Choose salon management software by who needs access and how clients reach your business. Fresha suits a marketplace-connected operation willing to distinguish acquisition commission from direct bookings. Vagaro combines calendar-based scaling with optional business modules. Phorest deserves attention for staff-inclusive packages and structured client retention. Boulevard separates small-team calendars from location-based growth plans. Mangomint now combines a location charge with a charge for every user profile. The cheapest calendar can become the wrong subscription when receptionists, marketing messages and additional branches enter the calculation.
What the buying decision includes
These are operating systems for appointment-led salons, bringing booking, client records, checkout and retail activity together. Compare the same provider roster, reception team, locations, memberships, inventory, deposits and communication volume. Keep card processing and hardware separate from software fees. A business that already owns its client relationships has a different acquisition requirement from a newly opened salon buying marketplace visibility.
| Platform | Shortlist when | Charging boundary | Expansion question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | Marketplace discovery complements direct bookings | Bookable team members plus applicable acquisition/payment fees | How many appointments are genuinely new marketplace clients? |
| Vagaro | Calendar-led operations need optional modules | Booking calendars; multi-location and add-on scope | What is the full recurring bill after introductory pricing? |
| Phorest | Staff access and retention programs matter | Quoted packages with unlimited staff/devices | Which marketing and client-app tier is actually required? |
| Boulevard | Locations need different operating depth | Location packages; Essentials has five provider calendars | Does the next branch require Premier or a bespoke plan? |
| Mangomint | All staff need a shared operating platform | Locations plus every user profile | Count reception and other non-bookable staff too |
Fresha
Fresha combines scheduling, client management, retail inventory, memberships and checkout. Independent is for one calendar column; Team is priced by bookable team member. Enterprise is separately scoped for high-volume businesses with more than 20 team members. This makes the provider roster more important than the total number of people employed. Prices localize by market, so use the currency and payment terms for the business location. Fresha official source.
Direct booking links and returning marketplace clients do not attract the new-client acquisition fee. The page lists a one-time 20% commission for brand-new clients discovered through its marketplace, subject to a localized minimum. Keep that commission, card processing and messaging extras outside the subscription comparison. Fresha makes more sense when discovery is useful; a salon with a full direct-booking calendar should compare the same appointment mix before valuing marketplace access. Fresha official source.
Vagaro
Vagaro includes calendar and resource management, waitlists, memberships, inventory and client records. Its pricing page scales single-location pricing through booking-calendar counts and separately invites multi-location proposals. That is a different budget model from charging every staff profile. Establish which staff actually need bookable calendars and which permissions support the reception and management team. Vagaro official source.
Regional pages display different prices and promotional terms. Compare the ongoing rate for your market, not just a promotional headline. Payroll, forms, branded apps and other business services require their own scope checks; a free card-reader offer also has merchant-service conditions. Vagaro is a useful shortlist for a modular operation, but a calendar subscription alone does not establish the cost of its complete communications, payment and payroll setup. Vagaro official source.
Phorest
Phorest positions its plans for growing salons with three or more staff and includes unlimited staff and devices. Starter covers bookings with deposits, client cards, stock, staff rostering and core checkout tools. For a salon employing several support staff alongside providers, a staff-inclusive quote can be more meaningful than comparing a single-provider entry price. Phorest official source.
The published plan ladder moves retention and growth capabilities across editions: Grow adds reputation tools and pre-sent consultation forms; Ultimate adds a branded booking app; Elite includes two-way SMS. Prices require a quote and SMS rates remain part of the commercial discussion. Specify the country and package because regional offers can differ. Choose the tier around the client follow-up process you intend to run, rather than assuming every advertised marketing capability is included. Phorest official source.
Boulevard
Boulevard Essentials is positioned for a single location with up to five providers, while Premier supports unlimited professionals and growing operations with one or more locations. Prestige bundles more communication allowance and forms. The relevant jump is therefore operational scope, not simply another employee: a second location or more complex booking requirement can change the appropriate package. Boulevard official source.
The page offers monthly and annual choices and currently advertises limited-time new-customer fall pricing. Messaging, automated campaigns and other additions have separate commercial details. Compare a dated proposal with the regular renewal rate, included text and email allowances, forms, storage and payment processing. A location package can fit a large provider roster well, but its headline should not be compared with a per-calendar quote without the same branch and feature assumptions. Boulevard official source.
Mangomint
Mangomint currently lists US$120 per location per month plus US$10 per user per month. A user is anyone with a profile, including reception and other non-service staff. Core features include scheduling, memberships, forms, inventory and multi-location management. This differs materially from a bookable-provider model: count the complete team needing profiles when sizing the subscription. Mangomint official source.
Phone is US$70 per line monthly, marketing starts at US$30 monthly, and payroll starts at US$50 monthly plus US$8 per worker. Payment processing is separate. The page states free onboarding and data transfer, with no contract lock-in. Mangomint is worth comparing when broad staff participation matters, provided the profile count and selected add-ons are explicit. A salon with many part-time receptionists may reach a different result from one with the same provider count and fewer support profiles. Mangomint official source.
Which purchase fits your operation?
Compare the complete roster before comparing monthly totals. Fresha is a conditional fit for marketplace acquisition, Vagaro for modular calendar-led operations, and Phorest for staff-inclusive access and a defined retention program. Boulevard becomes attractive when location-level packages match provider growth. Mangomint makes the tradeoff explicit through location and all-profile charges. A larger team does not automatically favor any one model: the mix of bookable providers, reception profiles, branches and paid communication features decides it.
Ask each vendor to quote the same roster and booking mix, then identify the point at which adding a receptionist, provider or location changes the bill. Include the regular renewal rate, historical-data transfer, access to client records on departure and applicable acquisition fees. Appointment capacity is not the same as demand; marketing and marketplace access do not guarantee filled calendars.
For related decisions, compare appointment scheduling software and employee shift scheduling software.
By Toolverly Editorial, with AI-assisted research and drafting. Product information checked October 31, 2026.
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