly subscription |
| Card network fees | "Additional monthly FANF and Mastercard location fees apply" (amounts not stated) |
| Vagaro Marketplace listing | Free in the US |
| Fill My Books (marketplace promotion) | Booking fee (amount not stated in the article) |
| Text messaging | From $20/mo for 1,000 credits |
| Email marketing | 1,000 credits free; 5,000 credits $10 |
Vagaro sets the processing rate by volume: a salon taking more than $4,000 a month in card payments is on its Large Merchant rates, which are lower per payment but add $10 a month. The card network fees it mentions are not priced in the article, so they are left out of the sums below.
A worked example: one stylist on Booksy
A solo stylist with 80 appointments a month, a $70 average ticket, every client paying by Tap to Pay, and Boost off. Booksy's rates: Booksy's own pricing page, checked .
- Subscription: $29.99 (before tax)
- Card processing: 80 × ($70 × 2.49% + $0.20) = $155.44
- Total: $185.43 a month, $2,225.16 a year
Turn Boost on and bring in 4 new clients a month through it, each spending $70 on the first visit, and add 4 × $70 × 30% = $84: $269.43 a month. A 3-person team pays $69.99 a month in subscription before processing. Processing is more than the subscription in every one of these cases.
The same stylist on Vagaro
Same 80 appointments at $70, all paid by Tap to Phone. That is $5,600 a month in card payments, over Vagaro's $4,000 line, so the Large Merchant rate applies. Vagaro's rates: Vagaro's own help-centre pricing article, checked .
- Subscription: $23.99 (Vagaro marks this price as limited-time)
- Large Merchant monthly fee: $10
- Card processing: 80 × ($70 × 2.29% + $0.25) = $148.24
- Total: $182.23 a month, $2,186.76 a year, before the card network fees Vagaro doesn't price
A 3-person team pays $43.99 a month in subscription before processing. Between the two, the published totals for this stylist are within a few dollars of each other; your own ticket size, payment mix and team size decide which is cheaper, which is why the calculators below take your numbers.
Run it with your numbers
Where Hue & Hair fits
Hue & Hair is booking software built for hair: color formula history on the client profile, and color services split into processing stages so you can see the time you're free. It is free while we grow, with every feature open during early access; what the plans will cost after that is on the pricing page.
Card payments, deposits and no-show fees aren't available in Hue & Hair yet, so no salon can take online card payments through Hue & Hair and there is no processing rate of ours to put in the comparison. If card payments inside your booking app matter to you today, weigh that.
Questions salon owners ask
- How much does Booksy cost per month?
- Booksy's pricing page, checked on October 3, 2026, lists $29.99 per month plus tax, plus $20 per month for each additional team member. Card processing and the optional Boost marketplace fee are extra.
- How much does Vagaro cost per month?
- Vagaro's help centre, checked on October 3, 2026, lists $23.99 per month in the US (marked "only for a limited time") with one calendar included, plus $10 per month for each additional employee calendar up to seven. Card processing, texts and other add-ons are extra.
- Is Booksy or Vagaro cheaper?
- It depends on your team size, how many clients pay by card, and whether you rely on a marketplace for new clients. Two salons can get opposite answers. Put your own numbers into the calculator rather than trusting a general ranking.
- What fees do salon booking apps charge?
- Five kinds: a subscription, a charge per extra staff member or calendar, a cut of bookings or new clients, card processing, and add-ons such as texts or marketing. Not every platform charges all five.
Sources: Booksy's own pricing page, checked ; Vagaro's own help-centre pricing article, checked .