GlossGenius pricing: Plans, costs, features, and hidden fees

A clear breakdown of GlossGenius plans, features, hidden fees, and total costs — plus when a simpler scheduling tool like Koalendar makes more sense.

Patricia Magaz

Patricia Magaz

Jun 10, 2026 · 10 min read

graphic of gloss genius pricing comparing Gloss genius features

TL; DR

GlossGenius pricing starts at $24/month when billed annually or $28/month billed monthly for the Standard plan. The Gold plan starts at $48/month annually or $56/month monthly, while the Platinum plan starts at $148/month annually or $168/month monthly. Beauty professionals should also consider payment processing fees, plan upgrades, SMS or marketing usage, and team growth when calculating the total cost of ownership.

GlossGenius is a strong all-in-one salon platform if you need booking, payments, POS, client management, marketing, forms, payroll, and team tools in one place. But if your main goal is to simplify scheduling, reduce back-and-forth emails, and let clients book appointments online, a lighter tool like Koalendar may give you more value with a free plan, unlimited 1:1 appointments, calendar synchronization, automated reminders, and custom booking pages.

If you’ve been researching GlossGenius pricing, you’ve probably noticed the same thing many beauty professionals do: the monthly subscription is only part of the story. The real cost depends on your plan, payment processing, team size, marketing needs, and whether you’ll eventually need more advanced GlossGenius features.

This guide breaks down the plans, fees, feature limits, and real-world monthly costs so you can decide whether GlossGenius is worth it for your salon, spa, lash studio, or nail business. We’ll also compare it with Koalendar for professionals who mainly need simple online booking without paying for salon-management features they may not use.

GlossGenius pricing at a glance

How much does GlossGenius cost?

GlossGenius has three main paid plans: Standard, Gold, and Platinum. According to GlossGenius’ pricing page as of the 9th of June 2026, Standard starts at $24/month, Gold starts at $48/month, and Platinum starts at $148/month when billed annually. Monthly billing is higher: $28/month, $56/month, and $168/month respectively.

The subscription gives you access to booking, payments, client management, and business tools. But the total GlossGenius cost can increase once you factor in card processing, plan upgrades, and team needs.

Monthly vs annual billing

Annual billing gives you the lowest advertised monthly rate. GlossGenius’ support documentation lists Standard at $288 annually, Gold at $576 annually, and Platinum at $1,776 annually. Month-to-month billing costs more over a full year.

Annual billing can save money if you’re confident GlossGenius is the right fit. Monthly billing, on the other hand, gives you more flexibility if you’re testing tools or comparing alternatives.

Does GlossGenius offer a free plan?

GlossGenius does not offer a free forever plan. It does offer a free trial, and GlossGenius’ free trial page says users can get started without a credit card.

That matters if you’re a solo stylist, makeup artist, esthetician, or one of many independent nail technicians trying to keep software costs low while you build your client base.

banner of koalendar scheduling with free plan and calendar synchronization
Scroll right to see how they compare →
Plan Billed annually Billed Monthly Best for Key note
Standard $24/month $28/month Solo beauty professionals Core booking, POS, client, and marketing tools
Gold $48/month $56/month Growing teams or advanced solo users Adds forms, waitlists, Google tools, payroll/time tracking, and resources
Platinum $148/month $168/month Larger teams Adds unlimited team members, advanced analytics, and premium support
Free plan Not available Not available N/A Free trial available

GlossGenius plans explained

Standard Plan

The Standard plan starts at $24/month when billed annually or $28/month billed monthly. It is the entry-level GlossGenius plan and is best for solo professionals or small beauty businesses that need the basics in one platform.

Standard includes business essentials such as online scheduling, a booking site builder, POS capabilities, client management, and basic marketing tools.

Best for:

  • Solo hairstylists
  • Independent estheticians
  • Makeup artists
  • Lash and brow professionals
  • New beauty businesses that need booking and payments together

The Standard plan is usually enough if you want a branded booking website, appointment scheduling, basic client records, and a POS system. It may feel limited if you need digital intake forms, waitlists, advanced marketing, resource management, or deeper team tools.

Gold plan

The Gold plan starts at $48/month when billed annually or $56/month billed monthly. It includes everything in Standard, plus more advanced growth and team features.

GlossGenius lists Gold as including tools such as Google Reviews, text marketing, waitlists, time tracking and payroll, room and resource management, forms and waivers, and Google booking features.

Best for:

  • Small salon teams
  • Beauty professionals who need intake forms
  • Businesses with rooms, chairs, or shared resources
  • Salons focused on retention and rebooking
  • Solo providers who want advanced marketing tools

Gold is often where the price jump starts to matter. If you only need client self-booking and reminders, it may be more than you need. But if you need forms, waitlists, payroll, and resource management, it can be a practical middle tier.

Platinum plan

The Platinum plan starts at $148/month when billed annually or $168/month billed monthly. It is designed for larger or scaling teams.

GlossGenius describes Platinum as including everything in Standard and Gold, plus unlimited team members, Google Marketing Analytics, premium support, and a larger text marketing allowance. GlossGenius support also says the Platinum plan is designed to support teams with 10 or more members, although smaller teams can still choose it.

Best for:

  • Multi-provider salons
  • Larger spas
  • Medspas
  • Beauty businesses with 10+ team members
  • Teams that need analytics and more advanced reporting

Platinum makes the most sense when your team is large enough that the higher subscription cost is offset by better coordination, deeper analytics, and less admin work.

Which GlossGenius plan is right for you?

If you are… Recommended Why
Solo stylist Standard Covers core booking, payments, POS, and client management
Solo pro who needs forms or waitlists Gold Unlocks digital intake forms, waivers, and waitlist tools
Growing beauty business Gold Better fit for teams, resources, payroll, and retention
Multi-staff salon Platinum Supports larger teams and more advanced management
Mainly looking for appointment scheduling Consider Koalendar Lower-cost scheduling may be enough without salon-management extras

GlossGenius features included with each plan

table of Gloss genius features

Online booking and scheduling

GlossGenius includes online booking across its plans, which lets clients book appointments without calling or messaging you. That can help reduce booking management overload, especially when clients want to book after hours.

You also get a booking website, calendar tools, and scheduling features designed around beauty services. For service-based businesses, that means clients can choose treatments, view availability, and confirm appointments online.

Client management tools

GlossGenius includes client profiles, history, notes, and related client management features. This is useful if you want one place to track preferences, past appointments, and service details.

For salons, this can make the client experience feel more polished. For example, a stylist can check color notes before a repeat appointment, or an esthetician can review past treatment details before a facial.

Marketing and retention features

GlossGenius includes built-in marketing features, but more advanced tools sit in higher plans. Gold adds features such as Google Reviews, text marketing, waitlists, and rebooking-related tools. Platinum includes more advanced marketing analytics and a larger text marketing allowance.

This is one of the most important areas to review before choosing a plan. If you expect automated campaigns, review generation, or retention tools to drive revenue, check which plan includes the features you’ll actually use.

Payment processing and POS

GlossGenius includes payment processing and POS capabilities. GlossGenius states that it offers a flat 2.6% payment processing rate for card payments, and its payment processing page says this applies across card types.

Its support documentation also explains that payment processing fees can be calculated based on account settings, including 0%, 1%, or 2.6% configurations.

Team management capabilities

Team features become more important as your business grows. Gold adds tools such as time tracking, payroll, and room or resource management. Platinum is positioned for teams with 10 or more members and includes unlimited team members.

If you run a multi-chair salon, shared treatment rooms, or multiple providers, this is where the right plan can save admin time. It’s also where costs can climb quickly.

Standard Gold Platinum
Online booking
Booking website
POS system
Client management
Basic marketing
Digital intake forms and waivers Limited / not core
Waitlist
Google Reviews / Google booking tools
Time tracking and payroll
Room and resource management
Advanced analytics Limited More advanced More advanced
Unlimited team members
Premium support

The hidden costs behind GlossGenius pricing

Payment processing fees

The monthly subscription is predictable. Payment processing is variable.

GlossGenius promotes a flat 2.6% payment processing rate for card payments. That sounds simple, but it still affects your monthly total because the fee scales with your revenue.

For example:

Monthly card revenue Processing fee at 2.6% Subscription example Estimated monthly total
$3,000 $78 Standard monthly at $28 $106
$8,000 $208 Gold monthly at $56 $264
$25,000 $650 Platinum monthly at $168 $818

These examples are simplified and do not include chargebacks, hardware, taxes, add-ons, SMS overages, or special payment types. They do show why “$28/month” can become a much larger operational cost once payments are included.

GlossGenius also notes that Buy Now, Pay Later transactions have a fixed 6% + 30¢ processing rate and that this fee cannot be passed on to clients like the standard processing rate.

SMS and marketing costs

Marketing tools can help fill empty appointment slots, but you’ll want to check what is included in each plan.

Gold includes text marketing, and Platinum includes a larger text marketing allowance. GlossGenius’ pricing page describes Platinum as including 2,500 marketing texts.

If your salon relies heavily on SMS promotions, rebooking nudges, or campaigns to bring clients back, your plan choice matters. A solo stylist may not need a large text allowance. A busy medspa or multi-provider salon might.

Team growth expenses

The biggest jump in GlossGenius pricing happens when a business moves from Gold to Platinum.

Gold starts at $48/month annually or $56/month monthly. Platinum starts at $148/month annually or $168/month monthly. That jump may be worth it for larger teams, but it can feel expensive if you only need one or two extra scheduling features.

Here’s the key question: are you paying for features that actively help you earn more, or are you upgrading because one needed feature is locked behind a higher plan?

What a salon might actually pay each month

Example 1: Solo stylist

A solo stylist on Standard who processes $4,000/month in card payments might pay:

Cost item Estimate
Standard subscription, monthly billing $28
Payment processing at 2.6% on $4,000 $104
Estimated total $132/month

For a solo stylist, that may be reasonable if GlossGenius replaces separate tools for booking, payments, POS, and client management. But if they mainly need online booking, automated reminders, a booking page, and calendar synchronization, it may be more than necessary.

Example 2: Small salon

A small salon on Gold processing $12,000/month in card payments might pay:

Cost item Estimate
Gold subscription, monthly billing $56
Payment processing at 2.6% on $12,000 $312
Estimated total $368/month

At this stage, GlossGenius can make sense if the team uses waitlists, forms, time tracking, payroll, resource management, and marketing tools. If those features reduce admin or increase rebooking, the ROI can be strong.

Example 3: Multi-provider beauty business

A larger salon or spa on Platinum processing $35,000/month in card payments might pay:

Cost item Estimate
Platinum subscription, monthly billing $168
Payment processing at 2.6% on $35,000 $910
Estimated total $1,078/month

For a large team, the subscription may be a small part of the total monthly cost. Payment processing becomes the bigger expense. That’s why it’s important to compare both subscription pricing and transaction fees before choosing software.

What beauty professionals like about GlossGenius

GlossGenius is popular because it brings several salon tools into one platform. Instead of juggling separate apps for booking, payments, POS, client notes, marketing, and team management, beauty professionals can manage much of the workflow in one place.

It is especially appealing if you want:

  • A polished booking website
  • Built-in payments and POS
  • Client profiles and appointment history
  • Marketing tools
  • Team and resource management
  • Beauty-specific workflows

Capterra lists GlossGenius with a strong user rating, and its profile highlights features such as scheduling, payment processing, appointment reminders, and client management.

Where GlossGenius falls short

GlossGenius may feel less ideal if you want a lightweight or low-cost tool. There is no free forever plan, and some advanced features require Gold or Platinum.

It can also be more software than a solo provider needs. If you don’t need payroll, POS, forms, campaigns, or resource management, you may end up paying for a full salon system when a simpler scheduling tool would do the job.

Who gets the most value from GlossGenius

GlossGenius is likely most valuable for beauty businesses that want an all-in-one operational platform.

It is a strong fit for:

  • Salons that want booking and payments together
  • Teams that need staff coordination
  • Businesses that use marketing tools regularly
  • Providers who want client profiles and POS in one system
  • Beauty businesses ready to invest in growth tools

It may be less valuable for solo professionals who mainly want clients to book online, receive reminders, and avoid back-and-forth messages.

GlossGenius vs Koalendar

GlossGenius and Koalendar solve related problems, but they are not the same type of tool.

GlossGenius is salon-management software. Koalendar is scheduling software built to make online booking simple, fast, and affordable.

That difference matters. If you need a full POS system, payroll, client profiles, and advanced salon workflows, GlossGenius may be the better fit. If you need a booking page, unlimited appointments, reminders, calendar sync, and fast setup, Koalendar may be enough.

Discover how this nail tech uses Koalendar to scale her nail business without burning out.

Pricing comparison

Koalendar’s Free Forever plan includes unlimited bookings, scheduling pages, and 2 calendar syncs with no credit card required. Its Pro plan is priced per seat, adds payments and reminders, and includes unlimited bookings, calendar syncs, and booking pages with no per-booking fees or hidden limits.

GlossGenius Koalendar
Free plan No free forever plan Yes, free forever
Starting paid price $24/month annually or $28/month monthly Free Forever plan available; Pro starts from $6.99/seat/month
Unlimited bookings Included by plan Yes, included in Free Forever
Booking pages
Calendar sync ✅ Including Google, Outlook, and iCloud on free pages (2 included in Free)
Automated reminders ✅(Pro)
Website embedding Booking website included
POS system No full salon POS
Salon client management Lighter scheduling-focused tools
Team scheduling Higher-tier plans Available in Pro
Setup time More involved Minutes
Best for Mid-big size salon management Simple appointment scheduling for solo to medium-size beauty professionals

Booking and scheduling features

Both tools help clients book appointments online. GlossGenius wraps booking into a larger salon platform, while Koalendar focuses on making booking easy from day one.

Koalendar is especially useful if you want to:

  • Create custom booking pages
  • Embed booking on your website
  • Sync with Google, Outlook, or iCloud calendars
  • Set availability controls
  • Add booking limits
  • Send automated reminders
  • Let clients book 24/7

For salons, spas, and beauty professionals, Koalendar’s beauty salon booking software page explains how it helps simplify appointments, manage staff shifts, and improve the client booking experience.

Ease of setup

Koalendar is designed for quick setup. You create a booking page, set your availability, connect your calendar, and share or embed your link.

GlossGenius can take more setup because it includes more operational tools: POS, services, staff, payments, client profiles, marketing, and possibly forms or resources. That depth is useful, but it also adds complexity.

Best option for solo beauty professionals

For solo beauty professionals, the right choice depends on what you need most.

Choose GlossGenius if you want beauty-specific business management in one platform. Choose Koalendar if your top priority is to save admin time, reduce no-shows, and let clients book online without paying for features you don’t need.

For many independent stylists, makeup artists, brow artists, and nail technicians, the simplest win is getting out of the inbox. A clean booking page plus automated reminders can remove hours of weekly admin.

When does it make sense to choose Koalendar instead?

You mainly need scheduling, not salon management

If you don’t need a POS system, payroll, advanced campaigns, or deep client records, you may not need a full salon-management platform.

Koalendar is built for appointment scheduling. Clients choose a time, your calendar updates, and reminders help keep everyone on track.

That’s ideal if your biggest pain is back-and-forth scheduling, not running a multi-provider salon operation.

You want to keep software costs low

GlossGenius starts at $24/month annually or $28/month monthly, before payment processing. Koalendar gives you a free forever plan with unlimited bookings, booking pages, and calendar sync.

That can make a real difference when you’re starting out or keeping expenses lean.

For a deeper look at what’s included, see Koalendar’s free forever scheduling software page.

You need unlimited bookings from day one

Some tools limit bookings, pages, or useful features on free plans. Koalendar’s Free Forever plan includes unlimited bookings, unlimited scheduling links, and calendar sync.

That means you can grow your booking volume without immediately upgrading.

You can also compare plan options in Koalendar’s Free Forever vs Pro plan guide.

You want a simpler setup process

If you want to launch a booking page today, Koalendar keeps things light.

You can:

  1. Create your booking page
  2. Add your availability
  3. Connect your calendar
  4. Share your link or embed it on your website
  5. Let clients book themselves

No complicated setup. No long training curve. Just a smoother way to manage appointments.

Conclusion

GlossGenius pricing is fairly straightforward at the subscription level: Standard starts at $24/month annually, Gold at $48/month annually, and Platinum at $148/month annually. Monthly billing costs more, and the real total depends on payment processing fees, team growth, marketing usage, and whether you need higher-tier features.

GlossGenius is best for beauty businesses that want an all-in-one platform with booking, payments, POS, client management, marketing, forms, and team tools. It can be worth the investment if you use those features to save admin time, reduce no-shows, and grow revenue.

But if your main goal is appointment scheduling and reducing no shows, you may not need full salon-management software. Koalendar gives beauty professionals a simpler, lower-cost way to take bookings online, sync calendars, send automated reminders,take payments, and create custom booking pages — with a free plan that includes unlimited 1:1 appointments.

Ready to simplify appointment scheduling without paying for features you don’t need? Try Koalendar free and start accepting bookings in minutes.

banner of koalendar for nail technicians  and client-facins businesses to simplify scheduling





Patricia Magaz

Patricia Magaz

Patri leads the content efforts at Koalendar. She has over a decade of experience writing B2B content and shaping SaaS content strategies.

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