Vagaro review
The salon-and-spa staple that prices by the calendar, not the client — cheap solo, but its AI booking tool keeps 20% of any client it finds you.
Vagaro is the booking-plus-POS system hair, nail, massage and spa businesses default to, and a chunk of boutique fitness besides: a consumer marketplace and app, its own payments with a free card reader, memberships, packages, forms/SOAP notes and unlimited clients on every plan. The published ladder is the real story — $23.99/mo for one staff calendar (Vagaro’s own pricing page shows this struck through from $30), +$10/mo per calendar up to seven ($83.99 flat, every employee after that free) — but two costs sit outside that ladder: Vera, its AI marketplace-booking assistant, keeps 20% of the revenue from any new client it books for you, and card processing carries its own stack of fees (inactivity, plan and per-transaction). Capterra loves it (4.7/5, 3,658 reviews); Trustpilot is a more mixed 3.6/5 on outages, support speed and billing surprises.
Great
FitBizStack score · 6 weighted factors
Headline
$23.99/mo
True cost
$23.99–$83.99/mo
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Scorecard
How we scored Vagaro
Six weighted categories. Weights are published and identical for every platform.
What we like
- Exact per-calendar pricing published: $23.99 for one calendar, +$10 per calendar up to seven ($83.99 flat), then every extra employee is free
- Broad feature set: booking, POS with a free card reader, memberships, packages, forms/SOAP notes, its own consumer marketplace and app
- No contract — month-to-month, cancel anytime with no cancellation fees, plus free data migration from any other software
- Unlimited clients on every tier — pricing scales with staff, never with how many people you serve
- Strong independent validation: Capterra 4.7/5 across 3,658 reviews, G2 4.6
What we don’t
- The advertised $23.99/mo is explicitly a discount off a struck-through $30 “exclusive rate for the first 6 months” — Vagaro does not publish what it becomes after
- Vera, its AI booking assistant, takes 20% of the revenue from any new client it books for you — on top of the subscription
- Payment processing stacks fees: an inactivity fee under $1,000/mo processed, a $1.25/mo card-network location fee, and a plan fee at higher volume
- Trustpilot sits at 3.6/5 (701 reviews, “Average”) — recurring complaints about outages, slow support and billing surprises
- Branded white-label app pricing is not published — quote only
At a glance
Vagaro in four numbers
The salon-and-spa staple that prices by the calendar, not the client — cheap solo, but its AI booking tool keeps 20% of any client it finds you.
$23.99
Solo, one calendar (intro rate)
$83.99
Flat at 7 staff calendars, then free
20%
Vera AI booking commission
4.7
Capterra rating, 3,658 reviews
01 Vagaro
The short verdict
Vagaro is the default booking-plus-POS system for hair, nail, massage and spa businesses, and a real option for boutique fitness too: a consumer marketplace and app, its own payments with a free card reader, memberships, packages, forms/SOAP notes and unlimited clients on every plan.
The published ladder is the real story: $23.99/mo for one staff calendar (Vagaro’s own pricing page shows this struck through from $30), +$10/mo per calendar up to seven ($83.99 flat, every employee after that free). Two costs sit outside that ladder: Vera, its AI marketplace-booking assistant, keeps 20% of the revenue from any new client it books for you, and card processing carries its own stack of fees.
02 Vagaro
Who Vagaro is for
Salons, spas, med-spas and wellness businesses
that want booking, POS and marketplace discovery in one system.
Small teams of 2–7 staff
, where the per-calendar math stays simple — and gets generous once you cross seven, since every employee after that is free.
Owners who want no contract
Month-to-month billing, free data migration from any other software, and a free card reader.
It is a weaker fit for owners who want one flat number with zero per-employee math (RhinoFit is $57 flat for unlimited staff and members) or who do not want a marketplace tool taking a cut of new clients it finds for them.
03 Vagaro
Vagaro pricing in 2026, explained
Plans are priced by bookable calendar (one per staff member who takes appointments), not by client count — every tier includes unlimited clients.
| Calendars | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Just Me (1) | $23.99 |
| 2 | $33.99 |
| 3 | $43.99 |
| 4 | $53.99 |
| 5 | $63.99 |
| 6 | $73.99 |
| 7+ | $83.99 flat — employees beyond 7 are free |
The $30 → $23.99 catch
Vagaro’s own pricing page shows $23.99 as a discount struck through from $30, labelled “exclusive rate for the first 6 months.” It does not publish what the price becomes afterward; independent price trackers put the ongoing base near $30/mo, but that is not confirmed on Vagaro’s own site.
Multiple locations add $10/mo per extra location under the Branded App feature. No plan has a client or member limit.
04 Vagaro
What you will really pay
Beyond the calendar ladder, three things add to the bill: feature add-ons, Vera’s marketplace commission, and payment processing.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Forms | $10/mo |
| Text marketing (entry tier) | $20/mo |
| MySite website | $20/mo |
| Vagaro Payroll | $34/mo + $5/mo per employee |
| Vagaro Drive / APIs & webhooks | From $10/mo |
| Branded white-label app | Quote |
Vera’s 20% cut
Vera Fill My Books, Vagaro’s AI marketplace-booking tool, keeps 20% of the revenue from any new client it books for you. Reviewers describe a $150 service losing $30 to Vera before any other cost — on top of your subscription and card fees.
Card processing is Vagaro’s own: 2.6% + $0.10 per in-person sale (small merchant) or 2.29% + $0.19 + $10/mo plan fee at larger volume, plus a $10/mo inactivity fee if you process under $1,000/mo and a $1.25/mo card-network location fee.
05 Vagaro
What the plans include
Booking
Online booking on Vagaro’s own marketplace plus Instagram, Facebook and Apple Maps; the Vagaro client app.
Payments & POS
Free card reader, invoicing, Affirm buy-now-pay-later up to $30,000, PayPro terminals and receipt printers.
Business ops
Memberships, packages and gift cards, inventory, digital forms and SOAP notes, unlimited appointment reminders.
Marketing
1,000 free marketing emails a month included; text marketing and a MySite website as paid add-ons.
AI
Vera, an AI booking assistant that fills empty slots from Vagaro’s marketplace — for a 20% commission on the clients it brings.
06 Vagaro
What owners say
Review sites are strong: 4.7/5 on Capterra (3,658 reviews) and 4.6/5 on G2. Owners praise the breadth of features, easy client-side booking and free data migration; Capterra’s value-for-money sub-score is a touch lower at 4.6/5.
Trustpilot is more mixed at 3.6/5 across 701 reviews (“Average”). Recurring complaints: technical glitches and outages during busy hours, slow customer-service response, unexpected charges and refund difficulty, POS device malfunctions, and frustration with Vera’s 20% commission on marketplace bookings.
07 Vagaro
Vagaro vs the alternatives
| Platform | Monthly | Price published? | Client limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vagaro | $63.99 (5 calendars) | Yes | Unlimited |
| WellnessLiving | $199 (Business, unlimited staff) | Yes | Unlimited |
| Mindbody | Quote (from $79) | Starting price only | N/A |
| RhinoFit | $57 flat | Yes | Unlimited |
| TeamUp | $189 | Yes | By active client |
Head-to-head: Vagaro vs Mindbody. Full ranking: best gym management software.
Pricing, decoded
What Vagaro really costs
Published per-calendar tiers ($23.99–$83.99/mo for 1–7 staff logins; extra staff free beyond 7); unlimited clients on every tier; month-to-month, cancel anytime.
Headline price
$23.99/mo
What the marketing shows
True monthly cost
$63.99/mo for a 5-person team (one calendar + 4 extra at $10/mo each); the $23.99 headline is a struck-through discount off a $30 regular rate on Vagaro’s own pricing page, good for the first 6 months only; its Vera AI booking tool also keeps 20% of new-client revenue it books for you, on top of card-processing fees
What you actually pay
| Plan | Monthly billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Just Me | $23.99/mo | 1 calendar · struck through from $30, intro rate for 6 months |
| 2 calendars | $33.99/mo | +$10 per extra calendar |
| 3 calendars | $43.99/mo | |
| 4 calendars | $53.99/mo | |
| 5 calendars | $63.99/mo | |
| 6 calendars | $73.99/mo | |
| 7+ calendars | $83.99/mo | flat — employees beyond 7 are free |
Common add-ons
- Forms$10/mo
- Text marketing (entry tier)$20/mo
- MySite website$20/mo
- Vagaro Payroll$34/mo + $5/mo per employee
- Vagaro Drive / APIs & webhooksFrom $10/mo
- Extra location (Branded App)$10/mo
- Branded white-label appQuote
Payment processing
Own processing: 2.6% + $0.10 per in-person sale (small merchant) or 2.29% + $0.19 + $10/mo plan fee (larger volume); $10/mo inactivity fee under $1,000 processed; $1.25/mo card-network location fee; Vera AI bookings take an extra 20% of that client’s revenue
True-cost calculator
See the true monthly cost, not the headline.
- Base plan
- $64
- Processing (2.60%)
- $312
- Add-ons
- $0
- True cost / month
- $376
Switch to to see the ~15% savings.
Headline was $23.99/mo. Based on published pricing.
Honest cons
Who should NOT buy Vagaro
- Anyone who wants one flat number with zero per-employee math — RhinoFit is $57 flat for unlimited staff and members.
- Businesses that do not want a marketplace tool taking a cut — Vera keeps 20% of any new-client revenue it books for you.
- Owners who want the price to stay put — the advertised $23.99 is explicitly a 6-month introductory rate on Vagaro’s own page.
FAQ
Vagaro: frequently asked questions
How much does Vagaro cost in 2026?
$23.99/mo for one staff calendar — Vagaro’s own pricing page shows this struck through from $30, labelled an exclusive rate for the first 6 months. Each additional calendar is +$10/mo up to seven ($83.99/mo flat); staff beyond seven are free. Extra locations add $10/mo each under the Branded App feature. Verified on vagaro.com on September 28, 2026.
Does Vagaro charge a commission on top of the subscription?
Yes, for one feature: Vera, its AI marketplace-booking assistant, keeps 20% of the revenue from any new client it books for you. The regular subscription and card-processing fees apply separately.
Is there a client or member limit?
No. Pricing is based on staff calendars, not clients — every tier includes unlimited clients.
Does Vagaro include a branded app?
Every business gets a listing in the shared Vagaro marketplace app. Your own white-label branded app is a separate, quoted add-on.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, but a credit card is required to start it, and there is no permanent free plan.
How we verified this review
Plan tiers (the per-calendar ladder), add-ons, processing fees and the $30→$23.99 promotional framing were checked on Vagaro’s official pricing and branded-app pages, and its Support Center pricing article, on September 28, 2026. Ratings come from Capterra, G2 and Trustpilot the same day. Scores follow our published methodology. We could not find a publisher/content affiliate program for Vagaro — only a customer refer-a-friend credit — so it is not currently an affiliate partner.
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