Mindbody vs. GlossGenius – two highly popular salon and spa software brands go head to head and feature for feature.
If you run a small salon or spa business, you may be trying to decide between these two popular booking and business management platforms.
Mindbody, founded in 1998, is a veteran player in the wellness industry software world with fitness, health, and beauty clients worldwide.
GlossGenius, established in 2015, is newer to the scene but has made big waves with its modern, elegant design and app-focused approach.
In this review, I’ll compare the pros and cons, features, and pricing of Mindbody and GlossGenius head-to-head. My goal is to arm you with everything you need to determine which solution is the right fit for your individual business needs and budget.
Both platforms offer robust tools for appointment scheduling, client management, employee management, inventory tracking, and reporting.
Mindbody is a better fit overall for a salon, spa, or wellness business with a larger team. Their deep feature set and AI features make it an attractive option for rapidly-growing businesses.
GlossGenius specializes in delivering a polished user experience for small teams. Their low fees and simple app interface make Glossgenius an attractive option for solopreneurs who are cost-conscious.
Here’s what you’ll find in this Mindbody vs. GlossGenius comparison:
Mindbody vs GlossGenius
Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.
Mindbody
GlossGenius
Overall score
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Average price
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.
Who is it for
Ease of use
Customer Service
Countries
Available in 130 countries
U.S.
Key features
- Two-way messaging available (only on Ultimate and Ultimate Plus)
- AI chatbot feature to help with scheduling (only on Ultimate Plus)
- Ability to create a custom branded app and sell classes online (additional costs apply)
- Mindbody Explore Marketplace listing included with all subscriptions
- Premium beauty-inspired interface design
- Professional-looking website in just a few clicks
- Integrated payment and card reader with customizable design
- Affordable, transparent, flat fee pricing
A Double-Click on Each System
Let’s cover the basics of each of these salon and spa software brands in a little more detail.
Mindbody At a Glance
Overall score
The company has been around in some capacity since 1998, when the company was initially founded as Hardbody Software, officially becoming Mindbody in 2001. Since then, Mindbody has exploded in popularity, raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and purchased several other companies, including Booker, Classpass, and FitMetrix. Mindbody is headquartered in San Luis Obispo CA, and is available nearly worldwide.
Mindbody’s strengths lie in its new client acquisition opportunities and integrated marketing and content monetization capabilities.
Just like its sister software, Booker, while Mindbody’s lower-tier plans are relatively affordable, they lack many of the noteworthy features that make Mindbody an attractive option, putting them somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to price-to-feature comparisons.
Pros and Cons
- Enhanced new client acquisition opportunities through MindBody Marketplace
- Integrated payments though MindBody Payments (US & Canada only)
- Integrated email marketing suite (on Accelerate, Ultimate, and Ultimate Plus plans)
- Ability to monetize educational classes and content
- No free trial
- Must commit to a minimum 12-month contract before ever using the software
- Stateside customer support only available to Ultimate and Ultimate Plus plans
- App interface and menus are clunky and outdated
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)
Mindbody vs. GlossGenius: Strengths and Weaknesses
Mindbody is packed with features but comes at a steep price point compared to GlossGenius. It offers advanced marketing tools, global availability, and sophisticated payment processing – things that GlossGenius lacks. However, its old-fashioned desktop app (and mobile app, for that matter) is not the most user-friendly.
GlossGenius delivers on user experience with its polished, elegant design tailored specifically for salons and spas. The app-based system makes booking, client management, and reporting intuitive even for non-techies.
GlossGenius was originally built for solopreneurs and very small teams rather than larger operations. Recently, however, they have released a host of new features for larger teams, such as staff roles, permissions, payouts, and support for unlimited team members.
Previously, I would have recommended Mindbody over GlossGenius for larger teams. But with these new changes, GlossGenius is giving Mindbody a run for its money.
Mindbody’s marketplace is a behemoth, with millions of appointments booked every year. GlossGenius does not offer a marketplace, but they do offer the ability to create and customize your own booking website with their library of templates.
For features and scalability, Mindbody is the winner. But for user experience and support for entrepreneurs, GlossGenius comes out on top.
You’ll need to weigh your priorities – sophisticated tools versus simplicity, polish, and ease of use. Price will also likely play a role since GlossGenius costs considerably less than Mindbody feature-for-feature.
For more great alternatives for solopreneurs and full teams, make sure you check out our list of the top salon and spa software right now.
Mindbody vs GlossGenius
Let's weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each platform.
Ease of use
Design
Customer service
Pricing
Calendar and appointment management
Online booking
Point of sale and check out
Client data
Client communication
Inventory management
Team Management
Payroll
Marketing support
3rd party integrations
Mobile and tablet apps
Let’s Talk Features
Both Mindbody and GlossGenius provide robust core features like online booking, calendar management, client profiles, and reporting.
Both competitors also offer integrated email marketing and promotions, as well as SMS marketing tools.
GlossGenius has limited email marketing capabilities compared to Mindbody. Mindbody also enables businesses to sell retail products, gift cards, and video courses online through its platform.
Mindbody provides two-way text messaging and an AI-powered chatbot for scheduling assistance at the highest subscription levels. GlossGenius lacks native communication features beyond booking confirmations, but they do offer an AI-powered Email and SMS marketing feature, called “Genius AI”.
When it comes to Payroll, GlossGenius wins handily with fully integrated payroll processing right in the app. Mindbody has integrations with third-party payroll processing applications, but cannot run payroll natively.
GlossGenius shines when it comes to user experience. Even tech novices can navigate the software and app with ease to schedule appointments, update client profiles, and access reports. Mindbody packs in significantly more features but at the expense of simplicity and user experience.
Feature Comparison
Mindbody or GlossGenius. Let's go through what these features are and where they differ.
|
Mindbody
|
GlossGenius
|
|
| Online Booking | Mindbody | GlossGenius |
|
Website booking widget Note Can you integrate the entire online booking experience directly into your website? |
Note Available on all plans except Starter plan |
|
|
Branding control Note Can you customize the look and feel of the booking experience to fit your brand? |
Note Available on all plans except Starter plan |
|
|
No-show protection Note Can you store credit card details and charge deposits to reinforce your cancellation policy? |
||
|
Service customization Note Can clients adapt their service when they book, and can this change the price and duration of the booked appointment? |
||
|
Free from account creation Note Can clients book without having first to create an account with the software? |
||
|
Integrated gift cards Note Can you sell digital gift cards as part of the booking process? |
||
| Calendar and Appointment Management | ||
|
Customize notification messages Note Can you change the text sent to your clients as part of appointment reminders and other messages? |
Note You can enable/disable parts of the notification and add an additional message. |
|
|
Customize notification timings Note Can you change when reminders and other messages go out to your clients? |
||
| Client waitlist management | ||
|
Rooms and resource scheduling Note Can you manage equipment, rooms, and other resources required to complete a service? |
||
|
Repeat appointments Note Can you schedule clients for recurring appointments? |
||
|
Time block Note Can you block out time on your calendar? |
||
|
Processing time Note Can you allow for double booking of service providers by accepting appointments during service processing time? |
||
|
Duration and price by staff Note Can you adapt the price and time needed for a service based on who is performing the service? |
||
|
Automated check-in Note Can clients check in to their appointments themselves? |
||
| Point of Sale/ Check out | ||
|
Tablet compatible Note Can you run the POS on any tablet or do you need special hardware? |
||
|
Dedicated POS hardware Note Does the system provider offer hardware to improve the check out expereince? |
||
|
Self check out Note Can clients check out from their appointment themselves? |
||
|
Route payments to renters Note If you have booth renters in your business, can you route payments directly to them? |
||
|
Cards on file Note Can you store credit card details and charge the customer later? |
||
|
Integrated payments Note Does the software offer a first-party payment processing solution? |
||
| Client Data & Communication | ||
| SMS Notification | ||
| Email Notificition | ||
|
Dedicated business SMS number Note Do you get a business phone number that your messages and notifications are send from? |
||
| Two way SMS communication |
Note Included in Mindbody’s Ultimate software package. Optional add-on for lower-tier plans. |
|
|
Forms Note Can you create intake forms, store SOAP notes, and have clients sign your forms? |
||
|
Client notes Note Can you store notes about clients on their profile? |
||
|
Client files and images Note Can you store files and image on in the client’s profile? |
||
| Inventory and Product Types | ||
|
Inventory tracking Note Will the system keep track of stock levels, notify you when it’s time to re-order? |
||
|
Purchase orders Note Can the system create automatic purchase orders for you? |
||
| Retail | ||
| Memberships | ||
| Packages | ||
| Gift cards | ||
| Team Support & Payroll | ||
|
Fully integrated payroll Note Can you run payroll and cut paychecks directly through the software? |
||
|
3rd party payroll integration Note Does the software allow you integrate and share data with a 3rd party payroll solution (e.g. Gusto, ADP, Paychex, etc)? |
||
| Payroll reports | ||
|
Commission support Note Can you track and report on commission for service, retail, and other product types? |
||
|
Multi-location support Note Does the system have specific support for businesses with multiple locations |
||
|
Booth renter support Note Can the system help with rent collection, payments, and other booth renter management tasks. |
||
| Marketing Support | ||
| Email marketing | ||
| SMS marketing | ||
| Website builder | ||
|
Client marketplace Note Does it offer a platform where potential clients can browse businesses using the software? |
||
|
Add-on offers Note Can you promote service add-ons/upsells as part of the online booking flow? |
||
| Cloud & Mobile App Access | ||
|
Full-featured mobile app Note Can you access all software features in the mobile app? |
||
| Web browser | ||
| iPad | ||
| iPhone | ||
| Android | ||
Integrating with Other Platforms for Additional Features
As your business and its software needs grow over time, integrating new platforms for payments, marketing, etc. becomes crucial. Mindbody offers abundant integration options while GlossGenius lags in this area.
Mindbody connects to multiple third-party platforms via the integrations available through their Partner Store. This allows you to leverage dozens of tools and applications with your software.
GlossGenius, on the other hand, does not currently integrate with any major third-party platforms. The software does allow syncing your contacts and calendar which can be helpful for solopreneurs. However, there is no ability to connect advanced marketing or operational tools, currently.
If you want to see how these two apps stack up to the competition when it comes to integrations, check out the best alternatives on our top salon and spa software list.
Integrations
|
Mindbody
|
GlossGenius
|
|
|
Custom integrations Note Does the platform allow you to create new integrations to support your business-specific needs? |
||
|
Native integrations Note Built-in integrations that you can activate as needed |
Full list available in the Mindbody Partner Store. |
|
Pricing: Mindbody vs. GlossGenius
Mindbody’s pricing starts much higher than GlossGenius and requires an annual contract. GlossGenius offers far more affordable plan options and doesn’t lock down its customers with contracts.
Mindbody uses tiered pricing with feature limitations on lower-priced packages, requiring upgrades that cost several hundred dollars per month for full functionality. While GlossGenius does have tiered pricing, their highest-tier offering is nearly a third of the cost of Mindbody’s lowest-level plan.
For credit card processing, Mindbody has higher payment processing fees in many regions. Both software suites offer integrated payment processing, but GlossGenius’ rates are lower in the US.
Mindbody vs GlossGenius Pricing
GlossGenius has the most straightforward pricing model on the market. Mindbody makes it a bit harder to understand what you really will pay.
|
Mindbody
|
GlossGenius
|
|
| Average Price | ||
| Trial Options | ||
| Minimum contract length | ||
|
Plans
|
||
| Plans | ||
|
Add-ons
|
||
| Add-ons | ||
|
Credit card fees
|
||
| Credit card fees | ||
What Do Users Think of These Platforms?
If you want to read more about my experience with Mindbody and GlossGenius, see our full reviews linked above.
For now, let’s see what other salon and spa owners have to say about these platforms.
User Reviews Compared
Let's compare scores for these systems on the major user review sites.
|
Mindbody
|
GlossGenius
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
What Mindbody and GlossGenius Alternatives Should You Consider?
Mindbody and GlossGenius are two great options for many businesses. If you’re still unsure if either is the right fit for you, check out these alternatives:
Mangomint is the highest-rated software for salons and spas. If you have a team and you want the best customer service in the industry, I highly recommend you give them a try.
Square Appointments is a popular alternative to Mindbody and GlossGenius, serving independent professionals on a budget.
Mangomint vs Square Appointments
A quick comparison of the two Mindbody and GlossGenius alternatives.
Mangomint
Square Appointments
Overall score
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Average price
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.
Who is it for
Ease of use
Customer Service
Countries
U.S. and Canada
U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK.
Key features
- Modern, intuitive, and easy to use
- Smart automations that help cut down on time spent managing business operations
- Open data ownership and no contracts (you’re not locked into anything)
- Can integrate with any other platform who allows for integrations
- Highest-rated customer service on the market
- Large amount of native integrations with other apps
- Comprehensive, easy-to-use, marketing tools
- Best looking POS hardware on the market
- Free, sophisticated, website builder and online store
Conclusion
I hope this comparison of Mindbody and GlossGenesis has helped you in your quest for the right salon and spa software.
For more alternatives, don’t miss my list of the best salon and spa software right now.
