Vagaro charges per user.
We charge nothing.
Vagaro is a mature, deep platform with marketplace exposure and a full suite — POS, payroll, inventory, classes. It's also expensive, and most of what salons actually need is the booking calendar.
- · Vagaro starts at $30/month for one user, then $10 for each additional user. A 5-chair shop pays ~$70/month.
- · Vagaro charges 2.75% per card transaction; some merchant accounts can lower this with volume.
- · Vagaro Marketplace can drive new clients but charges a per-booking fee for that exposure.
- · Vagaro has no native WhatsApp booking. Email + SMS reminders only.
- · SalonBooking is free during early access, no per-user fee, and your customers can book inside WhatsApp.
Side-by-side
Public pricing as of 2026. Numbers from Vagaro's pricing page.
| SalonBooking | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | Free during early access | $30/mo for 1 user |
| Per-staff fee | None | +$10/mo per additional user |
| 5-chair monthly cost | $0 | ~$70/mo before processing |
| Card processing | We don't process — keep your rate | 2.75% (Vagaro Pay default) |
| Marketplace fee | None — we have no marketplace | $1+ per booking via Vagaro Marketplace |
| WhatsApp booking | ✓ Native | ✗ Not supported |
| Email + SMS reminders | ✓ Email, WhatsApp; SMS roadmap | ✓ Both included |
| Multi-location | ✓ | ✓ (extra fee per location) |
| Customer self-service | ✓ Magic link to reschedule/cancel | ✓ |
| Custom domain | Roadmap | ✓ (extra) |
| Inventory / payroll / forms | Out of scope | ✓ All add-ons available |
When Vagaro is the right choice
If you want one platform for booking, payroll, inventory, classes, memberships, gift cards, and forms — Vagaro is genuinely deep. Their marketplace can also send you net-new clients you wouldn't have found otherwise, particularly in the US. The trade-off is per-user pricing and the booking experience itself feels heavier.
When SalonBooking is the right choice
If your customers reach you on WhatsApp first. If you don't want to pay per chair. If you want a single, fast booking link to share on Instagram and have clients book in three taps. If you'd rather use specialized tools for inventory and payroll separately and keep the booking calendar dead simple.
Both tools handle the basics well. Vagaro is the swiss-army knife. SalonBooking is the focused booking calendar with WhatsApp built in.
Try it free in 10 minutes.
No card. No per-user fees. Move back to Vagaro anytime.
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