Vagaro alternatives for solo pros, wellness and service businesses that just need booking
Short answer: Good Vagaro alternatives include Square Appointments, Setmore, Acuity Scheduling and SimplyBook.me. As of October 2026, Vagaro costs $23.99 a month for the first six months, then shows a $30 regular price, plus $10 for each extra bookable calendar up to seven. Square Appointments and Setmore both have free plans, and Acuity starts at $16 a month billed yearly. These lighter tools suit massage therapists, coaches, tutors, pet groomers and clinics that need booking and payments more than a full salon suite.
You're on Vagaro, something about it isn't quite fitting your business, and you want to know what else is actually out there before you commit to switching.
I'm Ranjit, and I run Blur Studio: 15+ years building software, 120 apps taken live, and clients who have gone on to raise $10M+. I build AI systems and processes that help businesses do a lot more with a lot less time. I also work differently from most of what else is out there, more on that further down this page. Say hello.
What does Vagaro cost in October 2026?
Vagaro lists $23.99 a month for one location. Its page marks this as a rate for the first six months, with a regular price of $30 shown crossed out. Each extra bookable calendar costs $10 a month, up to seven. After seven, Vagaro says you can add staff at no extra cost.
Each location is priced on its own, based on the features it uses. Vagaro offers a 30-day free trial. Its page says you can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee, though it adds that exclusions apply.
Why do people look for a Vagaro alternative?
Owners outside the salon world often give these reasons.
- You pay for a suite: If you only need online booking and reminders, a simpler tool may cost less each month.
- The price changes after six months: The $23.99 rate applies to the first six months. Plan your budget around the regular price.
- Each calendar adds cost: A team of four pays for three extra calendars on top of the base price.
- Your business is not a salon: A tutor, coach or consultant may want a plain booking page with video calls and intake forms.
If Vagaro already fits and the cost works, you may not need to switch at all.
What are the best Vagaro alternatives?
Blur Studio (best value)
A ready-built, well-tested core with a different pricing model: no per-seat fees, and it covers almost all the features you'd actually need, usually working out to the best value for money. On top of that, Blur Studio builds owned customizations, meaning you can ask for it to be modified to your exact specifications, and you own those modifications outright. Learn more over a quick call with me, Ranjit.
- Best for: Businesses that need software that works without barriers, no unnecessary fees and options to customize it to their needs.
Square Appointments
Square lists its plans at $0, $49 or $149 a month per location. Its FAQ says Square Free has no monthly subscription cost. Square's page says there is no employee limit, and the tier for solo pros includes unlimited staff calendars, an online booking site and reminders.
The tier for growing teams adds no-show fees, a cancellation policy, booking with more than one staff member and a waitlist. The tier for large salons adds resource booking and service cost tracking. On the $0 plan, card fees are 2.6% plus 15 cents in person and 3.3% plus 30 cents online. Square lists a 30-day free trial on its Plus and Premium plans.
Best for: Businesses that already use Square for in-person sales, or that want a free start with unlimited staff.
Setmore
Setmore has a free plan for up to 4 users. It includes online booking, email reminders and payments, including Tap to Pay. The Pro plan costs $5 a user a month on annual pricing, with unlimited users. Pro adds text reminders with 500 text credits a month per Pro team member, video appointments, recurring bookings, deposits and Google review requests.
Pro also offers HIPAA support with a signed business associate agreement. That is the contract a health provider needs before a vendor can handle patient data. Setmore sells a separate live receptionist service for $99 a month in the US.
Best for: Small teams that want a low monthly cost, and health or wellness providers who need a signed BAA.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity prices each plan by the number of calendars, and higher plans add features.
| Acuity plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Calendars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $16 a month | $20 a month | 1 |
| Standard | $27 a month | $34 a month | Up to 6 |
| Premium | $55 a month | $69 a month | Up to 36 |
Every plan includes client self-booking, intake forms and payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo. Standard adds text reminders, a waitlist, packages, memberships and gift certificates. Premium adds an AI booking assistant, a signed BAA for HIPAA and API access. Acuity offers a 7-day free trial.
Best for: Coaches, consultants, therapists and tutors who sell packages or memberships and want strong intake forms.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me limits plans by bookings a month and by provider count.
| SimplyBook.me plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Bookings a month | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 50 | 1 |
| Basic | $11.90 a month | $13.90 a month | 100 | 5 |
| Standard | $24.90 a month | $29.90 a month | 500 | 15 |
| Premium | $49.90 a month | $59.90 a month | 2,000 | 30 |
SimplyBook.me bills custom domains, text gateways and text credits on top. It has a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
Best for: Businesses with steady booking volume that want many add-on features and don't need a full suite.
How do these tools compare with Vagaro?
| Tool | Starts at (October 2026) | How the price grows | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vagaro | $23.99 a month for 6 months, $30 regular | $10 per extra calendar, up to 7 | No, 30-day trial | Salons, spas and fitness that want one suite |
| Square Appointments | $0 per location | $49 or $149 per location on paid plans | Yes | Square users and teams of any size |
| Setmore | $0 for up to 4 users | $5 a user a month on annual pricing | Yes | Low cost and HIPAA needs |
| Acuity Scheduling | $16 a month billed yearly | By number of calendars | No, 7-day trial | Coaches and therapists who sell packages |
| SimplyBook.me | $0 for 50 bookings a month | By bookings and providers | Yes | Steady volume and add-ons |
What would a team of four pay?
Here is a simple software-only example for four staff who each need a calendar. Card fees and add-ons come on top.
- Vagaro: $23.99 plus three extra calendars at $10 each is $53.99 a month for the first six months.
- Square Appointments: Square Free has no monthly fee, and Square lists unlimited staff calendars. Ask Square which plan you need for no-show fees and a waitlist.
- Setmore: The free plan covers 4 users. Pro for four users is $20 a month on annual pricing.
- Acuity: Standard covers up to 6 calendars at $27 a month billed yearly.
- SimplyBook.me: Basic covers 5 providers at $11.90 a month billed yearly, with up to 100 bookings a month.
Square Appointments vs Vagaro: which fits?
Both run bookings, payments and reminders. The difference is how they charge as you grow.
- Choose Square Appointments if: You want to start free, you already use Square to take payments, or you have a large team and want no per-staff fee.
- Choose Vagaro if: You want marketing, payroll, forms and a branded app in the same system. Vagaro also stops charging for calendars after seven, which helps a large team.
When does a custom booking tool make sense?
Most service businesses should buy one of these tools. They are cheap and they work. Custom booking software earns its cost only in a handful of situations.
- Your booking rules are unusual: For example, a service needs two staff, one room and one machine at the same time, plus travel time between sites.
- Booking is one part of a bigger flow: You need quotes, contracts, intake, job tracking and invoices to link, and four tools don't share data well.
- You miss calls: An AI scheduling assistant can answer calls or messages and book straight into your calendar.
- You want your own app and data: You want client history in a system your business controls.
Often you can keep the booking tool and build only the missing part around it. My guide to appointment reminder software covers how to cut no-shows with the tool you have.
How would Blur Studio help?
I like to begin with a week of your real bookings. How did each client find you, how did they book, and did they come back? Often a few setting changes in your current tool fix most of it. If a real gap is left, I build that one part, such as an intake flow or a rebooking reminder. Then I link it to the booking tool you keep. The code and logins are yours, and I keep the tool working after launch. If the actual problem is missed calls rather than the booking software itself, my guide to AI receptionists for salons covers that angle, and my guide to salon software covers the broader operations side.
Need something completely custom?
Everything above is a path to get it running quick and cheap. But sometimes the honest answer is that none of those quite fit, and what you actually need is something custom that you own, built uniquely for your business from the ground up, with AI thoughtfully designed into the parts of it that your processes actually benefit from. An asset that grows in value, not a generic, one-size-fits-all boilerplate that's an expense with a lock-in. This is a complete bespoke build, and it's something I do very well. Get in touch to know more.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest Vagaro alternative?
Square Appointments, Setmore and SimplyBook.me all have free plans as of October 2026. Square lists unlimited staff calendars with no employee limit. Setmore's free plan covers up to 4 users, and SimplyBook.me's covers 50 bookings a month for one provider.
Is Square Appointments better than Vagaro?
Square Appointments suits businesses that want a free start and no per-staff fee. Vagaro suits businesses that want marketing, payroll and a branded app in one system. The better choice depends on which features you will actually use.
What is a good Setmore alternative?
Acuity Scheduling suits owners who sell packages, memberships or gift certificates, from $16 a month billed yearly as of October 2026. Square Appointments suits teams that already take payments with Square.
What is a good Acuity Scheduling alternative?
Setmore costs less for small teams, with a free plan for up to 4 users. SimplyBook.me has a free plan and paid plans from $11.90 a month billed yearly, as of October 2026.
Does Vagaro work for businesses other than salons?
Vagaro's own pages list fitness, Pilates, mental health, tattoo and piercing, and pet grooming among the businesses it serves. A lighter booking tool may still cost less if you only need a calendar and reminders.
Roughly what does this cost?
As a broad reference, fixes and finishes start at around $1,500, and new builds start higher, always a fixed price agreed in writing before I start, never an hourly rate. My AI app cost guide explains what actually drives a quote up or down.
Is my project too small for this?
No. Most of the owners I work with have no tech team at all, that is the whole point. If the smarter move is a cheap software subscription instead of custom software, I will tell you that on the first call, even though it means I do not get paid.