When clients visit your salon and spa, it’s easy to deliver an excellent customer experience if you’re tuned in to their needs. Outside the four walls of your business, however, things get a little trickier.
If you want to wow your clientele and keep them engaged beyond their in-person appointments, you’ll need salon software that integrates with your salon or spa – helping you manage appointment bookings, process payments, provide outstanding customer service, and encourage future bookings.
In this article, we put three popular salon software options to the test – Vagaro vs. Mangomint vs. GlossGenius. Using our guide below, you can select the best platform for your needs, scale your business, and build a loyal clientele that’s eager to do business with you.
Launched in 2009 and headquartered in Dublin, California, Vagaro is a popular option for salons and spas of all sizes, from independent professionals to large establishments. While Vagaro caters to various industries, it is primarily tailored to salons, spas, and fitness businesses.
Vagaro offers the flexibility to deploy the software from the cloud, on-site, or via a hybrid version. The platform is well-suited to anyone who needs online booking, POS (point of sale) solutions, automated marketing, client management, and inventory management.
The platform offers reporting tools and a mobile app for salon management on the go and efficient client scheduling. It also integrates with third-party platforms like Facebook, Google Calendar, and QuickBooks for seamless social posting, scheduling, and financial management.
Startups and solo professionals may find Vagaro to be a user-friendly platform with robust features to manage their businesses. Below are some of the key advantages of using Vagaro:
Some users report having problems with payment processing, a complex checkout process, glitches, and downtime. Others say certain features could use some refinement, including its SMS messaging and loyalty program solutions, which may lack customization.
While Vagaro’s affordable price tag is attractive for new businesses, the scalable pricing and single-calendar model could prove to be a costly drawback for growing businesses as they add team members.
The base price does not include add-ons that may be vital to your success, either. For instance, text marketing is an add-on feature that starts at $20 per month. Other a la carte add-ons like the website builder, custom forms, and branded mobile app are an additional cost, too. When you add everything up, Vagaro might be pricier than growing businesses can afford.
Vagaro offers a free trial; paid plans start at $25 per month with optional add-ons available.
For salons or spas that are more well-established, Mangomint offers robust spa software for growing operations – from 10-person teams to large businesses.
Right out of the gate, the Essentials plan includes most of the features of the Standard and Unlimited plans, with the exception of memberships and automatic billing. The simple pricing structure makes it easy to get up and running with plenty of features, including online scheduling, email marketing, client management tools, inventory management, payment processing, and more.
When comparing Vagaro vs. Mangomint, you may gravitate toward Mangomint if you have a larger team or plan to add more staff members in the near future. Below are some of the key advantages of using Mangomint:
If your salon or spa is in its infancy, Mangomint might be more app than you need. Because the software is aimed at small and growing teams, its pricing can be prohibitive for solo professionals who are just getting started with a client base.
Some Mangomint users report freezing, long checkouts, scanning problems, a lack of integrations, and other problems. Others mention that in addition to the higher costs of Mangomint overall, the add-ons can make the price tag increase even more. For instance, if you want integrated forms, it’s another $50 per month, and two-way texting adds $75 per month – each with another $25 per month for extra locations.
Mangomint offers a free trial, with the Essentials plan starting at $165 per month, excluding any add-ons.
Mangomint pricing plans:
Beyond your exploration of Vagaro vs. Mangomint, there’s a third option to consider: GlossGenius. With transparent, all-in-one pricing and a wide range of included features, GlossGenius has become a favorite among salon and spa professionals. The New York City-based software company, launched in 2017, serves over 40,000 beauty and wellness professionals and oversees upwards of $2 billion in transaction activity per year.
GlossGenius sets itself apart with its beautiful user interface, ease of scheduling, range of features, and affordability. Because GlossGenius includes essentials like a custom website and built-in marketing tools, it’s a preferred solution among seasoned and up-and-coming beauty and wellness professionals alike.
Don’t be surprised if your clients become loyal advocates for your brand after using GlossGenius. Here are some of the advantages of GlossGenius over Vagaro and Mangomint:
For small teams and independent professionals, GlossGenius is an ideal solution. But, if you have a large team or multiple locations, you may find the software currently has its limitations. At the same time, GlossGenius is continually rolling out new features aimed at helping everyone from solo entrepreneurs to large enterprises utilize the platform.
Other potential roadblocks could arise for anyone who prefers to build a fully customized website rather than use GlossGenius’ built-in web design tools. But, in working with thousands of different clients, we have found that many users enjoy getting up and running quickly instead of spending months in web development.
Weigh the pros and cons of GlossGenius, and you may find that its drawbacks are advantages in disguise.
GlossGenius offers a free trial, with paid plans starting at $24 per month with no hidden fees.
Using Vagaro, salons can show open time slots for the day, week, or month. Clients may book their preferred times using either the app or the website. Vagaro also sends SMS and email notifications to confirm upcoming appointments.
Uncluttered and intuitive, Mangomint uses color coding for at-a-glance views of appointment statuses. Single-screen scheduling and checkout reduces errors and confusion during the booking and checkout process. Mangomint also automatically sends appointment confirmations, reminders, and cancellation notifications via email and SMS.
GlossGenius stands above the rest with quick, easy, stylish online bookings on the app or desktop. Contact syncing makes it easy to communicate with clients and ensure timely notifications about appointments, reminders, and cancellations.
With its integrated POS feature, Vagaro enables the sales of gift certificates, products, and packages. Clients can tip, sign, and pay on the dual screen, which itemizes clients’ purchases.
Mangomint offers a sleek front-desk display, a Bluetooth credit card reader, and self-checkout features that put payment control into clients’ hands. The platform also allows for deposits or full payments upfront, reducing no-shows and cancellations.
GlossGenius offers the most comprehensive POS solution for salons and spas. A stunning user interface, personalized card reader, intuitive navigation, effortless online client booking, contactless payment options, and efficient inventory management make GlossGenius the POS of choice for modern salons and spas.
While Vagaro and Mangomint offer robust client management tools, they do not compare with GlossGenius’ range of features.
The platform creates a positive client experience with instant replies to client texts, plus back-end features to track booking histories, pronouns, analytics, and client notes from a unified dashboard. GlossGenius users see consistent rebookings – the key to success and growth in the salon and spa industry.
We also like GlossGenius the best for marketing and client outreach, with included tools like a website, unlimited email and SMS marketing, and other tools that make it easy to engage with clients. Using GlossGenius’ marketing and social media tools, GlossGenius clients routinely see a 35% increase in rebookings.
GlossGenius is our clear choice as an all-in-one salon management software that’s affordable, feature-rich, and built to scale alongside your business. As you evaluate Vagaro vs. Mangomint vs. GlossGenius, consider the time and cost savings, the growth potential, and the range of features GlossGenius has to offer.
Consider, too, that GlossGenius offers unparalleled customer support to ensure you’ll have a successful experience using the software — and so will your clients. To learn more and get started, launch your 14-day free trial and see why we’re the top choice for salon and spa management.
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