For a 10-stylist salon, Vagaro's $90 a month beats every system I checked except Square, which charges per location. For one stylist, five alternatives cost less. Here's every price, read on the vendors' own pages on the same day.
People usually go looking for a Vagaro alternative after a price change, a bad support call or an add-on bill. So the useful question is what the others cost for a salon your size. I opened ten pricing pages on October 23, 2026 and priced each one for 1, 3, 5 and 10 stylists at one location. No vendor paid for this and there are no affiliate links.
Monthly price by team size
| System | How it charges | 1 stylist | 3 | 5 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vagaro | Per bookable calendar, flat after 7 | $30 | $50 | $70 | $90 |
| Square Appointments | Per location, unlimited staff | $0, $49 or $149 | same | same | same |
| Fresha | Per bookable team member | $19.95 | $44.85 | $74.75 | $149.50 |
| Timely, entry plan | Per staff, sliding | $26 | $74 | $122 | not offered |
| Timely, middle plan | Per staff, sliding | $39 | $97 | $155 | $241 |
| GlossGenius | Flat per plan | $28 | $56 | $56 | $168 |
| DaySmart Salon | Plan plus $9 per extra user | $29 | $69 | $87 | $132 |
| Booksy Biz | $29.99 plus $20 per extra user | $29.99 | $69.99 | $109.99 | $209.99 |
| Rosy | Tier by calendar employees | $44 | $85 | from $99 | from $99 |
| Mangomint | $120 per location plus $10 per user | $130 | $150 | $170 | $220 |
| Boulevard | Per location, by plan | $159 | $159 | $159 | $260 |
Read on each vendor's own pricing page, October 23, 2026, monthly billing, regular prices where a promotion was also shown (Boulevard's Premier figure is its current fall promotion, normally $325). Where a vendor bills per user, only stylists were counted: a front desk or owner login adds $10 on Mangomint, $20 on Booksy and $9 on DaySmart. Booksy's figure assumes its base price includes one user, and GlossGenius at 3 and 5 stylists is its Gold plan, which it labels for teams up to 9. Phorest and Zenoti publish no prices (quote only). Meevo's site would not load on the day.
Three systems ran promotions on the day. Vagaro showed a first-six-months rate ($23.99 for one calendar, $63.99 for five). Boulevard's Premier and Prestige plans carried limited-time fall prices for new customers. Timely showed a banner offering up to 12 months free to salons that qualify. Ask what the price becomes after the promotion ends, in writing.
The cheapest option at each size
- One stylist: Square's free plan, then Fresha at $19.95, Timely's entry plan at $26, GlossGenius at $28 and DaySmart at $29. Vagaro is $30.
- Three stylists: Square's free plan, then Fresha at $44.85, Square Plus at $49 and Vagaro at $50.
- Five stylists: Square's free plan or Square Plus at $49, then GlossGenius Gold at $56 and Vagaro at $70.
- Ten stylists: Square's free plan or Square Plus at $49, then Vagaro at $90. Everything else here is $132 or more.
Square's free tier is free because it does less and charges a higher card rate. It's the right comparison for a small team that mostly needs a calendar and a card reader, not a like-for-like swap for a full salon system.
Boulevard pricing
Boulevard prices by location, not by person, which is why its number doesn't move between one stylist and five.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually (per month) | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $159 | $143 | One location, up to 5 providers |
| Premier | $260 (normally $325) | $234 (normally $293) | Per location, unlimited professionals |
| Prestige | $364 (normally $455) | $328 (normally $410) | Per location, forms and more texts included |
| Enterprise | Quote only | Large groups | |
joinblvd.com/pricing, Hair Salon tab, read in a browser on October 23, 2026. Premier and Prestige prices were marked as limited-time fall pricing for new customers. Paying annually saves 10 percent.
Boulevard lists some add-ons with prices: forms from $65 a month per location and QuickBooks at $45. Texting is billed per message, at a rate the page doesn't state. It also offers a setup where the client pays 3 percent on credit cards and the business pays 1 percent. Its base card rate isn't on the page.
Vagaro vs Boulevard on price: five stylists pay $70 on Vagaro and $159 on Boulevard Essentials. Ten pay $90 on Vagaro and $260 to $325 on Boulevard Premier. That's a gap of $1,068 to $2,820 a year at list price before add-ons.
Card fees matter more than the subscription
Here's what a month of in-person card fees would cost at each vendor's published rate, for a salon running $10,000 through the reader in 100 tickets.
| System | Published in-person rate | Fees for the month |
|---|---|---|
| Fresha | 2.29% + 20¢ | $249 |
| Timely | 2.29% + 30¢ | $259 |
| Booksy (its reader) | 2.49% + 10¢ | $259 |
| GlossGenius | 2.4% + 15¢ | $255 |
| Square Premium | 2.4% + 15¢ | $255 |
| Mangomint | 2.45% + 15¢ | $260 |
| Square Plus | 2.5% + 15¢ | $265 |
| Square Free | 2.6% + 15¢ | $275 |
| Vagaro, Boulevard, DaySmart, Rosy | Not shown on pricing page | Ask for it in writing |
Rates from the same pricing pages, October 23, 2026. Fees = 10,000 times the percentage plus 100 times the per-ticket charge. Tap to Pay, keyed-in and online payments cost more on every system that lists them.
Two things to take from this. The spread between the published rates is only about $26 a month at this volume, so the subscription often decides the total. And four systems, Vagaro included, don't publish a rate at all. A quote you can't compare is the one to push hardest on.
Fees that only show up later
- Marketplace commissions. Fresha takes a one-time 20 percent (minimum $6) on a new client who finds you through its marketplace. Booksy takes 30 percent of a Boost client's first visit, capped at $100, only when Boost is on.
- Per-user charges. On Mangomint, every profile counts, including the front desk. On Vagaro, only bookable calendars count.
- Phone and AI add-ons. Mangomint lists a phone line at $70 a month. Fresha lists AI messaging from $29.95 per location. GlossGenius lists a reception add-on at $50.
- Payroll. Listed at $50 plus $8 per worker on Mangomint, $40 plus $6 per seat on GlossGenius, and from $35 plus $6 per person on Square.
Trials and contracts
Every system with a public price except Boulevard listed a free trial: 30 days on Vagaro and Square's paid plans, 14 days on GlossGenius, Booksy, DaySmart, Rosy and Timely, and 7 days on Fresha. Mangomint offers a trial account with demo data. Mangomint, Fresha, Square, Booksy and Timely say there's no contract and you can cancel any time. Vagaro says the same, with exclusions it doesn't list.
Before you switch, export your client list, service history, gift card balances and future appointments, and ask the new vendor in writing what it will move for you. Switching in a slow month is easier on the front desk than switching in December.
For the two most-compared names on their own, see Vagaro vs GlossGenius. For the questions to ask any vendor, see the salon software buyer's guide.
