Best salon software in 2026: Square, GlossGenius, Vagaro, Fresha, Boulevard, Mindbody and Ali-E compared

Salon software has one job: keep the chairs full and the clients coming back. Every tool below handles online booking. The differences are in the price structure, card fees, marketing, and whether the same system also runs your stock, finances and team.

Disclosure: Ali-E CRM is our product. We included it and wrote plainly where it falls short. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page as read on October 31, 2026, in US dollars before tax. Vendors change prices often, so check the current page before you buy.

Quick comparison

Square Appointments

Square's Free plan has no time limit and no cap on staff, which makes it the easiest way to start taking bookings. Plus ($49/mo per location) adds no-show fees, multi-staff booking and a waitlist; Premium ($149/mo) adds resource management. Square earns on card processing: in-person payments cost 2.6% + 15¢ on the Free plan and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. A good fit if you also want Square's card readers and online store.

GlossGenius

GlossGenius is popular with independent stylists for its clean booking site and simple pricing: Standard $28/mo ($24 billed annually), Gold $56/mo for up to 9 staff, Platinum $168/mo for teams of 10 or more. In-person card processing is 2.4% + $0.15. Payroll ($40/mo plus $6 per seat) and the AI receptionist ($50/mo) are paid extras.

Vagaro

Vagaro combines booking, payments, inventory, memberships and a consumer marketplace where clients discover salons. Its pricing page shows $23.99/mo as a rate for the first 6 months next to a $30 price, plus $10/mo for each bookable calendar up to seven; staff beyond seven are free. Text marketing, forms, payroll, the website and the branded app are add-ons that the main pricing page does not price.

Fresha

Fresha charges a subscription per bookable team member, and the price depends on your country, so check its pricing page for your market. Its strength is the Fresha marketplace, which brings new clients; for each new client from the marketplace it charges a one-time fee. Messages and marketing emails come with monthly allowances, and extras such as the AI Concierge or client loyalty are paid add-ons.

Boulevard

Boulevard targets established salons and spas. Essentials is listed at $143/mo for one location with up to five providers, and the Premier and Prestige plans are priced per location. There is no free plan or trial. You get strong booking, POS and marketing tools and an AI receptionist, with monthly limits on the included texts and email blasts.

Mindbody

Mindbody, and its salon brand Booker, fits multi-service wellness businesses: salons with spa services, fitness or classes. Starter is listed from $79/mo per location, and higher tiers are quoted by sales. New clients booked through the Mindbody marketplace carry a 20% fee on the first booking, capped at $30.

Ali-E CRM (Beauty edition)

Ali-E is a business platform with an AI assistant, and the Beauty edition turns it into salon software: online booking and staff schedules with automatic reminders, checkout with services, retail, tips and discounts on one screen, a client card with visit history and before-and-after photos, and consumables deducted from stock with revenue posted to finance automatically. Unlike booking-first tools, inventory, invoices, finance, documents, HR and a website builder are part of the same system, and the AI assistant can book a client from a single sentence or list who has not been back in a while.

Where it falls short: Ali-E is new (public launch on November 1, 2026), it has no consumer marketplace that sends you clients, and it has fewer integrations and public reviews than the leaders. Every feature is free until December 1, 2026. After that, the Ali-E pricing page lists the Starter plan at $29/mo for three users plus the Beauty edition at $19/mo per location.

How to choose

• Count the real monthly cost: subscription, per-staff fees, add-ons and card processing on your typical monthly revenue.
• Decide whether you need a marketplace. Fresha, Vagaro and Mindbody can bring new clients but take a fee; booking-first tools leave marketing to you.
• Check what happens after the booking: retail stock, consumables, payroll and accounting. If you run these in separate tools today, one system saves double entry.
• Use the free plan or trial with your real services and one week of appointments before you move your client data.

What is the best free salon software?

Square Appointments has a free plan with no time limit and no staff cap, paid for by card processing fees. Ali-E CRM has a permanent free plan for two users and makes every feature free until December 1, 2026. Most other salon tools offer a trial rather than a free plan.

Which salon software has the lowest card processing fees?

Among vendors that publish their rates, GlossGenius lists 2.4% + $0.15 for in-person payments, and Square lists 2.6% + 15¢ on its Free plan and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. Fresha, Vagaro, Boulevard and Mindbody do not publish rates on their pricing pages, so ask them for a quote.

Can one system handle booking, inventory and accounting for a salon?

Booking-first tools usually cover booking, payments and basic retail inventory and connect to accounting software for the rest. Ali-E CRM keeps booking, stock, finance, documents and HR on one database, so a sale updates stock and revenue at once. Choose based on whether you prefer one system or several specialized tools connected together.