2022 Vagaro Review: Is It Right for Your Business?

Vagaro’s calendar is color-coded by status, easy to use, and versatile. You can book people or resources, create recurring appointments to let them fill automatically, and block off personal time so that you don’t schedule an employee on their day off. You can make notes by clicking on an appointment or hovering over it to see existing notes as a popup. These features are typical of most scheduling software.

Vagaro’s calendar lets you see employee schedules individually or as part of the salon’s day.
(Source: Vagaro)

However, some features that stood out were the icons that can indicate at a glance the kind of appointment—such as a camera for a live stream class or consultation—and the ability to double book. This is an excellent tool for salons, where the stylist might squeeze in a haircut while waiting for a perm to set. If you schedule classes, you can set the capacity, and the calendar will track sign-ups and show as full when the limit has been met.

Finally, you can sync your Vagaro calendar to Google, Apple, or Outlook calendars. Many appointment software applications do this, but it’s always a helpful tool for employees.

You can set up memberships with autopay functions as well. Sell these anywhere you book appointments, from Facebook to your online store. You can also set introductory rates, first-month-free, reward points, or other perks. You can even allow customers to share their memberships with family and friends—even pets.

With the memberships function, you can create recurring income.
(Source: Vagaro)

Vagaro lets you send acknowledgments and reminders via email or text. Clients can opt-in or out of text notifications, including confirmations, reminders, and other messages relating to appointments. Unlike DaySmart Salon, you get unlimited text notifications, although marketing texts are done with an add-on that starts at $20 per month.

You can send confirmation and reminder notifications to customers via email and text.
(Source: Vagaro)

Vagaro offers a mobile app for clients. It lets you send push notifications about anything related to their appointments such as a change in time. Clients can also use the app to add appointments to their phone calendars. Salons can use the Vagaro Pro app to view notifications and contact customers.

The online store lets you sell from your Vagaro website, booking page, or Facebook account. Vagaro assists for free by importing the inventory and helping you set up the shop. You need a merchant service account for this feature. You can have customers purchase and book services or purchase to book them later. You can also sell products, packages, gift certificates, or memberships. You can take deposits or payments in full. It also lets you select shipping or pick-up options.

An example of a hairstylist’s website using one of Vagaro’s website templates.
(Source: Vagaro)

Vagaro offers a variety of ways for you to get paid. In addition to being able to integrate your merchant account, Vagaro has its payment processor, Vagaro Merchant Services. It has a flat rate for businesses that make less than $4,000 a month. It charges a $10 monthly fee but reduces your per-transaction rate if you earn more than that. Most POS services with integrated payment processing do not have a reduced-rate deal like this.

Invoices are a great way to bill clients.
(Source: Vagaro)

In addition, you can send invoices to customers, which can be paid for online, including accepting tips. The invoice feature comes with automatic reminders and tracking through the reports when overdue. They link to customer profiles, so it’s easy to remind a customer about an overdue payment when they come in for their next appointment.

Vagaro lets you track and store customer information, from photos to credit card information to what size blade they prefer for their hair. You can also upload images, videos, PDFs, digital waivers, and more from the calendar screen and link customer files to specific appointments.

Vagaro lets you have a comprehensive database for your customers. You can upload images, videos, PDFs, digital waivers, and more to your customer’s profile.
(Source: Vagaro)

Health and fitness services, especially those associated with chiropractic or medical facilities, will appreciate the SOAP notes function. SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan and is used to capture visit details for each client, retrieve history, and view progress.

SOAP Notes make it easy to track client history for fitness or pain management.
(Source: Vagaro knowledge base)

You can access the SOAP notes from the appointment or the customer profile. There are two types: SOAP Notes and SOAP Notes Advanced. The advanced screen has a human body profile to make identifying pain points easier (this feature is ideal for, and typically used by, massage therapists). They both have a pain scale and SOAP boxes.

You can also attach up to five files in JPG, PNG, or PDF. You’ll be able to see and review previous notes as well.

Vagaro has one of the best payroll functions of the salon POS software we reviewed, with hourly rates and a time clock, plus customized commission tiers and the ability to pay by services, classes, and product sales. It lets you run payroll reports and view pay stubs and pay history.

Vagaro’s dashboard shows appointments, sales, and service providers for a quick look at your business’s current status. For more in-depth analysis, you can integrate data with Xero, QuickBooks, or Excel, or pull reports on the following:

• Employee payroll
• Client retention
• Sales
• Online vs in-house booking
• Inventory: sold, lost, expired, purchased
• Commissions by employee

Vagaro offers reports and analysis for viewing, printing, or export.
(Source: Vagaro.com)

This lets business owners schedule and collect recurring payments from booth renters and other store contracts. And for those offering product sales commissions, payments can be automatically deducted from rent fees—removing the need for 1099 forms.

You can request primary and backup payment methods, including ACH bank accounts (for US only) and credit cards.

Vagaro has several features that it charges extra for but, like Square, add significantly to its functionality and are things for which you might have needed a third-party application. With these add-ons, you get the functions and knowledge that they work seamlessly with the Vagaro POS system.

• Check-in app ($10 per month): Remove the need to have someone at the front desk with a check-in app that lets customers check themselves in (using the QR code on the Vagaro app, with a key card you provide, or manually) for one or multiple appointments (like a massage and facial) and notifies you. Clients can also cancel appointments or sign up for a new class or appointments—even multiple sessions—and pay on the app.
• Forms ($10 per month): Create custom forms for intake, liability waivers, surveys, and whatever you need to serve your customers best. You can embed them in the website, send them by email, or set them to be filled out when booking an appointment.
• Automated email marketing ($0–$90 per month, depending on # of emails sent): With colorful newsletters and an easy-to-use design interface, you can create campaigns for customers for occasions from birthdays to “not seen you in a while” to promoting the newest product or stylist. Vagaro says users get an average of 4.6 appointments per campaign.
• Automated text marketing ($20–$400 per month, depending on # of texts sent): Text individuals for special occasions or send out blasts to all your customers to share a new discount or service. Vagaro can automate texts, integrate with email campaigns, and track success.
• Website Builder ($10 per month): Select and customize a template, or have Vagaro designers create your website for you ($100 one-time fee). Vagaro hosts the website and integrates the Vagaro calendar so that customers can book appointments.
• Branded application ($200 per month): Get all the tools of Vagaro, from booking to shopping cart, on an application branded specifically for your store. Vagaro designs it for you and puts it on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
• Get featured on Vagaro’s customer-facing applications ($10 per month): This is a good way to stand out.

Vagaro has two apps: one for customers and another for you and your employees. The customer app is where people can find spas, salons, fitness studios, and more in their area. It lets them book appointments and purchase products from your businesses.

A view of the Vagaro Pro mobile app
(Source: Vagaro)

The Vagaro Pro app enables you to run Vagaro from mobile, with your customer database, appointment history, and more. You can book appointments, manage equipment and rooms, set up your online store, and take payments.