How we compare
Built for the road, not the front desk.
Most booking tools were made for a salon with a counter. We were made for the solo pro, on the road or working from one studio. Here's where that shows up.
| goldenhourFor the road | Vagaro | GlossGenius | Square Appts | Booksy | Acuity | Fresha | StyleSeat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform commissionWhat the tool takes off your booking | 0% | varies | varies | varies | varies | varies | new-client 20% | new-client fee |
| Your own domain, no add-on feebook.yourbrand.com with auto-SSL, on the paid plan | varies | varies | varies | |||||
| Cards at the doorPocket-size reader or scan-to-pay QR | varies | varies | varies | varies | varies | |||
| AI receptionist that booksBooks, reschedules & cancels in the chat on your booking page, on your real calendar | early access | |||||||
| Travel zones & feesDistance-tiered fees, auto-applied at booking | flat fee | flat fee | ||||||
| Mobile-first “Today” routingYour day's stops, in order | ||||||||
| Per-visit formula cardsDHA %, oz, lot — every appointment | varies | varies | ||||||
| You own the client listFull CSV export, anytime | varies | varies | varies | varies | varies | |||
| Flat priceWhat you pay the platform monthly | Free or $19.99/mo | tiered | tiered | tiered | tiered | tiered | free + fees | tiered |
Two plans on our side of the table. Free keeps the booking page, the calendar, clients, payments, and client messages by email, with no time limit. $19.99/mo adds texts to your clients, your own booking and email domain, a business number with the front desk, and Goldie. Everyone is on the full product, free, through November 1, 2026, and every account opened after that gets its first 30 days the same way.
Comparison reflects goldenhour's focus, not a knock on anyone's work — these are all capable tools for salons with a front desk. Competitor features and pricing change often; where we can't verify a detail for solo mobile use, we say “varies.” Last reviewed June 2026.
Why it matters
Three differences you feel every week.
0% commission
A $95 booking is $95 in your bank. On a platform taking a cut, the same booking quietly loses money before it reaches you.
The drive, priced in
Travel zones add the right fee at checkout automatically — no quotes, no “where are you based?” texts, no eating the gas on a long haul.
Your list, your call
Clients are yours to keep and yours to take. Export everything to CSV the day you decide to leave — no lock-in, no middleman.
Coming from one of these? We wrote a step-by-step guide for Fresha, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Square, Booksy, and Acuity.
Made for the road
The golden hour starts here.
One person, one car, one craft. Live in about two minutes with the starter menu we set up for you, finished in about ten. No card to start.