{"question": "best salon booking software for salons", "category": "salon-booking-software", "category_name": "salon booking software", "audience": "salons", "audience_name": "salons", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-26T00:33:46Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/salon-booking-software-salons-2026-10-26", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/salon-booking-software/salons", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Fresha", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "GlossGenius", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Vagaro", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "all-in-one", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Square", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "Square Appointments", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Booksy", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Boulevard", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "Zenoti", "label": "recommended"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://zenoti.com/thecheckin/salon-booking-software-guide", "domain": "zenoti.com", "source_type": "vendor"}, {"url": "https://agentzap.ai/blog/vagaro-vs-fresha-vs-boulevard-salon-software-2026", "domain": "agentzap.ai", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.joinblvd.com/compare/boulevard-vs-vagaro", "domain": "joinblvd.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://koalendar.com/blog/gloss-genius-pricing", "domain": "koalendar.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/changelog/glossgenius-price-increase-2026-04/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://capterra.com/p/170263/Square-Appointments/pricing/", "domain": "capterra.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://biz.booksy.com/en-us/comparison/square-comparison", "domain": "biz.booksy.com", "source_type": "vendor"}], "answer_text": "Here's what I'd actually recommend, roughly in the order I'd suggest looking at them:\n\n**1. Fresha** - where I'd start for most independent salons. No monthly subscription at all; you pay ~1.29% + $0.24 on card transactions, and only pay commission (20%, $3.45 min) on *new* clients who find you through their marketplace. Repeat clients booking direct cost you nothing. The free marketplace listing is real client acquisition, not just a feature bullet. Downside: you're locked into their payment processing, and the marketplace trains clients to shop around.\n\n**2. GlossGenius** - best pick if you're a solo stylist or small team who cares about how the brand looks. Starts around $28/mo monthly ($24 annual), top tier runs $168/mo (they raised it from $148 in April 2026). Genuinely polished client-facing booking page and website builder. Watch for add-on costs on SMS and extra team seats.\n\n**3. Vagaro** - the pragmatic all-in-one for small-to-midsize salons with a few chairs. $25/mo base plus $10 per staff member. Less design-forward than GlossGenius, but you get payroll, POS, inventory, and marketing in one place, which matters once you have W-2 employees or booth renters to track.\n\n**4.", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}