Considering Mangomint as your next salon and spa software, but you want to make sure you’re making the right decision? Want to know how the alternatives stack up?
Then you’ve landed in the right place.
Today, we’ll take a peek at Mangomint and all its best alternatives so you can make the right choice and skip the FOMO.
Since its launch in 2017, Mangomint has earned the adoration of salon and spa businesses with teams, distinguishing itself through a commitment to quality, excellent customer service, and a user experience that’s as refreshing as it is intuitive.
Where its competitors compete with the same kitchen sink full of features copied and pasted, Mangomint chooses instead to innovate on the processes that business owners and front desk staff spend the most time doing.
Mangomint has built their brand on improving the core elements of salon and spa scheduling software. The platform offers a polished and sophisticated approach to essential tasks with features like client self-checkout, an Intelligent Waitlist that automatically helps you fill spots, and their Express Booking feature that cuts over-the-phone booking time in half.
They also offer the cleanest and easiest-to-use interface we’ve ever tested. Everything you need is within reach of any screen within the system, and managing menus couldn’t be easier.
But there are a handful of reasons I might not recommend Mangomint for your business in particular.
We had a ton to say about Mangomint in our full review, so if you want the full details of our experience testing it out, check that article out.
But for the sake of today’s look at the best alternatives to Mangomint, I’ll share the areas where competitors one-up this modern salon management software and where Mangomint truly shines.
There are good reasons why you may want to consider the handful of alternatives I’ll share with you today. I’ll summarize some of the most important ones and give an overview of each alternative below.
Let’s dive in!
Why Consider Mangomint Alternatives?
Some of the reasons you may want to choose an alternative to Mangomint are:
- You’re a solopreneur: Mangomint is tailor-made for salons and spas with a team. While many of its features are still of great benefit to the solo business owner, to really get the most out of the system and make the most of your money, you’re likely better off checking out an alternative if it’s just you in the salon.
- You’re outside the US & Canada: As of this comparison, Mangomint is currently only available in these two territories. If you’re located outside of these regions, you’ll need to consider another software solution.
- You need a salon software with an online client marketplace: Mangomint has decidedly avoided joining the race for the largest client marketplace that some of its competitors have embraced. This can be seen as a pro or a con, but if you’re looking for a built-in marketplace, check out some of the alternatives below.
As with any system, there are pros and cons. Let’s dive into my top recommended Mangomint alternatives and see how they stack up.
Mangomint Alternatives
We’ll start with a quick summary of my recommended Mangomint alternatives. Following this, I’ll dive into each one in a bit more depth.
GlossGenius
Read my detailed GlossGenius vs. Mangomint comparison
Who is it for
For independent professionals who want to start accepting payments and get appointment scheduling, a website and marketing up fast without compromising on the experience of their brand
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$48 per month
Supported countries
U.S.
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Square Appointments
Read my detailed Square Appointments vs. Mangomint comparison
Who is it for
For solopreneurs or small teams in any type of local service business (salon, spa, fitness, repair, cleaning, and professional services) who want access to Square’s broad range of products.
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$45 per month
Supported countries
U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK.
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Vagaro
Read my detailed Vagaro vs. Mangomint comparison
Who is it for
For cost conscious solopreneurs or smaller teams who are looking for an all-in-one software, with a lot of features, to support their salon, spa, or fitness business.
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$120 per month
Supported countries
U.S., Canada, Australia, and the UK
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Fresha
Read my detailed Fresha vs. Mangomint comparison
Who is it for
For the independent professional or business on a budget that want to avoid subscription fees and a big technical learning curve.
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$80 per month
Supported countries
Available in 22 languages in over 120 countries worldwide
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Boulevard
Read my detailed Boulevard vs. Mangomint comparison
Who is it for
Established beauty and wellness businesses with several service providers who want flexible reporting options and need an all-in-one marketing suite baked right into the software
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$425 per month
Supported countries
U.S.
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Alternative #1: GlossGenius | The Easy-to-Use Alternative for Independent Professionals
If you’re a solo business owner who cares about aesthetics and ease of use, you’re going to want to consider GlossGenius. Their mobile-first approach and stellar app design are top-notch in terms of mobile functionality and user experience.
Since GlossGenius is a mobile-focused salon software, you can handle the majority of business functions directly in the mobile app, but the flipside of this is that you have fewer features overall in comparison to Mangomint.
Both GlossGenius and Mangomint are easy-to-use platforms that don’t require users to be techies to get work done. Where things differ is that Mangomint offers a depth of features and customizations across both desktop and mobile that go beyond what GlossGenius has to offer.
GlossGenius offers all the basics, including online booking, but it lacks a booking widget to integrate into your existing website. Instead, you’ll need to link to your GlossGenius page, so if you have an existing website, this might give you pause. If a seamless booking widget is essential to you, then you will want to go with Mangomint.
GlossGenius is very modestly priced compared to the rest of the spa and salon software market, and offers quite the savings over Mangomint even at its highest subscription tier, albeit with less tools and integrations.
GlossGenius At a Glance
Overall score
GlossGenius is an all-in-one appointment, payment, and marketing app for salon and spa professionals in the USA.
It offers rich support for independent professionals. Teams can also use the app but it’s primarily designed for solopreneurs.
Here you manage your total business out of an easy-to-use, beautifully designed, mobile app.
In my opinion, it’s the design and premium beauty experience that GlossGenius delivers that makes this tool truly unique. You can even adapt the design of their credit card reader to fit your brand.
Pros and Cons
- Interface design that signals beauty (and not tech)
- Intuitive features that are easy-to-use
- Professional looking website in just a few clicks
- Integrated payments with beautiful hardware
- Affordable and transparent flat fee pricing
- Limited flexibility (you need to follow pre-defined standards)
- Can only be managed via app (only calendar can be accessed in web browser)
- No booking widget to integrate on existing website (need to link to your GlossGenius website)
Alternative #2: Square Appointments | The Complete POS & Appointment Software with a Subscription-Free Plan for Individuals
Square Appointments and Square’s offer as a whole makes it a compelling choice for many small businesses and an interesting contrast to Mangomint.
Square has carved a respectable niche among solopreneurs and small teams, especially with its enticing offer of a free basic plan for individuals running their businesses single-handedly.
Square Appointments has a robust set of features that cater to a range of salon management needs, from appointment scheduling to payment processing. However, customization options are somewhat limited. Those looking to tailor their online booking to match their brand’s unique aesthetic might find the templated designs restrictive.
Mangomint also supports all these features as well, but offers a bit more flexibility to customize each, as well as a few extra features to shave time off your most monotonous daily tasks.
Square Appointments is also available more broadly across the globe than Mangomint is currently. Square Appointments is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK, Ireland, France and Spain, whereas Mangomint is currently only available in the U.S. and Canada.
The complexity of Square is, however, a bit more involved. Square is built for any schedule-based business, so you need to puzzle together the apps you want to use as you get set up. Mangomint is a one-stop shop for all the core functions of your salon software, but it also offers integrations with third-party platforms.
If you’re a solopreneur, Square Appointments offers a much better value at the sub-$100 price point, especially considering they offer a free plan. Mangomint packs in a ton more features and customizability and is designed for salons and spas with a team of stylists/estheticians, so it is accordingly priced higher than Square.
Square Appointments At a Glance
Overall score
Square Appointments is a cloud-based appointment scheduling software for salons, spas and really any other local service businesses.
It integrates with the full suite of local business solutions from Square which makes it one of the most complete business management solutions on the market.
At the same time, it is free for individuals and has therefore quickly become one of the most popular platforms for one-person businesses like beauty booth renters and individual professionals.
Pros and Cons
- Free for individuals
- Well-designed, easy to use, interface
- Integration with the full suite of Square applications for endless possibilities
- Robust core business management (inventory, reports, and client data)
- Limited flexibility when designing online booking page, booking widget, e-mails and other aspects that you may want to adapt
- It gets a bit expensive for the growing team that expands with more locations
Alternative #3: Vagaro | The Feature-rich and Affordable Salon Software
Vagaro has to be mentioned on this list of Mangomint alternatives.
It is rich in features and has an established client marketplace that provides a potentially major upside for young businesses that are looking to grow their clientele.
The downside here is that your clients must create a Vagaro profile before booking with you. And just like you can market your business to other clients on the marketplace, other businesses can promote themselves to your clients as well.
Both platforms support email marketing, but Vagaro‘s platform is a bit more in-depth, whereas Mangomint’s is simple, intuitive, and offers a ton of email templates that look sleek and professional right out of the box.
Vagaro and Mangomint also both offer integrated payroll processing, a major bonus for salon owners with a team.
While Vagaro doesn’t have a free plan, it does come in at a very affordable price that will attract business owners on a budget and still comes in lower than Mangomint’s starting price.
Vagaro At a Glance
Overall score
Vagaro, headquartered in the US, is one of the most popular salon software options. It is a complete system for salons, spas, barbershops, health, and fitness businesses.
It’s one of the most feature-rich platforms on the market and comes with POS, online appointment scheduling, email/SMS marketing, credit card processing, subscription payments, video streaming, website builder, eCommerce, payroll, hardware, and advanced business reporting just to name a few.
Despite the large amount of built-in features, it’s one of the cheapest platforms on the market. So if you want to spend as little as possible for as much as possible, Vagaro could be the right platform for you.
Pros and Cons
- Rich in features
- Affordable price
- Client marketplace that could help you attract more new clients
- Integrations with other software (QuickBook, Xerox, Facebook, Zoom)
- Pages could load faster, and you may find some glitches as you use it
- Clients need to create a Vagaro account when booking, which some find annoying
- There is a slight learning curve in the beginning, as a lot of features
Alternative #4: Fresha | The Subscription-Free Salon Software and Marketplace
Fresha is the only alternative on this list that has a truly subscription-free option.
Fresha (previously known as Shedul) burst onto the scene in 2015, offering a subscription-free model, only charging fees when the software starts generating revenue. This appealing model has attracted many solo entrepreneurs for its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
It also has quite a geographic advantage, being offered in more than 120 countries around the world with broad multilanguage support.
Fresha is the more “locked down” software out of the two, though.
It offers very little customization or integration capability. You can customize and integrate far more apps with Mangomint. You can use either right out of the box with little to no tech knowledge, but you get more latitude to grow with Mangomint.
Fresha has one major advantage over Mangomint, though, and that’s its client marketplace.
This is an online destination where clients can browse businesses using Fresha. This massive online marketplace allows you to list and market your business to potential customers looking for your services. Just keep in mind that — just like Vagaro — the more businesses in your area that use Fresha, the steeper the competition gets.
If you’re a solo entrepreneur just starting out and you’re attracted by Fresha’s free tier, it could be a great fit. But if you run a team-based salon or spa and want a premium, highly tailored experience, Mangomint is tough to beat.
Fresha At a Glance
Overall score
Fresha (formerly known as Shedul) is the only subscription-free software for salons and spas with no trial period and no limits on usage. Fresha is headquartered in London, UK, but is available in 120 countries.
The strengths of Fresha lie in the ease of use, the subscription-free plan, and the continuous development of the platform.
It’s important to note that subscription-free is not the same as free. You’re paying for each transaction, and when new clients find you on the Fresha marketplace.
Pros and Cons
- Free subscription for unlimited staff. Only usage-based pricing.
- User-friendly and easy to learn
- Available in many countries and languages
- Limited options to customize the appearance (default designs look good, though)
- Clients are required to create a Fresha account to book
- Online booking cannot be integrated with your website (need to link out to your Fresha page)
- Limited support for integration with other platforms. You’re locked into using the Fresha tools.
Alternative #5: Boulevard | The Marketing-Focused Salon Management Software for Larger Businesses
The rivalry between Boulevard and Mangomint is truly captivating.
Boulevard is praised for its excellent online booking capabilities and innovative Precision Scheduling technology, which optimizes online scheduling to enhance booking efficiency.
On the other side, Mangomint is clearly just as committed to providing a clean, easy-to-use interface and has taken a holistic approach to designing their app’s menus, systems, and functions to make every step of the process effortlessly clear, easy, and intuitive. Nothing feels tacked on, and no element of the setup process or day-to-day functionality feels like a chore.
Both platforms boast robust reporting features and client data management, leveraging customer data to provide valuable insights that can be harnessed for business growth and targeted marketing strategies.
Mangomint has one prominent leg-up over Boulevard with its fully-integrated payroll processing features. Boulevard only supports exporting payroll reports to a third-party payroll processing app.
No system is without its shortcomings.
Many Boulevard users have reported challenges with the mobile app’s performance, finding it particularly buggy, especially on Android. Staff service enablement and scheduling have also been noted as areas with room for improvement, as elements of each can be tedious.
On the flip side, Mangomint’s marketing suite is newer than Boulevard’s, and while it is well-designed, it is limited to e-blasts at the moment, although more advanced campaign functionality has been teased for 2024.
Likewise, Mangomint doesn’t currently feature an analog to Boulevard’s calendar Front Desk View feature, which we noted was one of our favorite features of their desktop app.
Ultimately, the choice between Boulevard and Mangomint may come down to a salon’s priorities, whether that’s the allure of Boulevard’s user-friendly and luxurious interface or Mangomint’s emphasis on a flawlessly executed user experience and excellent customer service.
Boulevard At a Glance
Overall score
Boulevard is an up-and-coming cloud-based beauty and wellness software that offers a strong toolset of core features like appointment booking and POS, as well as advanced marketing features and two-way messaging.
It natively integrates with over a dozen apps, including Quickbooks, Instagram, Shopify, and more.
It is quite a pricey option, however, coming in at a starting price of $175 for the lowest-tier plan, which we (and Boulevard themselves) don’t recommend as it lacks some of Boulevard’s best reporting, marketing, and inventory features.
Boulevard offers a free trial, but they require a 12-month minimum contract to sign up, so make sure you are 100% sure about your choice before signing up.
Pros and Cons
- Client data that you can actually use to boost client retention and sales
- Can integrate with a large number of third party applications
- Precision Scheduling™ tech to fill the best gaps on the calendar first
- Well designed & easily-searchable help center
- High price-point across all plans
- Essentials plan lacks many of the best features Boulevard offers
- Boulevard Professional mobile app is buggy & has low ratings on iOS & Android
- Marketing suite can’t differentiate between bookings from emails vs other factors (you may end up paying more)
Choosing the Best Mangomint Alternative
I hope this list was helpful in determining if any of these Mangomint alternatives are a better fit for you.
Here’s the TL:DR –
If it’s top-notch customer support and life-hack-level innovative features you’re looking for, Mangomint offers the best features and support for businesses with more than a couple of stylists or estheticians.
If you’re a solopreneur looking for software you can run from your phone and need to keep your subscription cost low, GlossGenius is likely your best option.
If you run a new or growing salon or spa on a budget and want access to a large client marketplace, Fresha is probably your best choice, but you should definitely consider Vagaro as well if you’re comfortable spending a little more.
If you want a robust ecosystem of apps available for no monthly cost, Square Appointments is a fantastic alternative.
If you run a chain or franchise business and need support for multiple locations with complex management needs, consider Boulevard for its robust management and marketing tools.
Still unsure which software is the best for you? That’s OK! We’ve reviewed a whole bunch more.
Check out our list of the best salon software in 2024 right now and see how each competitor stacks up in our in-depth comparisons!
