Booking Shortlist

For: Fitness studios · Barbershops · Tanning salons · Spas · Massage

Vagaro review 2026: what it really costs, and the catches

By Booking Shortlist · Published · Updated · Prices checked on · Based on public documentation

Disclosure: Our #1 pick is MeetScarlet, and we are affiliated with them. We also cover competing tools and where they shine. We may earn commissions from links on this page. Details

The short answer: Vagaro is a full booking, payments and marketing suite with a low published entry price: $23.99 a month for one calendar for the first 6 months, then $30.00. It suits solo barbers, spas and massage therapists who want online booking, memberships and free data transfer together. Tanning salons should confirm bed booking in the free trial. Skip it if you run a padel club or want a card processor other than Vagaro’s: we found neither court booking nor another processor. Based on Vagaro’s public pages, checked November 3, 2026. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, says it’s live; its help says “no live card payment has been run yet” (November 5, 2026).

Key takeaways

  • Vagaro costs $23.99 a month for one bookable calendar for the first 6 months, then $30.00, with $10 for each extra calendar up to seven (checked November 3, 2026).
  • Its card rate for businesses processing under $4,000 a month is 2.6% + 10¢ per dip or tap, with no monthly fee.
  • The free card reader ties you to Vagaro's payment processing for 12 months, with a $150 early cancellation fee.
  • Vagaro's terms say "All purchases are final sale and may not be refunded or exchanged," and subscriptions renew automatically.
  • It offers free data transfer from other software and a 30-day free trial.

What Vagaro is (and isn’t)

Vagaro sells business software for beauty, wellness and fitness businesses. Its business homepage says it’s “Built for everyone, from solopreneurs to enterprise.” One account combines a booking calendar, online booking, card payments through its own processor (Vagaro Merchant Services), marketing tools, reports and a consumer marketplace where clients can find you.

It has its own pages for barbers, spas, massage, tanning and fitness. You’ll find our guides for each on the barbershops, spas, massage, tanning salons and fitness studios pages. We didn’t find anything on Vagaro’s site for booking padel or other courts.

How we reviewed Vagaro

  • We read the US pricing page on November 3, 2026, including the price for each number of staff calendars.
  • We read the card-processing page and the customer agreement (effective July 29, 2026) the same day, for fees, contract terms and refunds.
  • We read the onboarding, marketing, memberships, massage, tanning, barber, branded-app and status pages for features and switching help.
  • We looked up third-party ratings on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot, and we label them as other people’s opinions.
  • We haven’t used Vagaro hands-on, so we couldn’t count booking steps or time a setup. Its help centre blocked our requests, so we didn’t read its help articles.

Our method explains how we put pages together.

Vagaro pricing (checked November 3, 2026)

Bookable calendarsFirst 6 monthsAfter 6 months
1 (“Just Me”)$23.99 / month$30.00 / month
2$33.99 / month$40.00 / month
3$43.99 / month$50.00 / month
4$53.99 / month$60.00 / month
7 or more$83.99 / month$90.00 / month
Multiple locationsContact salesContact sales
For comparison: MeetScarlet (our #1 pick), Scarlet plan: one location, 5 staff logins$349 / month plus $999 one-time setup, or $3,490 / year with setup free$349 / month; Scarlet Pro, with up to 3 locations and 20 staff logins, is $499 / month plus $999 setup

Source: Vagaro’s US pricing page, checked November 3, 2026. Prices are per location, billed monthly, in US dollars. Vagaro’s FAQ says each extra bookable calendar costs $10, up to seven, and after seven you can add staff at no extra cost. For comparison, see what other booking apps cost.

Card processing:

Monthly card volumeDip or tapKeyed inMonthly fee
Under $4,0002.6% + 10¢3.5% + 19¢None
Over $4,0002.29% + 19¢3.5% + 19¢$10.00
For comparison: MeetScarlet (our #1 pick), any volumeWe found no card reader; card payments in its app are Stripe’s fees plus 1%, on once your Stripe account is approved; its help says “no live card payment has been run yet”Not publishedNone found

Source: Vagaro’s card-processing page, checked November 3, 2026. Tap to Pay adds 6¢ per transaction. We didn’t find a published rate for online booking deposits.

Memberships, marketing and reports

Vagaro’s pricing page lists these as “Included with every plan”: memberships, packages and gift certificates; customer loyalty programs; SOAP notes; advanced reporting; and 1,000 free emails a month. Its memberships page describes automated billing for memberships, with savings set per visit, by percentage or as a fixed amount. Packages bundle your top services into one purchase.

Vagaro’s marketing page suggests using the free emails for birthdays, promotions and seasonal updates. Clients can book through Vagaro’s own app and marketplace, Instagram, Facebook and Apple Maps, and the included plan covers unlimited appointment reminders. Its optional Fill My Books promotion puts you higher on the marketplace for “a per-booking fee (5% for existing customers, 20% for brand-new ones)”; if you don’t use it or Daily Deals, Vagaro says “you won’t be charged any booking fees”.

Some tools aren’t on the “Included with every plan” list, and the pricing page doesn’t show what they cost: text marketing, forms, an online shopping cart, livestreaming, a check-in app and payroll. Vagaro’s branded app, an app under your own business name, is a paid add-on, and you need your own Apple and Google developer accounts, whose fees aren’t included. If you need any of these, ask Vagaro for the price before you sign up.

Switching to Vagaro

Vagaro’s onboarding page advertises “Free Data Transfer from Any Salon, Spa or Fitness Software”. Its team moves your client list, appointments, services, staff, packages and memberships, and includes training. The pricing FAQ says a transfer “typically takes 1-2 business days”, and its White Glove page says “in as little as one business day” (checked November 4, 2026). Plan for two business days. You can try it first: the pricing page offered a 30-day free trial on November 3, 2026.

What Vagaro does well

  • A low, public entry price. Some apps we track, such as Momence, don’t publish their prices at all (see our pricing page). Vagaro publishes a price for every staff size at one location, and the price stops rising at seven calendars.
  • Rooms and equipment can be booked. Its calendar can assign rooms, tables or equipment to appointments, which matters for massage and spa treatment rooms. It may work for tanning beds too, but confirm that in the trial.
  • Free switching help. Vagaro’s team moves your data for you, so you don’t have to rebuild your client list by hand.
  • Plenty included. Gift certificates, loyalty programs, SOAP notes and 1,000 free emails a month come with every plan.
  • Support and status in public. Vagaro advertises 24/7 phone, email and chat support, and has a public status page. It showed “All Systems Operational” on November 3, 2026.

Where Vagaro falls short

  • The headline price is a 6-month promotion. $23.99 becomes $30.00, and every added calendar costs $10 more (pricing page).
  • The “free” card reader comes with strings. You agree to process cards through Vagaro for 12 months, with a $150 early cancellation fee. You also pay a $10 monthly rental fee in any month you process less than $1,000 (card processing, customer agreement).
  • No other processor. We found no option to take payments through a processor other than Vagaro Merchant Services.
  • No refunds, and automatic renewal. The agreement says “All purchases are final sale and may not be refunded or exchanged,” and subscriptions renew automatically. If Vagaro raises its prices and you don’t agree, you must cancel at least ten days before the change takes effect.
  • “Exclusions apply” isn’t explained. The pricing page’s “Cancel anytime with no cancellation fees” carries an exclusions note it doesn’t spell out.
  • Unpriced extras. Text marketing, forms, an online shopping cart, livestreaming, a check-in app, payroll and the branded app aren’t on the included list, and their prices aren’t shown (branded app page).
  • No court booking. We found nothing for padel or other court bookings.

If one of these rules Vagaro out, see our Vagaro alternatives.

What other people say (third-party opinion, not our own research): on November 3, 2026, the Vagaro Pro business app averaged 4.4 out of 5 from 15,970 ratings on the US App Store and 3.5 out of 5 from 9,789 ratings on Google Play. Vagaro’s Trustpilot profile averaged 3.5 out of 5 from 725 reviews. Those reviews may include consumers as well as businesses. For comparison, we found no third-party ratings for our #1 pick, MeetScarlet (checked November 4, 2026).

Vagaro or our pick, MeetScarlet?

VagaroMeetScarlet
Price for one location$23.99/month for 6 months, then $30.00 (1 calendar)Scarlet plan: $349/month plus $999 setup, or $3,490/year with setup free, “For one location” (“Each Scarlet studio has one schedule”). Founding studios pay $299 a month instead of $349 for the first 24 months, on monthly billing, with the $999 setup included at no charge; MeetScarlet plans 10 places (checked November 5, 2026)
Staff$10 per extra calendar, capped at seven5 staff logins; 20 on Scarlet Pro ($499/month plus $999 setup, or $4,990/year with setup free)
App under your own business namePaid add-onIncluded: iPhone, Android and web, published under your own Apple ($99 a year) and Google Play ($25 once) developer accounts
MarketplaceVagaro’s own app and marketplace; no booking fees unless you use Fill My Books or Daily DealsNo marketplace. Its site says it isn’t the right fit for “Businesses that want new clients mainly from a marketplace app”
RemindersUnlimited appointment reminders on the included planText reminders (coming soon) on Scarlet Pro only; its Jane comparison page says email reminders are “built but not sending yet”
SOAP notesIncluded with every planThe same page says “No charting, telehealth or insurance billing”
Card paymentsLive now, through Vagaro’s own processorStripe’s fees plus 1% to MeetScarlet, through your own Stripe account; card payments turn on once Stripe finishes checking it (payments help, updated November 5, 2026). Its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card deposits or no-show fees
SwitchingFree data transfer of clients, appointments, services, staff, packages and memberships“Scarlet imports clients, not booking or payment history”, and it has “no direct importer for Mindbody, Fresha, Vagaro or others”
Support24/7 phone, email and chat advertised; public status pageIts terms say “For support, message @meetscarletapp on Instagram. We aim to reply within one business day.” Its help site also lists email at hello@meetscarlet.com (“A person reads every message”), with “Priority support” on Scarlet Pro. We found no status page
AvailabilityNow, with a 30-day free trialIts terms page says “Scarlet is live, and founding studios can join now” and “There is no free trial” (checked November 5, 2026). After you sign up, its FAQ says store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks”, mostly for Apple’s enrollment, and the web app is live sooner
Written contract termsCustomer Participation Agreement published (effective July 29, 2026)Terms published: plans renew automatically, cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period, and part-used months aren’t refunded, apart from founding-plan exceptions. You can export the member list as a CSV file at any time, and data stays available after you cancel until you ask to delete it
Third-party reviewsThousands of app-store ratings (see above)No third-party ratings found (checked November 4, 2026)

Sources: MeetScarlet pricing and FAQ, white-label page, Jane comparison, switching page, support help, checked November 4, 2026; MeetScarlet terms, MeetScarlet payments help and appointments help, checked November 5, 2026.

Choose MeetScarlet, our pick, if you want an app under your own brand and can wait for store apps (“about 4 to 6 weeks”) and manage without email reminders (“built but not sending yet”). Choose Vagaro if you need card payments and email reminders working today, at a lower monthly price.

Who should pick Vagaro, and who shouldn’t

If you are…Vagaro?Why
A solo barber or stylistGood fitLow entry price; its barber page offers deposits and no-show fees; marketplace listing
A spa or massage business with roomsGood fitRooms and equipment can be booked alongside staff, and SOAP notes are included
A small fitness studioWorth a lookIt has a fitness page, and memberships with automated billing are included; compare it with class-focused apps
A tanning salonCheck in the trialIt has a tanning page, but we found no example of a bed set up as a resource
A padel or court-booking clubLook elsewhereNo court-booking features found
Wary of payment lock-inThink twiceNo other processor found, and the free reader means 12 months of Vagaro processing
Wanting clients to book in an app under your own business namePaid add-on; see our pick, MeetScarletVagaro’s branded app costs extra, with developer account fees not included; MeetScarlet includes one in its plan, also under your own Apple and Google accounts, from $349 a month plus $999 setup, but its store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks” (the web app is live sooner), and its help says “no live card payment has been run yet”

The verdict

Vagaro gives small appointment businesses a lot for a published monthly price. Its catches are in the details: the promotional first 6 months, a 12-month processing commitment if you take the free reader, unpriced extras, automatic renewal and no refunds. If those suit you, try Vagaro. Its pricing page offered a 30-day free trial when we checked on November 3, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Vagaro cost?
$23.99 a month for one bookable calendar for the first 6 months, then $30.00. Each extra calendar adds $10, up to seven; after seven, more staff cost nothing extra. Checked November 3, 2026.
Does Vagaro have a free trial?
Yes. Its pricing page offered a 30-day free trial when we checked on November 3, 2026.
Can you cancel Vagaro anytime?
You can cancel the subscription at any time, but fees already paid aren't refunded. If you took the free card reader and stop processing with Vagaro within 12 months, there's a $150 early cancellation fee. The pricing page says "Cancel anytime with no cancellation fees" next to an "Exclusions apply" note it doesn't explain.
What are Vagaro's card processing fees?
Under $4,000 a month in card sales: 2.6% + 10¢ per dip or tap and 3.5% + 19¢ per keyed-in payment, with no monthly fee. Over $4,000 a month: 2.29% + 19¢ per dip or tap and $10 a month. Checked November 3, 2026.
Does Vagaro work for tanning salons?
Vagaro has a tanning-salon page that mentions beds and booths, and its calendar can book rooms and equipment as resources. We didn't find a page showing a tanning bed set up that way, so check it during the free trial.
Is Vagaro good for massage therapists?
Vagaro includes SOAP notes with every plan, and its calendar can assign treatment rooms and tables to appointments. Those are two things massage businesses often need.

Sources

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