For a salon or clinic chain, the platform choice comes down to three questions:
- How does it charge per location?
- Does it give you an API?
- Can clients book in an app with your brand on it?
Single-site tools all handle the calendar. The chain features usually sit behind enterprise tiers or sales calls. The 8 options:
- Altegio: booking, CRM, payments and payroll in one place.
- Boulevard: premium, from $143 per location per month.
- Vagaro: $30/mo plus $10 per extra calendar, with an API.
- Mindbody: fitness and wellness, from $79/mo.
- Zenoti: enterprise chains, quote only.
- Phorest: branded app on top plans.
- Jane: allied-health clinics.
- Fresha: marketplace demand.
Build custom only when the booking flow is your product, or when you need an integration none of them expose.
| Platform | Best for | Pricing model (Oct 2026) | Multi-location | API | Branded client app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altegio | Salons, clinics, studios that want booking + payroll in one system | See alteg.io | Yes | Open REST API + MCP | Paid add-on (App Store, Google Play) |
| Boulevard | Upscale salons, med spas | From $143/location/mo | Per location | Developer portal; full API on Enterprise | No |
| Vagaro | US salons and spas | $30/mo + $10 per extra calendar | Yes, no per-location fee | APIs and webhooks | Listed (price not shown) |
| Mindbody | Fitness and wellness studios | From $79/mo | Price rises per location | Developer portal | Add-on |
| Zenoti | Large chains, franchises | Quote only | Enterprise | API docs public | Not listed |
| Phorest | Salons, aesthetics clinics (UK/IE strong) | Quote only | Yes | No public API found | Ultimate/Elite plans |
| Jane App | Physio, chiro, massage, therapy clinics | From CA$59/mo + per-practitioner licenses | Unlimited locations | Not listed | Not listed |
| Fresha | Salons that want marketplace bookings | Per team member; localized | Yes | Data Connector add-on | Not listed |
“Not listed” = not stated on the vendor’s public pages as of 26 Oct 2026.
§ 01Altegio: booking, payments and payroll in one system
Altegio is built for appointment businesses: salons, barbershops, clinics, fitness studios, schools and auto services.
- Booking and CRM: 24/7 online booking, a client database, and reminders by WhatsApp, SMS and email.
- Money: payments and deposits, staff payroll, inventory and analytics.
- Finance view: every payment, cash-register operation and expense sits next to the appointment it belongs to, with a monthly P&L and a daily cash-desk report.
Altegio is clear about where it stops: it's management accounting, and your accountant still files the taxes, from an Excel export. For a chain that wants booking and payroll in one place across locations, it's the most complete operational system on this list.
§ 02Boulevard: the premium salon experience
Boulevard targets upscale salons and med spas. Essentials is $143 per location per month, and the higher tiers are priced per location too (fall promo prices at the time of writing). Its Developer Portal is the most serious on this list, with full APIs on Enterprise. There's no white-label client app.
§ 03Vagaro: transparent and API-friendly
Vagaro starts at $30 a month for one calendar plus $10 per extra calendar, and multi-location doesn't add a per-location fee. It offers APIs and webhooks, which matters if you want bookings flowing into your own systems.
§ 04Mindbody: fitness and wellness chains
Mindbody combines booking with a consumer marketplace, from $79 a month for the entry plan. Higher tiers are behind sales, and a branded app is an add-on. It's strongest for studios and wellness, weaker for clinical scheduling.
§ 05Zenoti: enterprise chains and franchises
Zenoti runs large spa, salon and med-spa chains, with public API docs. Pricing is quote-only, and its AI agents need an "AI Plus" package. Expect an enterprise sales cycle.
§ 06Phorest: marketing-led salons and aesthetics
Phorest is strong in the UK and Ireland, with multi-location support. A branded iOS and Android booking app is included on the Ultimate and Elite plans. Pricing is quote-only, and we found no public API.
§ 07Jane App: clinics, not salons
Jane is practice management for allied-health clinics: physio, chiro, massage and mental health. Every plan includes unlimited locations, starting at CA$59 a month plus per-practitioner licenses. It's the right tool for clinics and the wrong one for hair salons.
§ 08Fresha: when you want marketplace demand
Fresha pairs booking with a consumer marketplace that sends new clients, and charges for those clients. Pricing is per team member and shown in local currency. It's a good fit for growing salons that want discovery. Chains with their own brand demand often prefer a channel they own.
§ 09When a custom booking app makes sense
A platform wins in most cases. Build custom only when one of these is true:
- The booking flow is the product. Examples: a membership model, dynamic pricing, or a multi-service package flow no platform supports.
- You need an integration the platform won't expose below its enterprise tier.
- You want a branded app and the platforms only offer one on top plans.
Even then, the smart build is usually a branded front end on top of a platform's API, not a new scheduling engine. We've built booking flows for a cycling studio and a home-services company, and that's the pattern we recommend. See how we scope a project.