GlossGenius or MeetScarlet: a booking website or an app with your name.
For a salon whose regulars book again and again, MeetScarlet is the better pick: they get an app with your salon's name on their phone, set up by our team, where GlossGenius gives them a booking website with no app to download. GlossGenius costs less, from $28 to $168 a month ($24 to $148 billed yearly); MeetScarlet is $349 a month with the app, plus $999 setup on monthly billing (free on yearly). We make MeetScarlet; every GlossGenius fact here comes from GlossGenius's own pages.
Which should you pick?
Who wrote this: the team that makes MeetScarlet. We compare from each vendor's own public pages, read on November 1, 2026, not from a hands-on test of the rival. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.
Pick MeetScarlet if your regulars book again and again and you want them in an app with your salon's name on their home screen, where rebooking can be one tap away. Our team builds it, submits it under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, imports your client list and sets up your services, staff, hours and memberships. In the app you can sell memberships and gift cards, reward referrals, prompt clients to rebook and message them, and you can book beds, classes or courts alongside appointments.
GlossGenius may suit you if your clients are happy booking on a website and price matters most: it costs far less, with a free 14-day trial, payroll and several locations.
Why salons pick MeetScarlet over GlossGenius
- An app with your salon's name on your clients' home screens, so rebooking can be one tap away; GlossGenius gives clients a booking website, with “no app downloads required”
- Our team builds the app and submits it under your own Apple and Google developer accounts
- Messages with clients in your own app, and push announcements to clients who opted in on MeetScarlet Pro
- Beds, classes and courts book alongside appointments in the same app
Side by side
| GlossGenius | MeetScarlet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Standard $28, Gold $56 (up to 9 staff), Platinum $168 (teams of 10 or more) a month billed monthly; $24, $48 or $148 a month billed yearly | $349 a month for one location and 5 staff logins, or $499 on MeetScarlet Pro with 20 |
| How clients book | Your own GlossGenius booking website, with no login or app download | An app with your salon's name on iPhone and Android, plus a web app and booking link |
| Developer accounts | None needed; its pages describe web booking, not a client app | Your own Apple and Google accounts ($99 a year to Apple, $25 once to Google) |
| Setup and switching | A free 14-day trial with no card; GlossGenius transfers your appointments and client info for free | $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly; we import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV; about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch. |
| Locations | More than one location, each at the plan price less 15% | MeetScarlet runs one location; MeetScarlet Pro up to 3 |
| Waitlist | Clients join a waitlist from your booking site (Gold and up) | A waitlist per service: clients join from the booking page, everyone it fits is told when a time opens, and the first to book gets it |
| Deposits and no-shows | Deposits per service, and a card on file for new clients, all clients or none | Ask for a deposit or full payment when someone books; charge a no-show fee to the client's saved card (you switch it on) |
| Keeping clients | Packages and memberships, rebooking reminders, client profiles with color recipes and before-and-after photos | Memberships, gift cards, referral rewards, a prompt to rebook, and messages with clients in the app; push announcements to clients who opted in (Pro) |
| Reminders | Unlimited client notifications on every plan | Text reminders (coming soon) to clients who opt in, on MeetScarlet Pro |
| Add-ons | Payroll $40 a month plus $6 a seat; Reception, which answers calls and texts 24/7, $50 a month | MeetScarlet Pro ($499) adds 20 staff logins, push announcements, and text reminders for appointments (coming soon) |
From glossgenius.com: its pricing, salon, barber, memberships, no-show and waitlist pages, read November 1, 2026; in US dollars.
Where GlossGenius may fit better
- A far lower price, from $24 a month billed yearly, with a free 14-day trial and no credit card
- Several locations on one system
- Payroll, payouts to booth renters, and a service that answers calls and texts, built in or as add-ons
- Client profiles with color recipes and before-and-after photos
Questions to ask on a GlossGenius demo
GlossGenius's public pages leave these open, so ask before you sign:
- Can my clients get an app with my salon's name, or only the booking website?
- Which features need Gold or Platinum for a team of my size?
- What does each extra location cost on my plan?
- Which of my old system's appointments and client details come across in the free transfer?
- If you leave, can you export your client list, and what comes with it?
Ask us the same questions about MeetScarlet; our prices are on the homepage.
Moving to MeetScarlet
We import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV export, then set up your services, staff, hours and memberships as part of setup. About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch.
Questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask us on a demo.
Does GlossGenius have an app for clients? #
Not one with your name on the pages we read. GlossGenius says clients book on your GlossGenius booking website with “no app downloads required” (pricing page, read November 1, 2026). MeetScarlet gives clients an app with your salon's name, plus a web app.
Is GlossGenius cheaper than MeetScarlet? #
Yes, by a wide margin. GlossGenius costs $28 to $168 a month billed monthly, or $24 to $148 a month billed yearly; MeetScarlet is $349 a month with an app with your salon's name included, built by our team under your own developer accounts, plus a $999 setup fee on monthly billing and none on yearly. GlossGenius's pages describe a booking website, not a client app.
When is an app worth it over a booking website? #
When your income comes from regulars who book again and again. An app with your name sits on their home screen, so rebooking can be one tap away. If most of your clients are new or book a few times a year, a booking website like GlossGenius's is usually enough.
Is this comparison independent? #
No. We make MeetScarlet, and we recommend it to salons whose regulars want an app with the salon's own name. Every GlossGenius fact comes from GlossGenius's own pages, dated, and we say where GlossGenius may fit better.
Keep reading
- Best salon booking apps (2026)Ten salon booking platforms compared on price, an app with your salon's name, color time and deposits, with MeetScarlet as our pick for salons with regulars.
- Hair and beauty salonsYour salon's own booking app: book by stylist, deposits, intake questions, rebook prompts and salon memberships. Built and published for you.
- MeetScarlet vs FreshaMeetScarlet gives your salon an app under its own name, with no other salons in it. Fresha costs less, from $19.95 a month, but clients book in Fresha's app.