Booksy vs Vagaro: what each actually costs a salon
Most comparisons stop at the monthly price. The monthly price is rarely the biggest number. Card processing and new-client fees usually are. Here is what to add up, what Booksy publishes, and how to run the comparison with your own bookings.
Checked 25 September 2026. Booksy's figures are from its own pricing page on that date. Vagaro's pricing page blocked our check, so we don't print its numbers. Prices change, so confirm both before you decide. We make Hue & Hair, another salon booking app.
The five kinds of fee to add up
- Subscription. The monthly price on the pricing page.
- Staff. A charge per extra team member or calendar. For a salon this can outgrow the subscription.
- Booking or new-client fees. A cut of the booking, often only on clients who found you through the app's marketplace.
- Card processing. A percentage plus a fixed amount per payment. At 80 card payments a month it is usually the largest line.
- Add-ons. Texts, marketing, card readers, faster payouts.
Booksy's published fees
From Booksy's US pricing page, as it read on 25 September 2026:
| Fee | What Booksy publishes |
|---|---|
| Subscription | $29.99 per month, plus tax, with all features included |
| Extra team members | $20 per month for each additional team member |
| New clients from the marketplace | Only if you turn on Boost: a one-time 30% of the total cost of a Boost client's first visit |
| Card processing, mobile payments and keyed-in | 2.69% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Card processing, Booksy card reader | 2.49% + $0.10 per transaction |
| Card processing, Tap to Pay | 2.49% + $0.20 per transaction |
| Payouts | Next business day free; 30-minute payouts 1.5% |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card |
Booksy's page says it doesn't charge a commission on clients who find you through your own link or marketing, or on the marketplace while Boost is off. It suggests sharing your Booksy profile link so returning clients aren't counted as Boost clients.
Vagaro's fees
We tried to read Vagaro's pricing page on 25 September 2026 and it refused the request, so this page doesn't repeat figures we couldn't check ourselves. Before you compare, open vagaro.com/pro/pricing and write down five things: the monthly price for your number of staff, any add-ons you'd actually use, the card processing rate for how your clients pay, any fee on marketplace clients, and anything charged for texts. Those go straight into the calculator below.
A worked example: one stylist on Booksy
A solo stylist with 80 appointments a month, a $70 average ticket, every client paying by Tap to Pay, and Boost off:
- Subscription: $29.99 (before tax)
- Card processing: 80 × ($70 × 2.49% + $0.20) = $155.44
- Total: $185.43 a month, $2,225.16 a year
Turn Boost on and bring in four new clients a month through it, each spending $70 on the first visit, and add 4 × $70 × 30% = $84: $269.43 a month. A three-person team pays $29.99 + 2 × $20 = $69.99 a month in subscription before processing. Processing is more than the subscription in every one of these cases.
Do the same sum with Vagaro's current numbers and your own volume and you have the real comparison.
Run it with your numbers
Where Hue & Hair fits
Hue & Hair is booking software built for hair: color formula history on the client profile, and color services split into processing stages so you can see the time you're free. Its plans are on the pricing page.
Card payments, deposits and no-show fees in Hue & Hair are switching on after Stripe's platform review. Until then no salon can take online payments through Hue & Hair, so there is no processing rate of ours to put in the comparison yet. If card payments inside your booking app matter to you today, weigh that.
Questions salon owners ask
- How much does Booksy cost per month?
- Booksy's pricing page, checked on 25 September 2026, lists $29.99 per month plus tax, plus $20 per month for each additional team member. Card processing and the optional Boost marketplace fee are extra.
- How much does Vagaro cost per month?
- We couldn't read Vagaro's pricing page when we checked on 25 September 2026, so we haven't printed a figure. Take the monthly price for your team size, any add-ons you'd use and the card processing rate from vagaro.com, and enter them in the booking cost calculator.
- Is Booksy or Vagaro cheaper?
- It depends on your team size, how many clients pay by card, and whether you rely on a marketplace for new clients. Two salons can get opposite answers. Put your own numbers into the calculator rather than trusting a general ranking.
- What fees do salon booking apps charge?
- Five kinds: a subscription, a charge per extra staff member or calendar, a cut of bookings or new clients, card processing, and add-ons such as texts or marketing. Not every platform charges all five.