FeaturesSpecialtiesPricingResourcesLog inTry for free
StyleSeat vs. Vagaro · Booksy · GlossGenius

Vagaro vs Booksy vs GlossGenius: StyleSeat costs less to start.

Vagaro is $23.99 then $30 a month plus $10 per extra staff calendar, Booksy $29.99 plus tax and $20 per extra user, GlossGenius $28 to $168. StyleSeat is one plan at $19 a month after trial, with $0 card fees for 21 days, 1.9% + 30¢ for six months and a new-client fee capped at $50.

No credit card · $19/mo after trial · 1.9% + 30¢ for six months · Cancel anytime

StyleSeat pro using the app
$0card fees during your 21-day trial
$19/moafter trial, marketing included
The sticker price is not the price

Low entry fees, then the bill grows with you.

What each platform advertises, and what a working pro actually pays once staff, add-ons and tiers are counted. Prices checked on each company's website in September 2026.

Vagaro
Advertised$30/mo$23.99 intro rate for 6 months, then $30
What you actually pay$30/moAfter the intro rate, for one staff calendar. Add-ons cost extra: Forms and the Online Shopping Cart (needed for automatic deposits and no-show fees) are $10 a month each, MySite is $20 and text marketing starts at $20.
Booksy
Advertised$29.99/moSingle user
What you actually pay$29.99+/mo$49.99 with a second user, +$20 for each one after. Boost is optional: 30% of a new client's first visit, $10 minimum, $100 maximum.
GlossGenius
Advertised$28/moStandard tier
What you actually pay$28–$168/moStandard ($28) is for one pro. Gold ($56) covers teams of up to 9. Platinum is $168. No marketplace at any tier
StyleSeatOne plan
Advertised$19/moAfter trial: marketing, loyalty and a marketplace listing
What you actually pay$19/mo after trial$0 card fees for 21 days, then 1.9% + 30¢ for six months, plus 30% (max $50) on each new client our marketplace sends. Smart Pricing and marketing tools included; a custom website may cost extra
Where the revenue comes from

Three growth features. Vagaro, Booksy and GlossGenius don't have all three.

Booking, payments and client records are table stakes: everyone has them. The features that put money in your pocket are where the platforms split.

Feature
Vagaro
Booksy
GlossGenius
StyleSeat
Smart PricingRaises your price in peak slots
–No peak pricing found (Fill My Books discounts open slots)
–No peak pricing (manual Happy Hours and last-minute discounts)
–Not offered
✓Included · 5.5% fee on the full smart-priced appointment
Smart WaitlistFills cancellations automatically
!Standard waitlist
!Automated waitlist
!Gold+ ($56+/mo)
✓Included
New Client ConnectionNew clients from StyleSeat's marketplace
!Fill My Books · 20% of the first booking, plus a discount you set
!Boost · 30%, up to $100 per client
–No marketplace
✓30% of first visit, capped at $50, once
Marketplace discoveryClients search and book you
✓Free listing
✓Listing
–No marketplace (Reserve with Google only)
✓Marketplace, pay only for new clients
AI marketing toolsEmail, text and promotions written for you
✓Included
–Templates only
!Gold+ ($56+/mo)
✓Included
AI social post builderBranded posts generated instantly
–Not offered
–Post designer, not AI
–Templates, not AI
✓Included
Client loyalty and rewards
✓Included
✓Included
–Not built in
✓Included
Text marketing
!From $20/mo for 1,000 credits
✓2,000/mo included
!500 credits on Gold
✓500 free, then 750 credits for $5
Additional team members
!$10/mo each, up to 7
!$20/mo each
!By tier
✓No salon plan or seat fees. Each pro has their own account and plan.
Card-present processing
!2.6% + 10¢, or 2.29% + 19¢ above $4,000 a month (plus $10/mo)
✓2.49% + $0.10
✓2.6% flat
✓$0 in trial, 1.9% + 30¢ for 6 months, then 2.5% + 30¢
Monthly price
!$23.99 for 6 months, then $30, plus $10 per extra staff calendar
!$29.99 + $20/seat
!$28 Standard · $56 Gold · $168 Platinum
✓$19/mo after trial

Prices checked on each company's website and help center in September 2026. StyleSeat text marketing starts with 500 free credits, then packs from $5 for 750 credits.

The math

Booksy, GlossGenius and Square vs StyleSeat: your first year.

Solo pro, $6,000 a month in card sales, $120 average ticket, all in person: subscription plus card fees for year one, before New Client Connection fees. From year two, Booksy and GlossGenius cost about the same, and Square's free plan ($1,962 a year) costs less.

$1,878StyleSeat's first-year cost in this model
Start free trial
Booksy$29.99 a month plus 2.49% + 10¢ card reader fees
$2,213
GlossGenius Standard$28 a month plus a flat 2.6%
$2,208
Square Plus$49 a month plus 2.5% + 15¢
$2,478
StyleSeat, first 21 daysNo card or new-client fees, and no client booking fee
$0
StyleSeat card fees after the trial1.9% + 30¢ for six months, then 2.5% + 30¢ in person or 2.6% + 30¢ online
$1,650
StyleSeat subscription12 monthly payments of $19 after the trial
$228
StyleSeat, year one totalsubscription plus card processing
≈ $1,878

350,000 people agree: StyleSeat works.

StyleSeat4.9★350,000+ ratings
GlossGenius4.5★4,300+ App Store ratings
Vagaro4.6★9,000+ App Store ratings
Booksy4.9★857,000+ App Store ratings
Head to head

Weighing one in particular? Go deep.

Vagaro vs. StyleSeat

Vagaro operates. StyleSeat multiplies.

An operations system with POS, payroll and a marketplace that charges 20% on new-client bookings. $23.99 for six months, then $30, plus $10 per extra staff calendar and paid add-ons.

Forms, online deposits and text marketing are paid add-ons
No Smart Pricing at any tier
Card rates from 2.29% + 19¢, with a $10 monthly fee on that plan
Read the full comparison →
Booksy vs. StyleSeat

Bundled marketing, capped upside.

Marketing is included, but there's no automatic peak pricing, seats cost $20 each, and the Boost fee can hit $100 per new client.

Boost fee caps at $100, while StyleSeat caps at $50
$20/mo per extra user
No demand pricing
Read the full comparison →
GlossGenius vs. StyleSeat

Their app lets you book clients. Ours delivers them.

Polished booking software at $28 to $168 a month. There's no GlossGenius marketplace, so new clients come from your own marketing and Google.

Waitlist on Gold ($56) and up
No client-acquisition marketplace at any tier
No Smart Pricing or loyalty program
Read the full comparison →
A StyleSeat professional checking out a client
Pros who made the switch

“I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy.”

Jene Bethea, hairstylist · Trustpilot, July 2025

“Being a Top Pro on StyleSeat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year.”

Yvette, hairstylist, Top Pro · Trustpilot, July 2025

“Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly.”

Susanna, hairstylist, 14 years in the industry · Trustpilot, July 2025
The honest part

Where they win, and who they're for.

StyleSeat is built for solo pros and small teams who want new clients found for them. If you run a large staff or a retail floor, one of these may fit better.

VagaroStrong for bigger operations: POS and retail, inventory, memberships, advanced reporting and payroll, with loyalty, a waitlist and AI marketing included. StyleSeat doesn't offer payroll yet.
BooksyOperates internationally, includes 2,000 marketing texts a month, and its card reader costs about 20¢ less per payment than StyleSeat's standard rate.
GlossGeniusA flat 2.6% card rate with no fixed fee, cheaper than StyleSeat's 2.5% + 30¢ on tickets under $300, plus free data transfer. Payroll is a $40 + $6/seat add-on.

Questions pros ask before switching

What is the best booking app for hair stylists and barbers?

It depends on your business. For solo pros who want new clients, StyleSeat costs less to start: $19 a month after trial, $0 card fees for 21 days and 1.9% + 30¢ for six months, with marketing tools and a marketplace listing included. For small teams, our first-year model still comes in under Booksy and GlossGenius. Vagaro and GlossGenius suit larger teams that need payroll or POS.

What is New Client Connection, and what does it cost?

When StyleSeat's marketplace brings you a new client, you pay 30% of their first appointment, capped at $50, and $0 during your trial. Return visits from that client have no new-client fee. Booksy's Boost caps at $100; GlossGenius has no marketplace.

What is Smart Pricing?

Smart Pricing finds your high-demand slots and raises the price for those times. StyleSeat's fee is 5.5% of the full smart-priced appointment, and $0 during your trial, so you keep the price increase minus that fee. We found no demand pricing on Vagaro, Booksy or GlossGenius.

Is Vagaro's $23.99 the real price?

It's a six-month introductory rate. After that Vagaro is $30 a month, plus $10 for each extra staff calendar. Add-ons like Forms ($10), the Online Shopping Cart for deposits ($10) and text marketing (from $20) cost extra. StyleSeat is $19 a month after a 21-day free trial, with marketing, loyalty tools and a marketplace listing included.

Are Smart Pricing and New Client Connection mandatory?

They only charge when they bring you something: a smart-priced booking or a new client's first visit. To turn either off, ask our support team.

Start at $0 in fees. Grow for $19 a month.

Free 21-day trial with $0 card fees, then 1.9% + 30¢ for six months and $19 a month, with Smart Pricing, automated messages and marketing tools included.

Start free trial

Prices checked on each company's website in September 2026. First-year figures are a model, not a guarantee.

Free trial · $19/mo after · No credit card
Start free trial