Independent testing · Salon & spa software
We book, no-show, and pay at our own fake salon — so you don't have to.
Every booking platform we review runs the same scripted week of appointments — the double-booking, the no-show against the fee policy, the card fees the pricing page forgot to mention. Then we do the math on what it really costs.
- Head-to-head Sep 16, 2026
Fresha vs GlossGenius: what "free" actually costs
One tool charges a subscription and tells you so. The other charges a commission, five gates, and a card you cannot take back. Neither can enforce the policy it shows your clients.
- True cost Sep 28, 2026
How much does salon software cost? The subscription is the small number
Four platforms, three salon shapes, one arithmetic: the advertised price is a rounding error next to what the card rate costs you.
- Head-to-head Sep 28, 2026
GlossGenius vs Vagaro: we ran the same salon through both
Six planted traps, two tools, one fictional salon. Neither can enforce the policy it publishes — and they fail in opposite halves.
The test salon
Meet Willow & Main, the salon that doesn't exist.
Five providers, a scripted week of appointments, and six planted problems — the chronic no-show, the deliberate double-booking, the deposit that should come back. Every tool we review runs her book, from the desk side and the client side, so every verdict compares like for like. We rang the bell at every front desk in the business.
Providers on the book 5
Appointments in the scripted week 34
Planted traps 6
Vendor money accepted $0, ever