Vagaro Reviews
The Vagaro cloud-based point of sale system was developed for the fitness, health, and beauty industries, with tons of features to match.
Of course, as you probably know, there are plenty of high-quality POS systems out there that could probably match the needs of your business. The question then becomes,
Why should I choose Vagaro over another POS system?
Come dive in with us as we explore the ins and outs of all Vagaro has to offer!
Pricing
Vagaro, as with many POS systems, is set up on a tier-style pricing system.
The software fees can range from around $25 to $85 per month, depending on the type of plan you choose. However, Vagaro also has custom pricing for larger businesses.
As for hardware, you can use your own or pay up to $1,256 to use Vagaro's hardware.
Lastly, you'll have to consider the payment processing fees, which depend on your monthly sales volume.
If your business makes less than $4,000 per month, you don't have to pay a monthly fee, and in-person transactions cost 2.75%.
However, if your business makes more than $4,000 per month, you will have to pay a $10 monthly fee, as well as 2.2% + $0.19 cents per transaction.
Credit card processing is now available in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
Additional features you might consider paying for include:
We highly recommend getting started with the one-month free trial that Vagaro offers so you can determine if the software is right for your needs.
If you want more information on pricing for Vagaro and other competing POS systems, make sure to click the link below. By filling out our simple form, we'll provide you with several price quotes from POS providers in your area for free!
Features and Benefits
One thing to note about Vagaro as a whole, is even though it offers a high-quality system for multiple services, it is quite easy to use. While you'll find a robust set of features, more so than you would find on other software in the same realm, user feedback has noted that the functionality is simple to learn and get a grip on.
Quality Hardware
Vagaro has some of our favorite POS hardware on the market today, using a dual-screen Pay Desk as the foundational element for all of its systems.
The hardware supports external equipment and peripherals as well, including keyboards, cash drawers, receipt printers, and more.
Vagaro has three different hardware packages that it offers, including:
If you go with the Pay Desk Complete or Pay Desk Plus, the company will give you a a $75 discount if you decide to sign up for 12-month merchant account contract.
Scheduling Software
Vagaro has a unique color-coded calendar that is versatile and easy to use, perfect for booking customers, creating recurring appointments, or scheduling your employees. The calendar allows you to take notes and get a clear overview of your schedule for the week.
One aspect that stood out to us about the calendar in this software was the icons. These little icons provide an at-a-glance look at what is going on in each block of time. For example, one customer might be scheduled for a perm at your salon one hour, while another customer is scheduled for a haircut 2 hours later. The icons make it quick and simple to get the overall picture of your day's plans.
This calendar can be synced to Google, Outlook, or Apple, making it far more compatible than most.
Memberships Module
One of the features that make this arguably the best salon POS system is the fact that you can set up memberships with autopay functionality. From your online store to Facebook, you can see these memberships anywhere, offering reward points, first-month-free offerings, introductory rates, and more!
Customer Management
The Vagaro app will track and store information from your customers, including their credit card information and photos. If you run a salon, you can input preferences such as that customer's favorite blade size or shampoo.
When making appointments for your customers, you can upload digital waivers, PDFs, videos, images, and more!
Payroll
Vagaro might have the best payroll functionality out of any salon software on the market today. It comes with a time clock and hourly rates + custom commission tiers. You can even change the bay based on the product sales, classes, and services offered.
When payday comes up, you can download an overview of your payment history with pay stubs and detailed payroll reports.
Online Booking
With the Vargo website builder, you can build your own fully-fledged website and embed a popup or booking widget, allowing customers to book their appointments online. It is also worth noting that Vagaro uses a unique client marketplace, where customers who have never been to your store can reach out for online booking.
You don't have to be an HTML expert to use this salon software website builder either, as it comes with many free templates to get you started.
Beyond online booking through the website, the Vagaro App also has Facebook and Instagram integration.
Appointment Notifications
The best POS systems keep customers up to date with their appointments. Vagaro uses SMS, email, and Vagaro app notifications. With these notifications, you can get in touch with your client ahead of their appointment to let them know it's coming up or make them aware of any changes.
This user-friendly notifications system can also notify staff of new appointments that come up, and of changes to existing appointments.
Inventory Management
As you can expect from just about any POS system, Vagaro also comes with a quality inventory management system built specifically for service professionals.
With this portion of your salon software, you can store all of your necessary images and information for your various products and services.
The in-depth system is perfect for those with large inventories, as variations and categories can be set up for each corresponding product and service.
It is no wonder that Vagaro is the top-rated POS system for gyms. When inventory products such as t-shirts or water bottles are low in stock, Vagaro users will receive a notification.
SMS & Email Marketing
If you want to integrate SMS or email marketing campaigns into your plan, Vagaro offers support to just that. We love how design-rich the drag-and-drop email builder is, allowing you to craft glorious-looking emails and target very particular sets of clients.
For instance, you might consider targeting clients that visit your salon on certain days or times of the day. The automated text marketing and automated email marketing makes it easy.
Mobile App
Vagaro comes with two apps, one of which is for yourself and your employees, while the other is for customers. The Vagaro customer app is a branded app, enabling customers to find fitness studios, gyms, salons, spas, and more in their areas. They can also purchase products and book appointments through this app.
With Vagaro Pro, your Vagaro account can be accessed from mobile devices, allowing you to keep track of appointment history, employee management, and the customer database. You can download the Vagaro Pro app on the Apple app store.
Complaints and Limitations
Expensive
Vagaro is certainly not cheap. If you're operating a small, single-location business, you might consider going with another POS provider instead, as Vagaro is less cost-effective than other options.
Lack of Support
One thing many Vagaro and Vagaro Pro users have noted is that it can be difficult to find support when they need to ask questions. Though Vagaro is easy to use and doesn't have as steep of a learning curve as other software, you must research certain features on your own to learn it inside out.
Competing Alternatives
Boulevard
Boulevard is a great alternative to Vagaro, as it offers a robust management platform for spas and slaons.
It comes with many features that you might expect, including inventory tracking, credit card processing, booking, and more.
Your clients can make appointments with ease using this high-end along software, and you get access to completely customizable sales, staff, and client reports.
One of the standout features on the Boulevard system is the Precision Scheduling module, which can make managing your employees easier than ever.
Gloss Genius is an alternative to Vagaro Pro software and a high-quality all-in-one solution for beauty professionals, including salon businesses, massage therapists, and more.
With Gloss Genius, you get access to a stunning free website builder that is sure to impress your clients, low payment processing fees, and several powerful marketing tools.
Similar to Boulevard and Vagaro, you can take control of the various aspects of your salon, beauty, or fitness business using intuitive analytics.
Final Verdict
Whether you run one or more busy salons, or a high-volume fitness business, we highly recommend getting a Vagaro account to act as your all-in-one solution. The learning curve isn't steep at all, even with the abundance of features it has.
Plus, Vagaro is adding new features all the time, making sure to keep up to date with everything currently happening in the industry. There is a reason why so many salon businesses rate it so highly.
Gathering price quotes from multiple vendors can take a lot of time. With our FREE service, you'll get the lowest point-of-sale quotes from multiple providers at once without spending a dime. Answer the few quick questions below to get started!
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author
