Best Booking Apps for Estheticians in 2026: What Skin Pros Actually Need

By the WIPE team · Updated October 21, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer: estheticians need more from a booking app than lash or nail pros do, because skin clients come with a history. Pick the app by three things: intake forms (allergies, medications, skin concerns), treatment notes you can find next visit, and packages or series for facials and peels. On those three, Vagaro is the most complete (SOAP notes, packages and memberships are in every plan), Acuity Scheduling has intake forms on every plan at a low price, GlossGenius is the most beauty-focused but keeps forms for its Gold plan, and Square Appointments is the cheapest start but holds no-show fees for its paid plan. Prices below are from each company's own pricing page (checked October 2026).

What an esthetician needs from a booking app

Before you compare prices, write down which of these you actually use. Most estheticians need the first five; the rest depend on your menu.

1. Online booking that shows durations and buffers. A 90-minute facial with a 15-minute reset needs to block the right time.
2. Intake and consent forms the client fills in before the first visit: skin concerns, allergies, medications, pregnancy, recent procedures.
3. Treatment notes (often called SOAP notes) attached to the client, so you know what you used last time and how her skin reacted.
4. Reminders by text or email, because a no-show on a long facial costs you more than on a quick wax.
5. Deposits or a card on file for new clients and long services.
6. Packages and series, for a course of peels or monthly facials.
7. Memberships, if you sell a monthly facial.
8. Retail and inventory, if you sell skincare.
9. A booking page clients trust: clear menu, real photos, your policies.

The options, judged the same way

Vagaro

• Price: $30 a month for one calendar, shown at $23.99 a month for the first 6 months when we checked, with a 30-day trial (checked October 2026, Vagaro pricing).
• Forms and notes: "SOAP notes" are in its "included with every plan" list. Forms aren't in that list, so ask Vagaro what they cost for you.
• Packages and memberships: "Memberships, packages, & gift certificates" are included with every plan.
• Reminders and payments: unlimited notifications and appointment reminders, and payments with a free card reader when you use Vagaro's merchant services.
• Best for: the esthetician who wants client records, packages, retail and inventory in one system, and doesn't mind learning a big app.

Acuity Scheduling

• Price: Starter is $16 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly; Standard $27 or $34; Premium $55 or $69. There's a 7-day trial with no card (checked October 2026, Acuity Scheduling pricing).
• Forms and notes: intake forms on every plan, including Starter.
• Packages and memberships: packages, memberships and gift certificates start on Standard.
• Reminders and payments: text reminders start on Standard; payments run through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo. Premium offers to sign a BAA for HIPAA compliance, which matters mostly if you work alongside medical providers.
• Best for: the esthetician who wants strong intake forms and flexible scheduling, and is fine connecting her own payment processor.

GlossGenius

• Price: Standard is $24 a month billed yearly or $28 monthly; Gold is $48 or $56, with a 14-day trial and no card (checked October 2026, GlossGenius pricing).
• Forms and notes: forms and waivers are on Gold and Platinum, not Standard.
• Packages and memberships: listed on its plans.
• Reminders and payments: unlimited appointment reminders; built-in deposits and cancellation and no-show policies on every plan. Card processing is listed at 2.4% + 15¢ in person and 2.9% + 30¢ online.
• Best for: the esthetician who wants a beauty-specific app with deposits, and will pay for Gold to get forms.

Square Appointments

• Price: Free at $0, Plus at $49 a month per location, Premium at $149 (checked October 2026, Square Appointments pricing and Square's pricing plans).
• Forms and notes: Square lets you attach contracts, documents and waivers to appointments (Square Appointments features); its pages don't say which plan that needs.
• Reminders and payments: a booking site and appointment reminders on every plan, including Free. Cancellation policies and no-show fees are on Plus.
• Best for: the esthetician who sells retail with a Square reader, or who wants to start at $0.

Booksy

• Price: $29.99 a month plus tax for one person, with a 14-day trial (checked October 2026, Booksy pricing).
• Reach: a profile on the Booksy marketplace. Its optional Boost charges a one-time 30% fee on a new client's first visit, capped at $100.
• Best for: the esthetician who wants new clients from a marketplace more than deep client records.

How to decide

• Forms and treatment notes are a must: Vagaro (notes in every plan) or Acuity (intake forms from Starter). With GlossGenius, budget for Gold.
• Deposits on the lowest plan: GlossGenius Standard.
• Lowest monthly cost: Square Appointments Free, accepting that no-show fees need Plus.
• Packages and memberships: Vagaro includes them on every plan; Acuity from Standard.
• New clients from an app: Booksy, knowing the Boost fee. Our Booksy and StyleSeat fees guide shows what it costs per client.

Whatever you pick, test it like a client: book a facial on your phone, fill in the intake form, and see what lands in your inbox.

Questions to ask before you switch apps

Moving your book is a real job, so ask these before you commit, in a chat with sales or in the help center:

1. Can I import my client list, and can I export it again later? Your clients are your business; make sure they can leave with you.
2. Do my existing forms and notes come with me? If not, keep the old app read-only until you've copied what you need.
3. What does a normal month really cost? Add the plan, extra calendars, text credits and card processing at your usual volume.
4. How do clients pay a deposit, and how do refunds work? Book yourself and refund yourself during the trial.
5. What does the booking page look like on a phone? That's where most of your clients will see it.

Give your regulars a few weeks' notice and the new link, and keep the old booking page live until your existing appointments have passed.

A word on privacy and wording

Skin intake forms hold sensitive details, so choose an app where only you can see them, and don't keep client health information in DMs or on paper by the door. Be careful with the words on your booking page too: describe treatments ("a facial for congested skin"), don't promise medical outcomes. Your state board decides what an esthetician may offer; our esthetician website guide covers the wording, and how to get esthetician clients covers filling the calendar once it's set up.

Do you also need a website?

A booking app's page is often enough to start. A separate site helps when you want clients to see your results, your training and your policies before they book, and when you want Google to have a real page about your treatments and city. If that's you, WIPE builds a site from your Instagram with your treatments, prices and photos; its Book button can open the booking app you chose above, or use its own booking with email confirmations and reminders. It doesn't take deposits, card payments or intake forms, so keep those in your app (what it builds for estheticians). Building and previewing is free, and publishing is $39 a month.