Salon Booking Software Pricing in 2026: Fresha, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Booksy and Square Compared

Salon booking software costs three things, and only one of them is the price on the website. There is the subscription, which as of September 2026 runs from $0 on Square's free plan to $149 a month per location on Square Premium, with most small teams landing between $45 and $70. There is a commission on new clients, which only the marketplaces charge: 20% once on Fresha, 30% once on Booksy Boost, nothing on Vagaro, GlossGenius or Square. And there is card processing, roughly 2.3% to 2.6% plus a few cents per in-person transaction everywhere, which is the biggest line for almost every salon. Here are all five side by side, what a three-chair salon pays on each, and when an app of your own is the cheaper option.

Salon booking software pricing at a glance

US prices as of September 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page: Fresha, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Booksy and Square Appointments.

| Tool | Subscription (US) | New client commission | Card processing, in person | Online or card on file | Free trial | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fresha | $19.95 solo, or $14.95 per bookable team member | 20% one-off, minimum $6, marketplace bookings only | 2.29% plus $0.20 | 2.79% plus $0.20 online; 3.30% plus $0.20 keyed | 7 days | | Vagaro | $23.99 for one calendar (limited-time rate; $30 regular), plus $10 per extra calendar up to seven | None | 2.6% plus $0.10 under $4,000 a month; 2.29% plus $0.19 and a $10 monthly fee above | 3.5% plus $0.19 | 30 days | | GlossGenius | $28, $56 or $168 monthly ($24, $48 or $148 billed annually) | None | 2.6% flat | 2.6% flat | 14 days | | Booksy | $29.99 plus tax, plus $20 per additional staff member | Boost, optional: 30% of a new client's first visit | 2.49% plus $0.10 with the reader; 2.49% plus $0.20 Tap to Pay | 2.69% plus $0.30 | 14 days | | Square Appointments | $0, $49 or $149 per location | None | 2.6% plus $0.15 on Free; 2.5% plus $0.15 on Plus; 2.4% plus $0.15 on Premium | 3.3% plus $0.30 online on Free, 2.9% plus $0.30 on paid plans; 3.5% plus $0.15 card on file | 30 days on paid plans | | Codersy Apps (your own app) | €50 flat, no setup fee, cancel any month | None | Your existing terminal, at its rate | Stripe or a local processor, at their published rates | Demo in 7 days |

UK pricing is cheaper on processing and the same in shape:

| Tool | Subscription (UK) | New client commission | Card processing, in person | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fresha | £14.95 solo or £9.95 per bookable team member, plus VAT (as reported by UK reviews) | 20% one-off, minimum £4 (reported) | 1.19% plus 20p (reported) | | Vagaro | £20 for one calendar; extra calendars: check the vendor's pricing page | None | 1.15% plus 20p chip and tap; 1.40% plus 25p keyed | | Booksy | £40, plus £5 per extra user, plus VAT (UK page) | Boost: 30% of the first visit, minimum £5 | 0.99% plus 20p plus VAT Tap to Pay; 1.29% plus 20p plus VAT mobile | | Square Appointments | £0, £29 or £69 per location (UK page) | None | 1.75% on Free; 1.6% on Plus and Premium; 1.4% plus 25p online; 2.5% keyed | | GlossGenius | US dollars only; check availability | None | 2.6% flat |

Tool by tool

Fresha

Fresha ended its free plan. As of September 2026 it charges $19.95 a month solo or $14.95 per bookable team member, a one-time 20% commission (minimum $6) on new clients from its marketplace, and 2.29% plus $0.20 in person or 2.79% plus $0.20 online. It is the cheapest subscription for a small team where clients already book through the app. The commission rules are in our Fresha pricing guide.

Vagaro

Vagaro charges $23.99 a month for one bookable calendar (a limited-time rate; $30 is shown as regular) plus $10 per extra calendar up to seven, then free, with no commission. The bill grows through add-ons: Forms $10, Text Marketing from $20, MySite $20, the Branded App $100 plus a $100 set-up fee. Processing is 2.6% plus $0.10 in person under $4,000 a month, 2.29% plus $0.19 with a $10 fee above it, and 3.5% plus $0.19 for anything keyed or stored. Our Vagaro pricing guide has a five-person example.

GlossGenius

GlossGenius has three plans, Standard at $28, Gold at $56 and Platinum at $168 (or $24, $48 and $148 billed annually), no marketplace, no commission and a flat 2.6% on every card transaction including card on file. Standard covers two people, Gold up to nine, Platinum unlimited. It is the simplest bill in the category, with no volume discount and US-dollar pricing only. See our GlossGenius pricing guide.

Booksy

Booksy's US pricing page lists $29.99 a month plus tax for one user and $20 a month per additional staff member, with 2,000 free SMS marketing messages a month and a 14-day trial. Processing is 2.49% plus $0.10 with the Booksy reader, 2.49% plus $0.20 for Tap to Pay and 2.69% plus $0.30 for mobile and keyed-in payments. The marketplace listing is free, and Boost, its paid discovery feature, is switched on by choice and charges a one-time 30% of a new client's first visit; the UK figures are in the table above.

Square Appointments

Square unified its plans in October 2025; $29 and $69 Appointments plans quoted elsewhere are the old structure. As of September 2026 Square's pricing page and its announcement list Free at $0, Plus at $49 a month per location and Premium at $149 a month per location, with a 30-day trial on the paid plans. In-person processing is 2.6% plus $0.15 on Free, 2.5% plus $0.15 on Plus and 2.4% plus $0.15 on Premium; online is 3.3% plus $0.30 on Free and 2.9% plus $0.30 on the paid plans; card-on-file and keyed payments are 3.5% plus $0.15 on every plan, per Square's fees article. The Free plan is genuinely free for a solo professional; DoTheBeauty's June 2026 breakdown notes that cancellation policy enforcement and no-show fees need Plus.

What a 3-chair salon actually pays on each

Assume a three-person salon taking $18,000 a month by card across 300 in-person transactions averaging $60, on monthly billing with no add-ons, and, where a marketplace exists, 15 genuinely new clients a month at $60 each.

| Tool | Software | Processing | Commission | Monthly total | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fresha, Team | 3 x $14.95 = $44.85 | 2.29% of $18,000 plus 300 x $0.20 = $472.20 | 15 x $12 = $180.00 | $697.05 | | Vagaro, 3 calendars (large merchant) | $23.99 plus 2 x $10 = $43.99 | 2.29% of $18,000 plus 300 x $0.19 plus $10 plus $1.25 = $480.45 | $0 | $524.44 | | GlossGenius, Gold | $56.00 | 2.6% of $18,000 = $468.00 | $0 | $524.00 | | Booksy, Boost on | $29.99 plus 2 x $20 = $69.99 plus tax | 2.49% of $18,000 plus 300 x $0.10 = $478.20 | 15 x $18 = $270.00 | $818.19 | | Booksy, Boost off | $69.99 plus tax | $478.20 | $0 | $548.19 | | Square Appointments, Plus | $49.00 | 2.5% of $18,000 plus 300 x $0.15 = $495.00 | $0 | $544.00 | | Codersy Apps, your own app | €50 | Your terminal's rate in the salon; your processor's rate on deposits taken in the app | $0 | €50 plus processing |

Read the columns, not the totals. Software spans $44 to $70. Processing spans $468 to $495, and every salon pays it to someone. Commission spans $0 to $270 and is the only place the tools genuinely diverge: without marketplace clients, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Booksy and Square Plus land within $25 of each other, and Fresha's Team plan is the cheapest software in the table until its marketplace starts doing its job.

Hidden costs across all salon booking software

• How seats are counted. Fresha, Vagaro and Booksy charge per person, Square per location, GlossGenius by tier.
• Card-not-present rates. Deposits and stored cards cost 2.6% on GlossGenius, 2.79% plus $0.20 on Fresha, 2.69% plus $0.30 on Booksy, 3.5% plus $0.15 on Square and 3.5% plus $0.19 on Vagaro.
• Texts. Fresha includes 100 a month then $0.02 each; Square 500 or 2,500 then 3 or 1.5 cents; Booksy 2,000 free marketing texts; GlossGenius 500 or 2,500 credits; Vagaro sells text marketing from $20. Push notifications through your own app cost nothing per message.
• Add-ons, promotions and tax. Vagaro's à la carte model and Fresha's per-location add-ons can double the software line, Vagaro's $23.99 is labelled limited-time, GlossGenius's lower prices need a year up front, and VAT or sales tax applies on top. Ask how you export your client list before you sign up.

Which is the best salon booking app for your salon?

• Fresha for a solo professional or small team that wants cheap software and marketplace discovery, especially in the UK and Europe.
• Vagaro for seven or more staff who will use payroll, forms, retail and classes; the calendar cap makes it cheap per head.
• GlossGenius for a US solo professional or small team with modest ticket sizes who values one flat rate.
• Booksy for barbers and nail techs with a local following who want a marketplace where paying for discovery is optional.
• Square Appointments if you already run Square for payments, want a free plan for one person, or have several locations.
• Your own app if your regulars already book you by name and you would rather own the relationship than rent it. Our best beauty salon booking apps guide goes deeper on features.

When your own salon app is the cheaper option

Codersy Apps designs, builds and publishes a booking app under your salon's own name and logo in the App Store and Google Play for a flat €50 a month, with no development or setup fee, no per-booking fee and no commission; cancel any month. It includes a client app and an admin app, per-employee calendars, prices and hours, 24/7 self-booking, push and email reminders, deposits against no-shows through Stripe or a local processor (their processing fees are separate), banning repeat no-shows, push notifications to all your clients, and revenue analytics. The client list belongs to the salon. A demo is on your phone within 7 days and the app is live in both stores in 3 to 4 weeks; Milano Beauty, Ana Beauty Club, Duo Gea Studio, Lila Vanila, Belgrade Bling, ARDNAS nails and AngelDoll Studio already run on it.

Marketplaces and salon software are the right start for most salons, and none of the five tools above is a bad choice. An owned app makes sense once your brand is doing the work, commissions and per-message fees are adding up, or you want the client relationship to be yours; in the three-chair example it costs about the same as any software line and removes the commission line entirely. The beauty salon app page shows what is included, salon app development explains the build, our build-versus-buy guide covers the decision, and the Fresha alternative and Vagaro alternative pages cover moving from those platforms.

The bottom line on salon booking software pricing

Subscriptions are close enough in 2026 that they should not drive the decision: $45 to $70 a month buys a three-person team any of the five mainstream tools. Processing costs roughly the same everywhere and is the largest line for everyone. The real choice is whether you pay a commission for discovery, and that depends entirely on where your clients come from. If they come from a marketplace, pay it gladly. If they come back because of you, stop paying for the introduction and talk to us about an app with your name on it.