SupaDay vs Vagaro for Beauty Salons: Which Is Better?

Beauty salons are complicated to run. You're not offering one type of service — you've got facials, waxing, lashes, brows, makeup, maybe skincare and hair under the same roof. Each service has a different duration, price, and commission rate. Your team needs different schedules. Your clients need reminders for their facials every 4 weeks and lash fills every 3.

The software that runs a beauty salon needs to handle that complexity without charging you extra for every feature you actually use.

Head-to-head comparison

Pricing breakdown

Here's what a 5-person beauty salon actually pays:

SupaDay Grow:

• 5 staff x $14/month = $70/month
• SMS included (500/month)
• Commission tracking included
• Staff scheduling included
• POS included
• Total: $70/month

Vagaro:

• Base: $30/month + 4 extra calendars x $10 = $70/month
• Intake forms: +$10/month
• SMS marketing: +$20/month
• Website builder: +$20/month
• Total: $120/month

Same team, same core features. $50/month difference — that's $600/year going to add-ons for features SupaDay includes by default.

And that's before Vagaro's optional extras. Want a branded app? $200/month. Advanced analytics? $40/month. The base price is just the starting point.

Where SupaDay wins

SMS is included — for reminders and promotions

Beauty salons run on promotions. "20% off chemical peels this month." "Book a facial + brow wax combo and save $15." "Last 3 slots open for lash extensions this Saturday." Every one of those messages brings in revenue.

SupaDay includes 500 SMS credits on Grow and 2,000 on Business. Appointment reminders, confirmation texts, and marketing campaigns all come from the same pool. "Your facial with Lisa is tomorrow at 11am" and "Spring renewal package — book before March 31" use the same credits. No add-on needed.

Vagaro includes basic appointment confirmations but charges $20/month extra for SMS marketing. Every promotional text, every seasonal campaign, every "we haven't seen you in a while" nudge — that's the paid tier.

For a salon already paying $70/month base, adding $20/month just to text your clients feels like a tax on doing business.

Commission tracking for mixed-service teams

Beauty salons have the most complex commission structures in the industry. Your esthetician earns a different rate on facials than your lash tech earns on extensions. Waxing might be a flat rate while makeup is percentage-based. Add-on services like brow tinting have their own rates.

SupaDay handles all of this. Set commission rates per staff member or per service — facials at one rate, lash extensions at another, waxing at a third. Tips are tracked separately for card and cash, with reports ready for payroll.

The audit trail logs every appointment change — who modified it, when, and what changed. When a team member questions their commission report, you can trace exactly what happened. Vagaro doesn't offer this level of tracking.

Review management drives repeat business

Beauty salons depend on reviews more than almost any other business type. A client choosing between two estheticians for their first chemical peel will pick the one with 200 five-star Google reviews over the one with 30.

SupaDay's review management (Business plan) sends review requests automatically after appointments. Set the delay, and the system handles it — no manual follow-up, no forgetting to ask. You see your average rating, response rate, and review volume from one dashboard.

Vagaro also has review features on its base plan. This one is close, but SupaDay's automation is fully hands-off once configured.

Recurring appointments for regulars

Your best clients are the ones who come back on a schedule. Facials every 4 weeks. Lash fills every 2-3 weeks. Brow maintenance monthly. These are your most predictable revenue.

SupaDay's recurring appointments let you set the pattern once and the system books the series. Every 2 weeks, every month, first Saturday of each month — pick the pattern and it handles the rest.

Vagaro supports recurring bookings through memberships and packages, which works but requires more setup — creating membership tiers, assigning clients, and configuring booking rules around them.

Where Vagaro wins

Intake forms

Vagaro offers intake forms ($10/month add-on) that clients fill out before their first visit. For beauty salons offering skincare services, this matters — you need to know about allergies, medications like Accutane or retinols, and skin sensitivities before a facial or peel.

SupaDay doesn't have intake forms yet. If pre-service screening is critical for your business, Vagaro covers this — though it's an extra $10/month on top of everything else.

Marketplace

Vagaro has a consumer marketplace where clients search for beauty salons by location and service. If you're a newer salon building a client base, that marketplace traffic has real value — especially for discovery services like lash extensions or facials where clients often search by location.

SupaDay's marketplace is coming soon but isn't live yet.

Branded app and larger ecosystem

Vagaro offers a branded mobile app ($200/month) and connects with more third-party tools. It's been around longer with a larger user base, more tutorials, and more community support. For beauty salons that want a fully branded client experience or need specific integrations, Vagaro has more options today.

Where they're equal

Both platforms handle the beauty salon basics well:

• Online booking — clients pick their service, choose their provider, and book 24/7
• Calendar management — day, week, month views with drag-and-drop
• Staff scheduling — team members manage their hours and time off
• POS checkout — card, cash, gift card, split payments, tip handling
• Multiple service categories — facials, waxing, lashes, brows, makeup all configurable

These are table stakes. Every modern salon platform does them.

Which one should you pick?

Pick SupaDay if:

• You want SMS reminders and marketing included, not billed separately
• Your team has different commission rates per service type
• You want a monthly cap so your bill never surprises you
• Reviews and client retention matter to your business
• You want an audit trail for every appointment change

Pick Vagaro if:

• You need intake forms for skincare consultations
• You want a marketplace to bring in new clients
• You want a branded mobile app
• You prefer a larger established ecosystem

The bottom line

Beauty salons need software that handles complexity — multiple services, mixed commissions, seasonal promotions, client retention — without charging extra for every feature. SupaDay includes SMS, commissions, scheduling, audit trail, and POS at $14/user/month with a $99 cap. Vagaro's add-on model pushes a 5-person salon from $70/month to $120+/month for the same functionality. That $600/year difference buys a lot of product inventory. See how SupaDay works for beauty salons →. For a full breakdown, check the comparison page →.