pro-business
True Cost of 7 Booking Platforms for Beauty Pros (2026)
Subscription, seats, card rates, and new-client fees for Primzy, GlossGenius, Square, Vagaro, Booksy, Fresha, and StyleSeat, priced for a solo pro at $3,000, a solo pro at $6,000, and a 3-person salon.
Quick answer: In our three scenarios (solo at $3,000, solo at $6,000, and a 3-person salon at $9,375 in monthly card sales), Primzy has the lowest subscription-plus-card bill ($40, $40, and $70) because its clients pay the card fee at checkout, so card cost is $0 to the pro; among platforms where the pro pays the card fee, Square Free is lowest. Booksy and StyleSeat cost most once new-client fees apply. Primzy is $40 a month for one pro with 0% on shared-link bookings; a one-time 15% applies only to a brand-new client's first booking found in its marketplace.
Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before you decide. Illustrations are our assumptions, not advice.
We built Primzy, so we are not neutral. We rebuilt this post so every number comes from a vendor's own page or a dated 2026 source, and so the arithmetic is shown.
Primzy's card processing fee is paid by your clients at checkout, so it is $0 to you. That, not a lower sticker price, is why Primzy's total is lowest below, and it is a cost moved to the client, not removed. Primzy is $40 a month for one pro, with 0% commission on bookings through your own shared link; a team uses Salon mode at $60 a month plus $5 a month per employee seat. Everything else below is each competitor's published stack, side by side.
What a Booking Bill Is Really Made Of
Every platform's bill has four layers, and the headline price covers only the first.
- Subscription: the monthly sticker price for one provider.
- Seats and add-ons: per-calendar or per-team-member charges, plus paid extras such as forms, text marketing, or a website.
- Card processing: a percentage plus a per-payment fee, often different for in-person, online, and keyed-in payments.
- New-client fees: commissions a platform takes when its marketplace or boost feature sends you a client who has never booked with you.
Layers three and four are where the stacks diverge.
Where Fees Stack Up for Pros
Commission on a client you did not bring. Booksy's Boost takes a one-time 30% of a new client's first visit, with a $100 cap (Booksy pricing, accessed October 12, 2026). StyleSeat's help center says its New Client Connection fee is 30% of the first appointment, capped at $50 (StyleSeat Help, accessed October 12, 2026). Fresha charges a one-time 20% with a $6 minimum on new marketplace clients and lists direct links and social bookings as free (Fresha, accessed October 12, 2026).
Cost stacking on seats. Booksy adds $20 per extra staff member (Booksy pricing, accessed October 12, 2026), Vagaro adds $10 per bookable calendar (Vagaro pricing, accessed October 12, 2026), and Fresha's team plan is $14.95 per bookable member (Fresha, accessed October 12, 2026). StyleSeat's pricing page says $0 per additional team member (StyleSeat pricing, accessed October 12, 2026).
Card rates that move. Vagaro splits merchants at $4,000 a month in charges (Vagaro card processing, accessed October 12, 2026), and Square's rate depends on the plan you pay for (Square, accessed October 12, 2026).
Pages that disagree. StyleSeat is the clearest case. Its pricing page shows $19 a month and gives no new-client rate, only a September bill example of $61 on $610, which works out to 10% (StyleSeat pricing, accessed October 12, 2026). Its August 28, 2026 article says $35 a month and 30% capped at $50 (StyleSeat, "How much does StyleSeat cost?"). We use the pricing page's $19 and the help center's 30% cap, and note the gap below.
Our Assumptions (Read These First)
These are illustrations, not quotes. Change them to match your book and the totals move with them.
- Average payment: $75, all paid by card, all in person (tap, dip, or swipe at each platform's in-person rate). Online deposits cost more on most platforms, as the rate table below shows.
- Scenario A: solo pro, $3,000 a month in card sales, 40 payments, 4 of them first visits from a platform's marketplace or boost.
- Scenario B: solo pro, $6,000 a month, 80 payments, 8 first visits from a marketplace or boost.
- Scenario C: 3-person salon, $9,375 a month combined, 125 payments, 12 first visits from a marketplace or boost.
- Plans: monthly billing, no add-ons, no tips, no tax. GlossGenius uses Standard for solos and Gold for the salon, because its pricing page describes Gold as made for up to 9 staff. Square uses the Free plan.
- Primzy: $40 for a solo pro. Scenario C uses Salon mode: a $60 base plus $5 for each of two employee seats, so $70.00 (see our pricing page). Card fees are paid by the client at checkout, so card cost to the pro is $0. The new-client column shows Primzy's one-time 15% as if every first visit came through our marketplace, to match the other platforms; on your own link it is $0.
- Rates are vendor-published. Where a vendor does not publish a rate, we say so instead of borrowing a competitor's number.
The Rates We Used
| Platform | In-person card rate | Online or keyed-in rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlossGenius | 2.6% flat | 2.6% flat | GlossGenius pricing |
| Square (Free) | 2.6% + $0.15 | 3.3% + $0.30 online; 3.5% + $0.15 keyed | Square |
| Vagaro | 2.6% + $0.10 under $4,000/mo; 2.29% + $0.19 and $10/mo above | 3.5% + $0.19 | Vagaro |
| Booksy | 2.49% + $0.10 (card reader) | 2.69% + $0.30 (mobile payments, deposits) | Booksy Support |
| Fresha | 2.29% + $0.20 | 2.79% + $0.20 online | Fresha |
| StyleSeat | 2.5% + $0.30 (Tap to Pay) | 2.6% + $0.30 (card on file) | StyleSeat, August 28, 2026 |
| Primzy | $0 to the pro (clients pay the fee at checkout) | $0 to the pro (clients pay the fee at checkout) | Primzy pricing |
Caveats. Pabau, a competitor, reports Fresha's in-person rate as 2.19% (Pabau, updated September 22, 2026), while Fresha's page says 2.29%; we used Fresha's. Koalendar, also a competitor, reports Vagaro card-present at 2.2% (Koalendar, June 26, 2026); Vagaro's page says "as low as 2.2%" without naming a payment type, so we used its table. StyleSeat's pricing page lists no rates, so we used its article. Tap to Pay adds $0.10 per authorization on Fresha and $0.06 on Vagaro, left out here.
Scenario A: Solo Pro, $3,000 a Month
| Platform | Subscription | Added seats | Card rate used | Card cost | Subtotal | New-client fees | Total with fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primzy | $40.00 | $0.00 | paid by client | $0.00 | $40.00 | $45.00 if all 4 found in our marketplace; $0 on your own link | $85.00 ($40.00 on your own link) |
| GlossGenius | $28.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% | $78.00 | $106.00 | none listed | $106.00 |
| Square Free | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% + $0.15 | $84.00 | $84.00 | none listed | $84.00 |
| Vagaro | $30.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% + $0.10 | $82.00 | $112.00 | none listed | $112.00 |
| Booksy | $29.99 | $0.00 | 2.49% + $0.10 | $78.70 | $108.69 | $90.00 | $198.69 |
| Fresha | $19.95 | $0.00 | 2.29% + $0.20 | $76.70 | $96.65 | $60.00 | $156.65 |
| StyleSeat | $19.00 | $0.00 | 2.5% + $0.30 | $87.00 | $106.00 | $90.00 | $196.00 |
Among the six platforms where the pro pays the card fee, Square Free has the lowest subscription-plus-card total: $84.00. Fresha follows at $96.65, then GlossGenius and StyleSeat at $106.00, Booksy at $108.69, and Vagaro at $112.00. Primzy's subscription-plus-card total is $40.00, lower than all six, because clients pay the card fee at checkout.
With four marketplace-found first visits, the new-client fees add $90.00 on Booksy (30% of $75 is $22.50 each), $90.00 on StyleSeat, $60.00 on Fresha (20% of $75 is $15 each), and $45.00 on Primzy (15% of $75 is $11.25 each). That brings Primzy to $85.00, one dollar above Square Free's $84.00, since Square lists no new-client fee. That is the price of the clients those marketplaces sent; bookings through your own link never trigger it, so Primzy stays at $40.00 there.
Scenario B: Solo Pro, $6,000 a Month
| Platform | Subscription | Added seats | Card rate used | Card cost | Subtotal | New-client fees | Total with fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primzy | $40.00 | $0.00 | paid by client | $0.00 | $40.00 | $90.00 if all 8 found in our marketplace; $0 on your own link | $130.00 ($40.00 on your own link) |
| GlossGenius | $28.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% | $156.00 | $184.00 | none listed | $184.00 |
| Square Free | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% + $0.15 | $168.00 | $168.00 | none listed | $168.00 |
| Vagaro | $30.00 | $0.00 | 2.29% + $0.19 + $10/mo | $162.60 | $192.60 | none listed | $192.60 |
| Booksy | $29.99 | $0.00 | 2.49% + $0.10 | $157.40 | $187.39 | $180.00 | $367.39 |
| Fresha | $19.95 | $0.00 | 2.29% + $0.20 | $153.40 | $173.35 | $120.00 | $293.35 |
| StyleSeat | $19.00 | $0.00 | 2.5% + $0.30 | $174.00 | $193.00 | $180.00 | $373.00 |
At $6,000 the Vagaro line crosses its $4,000 tier, so we used its lower rate and added the $10 monthly fee: 2.29% of $6,000 is $137.40, 80 payments at $0.19 is $15.20, and the fee brings card cost to $162.60. Staying on its small-merchant rate would cost $164.00. Among platforms where the pro pays the card fee, Square Free is still lowest at $168.00, Fresha is $173.35, and GlossGenius is $184.00. Primzy's subscription-plus-card total is $40.00, because clients pay the card fee at checkout.
With eight marketplace-found first visits, Booksy and StyleSeat each add $180.00 and Fresha $120.00, for totals of $367.39, $373.00, and $293.35. Primzy adds $90.00 (8 x $11.25) for a total of $130.00, still below Square Free's $168.00; on your own link it stays at $40.00.
Scenario C: Three-Person Salon, $9,375 a Month
| Platform | Subscription | Added seats | Card rate used | Card cost | Subtotal | New-client fees | Total with fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primzy | $60.00 | $10.00 | paid by client | $0.00 | $70.00 | $135.00 if all 12 found in our marketplace; $0 on your own link | $205.00 ($70.00 on your own link) |
| GlossGenius | $56.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% | $243.75 | $299.75 | none listed | $299.75 |
| Square Free | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2.6% + $0.15 | $262.50 | $262.50 | none listed | $262.50 |
| Vagaro | $30.00 | $20.00 | 2.29% + $0.19 + $10/mo | $248.44 | $298.44 | none listed | $298.44 |
| Booksy | $29.99 | $40.00 | 2.49% + $0.10 | $245.94 | $315.93 | $270.00 | $585.93 |
| Fresha | $14.95 | $29.90 | 2.29% + $0.20 | $239.69 | $284.54 | $180.00 | $464.54 |
| StyleSeat | $19.00 | $0.00 | 2.5% + $0.30 | $271.88 | $290.88 | $270.00 | $560.88 |
Among platforms where the pro pays the card fee, Square Free stays lowest at $262.50 because Square says its Free plan has unlimited staff calendars (Square); Koalendar says the Free plan is for one person only (Koalendar, June 26, 2026), so confirm before relying on it. If you need Square's waitlist and no-show fees, the Plus plan is $49 per location: $49 plus 2.5% of $9,375 ($234.38) plus 125 payments at $0.15 ($18.75) is $302.13 (Square Support, accessed October 12, 2026).
Fresha is $284.54, StyleSeat $290.88, Vagaro $298.44, GlossGenius $299.75, and Booksy $315.93, which includes $40 for two extra seats. Primzy's subscription-plus-card total is $70.00 (Salon mode: a $60 base plus $10 for two employee seats), with clients paying the card fee at checkout. With twelve marketplace-found first visits, Booksy reaches $585.93 and StyleSeat $560.88, while Fresha reaches $464.54 and Primzy $205.00 ($70.00 plus 12 x $11.25 = $135.00). If StyleSeat's $35 price from its August article applies instead of $19, add $16.00.
Who Wins in Which Scenario, Using Only Known Numbers
- Lowest known bill with no new-client fees: Primzy in all three scenarios ($40.00, $40.00, and $70.00), because its clients pay the card fee at checkout. Among platforms where the pro pays card fees, Square Free is lowest in all three, then Fresha, then a cluster of GlossGenius, StyleSeat, Vagaro, and Booksy that changes order by scenario.
- Lowest known subscription alone: Square Free at $0, then StyleSeat at $19.00 and Fresha at $19.95 for a solo. Primzy's $40 is the highest solo sticker price in this set, and Salon mode for three people ($70.00) is the highest three-person subscription here, just above Booksy ($69.99), GlossGenius Gold ($56), and Vagaro ($50). Primzy's card fee to the pro is $0, because clients pay it.
- Cheapest if you use marketplace or boost clients: Vagaro, GlossGenius, and Square list no new-client fee, so their totals do not change. Counting a one-time 15% on every marketplace-found first visit, Primzy ($85.00, $130.00, and $205.00) is $1 above Square Free in Scenario A ($84.00) and below it in B ($168.00) and C ($262.50). Fresha is next, and Booksy and StyleSeat cost the most.
- Primzy's position: card processing is paid by your clients at checkout, so it is $0 to you, and bookings through your own shared link carry no commission. That is why the bills above are $40.00, $40.00, and $70.00 on your own link. The one-time 15% applies only to a brand-new client's first booking found in our marketplace.
Primzy runs a local discovery marketplace. It takes a one-time 15% on a brand-new client's first booking found there (base service only), and only if that client found you through the marketplace. At our $75 assumption that is $11.25 per such client: $45.00, $90.00, or $135.00 for 4, 8, or 12 of them. Bookings through your own shared link, and every repeat booking, stay at 0%.
Add-Ons Not in the Stacks
We left add-ons out of the totals because needs vary, but they move real bills. Vagaro's pricing page lists no add-on prices; competitor sources put them at $10 for forms, $20 for text marketing, and $20 for a MySite website (Koalendar, June 26, 2026); StyleSeat's September 3, 2026 article estimates a typical solo add-on bundle near $70 a month (StyleSeat, competitor). Fresha lists marketing texts at $0.08 each and Smart Website at $15.95 (Fresha, accessed October 12, 2026), while Booksy says plans include 2,000 free marketing texts a month (Booksy pricing). Primzy includes 500 texts a month, shared by mass texts and automations (extra texts are $5 per 250), and confirmation and day-before reminder texts are not metered. Price the extras you use before you compare.
The 7 Platforms: Best For and The Catch
Primzy. Best for: a pro who wants a flat $40 (or, for a team, Salon mode at $60 plus $5 per employee seat), 0% on shared-link bookings, and a beauty-only toolset: Client CRM, Growth Studio, a cancellation waitlist, and Salon Workspace for teams (see how it works). The catch: it is the highest solo sticker price here, and clients our marketplace sends carry a one-time 15% on their first booking.
Square Appointments. Best for: low volume or an existing Square setup; $0, $49, or $149 per location. The catch: waitlist and no-show fees sit above the solo tier, and competitor write-ups disagree on plan details, so check Square's page for the tier you intend to buy.
Fresha. Best for: a solo pro at $19.95 who accepts a 20% fee only on marketplace clients. The catch: the 20% fee and per-text charges.
StyleSeat. Best for: a team that wants no per-seat charge on its pricing page. The catch: the 30% fee capped at $50, and the pricing page and article disagree on price and fee wording.
GlossGenius. Best for: one flat 2.6% rate and no listed new-client fee. The catch: Pabau, a competitor, lists Standard for up to two users, so a team moves to Gold at $56.
Vagaro. Best for: a free marketplace listing at $30. The catch: $10 per extra calendar, add-ons, and card rates that change at $4,000 a month.
Booksy. Best for: a pro who wants a marketplace, with 2,000 free marketing texts a month included. The catch: $20 per added user and a 30% fee, with a $100 cap, on Boost clients.
Free Options
Square's Free plan costs $0 a month, and Square Go is free for businesses (Square Go, accessed October 12, 2026), though that page says it does not take payments yet. Vagaro lists a free marketplace listing with every plan, though Booksy's comparison page, which cites 2024 data, says marketplace visibility costs $10 a month (Booksy, vendor-sourced). Beauty school students use Primzy free until they graduate (enrollment is self-reported), with the pro tools except text messaging, and every pro gets a 30-day free trial with no card needed.
When Primzy Is Not the Best Fit
- You process very little. Square Free's subscription is $0 against Primzy's $40, so with almost no card sales Square costs less. In Scenario A, at $3,000 a month, Square Free totals $84.00 with card fees against Primzy's $40.00, because clients pay the card fee on Primzy.
- A marketplace already sends you clients. Booksy, Fresha, StyleSeat, Vagaro, and Square Go run marketplaces too. If one already fills your book, keep that listing while you move regulars to your own link. Primzy's marketplace takes a one-time 15% on a brand-new client's first booking found there.
- You are a larger team. Square prices per location, and StyleSeat lists $0 per added team member, so a big team can cost less there. Our Salon mode base of $60 plus $5 per employee seat adds up.
- You want packages in this comparison. We do not claim them here, so confirm on our features page. Primzy does have e-signed intake forms attached per service, with no legal-compliance claim.
- You need payroll or time-clock tools. Our Salon Workspace does not claim them; GlossGenius lists payroll at $40 a month plus $6 per seat (GlossGenius, accessed October 12, 2026).
How to Choose
If your biggest issue is a fee on clients you did not bring: price your marketplace share first. Booksy and StyleSeat take 30%, Fresha 20%, and the others list none.
If your biggest issue is cost per chair: compare your third and fourth seats, not your first. StyleSeat lists $0, Primzy $5 (on top of a $60 Salon mode base), Vagaro $10, Fresha $14.95, Booksy $20.
If your biggest issue is a low-volume month: start on Square Free and revisit when your card sales grow.
If your biggest issue is card cost: get each platform's in-person and online rate in writing, including who pays it. On Primzy your clients pay the card fee at checkout.
If your clients already book through your own link: a flat price with 0% on shared-link bookings, like Primzy's, keeps the bill predictable.
Primzy is a beauty booking platform, CRM, and career-investment community for independent beauty professionals.
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Related Reading
- Primzy vs Booksy Pricing: the per-seat and Boost math in detail.
- Primzy vs Fresha Pricing: the 20% new-client fee in detail.
- Primzy vs StyleSeat Pricing: the 30% fee and the price conflict.
- Primzy vs Square Appointments Pricing: the free-plan trade-offs.
Sources
- Primzy, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Fresha, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Fresha, "Marketplace" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- GlossGenius, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- GlossGenius, "Pricing Update 16.08.26" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Vagaro, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Vagaro, "Credit card processing services" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Booksy, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Booksy Support, "How much does it cost to process payments through Booksy?" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- StyleSeat, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- StyleSeat Help, "New Client Connection" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- StyleSeat, "How much does StyleSeat cost?" (August 28, 2026, vendor blog)
- Square, "Square Appointments pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Square Support, "Square Appointments subscription options" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Square, "Square Go" (accessed October 12, 2026)
- Koalendar, "Vagaro prices explained" (June 26, 2026, competitor-sourced)
- Koalendar, "Square Appointments pricing" (June 26, 2026, competitor-sourced)
- Pabau, "Fresha pricing" (updated September 22, 2026, competitor-sourced)
- Pabau, "GlossGenius pricing" (updated October 6, 2026, competitor-sourced)
- StyleSeat, "Vagaro Alternatives for Solo Professionals in 2026" (September 3, 2026, competitor-sourced)
- Booksy, "Booksy vs Vagaro" (cites 2024 data, vendor-sourced)
Frequently asked questions
What do 7 booking platforms really cost a solo pro with $3,000 in monthly card sales?
In our October 2026 model (40 payments of $75, all in person, no add-ons), subscription plus published card fees come to $84 on Square Free, $96.65 on Fresha, $106 on GlossGenius and StyleSeat, $108.69 on Booksy, and $112 on Vagaro. Primzy is $40 a month, and its pricing page says processing fees are covered by clients at checkout, so the pro's cost in this model is $40. Ask every other platform its rate (vendor pricing pages, accessed October 12, 2026).
What do Booksy, StyleSeat, and Fresha charge for new clients?
Booksy charges 30% of a Boost client's first visit, with a $100 cap (Booksy pricing, accessed October 12, 2026). StyleSeat's help center says 30% of the first appointment, capped at $50, while its pricing page gives no rate. Fresha charges 20% with a $6 minimum on new marketplace clients (Fresha pricing, accessed October 12, 2026).
Does Vagaro charge a marketplace fee?
Vagaro's pricing page lists a free listing on the Vagaro Marketplace (accessed October 12, 2026), and StyleSeat's September 3, 2026 article says Vagaro takes nothing when a new client books. Booksy's comparison page, which cites 2024 data, says marketplace visibility costs $10 a month, so these sources disagree and Vagaro is the one to confirm with.
Why do the same card sales cost different amounts on each platform?
Published in-person rates range from 2.29% to 2.6% plus a per-payment fee, and some platforms change tiers with volume. Vagaro lists 2.6% + $0.10 under $4,000 a month and 2.29% + $0.19 plus $10 a month above it (Vagaro card processing page, accessed October 12, 2026).
Which Square Appointments plan do I need for a salon?
Square lists Free at $0, Plus at $49, and Premium at $149 per location, and says Free has unlimited staff calendars (Square pricing and Square Support, accessed October 12, 2026). Koalendar (June 26, 2026) says Free is for one person, so confirm before you plan a team on it.
What does Primzy charge, and is there a marketplace fee?
Primzy is $40 a month for a solo pro, with 0% commission on bookings through your own shared link. Salon mode is $60 a month plus $5 per employee seat. Primzy's discovery marketplace takes a one-time 15% on a new client's first booking found there, then 0% on that client's repeat bookings (Primzy pricing page, accessed October 12, 2026).
