Quick disclosure: we make Solovi, a 0% commission alternative, so we are not a neutral party. We have tried to keep the Vagaro numbers accurate and fair. Prices change, so always check Vagaro's own pricing page for the latest figures.
The short answer
At the time of writing (June 2026), here is what Vagaro costs a UK business:
- A monthly subscription from around £20 for one bookable calendar, rising as you add staff or calendars.
- Add-ons billed separately, such as a website, online forms or text marketing, each with its own monthly fee.
- Card processing fees of roughly 2.2% to 3.5% on payments you take through Vagaro (in person commonly around 2.75%).
- No marketplace commission. Vagaro does not take a cut of new clients or bookings, which sets it apart from the marketplace apps.
So the headline is the opposite of Booksy and Fresha. There is no commission to worry about, but the subscription and the card rates are where Vagaro earns its money, and both can creep up.
Is Vagaro free?
No. Vagaro is a paid subscription with a free trial, usually around 30 days, and no permanent free plan. The trial is a fair way to see whether the all-in-one suite fits how you work before you commit.
The subscription
Vagaro charges per bookable calendar, so the price grows with your team. The figures below are indicative for the UK and round numbers, to give you a feel for the shape of it:
| Team size | Approx monthly subscription |
|---|---|
| Solo (1 calendar) | from ~£20 |
| 3 people | ~£45 to £55 |
| 5 people | ~£70 to £85 |
Indicative UK figures, checked June 2026. Vagaro updates pricing, so confirm on their site.
On top of the calendar price, Vagaro sells add-ons. A website, online forms, text marketing, check-in and so on are each a separate monthly fee. Switch on a few and the real bill is noticeably higher than the headline number. That is worth doing the sums on before you start, because it is easy to add features one at a time and lose track of the total.
Card processing: the quiet cost
This is the part that catches people out. Vagaro's card processing rates run roughly 2.2% to 3.5% depending on the card and how the payment is taken, with in-person payments commonly around 2.75%. That is higher than the standard rate a lot of businesses pay elsewhere (for example Stripe's roughly 1.5% plus 20p).
A worked example. Say you take £3,000 a month in card payments:
- At about 2.75%: roughly £82 a month in card fees.
- At a standard 1.5% plus 20p: roughly £45 a month, plus small per-transaction pence.
- Difference: around £37 a month, or more than £440 a year.
None of this is hidden exactly, but card rates are easy to skim past when you are comparing the monthly subscription. On high card volumes, the rate matters as much as the subscription.
Credit where it is due: no commission
It would be unfair to talk about Vagaro's costs without saying the obvious good thing: there is no marketplace commission. Vagaro does not take a percentage of your new clients or your bookings the way Booksy's Boost or Fresha's new-client fee can. If commission is the thing that worries you, Vagaro genuinely answers it, and the all-in-one suite (booking, point of sale, payroll, marketing) is deep if you want everything in one place.
So is Vagaro worth it?
It depends on how big your team is and how much card payment you take.
Vagaro makes sense if you want a feature-rich, all-in-one suite with no commission, you value having point of sale, payroll and marketing under one roof, and your card volume is modest enough that the rate is not a big number.
Vagaro gets expensive if you take a lot of card payment (the higher rate adds up fast), or you switch on several add-ons and the monthly total climbs well past the headline price.
The 0% commission, flat-fee alternative
Solovi sits in a similar no-commission spirit, but keeps the bill simple: one flat monthly fee, your own website included, and only the standard card rate on payments.
| Vagaro | Solovi | |
|---|---|---|
| From | ~£20/mo + add-ons, per calendar | £19/mo (Solo), £39/mo (Local) |
| Commission | 0% (no marketplace cut) | 0%, on everything, always |
| Card fees | ~2.2% to 3.5% | Stripe's standard ~1.5% + 20p |
| Your own website | Add-on (extra monthly fee) | Included, done for you in 7 days |
| Free trial | ~30 days | 30 days, no card |
The honest trade-off: Vagaro is a deep, all-in-one suite, and Solovi is a focused, done-for-you website plus booking with a lower card rate and the website included rather than an add-on. If you want fewer moving parts and a predictable bill, Solovi is the simpler choice. You can see the full side by side on our Solovi vs Vagaro page.
Frequently asked
Is Vagaro free? No. It is a paid subscription with a free trial of around 30 days, and no permanent free plan.
Does Vagaro take commission? No marketplace commission on bookings or new clients. Its money comes from the subscription and card processing.
Why is Vagaro's card fee higher? Vagaro's processing runs roughly 2.2% to 3.5%, above the standard ~1.5% plus 20p many businesses pay, so on high card volumes it costs more.
Related reading: How much does Booksy cost? and How much does Fresha cost?
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A note on this guide. This article is general information to help you weigh up your options, not financial, legal or business advice. The figures were accurate to the best of our knowledge on the date shown above, but third-party prices and terms change often, so always check the provider's own website before you decide. Any product or company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by them. We make Solovi, so we are not a neutral party, and we have tried to be fair and accurate throughout. If you spot anything out of date, let us know and we will put it right.