Vagaro or MeetScarlet: your own app, priced in or added on.
For a salon, barbershop or studio that wants its own app at one published price, MeetScarlet is the better pick: the app is in every plan, with no marketplace behind it. Vagaro costs less: $30 a month for one bookable calendar, plus its branded app at $100 to develop and $100 a month after publishing. We make MeetScarlet; every Vagaro fact here comes from Vagaro's own pages, read November 13, 2026.
Which should you pick?
Who wrote this: the team that makes MeetScarlet. We compare from each vendor's own public pages, read on November 13, 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 you want an app built around how you run: booking by staff member at their prices, a walk-in line with wait estimates for barbers, a map of the room to pick a spot for studios, and courts by the slot for padel clubs, with memberships, packs and gift cards. The app is in your plan; our team sets up your services, staff, prices and client list and publishes the app under your own Apple and Google accounts, and there's no marketplace behind it.
Vagaro may suit you if the lowest monthly price and a listing on the Vagaro Marketplace matter more to you than an app set up end to end.
Why businesses pick MeetScarlet over Vagaro
- Your app is in the plan; Vagaro's branded app is a separate subscription on top of its plan, and isn't part of its 30-day free trial
- Built for how you run: a walk-in line with wait estimates, picking a spot on a map of the room, and courts booked by the slot; Vagaro's branded-app page lists booking, class and workshop sign-up, client profiles, reviews and its online store
- No marketplace: your booking page and app show only your business; Vagaro lists every business on its marketplace, and its own help center says the branded app lets clients focus on your business “without the distractions of the Vagaro Marketplace”
- One team sets up everything: your services, staff schedules, prices, memberships, the client list import and the store submission
- Card payments go to your own Stripe account
Side by side
| Vagaro | MeetScarlet | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $30 for one bookable calendar, up to $90 for 7 or more, at one location; more than one location by quote | $349 a month with 5 staff logins, or $499 on MeetScarlet Pro (up to 3 locations, 20 staff logins) |
| Your own app | A separate subscription: $100 to develop, $100 a month after publishing, $10 a month per extra location (limited-time pricing) | Included in every plan |
| Whose store accounts | Your own Apple and Google developer accounts; their fees are not included | Your own Apple and Google developer accounts ($99 a year to Apple, $25 once to Google) |
| Who builds the app | Vagaro's graphic design team, from the name, logo, colors and screen styles you choose | Our team, along with your services, staff, prices and client list |
| Free trial | 30 days, without email marketing, text marketing or the branded app | A demo of your own app first |
| Marketplace | A free listing on the Vagaro Marketplace on every plan | None |
| Setup | Vagaro says it has no surprise setup fees, and transfers your data for free | $999 on monthly billing, free on yearly |
From vagaro.com/pro/pricing, vagaro.com/pro/branded-app and Vagaro's help article “Order Your Own Branded App”, read November 13, 2026. US prices; Vagaro's lower first-6-months rate not shown.
For one location with five people taking bookings, Vagaro with its branded app comes to $170 a month ($70 for five calendars plus $100 for the app) and $100 once, before the first-6-months rate. MeetScarlet is $349 a month plus 1% of card payments, with your app, setup by our team and five staff logins included, and $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly. Both need your own Apple and Google developer accounts.
Moving from Vagaro to MeetScarlet
We import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV export, then set up your services, staff, prices and memberships as part of setup. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan, so your web app can be live within days. The iPhone and Android apps follow about 4 to 6 weeks after your Apple and Google developer accounts are ready, most of it Apple's enrollment. Members keep the same account when the store apps launch. If you already have a Vagaro branded app, you already have the Apple and Google developer accounts your MeetScarlet app is published under.
Vagaro's pricing page says you can cancel at any time with no fee, so keep it running until your clients have moved, and point the booking links in your bio and on Google to your new app.
Why your clients should book in your own app
A minute and a half on what changes when your salon's clients book in your own app instead of a marketplace app, and how our team builds and publishes it under your name.
Questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask us on a demo.
Does Vagaro have a branded app? #
Yes, as a separate subscription. Vagaro's branded-app page says the app is published to the App Store and Google Play under your own developer accounts, and that you can personalize its icon, splash screen, button color and external links, as read on November 13, 2026.
How much does Vagaro's branded app cost? #
Vagaro's help center lists $100 for development and $100 a month after publishing, plus $10 a month for each additional location, as limited-time pricing, on top of the base plan from $30 a month, read November 13, 2026. Apple and Google developer account fees are extra. MeetScarlet includes your own app in every plan, from $349 a month.
Is MeetScarlet cheaper than Vagaro? #
No. For one location with five people taking bookings, Vagaro with its branded app comes to about $170 a month plus $100 once; MeetScarlet is $349 a month plus 1% of card payments, with $999 setup on monthly billing (free on yearly). You pay more for an app built around how you run, set up end to end by our team, with no marketplace behind it.
Is this comparison independent? #
No. We make MeetScarlet and recommend it to businesses that want their own app set up for them. Every Vagaro fact comes from Vagaro's own pages, dated, and we say where Vagaro may fit better.
Keep reading
- MeetScarlet vs BooksyYour barbershop's own app under its name, with a walk-in line, tips and no other shops in it, set up for you. How MeetScarlet compares with Booksy.
- 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.
- 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.
- What a branded booking app costsA line-by-line first-year cost for a branded booking app: subscription, setup, Apple and Google developer fees and card processing, with MeetScarlet as the example.