GlossGenius vs Salon Booking System

GlossGenius is a business management system for beauty, wellness, medspa, health, and fitness businesses, available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its 24/7 online booking lets clients reserve without downloading an app or logging in. The system includes scheduling, client profiles, inventory and retail management, staff management, time tracking, and business reports. Email and text marketing, automated review prompts, Google Booking and Reviews, Google Marketing Analytics, and two-way calendar sync with Google, iCal, and Outlook are also listed. Medspa features include HIPAA compliance, charting, photo markup, medical director sign-off, and automatic sorting of client photos. The pricing page lists a flat 2.6% payment processing rate, with no added fees for Tap to Pay, card-on-file, or manual-entry transactions. Same-day payouts Monday through Thursday are free; instant payouts cost an additional 1.8%. Plans listed monthly include Standard at $28 a month, Gold at $56 a month, and Platinum at $168 a month, as well as Practice Essentials and Practice Advanced. A 14-day trial is available, but there is no free plan.

Salon Booking System is a WordPress appointment booking plugin that runs on a business's own website. It provides a real-time calendar, staff availability and scheduling, group and recurring appointments, and booking forms that can be embedded as a widget, shortcode, or full page. The plugin supports unlimited services and categories, staff permissions and calendars, commissions, and service prices that vary by staff member. Clients can manage booking history, reschedule or cancel appointments, save payment methods, and leave reviews. Paid plans support Stripe and PayPal with deposits or full prepayment; Business adds local payment gateways and WooCommerce checkout. The system also lists Google Calendar sync, a REST API, and Zapier-ready webhooks. Email confirmations and reminders are supported; SMS reminders are an add-on. Its staff mobile web app runs on the business website and can be added to a phone's home screen. Free is free. Basic costs €89 a year, billed yearly, and Business costs €169 a year, billed yearly; each paid plan includes a 15-day free trial.