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5 Vagaro Alternatives for Massage Therapy Businesses

Vagaro provides an all-in-one platform used by thousands of salon, spa, and fitness businesses. While this audience includes massage practices, since Vagaro caters to a broad range of professionals, massage therapists may find themselves navigating a complex, costly solution that doesn’t cater to their specific needs.

If you want a less expensive yet more specialized solution for massage businesses, there are plenty of Vagaro alternatives available. Let’s start by looking at MassageBook, a comprehensive solution built for massage therapists.

Screenshot of Vagaro’s homepage

The top Vagaro alternative: MassageBook

A mockup of MassageBook’s SOAP notes feature on a laptop and smartphone

Overview

As the only software solution on the market designed by massage therapists for massage therapists, MassageBook is tailor-made for massage practices. Although some of MassageBook’s capabilities overlap with Vagaro’s, MassageBook stands out due to its transparent pricing, intuitive user experience, and flexible payment processing.

Features


  • Streamlined scheduling that makes it easy to accept online bookings and manage your availability.
  • Customizable intake forms that clients can complete before their appointments to ensure sessions start faster.
  • Digital SOAP notes (including annotable anatomical drawings) for accurate, easily organized client records.
  • Marketing tools that help you attract new clients, increase repeat visits, and boost gift certificate sales.
  • Custom memberships that boost client retention by encouraging them to book massage appointments regularly.
  • A website builder that enables you to create a professional massage business website that’s easy to update and manage.
  • Secure payment options that accept all types of credit cards, Health Savings Account (HSA) cards, and Flexible Savings Account (FSA) cards.
  • A client database for a centralized location that stores all of your client information, including appointment history, SOAP notes, intake forms, and more.
  • Outcall booking features that create realistic outcall schedules based on location, driving distance, downtime between appointments, and other factors.
  • A mobile app that gives you the freedom to manage your practice while on the go.

Pricing

MassageBook starts at $20/month and goes up to $50/month. We also offer discounts for members of the AMTA and ABMP. And, you can register for a free 30-day trial of Amplify, our premium package, to explore whether our tools work for your needs.

Most multi‑staff clinics choose Amplify for full marketing + operations. Start free, switch any time. 

Amplify

$50.00 / month

Elevate your business with our complete toolkit for successful marketing and client engagement.

Other Vagaro alternatives

Jane
GlossGenius
ClinicSense
Acuity Scheduling

Jane

Jane is a health and wellness practice management platform. It combines booking, charting, scheduling, invoicing, and payment processing into a solution that enables practitioners like massage therapists to run their entire practices online.

Key features:

  • Patient charting and AI scribe dictation
  • Integrated insurance billing and claim management
  • Easy-to-use builder for mobile-friendly websites

Limitations: As Jane was built for clinical environments rather than massage practices, it has many capabilities that may not be relevant for massage therapists, such as telehealth features. It also lacks robust marketing features to help massage practices grow and acquire new clients.

Pricing: Starts at $54/month and goes up to $99/month, with options for paid add-on features.

Screenshot of Jane’s homepage

GlossGenius

GlossGenius provides aesthetically pleasing yet powerful mobile-first software for salons, spas, and medspas. Its sleek, modern software is designed to make payments, appointment scheduling, and client care easy for both providers and clients.

Key features:

  • Custom website builder for beautiful online booking sites
  • Integrations with Buy Now, Pay Later providers
  • Personalized goal setting with real-time progress tracking

Limitations: While GlossGenius is praised for its accessible mobile app experience, some users complain that its desktop version is limited or less intuitive, making it frustrating for providers who prefer to use computers. Other users find that customer support is lacking as GlossGenius operates a text and email-based support model and doesn’t have a direct phone line for urgent issues.

Pricing: Starts at $28/month and goes up to $168/month.

Screenshot of the GlossGenius homepage

ClinicSense

ClinicSense is a solution built for health and wellness businesses, including massage practices. It comes with features for charting, scheduling, finances, and communications, focusing on clinical efficiency to reduce busywork.

Key features:

  • A No-Show Guard™ that charges fees for no-shows and late cancellations
  • Kodee, an automated personal marketing assistant
  • Automated requests for feedback and Google Reviews

Limitations: ClinicSense’s lowest plan has limited customization, which can be challenging for practitioners with unique business needs, including part-timers. Additionally, its platform is not mobile-friendly, limiting practitioners’ ability to manage their practice while on the go.

Pricing: Starts at $39/month and goes up to $99/month.

Screenshot of ClinicSense’s homepage

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling is a simple yet powerful all-in-one appointment management and scheduling solution that adapts to any type of business. It also integrates with various third-party apps, including Zapier, Google Analytics, Square, Stripe, and PayPal.

Key features:

  • Branded online booking pages
  • Automated email and SMS messages
  • Calendar management with two-way calendar sync

Limitations: Since Acuity was built as a scheduling tool for various types of businesses, it lacks customization options and capabilities that massage therapists may need. For example, it does not offer a dedicated SOAP notes feature.

Pricing: Starts at $20/month and goes up to $61/month.

Screenshot of Acuity Scheduling’s homepage

FAQs about Vagaro alternatives

Why should I look for a Vagaro alternative?

There are several reasons why you might be looking for a Vagaro alternative, including:

  • Reliance on paid add-ons, which make the solution budget-unfriendly
  • Frequent outages and bugs
  • Clunky and outdated interface
  • Lack of features specific to massage businesses

How does Vagaro’s pricing compare to its competitors?

Vagaro’s pricing starts at $23.99/month for a single provider at a single location, and goes up $10/month for every additional provider. You’ll need to contact the Vagaro team directly for details about its multi-location price plans.

While this pricing is on the lower side when compared to competitors, some users feel misled and frustrated by Varago’s paid add-ons. Many users find that Vagaro charges fees for features that are standard in other software solutions, such as website builders, text marketing, and SOAP notes.

How do I decide which Vagaro alternative to choose?

Since every massage practice has different needs, there’s no singular tool that works best for everyone. When deciding which Vagaro alternative to switch to, ask the following questions:

  • Does the cost of the new solution fit your budget?
  • Is the solution customizable or designed for the massage therapist workflow?
  • Does it provide the features and capabilities your massage practice needs?
  • Will the software improve how you run your massage practice or the client experience?
  • How user-friendly is the solution?
  • Does the platform rely too heavily on add-ons?
  • Does the new solution integrate or work with your existing tools?
  • Will the solution scale alongside your massage business?
  • Does the vendor offer support, training, and onboarding services?

If I switch software providers, will I lose the clients who found me on the Vagaro Marketplace?

You won’t necessarily lose the clients who found you through the Vagaro Marketplace if you switch to a Vagaro alternative, but you must communicate the change in advance. Clients who discovered you through Vagaro are probably used to booking with you on that specific platform, so you will need to inform them that you will be switching platforms.

Send a few email blasts communicating your new booking method and a final reminder before you deactivate your Vagaro account. Most of your loyal clients will happily move with you to a new booking platform.

Will I lose my data when I switch to a Vagaro alternative?

Once you switch to a Vagaro alternative, you will no longer have access to the data stored in Vagaro. To ensure a seamless experience for you and your clients during your software transition, establish a plan for exporting these details and importing them into your new solution. For instance, you might maintain your Vagaro subscription while using your new massage therapy software for a month or two to ensure that all your data is migrated accurately.

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