First 200 Mississippi businesses are Founding Merchants
Already on Vagaro?
Vagaro books your regulars. Good Circles brings you new local clients.
We'll be straight with you: Vagaro is a solid, low-cost booking tool, and for a client you already have its per-visit cost is lower than Good Circles (which passes ~10% back to your customer). What Vagaro doesn't do is bring you customers — and it's a ~$360/year subscription regardless. Good Circles is a customer channel: new local clients at no acquisition fee, no subscription, a 1% fee on profit, and a local nonprofit funded. Use them together.
A $100 service, side by side
A $100 service that costs you $30 to deliver, at a 25% tax rate, 60 bookings a month. For a repeat client Vagaro keeps you a little more per visit — but it doesn't bring you the client, and Good Circles turns each sale into customer savings and community funding.
| Per service | Good Circles | Vagaro |
|---|---|---|
| Customer pays | $90.00 (saves $10.00) | $100.00 |
| Cost to deliver | ($30.00) | ($30.00) |
| Processing · subscription / booking | $0 · $0 | ($2.70) · ($0.50) |
| Good Circles fee · donation | ($0.60) · ($6.00) | — |
| Pre-tax profit | $53.40 | $66.80 |
| After-tax profit (25%) | $40.05 | $50.10 |
| Customer saves / community funded | $10.00 / $6.00 | $0 / $0 |
| Total local value created | $56.05 | $50.10 |
Vagaro terms reported/verified 2026-06-22 (vagaro.com/pro/pricing): ~$30/mo ($360/yr, +$10/employee, cap ~$90) + ~2.6% + $0.10 processing; no new-client fee or commission. For a repeat client Vagaro's per-visit cash is higher because Good Circles passes ~10% to the customer; Good Circles' edge is bringing new clients at no acquisition fee, the total local value created, and no subscription. Illustration, not tax advice.
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Run your salon's numbers
Booking apps are cheap for repeat clients but charge a monthly subscription and a fee to acquire new ones. Enter your numbers to see a repeat client and a new client side by side, against Good Circles.
Per service, side by side
| Per service | Good Circles | Platform (repeat) | Platform (new client) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer pays | |||
| Less: customer savings (10%) | — | — | |
| Less: cost to deliver | |||
| Less: payment processing | $0.00 (customer pays if card) | ||
| Less: subscription (per booking) | $0.00 | ||
| Less: new-client fee (first visit) | — | — | |
| Less: Good Circles fee (1% of profit) | — | — | |
| Less: donation (deductible) | — | — | |
| Pre-tax profit | |||
| After-tax profit | |||
| Memo: customer saves / community | $0 / $0 | $0 / $0 | |
| Total local value created |
Illustration only — not tax advice. Subscription, processing, and new-client fees are reported platform terms (verified 2026-06-22) and vary by plan, team size, and market — set the subscription to yours. Good Circles applies its ~10% customer discount to the sale; booking-platform clients pay full price. Confirm tax treatment with your CPA.
A calendar isn't a customer
Vagaro does the booking-and-payments job well, and we're not going to pretend it's expensive — for your regulars it isn't. But software that organizes your existing clients is a different thing from a channel that brings you new ones, and that's the gap most local businesses actually need to close.
Good Circles fills that gap: new local clients come through nonprofits and their supporters at no acquisition fee or subscription, your customer saves ~10%, and a local cause is funded on every visit. Run Vagaro for your calendar if you like it — let Good Circles grow the book. See the full comparison »
Questions
Vagaro vs Good Circles — FAQ
How does Vagaro charge?
Vagaro charges about $30/month (plus ~$10 per additional employee, capped around $90) and payment processing of roughly 2.6% + $0.10. Unlike StyleSeat or Booksy, it doesn't charge a new-client fee or a commission - it's priced as booking and management software.
Is Good Circles cheaper than Vagaro per booking?
Honestly, not for a client you already have - Vagaro's per-visit cost is low, and Good Circles passes ~10% to your customer, so your per-booking cash can be a little lower on Good Circles. The real difference is what each one does: Vagaro is booking software that doesn't bring you customers, while Good Circles is a channel that brings new local clients at no acquisition fee, with your customer saving ~10% and a local nonprofit funded. Many businesses use both.
So should I drop Vagaro?
Not necessarily. If Vagaro works as your calendar and payment tool, keep it. Add Good Circles as the channel that brings new local clients - with no subscription, no acquisition fee, customers saving ~10%, and a local cause funded on every sale. Good Circles is free to join with a 1% fee on profit.
Bring new local clients, not just manage old ones
Free to join. A 1% fee on profit only when you sell. The first 200 Mississippi businesses are Founding Merchants.