makeabook.ing vs Vagaro
Vagaro is a broad salon and spa platform. makeabook.ing is a simpler booking system for service businesses that don't need POS, payroll or inventory.
TL;DR: Vagaro is built to run a salon, spa or fitness business with payments, inventory, payroll, marketing and multiple calendars. makeabook.ing focuses on services, staff availability and bookings. If you don't need the broader operations suite, the simpler product may fit better.
At a glance
| Vagaro | makeabook.ing | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Salons, spas and fitness studios wanting an operations suite | Service businesses wanting straightforward online booking |
| Multi-staff / multi-calendar management | Yes — core feature | Staff services and availability supported |
| Pricing model | Base subscription plus employee calendars and optional features | Flat subscription rather than per-staff pricing |
| Marketplace listing | Yes, via Vagaro's directory | No |
| Feature set | Broad — POS, payroll, inventory, class scheduling, marketing | Focused — services, staff, availability, appointments and small-group sessions |
| Setup and learning curve | Higher, reflecting the feature depth | Low — list services, set hours, share link |
Where they actually differ
Vagaro combines scheduling with payroll, inventory tracking, payment processing and marketing. These solve real problems for a larger or retail-heavy business, but they also create costs and setup that a business needing only online booking may not use.
makeabook.ing keeps the scope narrower: list services, assign staff and availability, and let clients book appointments or capacity-limited small-group sessions. It doesn't add POS, payroll, inventory or a discovery marketplace around that flow.
A day-to-day example
Say you're a massage therapist setting up your booking system for the first time. Vagaro gives you options for a marketplace profile, payments, marketing and broader business operations. Those options are useful when you need them, but they are extra surface area when the immediate job is simply showing services and availability.
On makeabook.ing, the equivalent setup is: add your services, assign staff where needed, set bookable hours, and share the link.
Pricing
Vagaro's current base subscription includes one bookable calendar, with an added monthly charge for each additional employee calendar. Its marketplace listing and appointment reminders are included, while features such as forms and some marketing tools can carry separate monthly costs. Check the current country-specific price for the exact combination you need.
makeabook.ing is a flat fee — free for the first 20 bookings a month, then £19/month unlimited — because the size of the business isn't changing the size of the bill.
If you're planning to grow beyond solo
Vagaro has a structural advantage when growth means adding retail, payroll, advanced marketing or several locations, because those tools are already part of its wider system. makeabook.ing supports staff booking but deliberately doesn't try to replace that broader operations software.
Who Vagaro is best for
Salons, spas, and fitness studios where payments, marketplace discovery, payroll, inventory or extensive marketing tools are genuinely being used. In that case, Vagaro's breadth is doing real work.
Who makeabook.ing is best for
Service providers who want clients to see services, prices and availability and book online, without also adopting POS, payroll, inventory or a marketplace.
Switching over
There's no client data lock-in to untangle. Set up your services and hours on makeabook.ing, and start sharing the new link — your Vagaro account and history can simply stay put or be cancelled once you're confident the new link is working the way you want. If you have existing clients with repeat bookings already scheduled in Vagaro, it's worth honouring those and pointing them to your new link from their next appointment onward, rather than trying to migrate active bookings across.
FAQ
Can I use Vagaro as a solo provider, or is it only for salons?
Yes. Vagaro's base plan includes one bookable calendar, so solo businesses can use it; the question is whether its broader operations and marketplace features justify the additional setup and cost for you.
Does makeabook.ing include a marketplace listing like Vagaro's directory?
No. makeabook.ing is a private link, not a marketplace — clients book because they already have your link, not because they found you through a directory search.
Is makeabook.ing cheaper than Vagaro for a solo business?
It can be, especially once employee calendars or premium features are added to Vagaro. Compare current country-specific pricing for the exact Vagaro setup you would use against makeabook.ing's flat subscription.
Does Vagaro offer anything makeabook.ing simply doesn't?
Yes — integrated payments, inventory tracking, payroll, a consumer marketplace and deeper marketing tools are Vagaro features with no equivalent on makeabook.ing.
Can I move to Vagaro later if I do end up hiring staff?
Nothing stops you switching tools as your business changes — moving your services and hours over to a new platform is generally a short setup task, not a technical migration, since there's no proprietary client database to export.
Need booking without the full salon-operations suite? Create your free booking link — straightforward services, availability and appointments.