Compare hair & beauty apps

AppBuild.diy compared with 7 providers and the option to vibe code your own app: prices, fees, contracts and whether you get your own branded app.

Best for: hair & beauty businesses that want their own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and the web, starting free with 0% AppBuild commission on paid plans.

Your business. Your own app.

A look inside AppBuild: beauty app home, appointment booking example, loyalty rewards example, push notification example.

See hair & beauty apps

AppBuild app example showing beauty app home — AppBuild hair & beauty app comparison — Beauty app home

AppBuild app example showing appointment booking example — AppBuild hair & beauty app comparison — Appointment booking example

AppBuild app example showing push notification example — AppBuild hair & beauty app comparison — Push notification example

Providers in this comparison

Phorest
Salon/spa software
Fresha
Booking software + consumer marketplace
Vagaro
Salon/spa software + marketplace
GlossGenius
Salon/beauty software
Boulevard
Salon/spa software
Timely
Salon/beauty software
Treatwell
Salon software + consumer marketplace
Vibe coding
Build from scratch with Lovable, Claude, Base44 or similar tools

Price and features at a glance

Provider	Type	Starting price (as published)	Your own branded app	Order / booking fees	Contract / trial
AppBuild.diy	Branded app builder for local businesses	Free (up to 10 users); $49/month or $299/year; $99/month or $499/year	Yes — App Store, Google Play and web	0% AppBuild commission on paid plans; Stripe card fees apply	No contract; free plan
Vibe coding	Build from scratch with Lovable, Claude, Base44 or similar tools	Variable: AI subscriptions / credits, plus hosting, database and any paid services as usage grows. Free allowances may apply; not a fixed all-in price.	Bespoke branding and features; store packaging and submission require additional setup	Depends on your chosen payment provider and services; processing fees still apply	Depends on the tools and services you choose; free tiers may have limits
Phorest	Salon/spa software	Not published (demo/quote). Plans: Starter, Grow, Ultimate, Elite	Add-on: "Branded App" listed as add-on, price not published	Not stated	No free trial (personalised set-up instead); contract not disclosed
Fresha	Booking software + consumer marketplace	UK: Independent £14.95/mo; Team £9.95 per team member/mo (ex VAT). US: Independent $19.95/mo, Team $14.95 per team member/mo (third-party: costbench.com)	Shared (Fresha marketplace app)	20% one-time commission on marketplace new clients, minimum £4 (UK). Online card 1.40% + £0.25	No minimum commitment; 7-day trial
Vagaro	Salon/spa software + marketplace	UK: £20/mo one location, 1 calendar; extra calendar licences $10 (US) each up to 7. US: $30/mo (third-party: koalendar.com)	Add-on (price not on pricing page; third-party: koalendar.com cites $100/mo)	Not stated	Cancel anytime; 30-day free trial
GlossGenius	Salon/beauty software	Standard $24/mo billed annually or $28/mo monthly; Gold $48/$56; Platinum $148/$168	No (not listed on pricing page)	Flat 2.6% card processing; instant payouts +1.8%	14-day free trial, no card
Boulevard	Salon/spa software	Essentials $143/mo for 1 location; Premier $234/mo per location; Prestige $328/mo per location	No (not listed on pricing page)	Not stated	Demo-led; trial not stated
Timely	Salon/beauty software	Build $26, Elevate $39, Innovate $47 per staff member/mo (third-party: pabau.com)	Not stated	Not stated (Stripe card fees per third-party)	14-day free trial (third-party: pabau.com)
Treatwell	Salon software + consumer marketplace	Not published (pricing page shows "Start for free", no figures). Plans: Freelancer, Advanced	Shared (Treatwell marketplace app)	35% commission on new-client marketplace bookings; 0% on repeat bookings; 2.5% + VAT online prepayment fee	Not stated

How AppBuild differs

vs Phorest: Phorest's branded app is a quoted add-on with no published price; AppBuild publishes its pricing and includes the branded app from the Free tier.
vs Fresha: Fresha charges 20% on marketplace new clients; AppBuild charges zero commission on bookings.
vs Vagaro: Vagaro sells the branded app as an add-on; AppBuild's product is the branded app.
vs GlossGenius: GlossGenius does not list a branded client app; AppBuild puts the salon's own app on the App Store and Google Play.
vs Boulevard: Boulevard starts at $143/mo with no branded app on its pricing page; AppBuild Pro is $49/mo.
vs Timely: Timely prices per staff member (third-party); AppBuild prices per app by user count, not staff seats.
vs Treatwell: Treatwell takes 35% on new marketplace clients; AppBuild takes 0%.

Where AppBuild is strong

Your own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and the web, starting free with every feature for up to 10 users.
Flat monthly price, not per staff member or per booking.
Works alongside Square Appointments and Acuity if you already use them.

Where others may suit you better

Lighter on salon back-office tools such as payroll, staff commission and stock control.
No marketplace listing to bring in new clients.

Key features by provider

Provider	Market	Key features	Source
Phorest	UK, Ireland, US	Booking, digital loyalty (add-on), two-way SMS (add-on), memberships (add-on), ads manager	phorest.com
Fresha	UK, US	Booking, payments, marketplace, Klarna BNPL	fresha.com
Vagaro	US, UK	Booking, MySite website, forms, reports, multi-channel booking widgets	vagaro.com
GlossGenius	US	Booking, payments, payroll add-on ($40/mo + $6/staff), Reception add-on ($50/mo)	glossgenius.com
Boulevard	US	Booking, email blasts, forms add-on, QuickBooks add-on	joinblvd.com
Timely	Not verified (pricing page did not render)	Booking, reminders, payments	gettimely.com, pabau.com
Treatwell	UK, Europe	Digital calendar, marketplace listing, unlimited staff (Advanced)	treatwell.co.uk
Vibe coding	Depends on your chosen tools	Full design freedom. Ordering, bookings, loyalty, permissions and integrations must be built, tested and maintained. Native push, certificates and store submissions need additional technical work or a service such as AppBuild.	lovable.dev, claude.com, base44.com

Gaps in published data: Phorest pricing and branded app price not published; Treatwell subscription price not published; Timely pricing page returned no content (third-party only, market not verified); Fresha and Vagaro US prices third-party.

Build from scratch with AI, or start with AppBuild?

Lovable, Claude, Base44 and similar tools are a genuine alternative in any industry. A bespoke build gives you more control over the design and business logic. AppBuild offers a shorter route to launch for supported business needs, with ready-made capabilities you can add without building each one yourself.

Consideration	AppBuild.diy	Vibe coding
Time to market	Start with ready-made pages and features; configure your content and services. Store review still takes time.	A prototype can be quick; production testing, payments, permissions and store preparation add work.
Costs	Published plan price, plus applicable payment processing, store-account and third-party service costs.	Variable: AI subscriptions / credits, plus hosting, database and any paid services as usage grows. Free allowances may apply; not a fixed all-in price.
Flexibility & ease of use	Add supported capabilities such as loyalty, bookings and ordering through the builder; less freedom than a fully custom product.	Bespoke layouts and logic; each new capability needs implementation, testing and ongoing maintenance.
Push & app stores	AppBuild provides push and app infrastructure, subject to setup requirements and store approval.	Native push certificates, signing and store submissions are technical work, not automatically solved by generating a website.
Ongoing responsibility	Shared business-app framework and managed infrastructure; you manage your business content and settings.	You are responsible for security, data access, updates and the services behind your app.

These approaches can work together: build your bespoke experience with AI, then use AppBuild to wrap your app and add supported native capabilities such as push notifications. Wrapping does not automatically add AppBuild’s business features to your custom app.

Tool pricing and allowances vary: Lovable pricing · Claude pricing · Base44 pricing. Check the services your project actually needs.

AppBuild pricing

Plan	Price	What you get
Free	$0/month	Up to 10 app users. Your own app on iPhone, Android and the web.
Business	$49/month or $299/year	Up to 1,000 app users. 0% AppBuild commission on orders.
Business Pro	$99/month or $499/year	Unlimited app users. 0% AppBuild commission on orders.

Card processing fees are charged by Stripe on top of any plan and are not set by AppBuild. Full details on the pricing page.

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Last checked 7 October 2026. Competitor prices come from their own public pages, linked below each table. Where a price isn't published we say so. Spotted something out of date? Tell us via support.