Vagaro vs. Booker: Salon and Spa Software Showdown 2024

Vagaro vs. Booker – Which salon and spa software should you choose in 2024?

In this comparison, I’ll give you all the information you need to make an informed decision between Vagaro and Booker. 

These two software companies are both incredibly popular platforms for salon and spa owners. While Vagaro is directed at cost-conscious solopreneurs or smaller teams, Booker by Mindbody is for growing salons and spas with a team and slightly deeper pockets.

The Basics: Vagaro vs. Booker

Vagaro, headquartered in Dublin, California, was started in 2009 to sway businesses away from pen-and-paper booking with an affordable salon and spa software solution. Vagaro has come a long way since its founding, integrating a whole tool chest of features and a massive client marketplace over the last decade and a half.

Booker, headquartered in New York City, was originally founded in 2007 as SpaBooker, a spa service booking platform, and ultimately became “Booker” in 2012. It has set the standard for form and function of salon and spa software and laid the groundwork for many of the newer competitors we see today. It was purchased by Mindbody in 2018, and many features and business functions have since become standardized across both platforms.

The Vagaro vs. Booker Comparison in a Nutshell

Alright, let’s boil down this Vagaro vs. Booker showdown to just a few words. Honestly, just like our Vagaro vs. Mindbody comparison, I see these two as a battle of “value vs. pedigree.”

If you are a cost-conscious solopreneur or have a small team, you might consider Vagaro an attractive option.

This all-in-one software company has a ton of features to support your salon, spa, or fitness business: from POS, online appointment scheduling, advanced business reporting, email/SMS marketing, and credit card processing to memberships and subscriptions, eCommerce, payroll, a website builder, and even video streaming.

Booker is a mature piece of salon and spa software whose features are primarily oriented toward businesses with simpler operations than those that may choose its sister software, Mindbody.

Booker does not feature any of the more advanced fitness and class scheduling features that Mindbody or Vagaro offer, which makes it an even less favorable contender in comparison due to the fact that it has the exact same pricing as Mindbody.

Booker also has a significant advantage over most salon and spa management software because it is available nearly worldwide through their parent company. Vagaro is available in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.

It’s difficult to summarize what makes each of these software suites unique in just a few sentences. So, to help you find the best salon software for you, let’s examine these two platforms more closely.

Here is a breakdown of everything you will learn in this Vagaro vs. Booker comparison:

• An overview of each system
• A comparison of the differences that separate them
• A feature-by-feature comparison
• Pricing differences
• Ratings & reviews from their users.

Vagaro vs Booker

Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.

Vagaro

Booker

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.

4.1

3.4

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.

$120 per month

$450 per month

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.

For the new and growing business with funds to spare that needs integrated marketing tools and must have a first-party online marketplace to drive new client acquisition.

Ease of use

3

4

Customer Service

3

3.5

Countries

U.S., Canada, Australia, and the UK

Available almost worldwide

Key features

• A client marketplace where they can browse and find your business
• Very comprehensive marketing suite.
• Vagaro branded POS hardware
• Support for classes (as also used by fitness businesses)

• Two-way messaging available (only on Ultimate and Ultimate Plus)
• AI chatbot feature to help with scheduling (only on Ultimate Plus)
• Integrated payments through MindBody Payments (US & Canada only)
• Mindbody Explore Marketplace listing included with all subscriptions

A Double-Click on Each System: Vagaro vs. Booker

Let’s take a closer look at each competitor in the Vagaro vs. Booker guide.

How Do They Compare? Strengths and Weaknesses

While both apps offer a more simple and streamlined experience, Vagaro distinguishes itself with its additional affordability and comprehensive feature set. Its pricing reflects a great value, surpassing other software suites in its sheer number of features per dollar, making Booker look a lot less appealing in comparison.

Both Vagaro and Mindbody provide robust client marketplaces and impressive new client acquisition and revenue growth opportunities. Vagaro boasts that 35 million appointments are booked annually through its marketplace, while Mindbody reports that an impressive 93 million appointments and classes were scheduled via the Mindbody Marketplace in 2022.

Much of my criticism of the Mindbody app holds true for Booker as well. Booker’s interface looks pretty much exactly the same as it did when I was using it in my salon in the mid-2010s. Booker is technically the older piece of software (although not by much), and it really feels like it when comparing the two side-by-side.

Booker’s user experience still feels a bit clunky and looks outdated by modern standards, whereas Vagaro has some of the visual and user experience niceties that newer software suites offer salon and spa owners.

Again, the real kicker here is that Booker offers many, but not all of the features that Vagaro does and comes in at a significantly higher price point, making it a tougher sell unless you live in a territory where Vagaro currently doesn’t offer their services (i.e. outside of the US, UK, Canada, Australia).

Let’s Talk Features: Vagaro vs. Booker

Both Vagaro and Booker offer marketing tools, including an email builder and client marketplace. The Mindbody Marketplace is a much larger platform than Vagaro’s. Vagaro has support for classes and allows you to host video content online – features that Booker does not offer (but its sister software, Mindbody, does).

Vagaro vs Booker

Vagaro offers more features than Booker. Let's go through what these features are and where they differ.

	Vagaro	Booker
Online Booking	Vagaro	Booker
Website booking widget Note Can you integrate the entire online booking experience directly into your website?		Note Not included by default. Requires custom web development and API access fees.
Branding control Note Can you customize the look and feel of the booking experience to fit your brand?	Note Very limited: Change accent color but all else is Vagaro standard.	Note Not included by default. Requires custom web development and API access fees.
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?
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?		Note Available on Ultimate & Ultimate Plus plans only
Two way SMS communication		Note Available on Ultimate & Ultimate Plus plans only
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

Both Vagaro and Booker offer third-party integrations. Not all salon and spa software do. You’ll notice Vagaro gives you slightly more options to choose from.

Vagaro vs Booker

These platforms both offer third-party integration.

	Vagaro	Booker
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	Gusto Quickbooks Zoom Xero	iCal Google Calendar

Pricing: Vagaro vs. Booker

Vagaro offers a huge assortment of features, all included at a low price. Booker’s lowest-tier plans are relatively affordable compared to the competition but are still more expensive than Vagaro and also lack many of Booker’s better features.

If reducing costs is important to you, then you will probably be better suited with Vagaro or another low-cost alternative on our top salon and spa software list for 2024.

Vagaro vs Booker Pricing

Vagaro is more attractively priced than Booker.

	Vagaro	Booker
Average Price	$120 per month	$450 per month
Trial Options	30 day free trial	No free trial
Minimum contract length	Cancel any time	12 months
Plans Monthly subscription fee starts at $25 for individuals $10 for every additional user Everyone after the 7th user is free Multi-location businesses require Vagaro’s enterprise platform with personalized prizing. Starter: entry-level plan – $129 per month Accelerate: mid-tier plan – $269 per month Ultimate: most popular plan – $429 per month Ultimate Plus: premium plan – $549 per month
Plans	Monthly subscription fee starts at $25 for individuals $10 for every additional user Everyone after the 7th user is free Multi-location businesses require Vagaro’s enterprise platform with personalized prizing.	Starter: entry-level plan – $129 per month Accelerate: mid-tier plan – $269 per month Ultimate: most popular plan – $429 per month Ultimate Plus: premium plan – $549 per month
Add-ons Automated text marketing: $20/month Website builder: $10/month Forms: $10/month Cloud storage: $10/month Check-in app: $10/month Additional visibility at the Vagaro client marketplace: $10/month Branded app: $200/month SMS marketing: $20/mo for 500 sms and they offer plans up to $400/mo for 20,000 sms. Email marketing: 1000 emails/mo are included in your plan. If you need more, you pay $10/mo for 5 000 emails up to $90/mo for 100 000 emails. Messenger[ai] feature can be added on to Accelerate and Ultimate packages
Add-ons	Automated text marketing: $20/month Website builder: $10/month Forms: $10/month Cloud storage: $10/month Check-in app: $10/month Additional visibility at the Vagaro client marketplace: $10/month Branded app: $200/month SMS marketing: $20/mo for 500 sms and they offer plans up to $400/mo for 20,000 sms. Email marketing: 1000 emails/mo are included in your plan. If you need more, you pay $10/mo for 5 000 emails up to $90/mo for 100 000 emails.	Messenger[ai] feature can be added on to Accelerate and Ultimate packages
Credit card fees Small merchants (less than $4000/month): 2.75% per swipe, 3.5% + $0.15 per keyed-in transaction. Multiple merchants (less than $4000/month): 2.5% + $0.10 per swipe, 3.5% +$0.15 per keyed-in transaction. Large merchants (more than $4000/month): 2.2% + $0.19 per swipe, 3% + $0.19 per keyed-in transaction. Monthly cost $10. Credit card processing rates through Mindbody Payments: US: In-person – Card-present (CP): 2.75% per transaction Online or on-file: Card-not-present (CNP): 3.5% + .15 USD per transaction Canada: In-person – Card-present (CP): 2.39% + .10 CAD per transaction Online or on-file: Card-not-present (CNP): 2.89% + .25 CAD per transaction
Credit card fees	Small merchants (less than $4000/month): 2.75% per swipe, 3.5% + $0.15 per keyed-in transaction. Multiple merchants (less than $4000/month): 2.5% + $0.10 per swipe, 3.5% +$0.15 per keyed-in transaction. Large merchants (more than $4000/month): 2.2% + $0.19 per swipe, 3% + $0.19 per keyed-in transaction. Monthly cost $10.	Credit card processing rates through Mindbody Payments: US: In-person – Card-present (CP): 2.75% per transaction Online or on-file: Card-not-present (CNP): 3.5% + .15 USD per transaction Canada: In-person – Card-present (CP): 2.39% + .10 CAD per transaction Online or on-file: Card-not-present (CNP): 2.89% + .25 CAD per transaction

What Do Users Think of These Platforms?

You’ve read my opinion on these two systems. Now, let’s see what salon and spa businesses have to say.

Vagaro vs Booker

Let's compare scores for these systems on the major user review sites.

	Vagaro	Booker
	4.7	4.1
	4.4
	4.7	3.7
	4.4	1.7

What Vagaro & Booker Alternatives Should You Consider?

Vagaro and Booker are two great options for many businesses. However, you may wish to check out the other platforms below.

Mangomint is the highest-rated software for salons and spas. If you have a team and want the absolute best customer service available, check out this option.

GlossGenius is my recommended alternative for independent professionals who have lean operations and want to keep their costs down.

Mangomint vs GlossGenius

A quick comparison of the two Vagaro and Booker alternatives.

Mangomint

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.

4.9

4.4

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.

$245 per month

$48 per month

Who is it for

The highest-rated software for salons & spas. Designed for businesses with a team who want the best design experience, smart automations, and the flexibility to integrate with other systems.

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

Ease of use

5

5

Customer Service

5

3

Countries

U.S. and Canada

U.S.

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

• 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

Conclusion

I hope this comparison between Vagaro vs. Booker is helpful in your search for the right salon and spa software for your business.

For more alternatives, please read my list of the best salon and spa software right now.

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