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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Booker

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/ABooker is a leading appointment scheduling, point-of-sale, and business management software that powers thousands of spas and salons worldwide. The software includes a complete suite of management tools, and provides integrated online booking, marketing, and more. Booker is completely web-based, which makes it available from any computer with a browser and internet connection, anywhere at any time. It can also be used via a smartphone or iPad.

    $129

    per month

    Lightspeed Retail

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ALightspeed Retail is a retail PoS system from Lightspeed headquartered in Quebec. Core retail POS features are expanded on higher service tiers with ecommerce option and payments gateway, an accounting system, and a customer loyalty program.N/A

    Vagaro

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AVagaro in Dublin, California built their flagship club management platform around the needs of spas and salons, and can help business owners manage their business with online bookings and integrations with channels of importance to small businesses (Facebook, Yelp, etc) as well as back office software (Quickbooks, Xero) commonly used among small businesses.

    $23.99

    per month one location

    Pricing
    BookerLightspeed RetailVagaro
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    $129
    per month
    Accelerate
    $269
    per month
    Ultimate
    $429
    per month
    Basic
    $79.00 ($69.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Starter
    $119.00 ($99.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Standard
    $139.00 ($119.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Advanced
    $189.00 ($169.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Pro
    $259.00 ($229.00)
    per month (when billed annually)
    Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    BookerLightspeed RetailVagaro
    Free Trial
    NoNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup Fee$250No setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details———
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    BookerLightspeed RetailVagaro
    Considered Multiple Products
    Mindbody
    No answer on this topic
    Lightspeed
    No answer on this topic
    Vagaro
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    60%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    70%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    70%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    70%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Best Alternatives
    BookerLightspeed RetailVagaro
    Small Businesses
    Square Appointments
    Score10 out of 10
    Square POS
    Score9 out of 10
    Square Appointments
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Chili Piper
    Score8.8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Chili Piper
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Doodle
    Score8.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Doodle
    Score8.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    BookerLightspeed RetailVagaro
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.3
    (18 ratings)
    9.5
    (15 ratings)
    5.9
    (4 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.3
    (3 ratings)
    9.5
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.8
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    BookerLightspeed RetailVagaro
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Mindbody
    Booker is very user friendly with videos to help our staff who are setting up schedules. It has very robust features that our school district didn't really need when we piloted it. It has a great option for widgets to be added to websites, whether district or school site. We find that the more widgets are available, the more appreciative our parents are. This is definitely a product that is used in the business world and not in the school district world so it doesn't really have the personalization we need as a school district or a school sites. Should the site change its potential customers, it would be a great fit for us because scheduling is very challenging in a large school district, be it at the district level or at individual school sites
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    It is perfect for any small business looking for inventory control, Tracking purchase history, and just an all round easy to use software for retail and beyond. I would not use it if I have only a few hundred items or was a larger company that can afford to build my own POS software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    We have been working in IT for many years and we can say that the software fulfills what it promises but mostly I would say that it is oriented for businesses that are just starting out and if that is your case, friend, let me tell you that the software will save you many organizational problems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Mindbody
    • Booker does very well as a point of sale program. From front desk check out to back end report generation, Booker gives us an accurate daily picture of business activity.
    • Booker is very good at tracking gift certificate activity. We have a large number of gift certificates and are able to find, edit and void with ease. We are also able to look at the history for each individual certificate or series which helps in troubleshooting.
    • I do not work with scheduling myself but staffers have found Booker to be a valuable tool for managing rooms and therapists.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    • Lightspeed Retail has great reports that are very easy to read and understand.
    • Lightspeed Retail is great to train new employees on because of its ease of use. There are not lots of different things that you have to learn just basics.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    • Online scheduling.
    • Displaying pricing.
    • Full service description.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Mindbody
    • Booker has had some system failures recently that have caused a hard time for us.
    • Sometimes Booker updates reset certain features which cause us to have to reset everything.
    • The Booker app does not have the same features as the full site which sometimes does not make it easy for us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    • With a larger SKU assortment size, the software really starts to struggle with doing physical inventory after scanning in a few hundred items.
    • Several times throughout each year Lightspeed went down on us (not our internet connection but actually Lightspeed verified).
    • Special order system could use a lot of modern improvements (ability to schedule ahead of time, etc.)
    • Reports are very basic, and will likely require there Lightspeed Analytics to actually get reports useful for day to day operations.
    • Weak system for receiving purchase orders.
    • Does not handle items and cases for reordering very well. Have used multiple Point of Sale systems in the past 10 years that allow to set reorder points based on single items, but reorder the case automatically, Lightspeed has no support for this.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    • Interface is quite clunky, not the most friendly UI
    • Says they attract new customers but it doesn't happen that often unless you have a really cheap offer
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Mindbody
    Because I'm so familiar with it. I'll definitely reconsider.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    No answers on this topic
    Vagaro
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Mindbody
    It gets the job done but is overly detailed and has many steps to do a simple task. Reports are continuously being archived and discontinued. As soon as I get used to one it is no longer available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    Simply well designed with obvious icons per component, making it easy to interface with.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Mindbody
    Booker is not always that quick to respond however, I will say, they do research the problem before getting back to you which I do like. Overall, they are kind and helpful in their responses. Though one big concern is that when there is a larger issue, they are not the best at circling back and contacting us to let us know if or how it has been resolved.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    I gave the rating of a 9 because ninety percent of the time when I talk to their support they're very helpful. One of the only real issues I have is there are times where the queue will be 7-9 people deep. When you have an error you don't know how to fix, sometimes this is very troubling. But overall their support is usually quick and friendly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Mindbody
    As far as I know, implementing Booker into our business was fairly easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    No answers on this topic
    Vagaro
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Mindbody
    When we tried Micros, though it has robust hardware and software, It is not meant for salons. Square again the same thing, it is meant for small non salon and non service oriented businesses. Booker is by far the best of all salon softwares we have used.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    Lightspeed is faster, sleeker and more modern than our previous POS system. I can’t express enough how easy the online store portion of Lightspeed is - it just intuitive and sometimes, is TOO easy, I feel like I have to be forgetting something. Lightspeed is staying modern and current where our previous POS was not
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    Vagro has lot of listing listing from nearby places and one can really walk up to the place using and understanding the map which can be very helpful in terms of getting into the spa or the saloon the best part is the timings and the payment feature that can be seen.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Mindbody
    • Notifications are a great way that communicates to the customer their appointment confirmation, and appointment reminders.
    • Increased employee / staff communication, they can now log in and see their schedules.
    • Entering credit card at time of appointment reservation is helpful to us since we have a cancellation policy and keeps the client accountable if they are a no show or cancel last minute.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Lightspeed
    • Certainly has saved money on cash-outs/ accounting due to QuickBooks integration.
    • Faster processing through tills means happier customers and more sales per hour.
    • Expensive product at $5K a year has taken away some profitability for this small business. It's way, way over priced.
    Read full review
    Vagaro
    • The complexity of canceling an appointment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Booker Screenshots

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