Booksy vs GlossGenius 2026: Cost, Fees and Limits

GlossGenius costs $56 a month for a three-person team, while Booksy costs $69.99 a month for the same three users. That is a $13.99 monthly gap, which scores GlossGenius 10.0/10 and Booksy 8.0/10 on the benchmark. For beauty, lash and brow pros running solo or small teams, the lower subscription and a 2.4% + 15c in-person card rate favor GlossGenius. Barbers and hair pros who want marketplace bookings should weigh that $168-a-year gap against Booksy’s Boost, which charges only when a new client’s first visit happens.

Spec comparison

Spec	Booksy	GlossGenius
Headline price	$29.99/mo + tax	$24/mo billed annually
Entry paid plan	Booksy Biz, $29.99/mo + tax, no commitment	Standard, $28/mo monthly or $24/mo billed annually
Users on entry plan	1	Not clearly stated (Gold: up to 9 staff)
Extra user	$20/mo each	Included up to 9 on Gold
Cost for 3 users	$69.99/mo ($29.99 + 2 x $20)	$56/mo (Gold, billed monthly)
In-person card rate	2.49% + 10c (Booksy Card Reader); Tap to Pay 2.49% + 20c	2.4% + 15c
Fee on a $100 card sale	$2.59 (card reader)	$2.55
Free trial	14 days	14 days, no card
Main limit	Card reader sold separately (Stripe Reader M2 $53.10)	10+ staff needs Platinum
Standout feature	Boost marketplace: 30% of a new client’s first visit, capped at $100, nothing upfront	2.4% + 15c in-person card rate
Drawback	Each additional team member costs $20 a month	Gold tops out at 9 staff; 10 or more needs Platinum from $148/mo
Monthly cost for a 3-user team	$69.99	$56.00

Three rows matter most for this audience. The first is the 3-user cost, because Booksy’s $20 per-seat fee compounds with every chair you add. The second is the Boost fee structure, because it is the only spec here that brings in clients rather than processing them. The third is the card rate, which differs by just $0.04 on a $100 sale.

Total cost of ownership (1-3 years)

Subscription cost for a three-user team, at current list prices:

Period	Booksy	GlossGenius (Gold, monthly)	Gap
Year 1	$840	$672	$168
2 years	$1,680	$1,344	$336
3 years	$2,520	$2,016	$504

GlossGenius saves $504 over three years on subscription alone. Prices are list figures, and Booksy’s is plus tax.

Card processing

At $5,000 a month of in-person card sales, Booksy’s reader rate costs $129.50 a month ($1,554 a year). GlossGenius costs $127.50 a month ($1,530 a year). The difference is $2 a month, or $24 a year.

Adding fees to subscription for three years:

• Booksy: $2,520 + (3 x $1,554) = $7,182
• GlossGenius: $2,016 + (3 x $1,530) = $6,606

That is a $576 gap over three years, most of it from subscription pricing.

Hidden costs the facts support

• Per-user fees: Booksy adds $20 a month for each team member beyond the first, or $240 a year per added person.
• Hardware: The Booksy-compatible Stripe Reader M2 is $53.10 and sold separately. GlossGenius reader pricing is not published in the facts used here, so confirm it on the vendor’s page.
• Tap to Pay: Booksy charges 2.49% + 20c, which is $2.69 on a $100 sale, versus $2.59 on the card reader.
• Billing term: GlossGenius Standard drops from $28 to $24 a month only when billed annually. Gold and Platinum follow the same pattern ($48 vs $56, and $148 vs $168).
• Marketplace fees: Booksy Boost takes 30% of a new client’s first visit, capped at $100.

Warranty terms, hardware replacement cycles, and any service plans are not covered in the published facts. Check them before buying a reader.

Real-world stress test

This section is a calculation from published specs, not a field test.

Scenario 1: a team that grows from 3 to 10

Start with three stylists and add chairs over time, comparing monthly subscription cost:

Team size	Booksy	GlossGenius
3	$69.99	$56 (Gold, monthly)
5	$109.99	$56
9	$189.99	$56
10	$209.99	$168 (Platinum, monthly)

Booksy hits its cost pressure first, because each seat adds $20 a month from the second user on. GlossGenius stays flat at $56 from 3 through 9 staff, then hits a plan limit at the 10th person, when Platinum is required. Even then, Platinum at $168 monthly ($148 billed annually) is below Booksy’s $209.99 for ten users. For a team that fills 9 chairs, the gap is $133.99 a month.

Scenario 2: filling an empty chair with new clients

Take a barber who books 10 new clients from Booksy’s marketplace, each with a $60 first visit. Boost charges 30% of the first visit: $18 per client, or $180 total. Nothing is charged upfront, and the fee is zero if no one books.

The cap matters on larger tickets. At 30%, the $100 cap binds once a first visit passes $333.33. A $400 first visit costs $100 in Boost fees rather than $120.

The facts supplied list no equivalent marketplace fee for GlossGenius, and they do not say whether it offers a marketplace. Confirm that on the vendor’s page. For a pro who already has a full book from referrals and social media, the Boost fee is irrelevant and the $13.99 monthly gap decides the choice.

Card rate by ticket size

The per-sale gap flips with ticket size. Booksy’s reader rate (2.49% + 10c) beats GlossGenius (2.4% + 15c) below a $55.56 ticket, where both cost about $1.48. On a $40 sale, Booksy costs $1.10 and GlossGenius $1.11. Above $55.56, GlossGenius is cheaper: $2.55 vs $2.59 at $100. Cuts and brow shaping near $40 slightly favor Booksy on fees, while color and lash fills above $56 favor GlossGenius. The differences are cents either way.

Who should buy Booksy

• You want marketplace bookings. Boost charges 30% of a new client’s first visit, capped at $100, with nothing upfront.
• You work solo and the $29.99 entry plan with no commitment suits you. Booksy has no commitment requirement.
• Your tickets are under about $55, where the 2.49% + 10c reader rate edges out GlossGenius by cents.
• You can absorb $20 a month per added team member, as in a team of two where the second seat brings the total to $49.99.

Who should buy GlossGenius

• You run 3 to 9 staff. Gold at $56 monthly ($48 billed annually) covers up to 9 staff with no per-seat fee.
• You process in-person payments over $55. The 2.4% + 15c rate costs $2.55 on $100, and $127.50 a month at $5,000 in sales.
• You want a no-card trial. GlossGenius offers 14 days without entering a card.
• You are willing to bill annually. Standard drops to $24 a month, from $28 monthly.

Verdict

GlossGenius wins the benchmark: $56 a month for three users against Booksy’s $69.99, which is $504 less over three years on subscription alone. Its card rate costs $2.55 on a $100 sale versus $2.59, and Gold stays flat at $56 until the team passes 9 staff. For lash, brow and beauty pros on small teams, that makes it the lower-cost choice.

Booksy is still the right buy when new-client acquisition is the problem. Boost charges only when a new client’s first visit happens, and caps the fee at $100. A barber or hair pro with open chairs may find that worth more than the $13.99 monthly premium. Confirm current pricing and any reader costs on each vendor’s page before committing.