Vagaro review

Vagaro is the runner-up because it bundles more salon features into its base subscription than most rivals. Every plan includes online booking across Vagaro, Instagram, Facebook and Apple Maps, unlimited reminders, memberships, packages and gift certificates, loyalty programs, inventory tracking, invoices, SOAP notes, advanced reporting and a listing on the Vagaro Marketplace, plus 1,000 free marketing emails a month. The Vera AI assistant drafts marketing, writes service descriptions and helps fill empty appointment slots. Pricing scales by bookable calendar: Vagaro's own FAQ says each additional calendar license costs $10 (US), up to seven, after which more employees cost nothing extra, which suits salons with many part-time stylists. There is a 30-day free trial and free data migration, usually done in 1 to 2 business days. The tradeoff is a large product with many modules to set up, which takes longer to learn than Booksy or GlossGenius. The pricing page showed GBP from our location, so the USD starting price is marked pending.

Who it is for

Growing salons and barbershops that want a marketplace listing, memberships and payroll in one account.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Online booking on Vagaro, Instagram, Facebook and Apple Maps, plus an embeddable booking widget
• Unlimited notifications and appointment reminders and 1,000 free emails a month
• Memberships, packages, gift certificates and customer loyalty programs
• Calendar and resource management with customer waitlist options
• Vera AI assistant for marketing, filling empty slots and client messages

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Long list of features included with every plan, including SOAP notes and inventory
• Strength: Listing on the Vagaro Marketplace is included
• Strength: 30-day free trial and free data transfer
• Weakness: Monthly price depends on the number of bookable calendars
• Weakness: Many modules and settings to learn compared with simpler apps
• Weakness: US plan prices did not display from our location, so the price check is pending

Key facts

• Free trial: 30 days
• Extra bookable calendars: $10 (US) each, up to seven licenses
• Emails included: 1,000 free emails a month
• Compliance: ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SOC 2 and HIPAA audits

Where it ranks

Vagaro is No. 2 in our Best Salon Booking Software verdict.