Zenoti vs. Boulevard is quite an interesting comparison – a battle of “old vs. new” in the salon and spa software world.
And, considering the rising popularity of Boulevard in the US and the massive worldwide reach of Zenoti, you’re not the only one weighing these two software options against each other.
Zenoti, originally founded as ManageMySpa in 2010, has become wildly popular and one of the more prominent names in the salon software world, raising hundreds of millions in funding, employing over 650 staff members, and powering more than 25,000 businesses.
Boulevard, founded in 2016, is a much smaller company and a fresher face in the salon and spa software world and has grown rapidly, now serving over 2,000 business customers.
Zenoti vs. Boulevard: The Basics
To quickly sum up “Zenoti vs. Boulevard” in just a few words, I would describe it as a battle between “Utility vs. Polish.”
Zenoti is a solid pick for salon and spa owners who want highly detailed reporting and in-depth reputation management tools, and don’t mind a bit of a stiff and dated interface. Zenoti’s features build on the blueprint established by businesses like Booker and Mindbody, and expand the customizability and capability of those features with control over even the most minute details.
Boulevard, on the other hand, offers a level of sophistication and modern convenience through a clean UI design that speaks to its positioning as a luxury brand. Their robust feature set is tailored to high-end salons, spas, med spas, barbershops, and other wellness businesses that want a premium experience for their clients and themselves.
Let’s take a closer look at these two platforms.
Here is a breakdown of everything you will learn in this post:
Zenoti vs Boulevard
Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.
Zenoti
Boulevard
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 nearly 50 countries worldwide
U.S.
Key features
- Integrated email marketing suite
- Two-way client messaging (via paid add-on feature: ezConnect)
- Reputation management suite (via paid add-on feature: ezRepute)
- Employee performance tracking (via paid add-on feature: ezPulse)
- Easy-to-use interface
- Excellent online booking
- Integrated email marketing suite
- Highly detailed custom reports [on Premiere and above]
A Double-Click on Each System: Zenoti vs. Boulevard
Let’s take a closer look at what each system has to offer in comparison to the other.
Zenoti At a Glance
Overall score
Zenoti has existed in some form since 2010, when it was initially founded as ManageMySpa, officially becoming Zenoti in 2015.
Zenoti’s features build on the blueprint established by businesses like Booker and Mindbody, and expand the customizability and capability of those features with control over even the most minute details. The level of detail in data and reporting is a step ahead of some of the other big-name competitors in the industry, and its reputation management features are rather impressive.
That said, Zenoti also falls prey to some of the same mistakes that veteran salon software companies like Mindbody and Booker are still making.
Booker, Mindbody, and Zenoti all suffer from the uglies of bad, outdated user interface design, sporting plain, drab menu systems that tuck away important features in layers of nested menus and strip out crucial information (such as icon labels) you need to find the tools you need at a moment’s notice.
Likewise, Zenoti doesn’t list their fees online, hiding their monthly pricing behind a demo/sales call just as Mindbody does.
Pros and Cons
- Can integrate with a large number of third-party applications via an open API
- Integrated payments through Zenoti Payments
- Custom reports
- Help center and Zenoti University (training) available
- No free trial
- Pricing is not transparent + high starting cost (minimum $300)
- Mobile app has low-to-mixed ratings
- Requires a 12-month contract
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)
How Do They Compare? Strengths and Weaknesses
What stands out with Zenoti are its robust reputation management features.
The ability to monitor and manage reviews across over 200 platforms is really impressive, and for those who care about their brand and want to be in control of the conversation about it online, that toolset can be a great asset.
Boulevard stands with its easy-to-use interface, excellent online booking, Precision Scheduling technology that helps fill the best gaps on the calendar first, and its well-designed and easily searchable online help center.
Both Zenoti and Boulevard have impressive reporting features that allow you to take advantage of all the data you gather from your customers to give you better insight into your business. This information and its associated tools in the software can be utilized for business growth and better targeting via your marketing efforts.
Likewise, both options have integrated payment solutions, email marketing suites, two-way messaging features, and mobile apps.
On the flip side, there are definitely cons to both platforms.
Zenoti is plagued by a high cost of entry and no free trial. Additionally, the mobile app has a low to mixed rating on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Boulevard has similarly mixed app ratings, with many users reporting a buggy experience. Likewise, enabling services for staff members is tedious and scheduling employees is a bit unintuitive and limiting.
Zenoti vs Boulevard
Where does each app shine and where is there room for improvement?
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: Zenoti vs. Boulevard
These software options are very evenly matched.
Both Boulevard and Zenoti have impressive marketing suites, great reporting capabilities, two-way messaging SMS messaging, and all the basics – calendar and appointment booking, online booking, POS and integrated payments, etc.
The major edge I can give to Zenoti is their ezRepute feature, which allows business owners to track and manage their reviews and ratings across over 200 sites.
Feature Comparison
Boulevard and Zenoti offer many features. Let's go through what these features are and where they differ.
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Zenoti
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Boulevard
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| Online Booking | Zenoti | Boulevard |
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Website booking widget Note Can you integrate the entire online booking experience directly into your website? |
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Branding control Note Can you customize the look and feel of the booking experience to fit your brand? |
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No-show protection Note Can you store credit card details and charge deposits to reinforce your cancellation policy? |
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Service customization Note Can clients adapt their service when they book, and can this change the price and duration of the booked appointment? |
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Free from account creation Note Can clients book without having first to create an account with the software? |
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Integrated gift cards Note Can you sell digital gift cards as part of the booking process? |
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| Calendar and Appointment Management | ||
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Customize notification messages Note Can you change the text sent to your clients as part of appointment reminders and other messages? |
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Customize notification timings Note Can you change when reminders and other messages go out to your clients? |
Note Full customization not available. Options are limited to: 2 Days Before, 1 Day Before, and Same Day. |
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| Client waitlist management | ||
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Rooms and resource scheduling Note Can you manage equipment, rooms, and other resources required to complete a service? |
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Repeat appointments Note Can you schedule clients for recurring appointments? |
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Time block Note Can you block out time on your calendar? |
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Processing time Note Can you allow for double booking of service providers by accepting appointments during service processing time? |
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Duration and price by staff Note Can you adapt the price and time needed for a service based on who is performing the service? |
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Automated check-in Note Can clients check in to their appointments themselves? |
Note Not by default. Available through Zenoti Go add-on. |
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| Point of Sale/ Check out | ||
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Tablet compatible Note Can you run the POS on any tablet or do you need special hardware? |
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Dedicated POS hardware Note Does the system provider offer hardware to improve the check out expereince? |
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Self check out Note Can clients check out from their appointment themselves? |
Note Not by default. Available through Zenoti Go add-on. |
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Route payments to renters Note If you have booth renters in your business, can you route payments directly to them? |
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Cards on file Note Can you store credit card details and charge the customer later? |
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Integrated payments Note Does the software offer a first-party payment processing solution? |
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| Client Data & Communication | ||
| SMS Notification | ||
| Email Notificition | ||
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Dedicated business SMS number Note Do you get a business phone number that your messages and notifications are send from? |
Note Available through ezConnect premium add-on for an additional fee |
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| Two way SMS communication |
Note Available through ezConnect premium add-on for an additional fee |
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Forms Note Can you create intake forms, store SOAP notes, and have clients sign your forms? |
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Client notes Note Can you store notes about clients on their profile? |
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Client files and images Note Can you store files and image on in the client’s profile? |
Note Can upload files to forms, but not client profiles |
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| Inventory and Product Types | ||
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Inventory tracking Note Will the system keep track of stock levels, notify you when it’s time to re-order? |
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Purchase orders Note Can the system create automatic purchase orders for you? |
Note Not available on Essentials plan. |
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| Retail | ||
| Memberships | ||
| Packages | ||
| Gift cards | ||
| Team Support & Payroll | ||
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Fully integrated payroll Note Can you run payroll and cut paychecks directly through the software? |
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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)? |
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| Payroll reports | ||
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Commission support Note Can you track and report on commission for service, retail, and other product types? |
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Multi-location support Note Does the system have specific support for businesses with multiple locations |
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Booth renter support Note Can the system help with rent collection, payments, and other booth renter management tasks. |
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| Marketing Support | ||
| Email marketing | ||
| SMS marketing | ||
| Website builder | ||
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Client marketplace Note Does it offer a platform where potential clients can browse businesses using the software? |
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Add-on offers Note Can you promote service add-ons/upsells as part of the online booking flow? |
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| Cloud & Mobile App Access | ||
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Full-featured mobile app Note Can you access all software features in the mobile app? |
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| Web browser | ||
| iPad | ||
| iPhone | ||
| Android | ||
Integrating with Other Platforms for Additional Features
A plus for both Boulevard and Zenoti is the ability to integrate with other platforms.
Here, Boulevard offers the most upside for commonly used integrations, while Zenoti offers the most customizability.
The major edge Boulevard has is its larger library of direct integrations with apps like Shopify, Facebook and Instagram Book Now, and a couple handfuls of other commonly used apps. Zenoti only has a very small bundle of direct integrations, relying on their open API for any others.
Integrations
These platforms both offer third-party integrations.
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Zenoti
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Boulevard
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Custom integrations Note Does the platform allow you to create new integrations to support your business-specific needs? |
Note On Enterprise plan only. |
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Native integrations Note Built-in integrations that you can activate as needed |
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Pricing: Zenoti vs. Boulevard
Boulevard offers the lowest entry price, but at that price point, you will be missing out on many of their best features.
Unfortunately, Zenoti doesn’t offer transparency in their fee structure. They claim not to provide traditional monthly plan pricing. However, on our demo call, we were shown a presentation with a “custom pricing” structure based on our salon’s needs, listing three “recommended package options.”
These options all had a higher price point than Boulevard’s two lowest-tier plans.
If price is important to you, Boulevard is the true winner here, but keep in mind that with either software you will likely want to opt for their mid-tier or higher options in order to take advantage of their best features.
For other salon and spa software suggestions, read our top salon and spa software list.
Zenoti vs Boulevard Pricing
Boulevard is more attractively priced than Zenoti.
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Zenoti
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Boulevard
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| Average Price | ||
| Trial Options | ||
| Minimum contract length | ||
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Plans
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| Plans | ||
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Add-ons
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| Add-ons | ||
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Credit card fees
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| Credit card fees | ||
What Do Users Think of These Platforms?
You’ve read what I think. Now, let’s look at what users have to say.
User Reviews Compared
Let's compare scores for these systems on the major user review sites.
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Zenoti
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Boulevard
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What Alternatives Should You Consider?
Both of these software suites offer many features and great reporting and marketing capabilities, but are they the best fit for your business? Check out some of our top salon and spa software alternatives.
Mangomint is the highest-rated software for salons and spas. If you have a team and want an easy-to-use software that handles the little stuff for you, Mangomint is a win-win.
Vagaro is ideal for busy salons that need a feature-rich app and a client marketplace at a very affordable rate.
Mangomint vs Boulevard
A quick comparison of the two Vagaro and Zenoti alternatives.
Mangomint
Boulevard
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.
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
- Easy-to-use interface
- Excellent online booking
- Integrated email marketing suite
- Highly detailed custom reports [on Premiere and above]
Conclusion
I hope you found this comparison of Boulevard and Zenoti helpful in your search for the perfect salon software.
For more alternatives, please read my list of the best salon and spa software in 2024.
