If you took the time to research appointment scheduling apps for salons, massage therapists, etc…
Chances are you’ve seen Schedulicity and Vagaro.
But what’s the difference between the two apps? And what do they have in common?
We’re taking a closer look at both Schedulicity and Vagaro, breaking down their best features, pricing, alternatives, and more to give you the intel you need to pick the booking app for you!
Schedulicity vs Vagaro. Let’s get into it!
Schedulicity vs Vagaro: A Breakdown
What are their top features?
Vagaro: Vagaro is definitely built for more larger-scale operations, so they have a few extra bells and whistles larger salons might enjoy. Such as…
- Payroll and clock in/clock out capabilities: If you’re a larger salon with multiple employees, the ability to keep track of hours worked can be a huge bonus!
- Website builder: Similar to Schedulicity’s booking page, Vagaro gives businesses the option to build their own booking website with templates. (Keep in mind: This feature costs an additional $10/month. Don’t worry, we’ll get more into pricing later!)
- Yelp, Instagram, and Facebook integrations: Like Schedulicity, you can connect your booking page to your social pages as well.
Schedulicity: With email marketing, text reminders, and built-in payment processing, Schedulicity has the tools to grow your business.
- Pay-by-text: Schedulicity offers pay-by-text and -QR code, allowing you to text a client their bill straight to their phone, eliminating any awkward “tipping moment.”
- Killer marketing tools: Schedulicity’s marketing tools include automated emails to welcome new clients, say thank you after appointments, and send out birthday deals for their special month.
- Promotion management: Schedulicity’s Deal Manager is a unique feature that allows you to create promotions, or discounts, and share them on social media or via email marketing.
User Review: “Your customer service has been impeccable. I was at Vagaro for a bit, and I know. 🙄 I’m so happy to be back to Schedulicity.” -Nicky, Esthetician
Do they have payment processing?
Vagaro: Like Schedulicity, Vagaro offers payment processing services for you to collect client payments and store credit card info for appointments. Clients can pay online at the time of booking, or they also offer a free card reader when you sign up for payment processing with them.
Vagaro has two different tiers for payment processing fees…
- Small Merchants (less than $4,000 monthly charges): 2.75% per swipe and 3.5% + 15¢ for keyed-in or online transactions.
- Large Merchants (more than $4,000 monthly charges): 2.2% + 19¢ per swipe and 3.0% + 19¢ per keyed-in or online transaction.
Keep in mind: While the processing fees are lower for larger merchants, there is a $10/month additional fee for Large Merchants to process.
Schedulicity: Yes, Schedulicity has built-in payment processing to keep your client payments tied to their appointments. We give you the payment options to handle tipping, auto-billing, refunds, prepayments, and more.
The transaction rate on Schedulicity Pay is:
- 2.6% + $0.10 for every transaction
Speaking of cost…
Let’s break down the pricing and subscription structures for both apps.
How much do they cost?
Vagaro: Vagaro’s pricing structure starts out at $25/month for a solo provider business.
From there, the monthly price goes up for each additional provider you add to your account.
For two providers: $35/month.
Three providers: $45/month.
Up and up until you hit seven or more providers for $85/month.
Note: Depending on the features you need, you may be looking at additional monthly charges.
According to Vagaro’s website, there are additional charges for add-ons, such as Text Marketing for $20/month or $10/month to be listed in the Vagaro Marketplace.
Schedulicity: Schedulicity offers one subscription: Schedulicity Unlimited.
Starting at $34.99/month, Schedulicity’s Unlimited Plan comes with all the tools you need to manage and grow your business, including automated marketing, text reminders for your clients, payment processing, and more.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to check out Schedulicity’s price comparison chart, so you can see how it compares to other scheduling software.
How do their calendar views compare?
Vagaro: Vagaro’s calendar view is multifunctional, giving you the option to view multiple providers at once or switch between daily, weekly, and monthly views.
You can also easily move bookings with their drag and drop feature.
Schedulicity: Think of your calendar page as the homebase of your account.
From the calendar page, you can view your daily, weekly, or monthly schedule — just like Vagaro.
Plus, with quick edit tools, you can easily book or change appointments on both the mobile app and on the web.
What are their mobile apps like?
Vagaro: Yep! Vagaro has mobile apps — iOS and Android — for both you and your clients. If your business is able to spend an extra $200/month, you can also create your own branded app for clients to use to book with you.
Schedulicity: Schedulicity has mobile apps for you and your clients, as well. They can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android users.
From the business app, your info is fully synced, so you’re ready to manage your business on the go: appointments, schedule preferences, sales history, and more — right from your phone or tablet.
What are their reviews like?
Vagaro: Vagaro has a 4.7/5 overall rating on Capterra. While their overall rating is fairly high, they only received a 1/5 for rescheduling options and a 4.1/5 for their client booking portal.
Pro Tip: Check out Vagaro’s full page to read detailed reviews and see how they stack up against other scheduling apps.
Schedulicity: With a 4.5/5 rating for ease of use, customer service, and value for the money, Schedulicity has a 4.4/5 overall rating on Capterra.
The biggest stat? Schedulicity comes in at 5/5 for appointment scheduling and a 4.7/5 for client management!
Visit Schedulicity’s full Capterra page to learn what other businesses have to say about their Schedulicity experience.
What about customer service?
Vagaro: According to their Capterra page, Vagaro offers customer support via phone, email, and chat. They also have a full knowledge base for folks who like to research questions they might have on their own.
Schedulicity: Schedulicity is famous for their customer service! Their award-winning customer support team — the Rockstars! — are always there to help, either by phone, email, or live chat.
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It is characterized by… feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.”
Alternatives: Vagaro vs Acuity and Mindbody
Schedulicity and Vagaro are both made with service providers in mind, so they share some of the same competitors. Two of their biggest? Acuity and Mindbody.
Here’s a quick glance at what Acuity and Mindbody have to offer…
Acuity: Acuity is a great fit for well-established salons and other appointment-based businesses that need more customizable features (including integration with external marketing and financial tools).
- Like Schedulicity, Acuity allows businesses to customize their booking page, and clients are able to book their own appointments.
- Acuity, Vagaro, and Schedulicity can all manage multiple locations and service providers, which makes these schedulers ideal for growing salons and spas.
- Both scheduling platforms offer discounts, deals, and packages to upsell services and products.
Mindbody: Mindbody’s main focus is on the fitness industry. While they recently expanded features to appeal to the hair and beauty industries, their bread and butter are yoga studios, gyms, and any class-based business.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Mindbody’s app is beautiful. Since they’re targeting businesses that book classes and workshops and folks who might care more about branding, that’s not surprising.
- They have a partnership with ClassPass, so if that’s something you use for your business, it could be a huge selling point.
- With such a beautiful app and a ton of special features, there’s no surprise Mindbody is one of the most expensive scheduling softwares out there.
How Do You Know Which Scheduling App to Choose?
Since not all scheduling apps are created equal, finding the right app for your business involves some research.
There are so many these days, so you have to know:
- What features are musts
- Your price point
- How important quality customer service is to your daily operations
Our biggest pro tip? Take the time to watch demos and chat with each app’s customer support teams.
This will help you see what it’s like to use the software and you can get any unanswered questions from their support — all before you dive in!
