Hair salons run on a different rhythm than spas. Chairs turn over fast, a good chunk of the team may be booth renters instead of employees, commission splits need to be right down to the cent, and retail — shampoo, color, styling products — is often a real revenue line, not an afterthought. Generic scheduling software handles the calendar. Hair salon software needs to handle the business model underneath it.
We compared five established hair salon software platforms — GlossGenius, Vagaro, Booksy, Square Appointments, and Mangomint — specifically on booth rental support, commission tracking, chair and resource management, and retail inventory. All pricing reflects each provider’s official US pricing page as of July 2026.
Vagaro, for booth-rent salons. Its Automatic Rent and Fees tool is the only one of the five that handles booth rental contracts and commission splits natively.
Quick comparison: pricing at a glance
| Software | Starting Price | Processing Fee (in person) | Free Trial | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GlossGenius | $24/mo (annual) | 2.6% flat | 14 days, no card | Solo stylists & booth renters |
| Vagaro | $23.99–30/mo | Not published officially | 30 days | Salons with a mix of booth renters & staff |
| Booksy | $29.99/mo | 2.49%–2.69% | 14 days, no card | Salons & barbershops wanting marketplace exposure |
| Square Appointments | Free (Plus from $49/mo) | 2.5–2.6% + 15¢ | 30 days (Plus) | Salons already on Square for retail/POS |
| Mangomint | $165/mo (changing Aug 1, 2026) | 2.45% + 15¢ | Available (length not published) | Established hybrid salons (staff + booth renters) |
GlossGenius: best for solo stylists and booth renters
GlossGenius is $24/month billed annually (or $28/month monthly) for up to two users, with a flat 2.6% processing rate on every transaction. Higher tiers add team features: Gold at $48/$56 and Platinum at $148/$168, which unlocks unlimited team members.
Hair-salon-relevant features: GlossGenius pays booth renters directly to their own bank accounts via free same-business-day transfers, separate from the salon’s main account — a real fit for suite-style operations. GlossGenius Payroll automatically calculates commissions, tips, and hourly pay across a mixed team. Client profiles store color formulas and before/after photos, and retail inventory is managed through GeniusShop with barcode scanning and automated restock alerts.
Who it’s for: solo stylists and small booth-rental suites that want fast, separate payouts and a polished booking experience without a lot of setup complexity.
Vagaro: strongest built-in booth rental tools
Vagaro prices per calendar — $23.99–30/month for the first, +$10/month per additional up to seven, free from the eighth. The 30-day trial doesn’t require a card, and there’s no commission on online bookings. Vagaro doesn’t publish an exact processing rate on its official pricing page, so we’re not stating one here.
Hair-salon-relevant features: this is where Vagaro stands out. Its Automatic Rent & Fees tool lets owners charge booth renters, schedule recurring rent payments, generate legally binding renter agreements, and even deduct commission directly from rent — all inside the platform, with no separate paperwork. Commission tracking calculates splits automatically on both services and retail sales, and inventory management includes barcode scanning and backbar tracking, which matters for salons burning through color and product stock daily.
Who it’s for: salons running a hybrid model — some booth renters, some commission staff — that want the rent collection and contracts handled natively instead of through spreadsheets and side agreements.
Booksy: commission tracking with marketplace reach
Booksy is $29.99/month for the first user plus $20/month per additional team member, with processing from 2.49%+$0.10 to 2.69%+$0.30. The 14-day trial doesn’t require a card. Booksy’s marketplace and optional “Boost” (a 30% commission on a new client’s first visit, capped at $100, opt-in) give it a client-acquisition angle the others don’t have built in.
Hair-salon-relevant features: Booksy supports commission tracking and shift scheduling, with staff able to see their own projected commissions and tips. One honest limitation: Booksy does not include payroll processing — commission calculation is there, but running actual payroll (tax withholding, pay runs) requires a separate tool like Gusto or Square Payroll.
From our own testing
We explored Booksy Biz’s commission setup firsthand on a trial account. Commissions can be configured per staff member across separate categories — services, products, gift cards, memberships, and packages — each with its own rate, which is useful for salons that pay different splits on retail versus services. This reflects hands-on exploration of the commission settings on a trial account, not a full payroll audit.
Who it’s for: salons and barbershops that want commission visibility for staff plus the marketplace as a discovery channel, and don’t mind pairing it with a separate payroll system.
Square Appointments: the budget option with real commission tools at Premium
Square Appointments starts free at $0/month per location with 2.6%+15¢ in-person processing. Plus is $49/month per location (2.5%+15¢), and Premium is $149/month per location (2.4%+15¢) with 24/7 support. Commission tracking and chair/resource scheduling are Premium-tier features, confirmed directly in Square’s own support documentation for setting up commission rates per team member.
Hair-salon-relevant features: Premium unlocks resource scheduling — you can set up chairs or stations as bookable resources so the system won’t double-book a shared color station — plus adjustable commission rates per employee, including on retail sales. It’s not purpose-built for booth rental the way Vagaro or Mangomint are, but if you’re already running retail through Square’s POS, the integration is seamless.
Who it’s for: cost-sensitive salons already using Square for retail checkout, or those that can start on the free tier and only pay for commission/resource tools once the team grows.
Mangomint: built for hybrid staff-and-booth-renter salons
As of July 2026, Mangomint runs Essentials at $165/month (2–10 providers), Standard at $245/month (up to 20), and Unlimited at $375/month, with 2.45%+15¢ in-person processing. Pricing changes August 1, 2026 to a single plan: $120/month per location plus $10/month per staff member — a solo provider would pay $130/month, and Mangomint has stated existing customers facing a price increase will be grandfathered at their current rate.
Hair-salon-relevant features: Mangomint officially supports booth rental and hybrid models on a single account — booth renters can have their own payment (merchant) account to receive payouts directly, while W2 and commission staff run through the same system. Resource scheduling prevents overlaps on shared equipment, which matters for salons with a single color-processing station or limited backbar shampoo bowls. Inventory tracking clearly separates ownership between the salon and individual booth renters, which sidesteps a common source of disputes over retail credit.
Who it’s for: established, larger salons running a genuine hybrid model (some employees, some booth renters) that want one system instead of stitching together separate tools for each group.
Hair salon feature comparison
Feature availability by platform, based on each provider’s official documentation as of July 2026. Confirm any specific feature directly with the provider before purchasing, since tiers and features change.
| Feature | GlossGenius | Vagaro | Booksy | Square | Mangomint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booth renter payouts | Yes (separate accounts) | Yes (Automatic Rent & Fees) | Check provider | Check provider | Yes (separate merchant accounts) |
| Commission tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Premium tier) | Yes |
| Built-in payroll | Yes (paid add-on) | Yes | No | Check provider | Check provider |
| Chair / resource scheduling | Check provider | Yes | Limited | Yes (Premium tier) | Yes |
| Retail / color inventory | Yes (barcode scanning) | Yes (barcode scanning) | Yes | Yes (native POS) | Yes |
How to choose hair salon software
- What’s your team structure? A salon that’s 100% booth renters has different needs than one running commission staff or a genuine hybrid mix. Vagaro and Mangomint are the most purpose-built for hybrid setups; GlossGenius suits solo renters best.
- Who handles payroll? If you need actual payroll (tax withholding, pay runs), confirm it’s included — Booksy explicitly isn’t, and needs pairing with a separate tool.
- Do you need chair or station scheduling? If you share a limited number of color stations or shampoo bowls across staff, resource scheduling (Vagaro, Mangomint, Square Premium) prevents double-booking.
- How much retail do you sell? If color and product sales are a meaningful revenue line, prioritize platforms with barcode scanning and automated reorder alerts rather than basic stock counts.
Frequently asked questions
Which hair salon software is best for booth renters?
Vagaro and GlossGenius both offer strong booth-renter support. Vagaro’s Automatic Rent & Fees tool handles rent collection, contracts, and commission deduction natively; GlossGenius pays renters directly to their own bank accounts with same-business-day transfers.
Does any hair salon software include payroll?
GlossGenius and Vagaro both offer payroll tools that calculate commissions, tips, and taxes. Booksy explicitly does not include payroll processing and requires a separate tool.
What’s the cheapest hair salon software?
Square Appointments’ Free plan costs $0/month per location, though commission tracking and chair scheduling require upgrading to the $149/month Premium tier.
Can I manage both booth renters and commission staff on one platform?
Yes. Mangomint and Vagaro are both built to support hybrid teams — booth renters and commission or hourly staff — on a single account.
Is Mangomint’s pricing changing?
Yes. On August 1, 2026, Mangomint moves from three tiers to a single plan: $120/month per location plus $10/month per staff member. A solo provider would pay $130/month.
For a broader look at how these platforms compare across salons and spas, see our guide to the best salon and spa software. If you’re weighing options specifically for a spa rather than a hair salon, our spa appointment scheduling software comparison covers the same providers through a different lens.