Booksy, Vagaro, GlossGenius or Square: what your salon software really costs
Put in what you pay today. We’ll show what the same salon would pay on Hue & Hair once paid plans begin, and the math behind it.
No login. No email required to see the result. Math is shown.
The five kinds of fee
- Subscription. The monthly price on the pricing page. Some apps price per location, some per person.
- Per-stylist seats. A charge for each extra team member or calendar. In a salon this can outgrow the subscription.
- A cut of bookings or new clients. Usually only on clients who found you through the app’s own marketplace, and usually a percentage of their first visit.
- Card processing. A percentage plus a few cents on every card payment. For a busy chair it is often the largest line of all.
- Texts and marketing add-ons. Reminder and marketing texts, email campaigns, phone lines, payroll. Some are included, some are paid by the message.
What six booking apps publish
Each figure is from the company’s own website, linked, with the date we read it. US prices, before tax. Prices change, so check the link before you decide.
| Platform | Starts at | Each extra stylist | Card payments in person | Cut of bookings or new clients | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booksy | $29.99 a month + tax, every feature included | $20 a month per extra user | 2.49% + $0.10 on its card reader | None unless you turn on Boost; then 30% of a Boost client's first visit, up to $100 | Booksy's own pricing page, checked |
| Vagaro | $23.99 a month (limited-time price), one calendar | $10 a month per extra calendar, for up to seven | 2.6% + $0.10 under $4,000 a month, plus card network fees it does not price | None for its free US marketplace listing; a booking fee (amount not stated) if you use Fill My Books | Vagaro's own help-centre pricing article, checked |
| GlossGenius | $28 a month billed monthly (Standard) | No per-stylist price; plans step up by team size (Gold, $56 a month, is for up to 9 staff) | 2.6% flat | None listed on its pricing page | GlossGenius's own pricing page, checked |
| Square Appointments | $0 a month per location (Square Free); Plus is $49 | Unlimited staff calendars on every plan | 2.6% + 15¢ on Square Free | None listed on its pricing page | Square Appointments's own pricing page, checked |
| Fresha | $19.95 a month for one person (Independent) | $14.95 a month per bookable team member (Team) | 2.29% + $0.20, +$0.10 per Tap to Pay | A one-time 20% commission on a new client from its marketplace, minimum $6 | Fresha's own pricing page, checked |
| Mangomint | $120 a month per location, plus $10 per user | $10 a month per user, booth renters on your account included | 2.45% + 15¢ | None: "you keep 100% of appointments booked" | Mangomint's own pricing page, checked |
Apps whose prices we could not read on their own website that day are left out rather than guessed.
Every published fee, app by app
Booksy
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 |
Vagaro
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 |
GlossGenius
GlossGenius's own pricing page, checked
| Standard | $28 a month billed monthly, or $24 a month billed annually; "essential tools for businesses just starting out" |
|---|---|
| Gold | $56 a month billed monthly, or $48 a month billed annually; "for businesses up to 9 staff" |
| Platinum | $168 a month billed monthly, or $148 a month billed annually; "for established businesses and teams 10+" |
| Card processing | Flat 2.6% rate; no Tap to Pay, card-on-file or manual entry fees |
| Payouts | Free same-day payouts Monday–Thursday; instant payouts anytime for an additional 1.8% fee |
| Payroll add-on | $40/month + $6/seat |
| Reception add-on (calls and texts) | $50/month |
Square Appointments
Square Appointments's own pricing page, checked
| Square Free | $0/mo. per location; online booking site, appointment reminders, unlimited staff calendars |
|---|---|
| Square Plus | $49/mo. per location; adds cancellation policy and no-show fees, multi-staff booking, waitlist; free 30-day trial |
| Square Premium | $149/mo. per location; adds resource management and service cost tracking; free 30-day trial |
| Card processing, tap, dip or swipe | Free 2.6% + 15¢; Plus 2.5% + 15¢; Premium 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Card processing, online | Free 3.3% + 30¢; Plus 2.9% + 30¢; Premium 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Manual entry or card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan |
| Text message marketing | Not available in Square Free; Plus 500 texts included, then 3¢ per text; Premium 2,500 texts included, then 1.5¢ per text |
Fresha
Fresha's own pricing page, checked
| Independent (one-person businesses) | $19.95 per month; single calendar column, 100 free messages, 50 free marketing emails; 7-day trial |
|---|---|
| Team | $14.95 per bookable team member, monthly; 7-day trial |
| Enterprise | Custom rates, for businesses with over 20 team members |
| Marketplace, new clients | 20% one-time commission on brand new clients who discover you via the Fresha marketplace; minimum fee of $6 per client |
| Marketplace, returning clients | Free |
| In-person payments | 2.29% + $0.20 per transaction, +$0.10 per Tap to Pay authorization |
| Online payments | 2.79% + $0.20 per transaction |
| Manual card entry | 3.30% + $0.20 per transaction |
| Text and WhatsApp notifications | 100 free monthly (per team member on Team), then $0.02 per text |
| Marketing texts | $0.08 per text |
| Taxes | "Rates are exclusive of local sales taxes." |
Mangomint
Mangomint's own pricing page, checked
| One plan | $120 per location and $10 per user, monthly |
|---|---|
| Who counts as a user | Anyone with a profile, including service providers and front desk; "any booth renter using your Mangomint account counts as a user" |
| In-person payments | 2.45% + 15¢ per successful transaction |
| Virtual payments | 2.90% + 30¢ per successful transaction |
| Phone add-on | $70/mo per line |
| Marketing add-on | Starting at $30/mo |
| Payroll add-on | $50/mo + $8 per worker |
| Fee on appointments booked | None: "you keep 100% of appointments booked" |
| Text and email confirmations and reminders | Unlimited, included at no additional cost |
Three salons, worked through
The calculator’s own formula, with the inputs shown. Card processing is left out of both sides, since Hue & Hair doesn’t take card payments yet.
What you pay today = subscription + (% per booking × bookings × average ticket).
A solo booth renter on Booksy
Inputs: $29.99 a month subscription, 0% per booking, 1 stylist.
- Booksy: $29.99 a month.
- Hue & Hair Solo, after early access: $24 a month.
- Switching saves $5.99 a month on subscription.
Price used: Booksy's own pricing page, checked
A three-chair salon on Vagaro
Inputs: $43.99 a month subscription, 0% per booking, 3 stylists.
- Vagaro: $43.99 a month.
- Hue & Hair Team, after early access: $99 × 3 stylists = $297 a month.
- Switching costs $253.01 a month more on subscription. On price alone, this salon should stay.
Price used: Vagaro's own help-centre pricing article, checked
A six-chair salon on Fresha
Inputs: $89.70 a month subscription, 0% per booking, 6 stylists.
- Fresha: $89.70 a month.
- Hue & Hair Team, after early access: $99 × 6 stylists = $594 a month.
- Switching costs $504.30 a month more on subscription. On price alone, this salon should stay.
Price used: Fresha's own pricing page, checked
If switching doesn’t save you money, we’ll say so
Salon software pricing is a maze of tiers, seats, booking cuts and text fees. You shouldn’t need a spreadsheet to know what you pay. Put in real numbers and read the real math. If switching saves you money, we’d love to earn your business. If it doesn’t, the calculator says that too, and so do the worked examples above.
What Hue & Hair costs
Free during early access: every feature on every plan, no card needed.
Paid plans come later, sized to your chair count — with at least 30 days' notice, and only if you choose one.
Your clients pay you, and Hue & Hair doesn't take a cut of your bookings.
What you get is built for hair: color formula history with versions and photos on every client, and color services split into processing stages so the calendar shows when you’re free.
Card payments, deposits and no-show fees aren’t available in Hue & Hair yet. If you need them in your booking app today, weigh that.