Comparison · Updated September 26, 2026
GlossGenius vs Vagaro for salons and spas
GlossGenius
B
GlossGenius is booking, point-of-sale, marketing and staff software for US salons, barbers, spas, medical spas and wellness and fitness studios, built in New York by twin sisters Danielle Cohen-Shohet, the chief executive, and Leah Cohen-Shohet. The company was incorporated in August 2015, raised a $44 million Series D at a $1.15 billion valuation in July 2026 and at the same time renamed itself Genius AI, with GlossGenius kept as its main product; it says more than 125,000 businesses use the platform. Card processing is built in and runs on Stripe: GlossGenius is the platform, Stripe is the processor, and every business gets a Stripe connected account rather than its own merchant ID. The published price is one flat 2.6% with no per-transaction fee, and it is the same whether the card is tapped, keyed, stored on file or used to pay a deposit online, which is unusual among salon platforms. Invoices cost 2.9% + $0.30 and buy-now-pay-later 6% + $0.30. A setting lets the business pass some or all of the fee to clients as a 2.5% or 3.5% convenience fee. The software costs $24, $48 or $148 a month billed annually ($28, $56 or $168 billed monthly), is month to month, and standard payouts are free, sent each evening Sunday to Thursday, and usually arrive the next day. The weak spots are the service record: a D- BBB rating for failing to respond to 24 complaints, and recent complaints from businesses whose payouts were held for verification.
Vagaro
B
Vagaro is booking, point-of-sale and marketing software for salons, spas, barbers, medical spas, gyms and studios, sold from Pleasanton, California since 2009 by founder and chief executive Fred Helou. Card processing is built in through Vagaro Merchant Services, a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., and priced on two published plans: small merchants under $4,000 a month pay 2.6% + $0.10 for swiped, dipped and tapped cards with no monthly fee, and large merchants above that pay 2.29% + $0.19 for $10 a month. Every keyed, online, card-on-file and membership charge is 3.5% + $0.19 on either plan, card-brand FANF and Mastercard location fees pass through, buy-now-pay-later through Affirm costs 6% + $0.30, and surcharging is not allowed. Deposits arrive the next business day after a batch, with same-day and instant payouts at 1.75%. The software is $30 a month for one calendar (currently $23.99 for the first six months) plus $10 a calendar up to seven, month to month with no cancellation fee, and the US marketplace listing is free — Vagaro only takes a 20% cut when you opt into its Fill My Books promotions. The rate card is clear and competitive in person; the weak spots are the keyed rate, a BBB review score of 1.09 out of 5 with recurring complaints of duplicate charges and hardware warranty disputes, and the lack of any way to pass fees on to clients.
VS
Overview
GlossGenius and Vagaro both sell booking, point-of-sale and marketing software to US salons, barbers, spas and beauty professionals with card processing built in, and Payment Review grades both B. They price the payments very differently. GlossGenius, which runs on Stripe, charges one flat 2.6% with no per-transaction fee however the card is taken: tapped, keyed, stored on file or used for an online deposit. Vagaro, whose processing comes from Vagaro Merchant Services, an ISO of PNC Bank, charges 2.6% + 10¢ in person under $4,000 a month or 2.29% + 19¢ above it for $10 a month, and 3.5% + 19¢ on every keyed, online, card-on-file and membership payment, plus card-brand pass-through fees. As of September 2026 GlossGenius software costs $28, $56 or $168 a month billed monthly by plan tier; Vagaro costs $30 for one calendar ($23.99 for the first six months) plus $10 per extra calendar, reaching $90 a month at seven or more people on its pricing calculator. GlossGenius is cheaper for most solo professionals and small teams and on anything taken online; Vagaro is cheaper on large in-person tickets and for teams of ten or more, lists businesses free on its consumer marketplace, and has the better complaint record.
Key Takeaways
- ✓GlossGenius wins on online and saved-card payments: 2.6% flat, against Vagaro's 3.5% + 19¢ on every deposit, card on file, membership renewal and online booking payment. A $100 online deposit costs $2.60 on GlossGenius and $3.69 on Vagaro.
- ✓Vagaro wins on large in-person tickets: its 2.29% + 19¢ large-merchant rate costs less per transaction than GlossGenius's 2.6% on tickets above about $61, before Vagaro's $10 monthly plan fee and card-brand pass-throughs.
- ✓Software cost depends on team size. On monthly billing GlossGenius Standard ($28) covers two people and Gold ($56) up to nine; Vagaro adds $10 per calendar from $30 and reaches $90 at seven or more. GlossGenius is cheaper at one, two and four to nine people; Vagaro at three ($50 against $56) and from ten, where GlossGenius needs Platinum at $168.
- ✓Vagaro wins on reputation and discovery: it holds a BBB B+ and a 3.6 Trustpilot score from 701 reviews against GlossGenius's BBB D- and 2.2 from 10 reviews, and its consumer marketplace listing is free in the US.
- ✓GlossGenius lets a business pass part or all of the card fee to clients as a 2.5% or 3.5% convenience fee; Vagaro does not allow surcharges or convenience fees.
GlossGenius
GlossGenius suits a solo professional or a team of up to nine that takes deposits online, keeps cards on file or charges no-show fees, and wants one flat 2.6% rate on every card payment, an option to pass the fee to clients, and instant payouts up to $9,999.
Vagaro
Vagaro suits a salon or spa with large in-person tickets or ten or more staff, or one that wants free exposure on a consumer marketplace, and is willing to pay 3.5% + 19¢ on its online and recurring payments in return.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
Payment Review grades both B, and the right choice depends on how a business takes its money and how many people it has. GlossGenius is the better buy for most solo professionals and teams of up to nine that take deposits online, keep cards on file or sell memberships: one flat 2.6% covers all of it where Vagaro charges 3.5% + 19¢, its software is cheaper for teams of up to nine except at exactly three people, and it pays out instantly up to $9,999 and lets the business pass fees to clients. Vagaro is the better buy for a salon with large in-person tickets, where its 2.29% + 19¢ rate wins above about $61 a sale, for teams of ten or more, where its price tops out at $90 a month, and for a business that wants a free marketplace listing. Vagaro also has the better complaint record: GlossGenius's BBB D- and recent reports of payouts held for verification are the main reason to hesitate.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
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Software pricing (US, September 2026)
| Feature | GlossGenius | Vagaro |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price, billed monthly | $28 a month (Standard) | $30 a month for one calendar |
| GlossGenius Standard is $24 a month billed annually. Vagaro's pricing page shows $30 struck through to $23.99 a month for the first six months. Neither has a free plan. | ||
| How price scales with staff | By tier: Standard 2 people, Gold ($56) up to 9, Platinum ($168) unlimited | $10 per extra calendar; $90 a month from seven people |
| Monthly billing. Two people: $28 against $40. Three: $56 against $50. Five: $56 against $70. Nine: $56 against $90. Ten or more: $168 against $90. Vagaro's pricing calculator shows $90 for seven or more; its help centre says $10 per additional calendar for up to seven licenses, which could be read as a $100 cap. Either way GlossGenius is cheaper from four to nine people and Vagaro from ten. GlossGenius's annual prices are $24, $48 and $148. Each extra GlossGenius location costs its plan price less 15%; Vagaro charges each location separately. | ||
| Features priced as add-ons | Payroll $40 + $6 a seat Winner | Forms $10, online shopping cart $10, payroll $34 + $5 an employee, texts from $20 |
| GlossGenius puts forms and waivers, the waitlist and Google booking in Gold, and includes 500 marketing texts a month on Gold and 2,500 on Platinum. Vagaro's pricing article lists online deposits and cancellation fees under its $10 Online Shopping Cart add-on and sells text credits from $20 a month for 1,000; its base plan includes 1,000 emails a month. | ||
| Free trial | 14 days, no card required | 30 days Winner |
Entry price, billed monthly
GlossGenius
$28 a month (Standard)
Vagaro
$30 a month for one calendar
GlossGenius Standard is $24 a month billed annually. Vagaro's pricing page shows $30 struck through to $23.99 a month for the first six months. Neither has a free plan.
How price scales with staff
GlossGenius
By tier: Standard 2 people, Gold ($56) up to 9, Platinum ($168) unlimited
Vagaro
$10 per extra calendar; $90 a month from seven people
Monthly billing. Two people: $28 against $40. Three: $56 against $50. Five: $56 against $70. Nine: $56 against $90. Ten or more: $168 against $90. Vagaro's pricing calculator shows $90 for seven or more; its help centre says $10 per additional calendar for up to seven licenses, which could be read as a $100 cap. Either way GlossGenius is cheaper from four to nine people and Vagaro from ten. GlossGenius's annual prices are $24, $48 and $148. Each extra GlossGenius location costs its plan price less 15%; Vagaro charges each location separately.
Features priced as add-ons
GlossGenius
Payroll $40 + $6 a seat
Winner
Vagaro
Forms $10, online shopping cart $10, payroll $34 + $5 an employee, texts from $20
GlossGenius puts forms and waivers, the waitlist and Google booking in Gold, and includes 500 marketing texts a month on Gold and 2,500 on Platinum. Vagaro's pricing article lists online deposits and cancellation fees under its $10 Online Shopping Cart add-on and sells text credits from $20 a month for 1,000; its base plan includes 1,000 emails a month.
Free trial
GlossGenius
14 days, no card required
Vagaro
30 days
Winner
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Solo lash, brow or nail artist who takes deposits online
Recommended
GlossGenius
A $30 online deposit costs 78¢ on GlossGenius and $1.24 on Vagaro, which charges 3.5% + 19¢ on every online and saved-card payment. GlossGenius Standard costs $28 a month against Vagaro's $30, and deposits are built into every GlossGenius plan.
Studio selling memberships and packages
Recommended
GlossGenius
Vagaro charges its keyed-in rate of 3.5% + 19¢ on every recurring membership and package charge; a $100 renewal costs $3.69 there and $2.60 on GlossGenius.
Colour or extensions salon with large tickets paid at the desk
Recommended
Vagaro
Above about $61 a sale Vagaro's large-merchant rate of 2.29% + 19¢ costs less than GlossGenius's 2.6%. On a $200 service it is $4.77 against $5.20, so a busy counter recovers the $10 monthly plan fee and pass-throughs.
Salon or spa with ten or more staff
Recommended
Vagaro
Vagaro's pricing calculator tops out at $90 a month from seven people; GlossGenius needs Platinum at $168 a month billed monthly, or $148 billed annually, for teams of ten or more.
New business that wants marketplace exposure
Recommended
Vagaro
Vagaro lists businesses on its consumer marketplace for free and charges 20% of a new client's first booking only on promotions you switch on. GlossGenius offers a booking website and Google booking but no consumer marketplace.
Business that wants to pass card fees to clients
Recommended
GlossGenius
GlossGenius lets the business pay 1% or nothing while the client pays a 2.5% or 3.5% convenience fee. Vagaro does not allow surcharges or convenience fees. Check card-network rules and your state's law before charging clients.
GlossGenius: Best for 3 use cases
Vagaro: Best for 3 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
It depends on how clients pay. GlossGenius charges a flat 2.6% on every card payment with no per-transaction fee. Vagaro charges 2.6% + 10¢ in person under $4,000 a month, 2.29% + 19¢ above that for $10 a month, and 3.5% + 19¢ on every online, saved-card and membership payment, plus Visa and Mastercard pass-through fees. GlossGenius is cheaper on anything taken online and on in-person tickets up to about $61; Vagaro's large-merchant rate is cheaper on bigger in-person tickets.
As of September 2026, GlossGenius costs $28 (Standard, up to two people), $56 (Gold, up to nine) or $168 (Platinum, unlimited) a month billed monthly, or $24, $48 and $148 billed annually. Vagaro costs $30 a month for one calendar, discounted to $23.99 for the first six months, plus $10 for each additional calendar; its pricing calculator shows $90 a month for seven or more people.
Vagaro does: every payment that is not swiped, dipped or tapped in person costs 3.5% + 19¢, including online deposits, cards on file, membership renewals and online Apple Pay and Google Pay. GlossGenius charges the same 2.6% for these as for a tapped card; only invoices (2.9% + 30¢) and buy now, pay later (6% + 30¢) cost more.
Standard payouts are free on both and usually arrive the next business day. For faster access GlossGenius charges 1.8% for instant payouts of up to $9,999 each that arrive in under a minute, including weekends. Vagaro charges 1.75% for same-day or instant payouts of $25 to $2,500 a day, once you have processed 35 card transactions totalling $2,500 and your bank supports RTP or FedNow.
The PayPro Go reader, normally $150, is free with a Vagaro merchant account, but you must process with Vagaro Merchant Services for at least 12 months or pay a $150 early-cancellation fee. GlossGenius sells its Tap & Go reader for $49, half price for the first reader on Gold and above, and its Pro Reader for $299.
Neither has a software contract or a cancellation fee; both are month to month. GlossGenius's annual billing is paid upfront and not refunded. Vagaro's free card reader is the exception to its no-commitment terms, and it bills premium features through the end of the billing cycle after you turn them off.
GlossGenius runs on Stripe: each business gets a Stripe connected account and GlossGenius sets the price. Vagaro's processing is provided by Vagaro Merchant Services, a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., and its merchant accounts close when the Vagaro subscription is cancelled.
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