Grow Without Pricing Complexity
Vagaro serves salons, spas, and fitness businesses with broad booking tools and a marketplace directory. Kora is built for operators who want simpler pricing, direct bookings, and more control over the client relationship.
No per-seat pricing, no listing limits, and direct booking pages under your brand.
Who it fits
Match the platform to your priorities
Vagaro can make sense for businesses that want a wide salon, spa, and fitness software suite with directory exposure. Kora is a better fit when the priority is a branded booking page, transparent fees, and fewer pricing variables.
Often a strong fit: Vagaro
Salons, spas, fitness studios, and wellness businesses that want a broad SaaS suite, marketplace-style discovery, and many operational tools in one ecosystem.
Often a strong fit: Kora
Operators who want direct bookings under their brand, separated booking and processing fees, and growth without per-seat or listing-cap penalties.
Compare
Kora vs Vagaro at a glance
Use this comparison to see which platform better fits your operating model.
| Feature | Kora | Vagaro |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Plan-based booking fees plus Stripe processing; no per-seat pricing | Subscription pricing can vary by setup, location, and add-ons—verify public pricing |
| Customer ownership | Clients book through your branded booking page | Marketplace and directory presence may shape client discovery |
| Platform / booking fees | Kora booking fee separated from Stripe processing | Platform, payment, and add-on fees vary—verify Vagaro's current public pricing |
| Free plan | Free for prepaid bookings | Free plan or trial details vary—check Vagaro for your region |
| Multi-location | Multi-location on Scale and higher plans | Multi-location packaging varies—verify before you buy |
| Booking types | Service appointments, slot capacity, asset bookings, mixed workflows | Broad salon, spa, fitness, and wellness workflows |
| Automations | Confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, review requests, SMS on paid plans | Automation depth varies—confirm against Vagaro's current product |
| Support | Kora onboarding focused on your booking page and Stripe setup | Vagaro support as included with your plan—check vendor SLAs |
Deep dive
Key differences explained
01
Keep pricing easier to understand
Kora does not charge per staff seat or limit listings. Free supports prepaid bookings, while paid plans lower booking fees and unlock workflows like custom domains, SMS, automations, and multi-location support.
02
Make your brand the destination
Directory exposure can help some businesses get discovered, but repeat clients should remember your salon or spa first. Kora centers the booking flow on your brand, services, policies, and payment experience.
03
Support more than one booking model
Kora supports service appointments, slot-based capacity, and asset-style bookings in one platform—useful when you mix classes, rentals, experiences, or multi-resource schedules.
04
Add complexity only when needed
As you grow, software costs should become easier to reason about. Kora's paid plans add flexibility and lower booking fees without per-seat pricing or listing caps. Explore salon booking software and spa booking software if those match your business.
Migration
Switching from Vagaro
Plan a manual setup unless you have a confirmed import path from Vagaro. Most teams map offers in Kora, then shift demand to a single branded link.
Map services, classes, and resources
Recreate what you sell today so Kora matches how you schedule staff, rooms, equipment, or classes.
Set staff and availability
Align schedules, buffers, and policies with how your team actually works.
Configure payment and fee handling
Connect Stripe and set deposits, cancellation rules, and checkout copy.
Publish your branded booking page
Launch a page that matches your brand before you send traffic to it.
Point website and social links to Kora
Replace old booking buttons with one consistent URL everywhere clients look.
Message clients about the new direct link
Email and SMS your regulars so the switch feels intentional, not abrupt.
Why Kora
Why Kora for direct control
No per-seat pricing
Add staff without a new line item for every seat.
No listing limits
Expand services, resources, and bookable offers as you grow.
Branded booking page
Checkout stays under your brand with Stripe handling cards.
Multi-location on Scale
Structure multiple sites when you are ready without marketplace dependency.
Prepaid bookings on Free
Start with prepaid flows, then upgrade for lower fees and more automation.
Automations on paid plans
Reminders, SMS, and follow-ups that match your policies.
FAQ
Vagaro switch FAQ
Is Kora a Vagaro replacement?
Kora replaces the booking-and-checkout core for many teams, but it is not a full clone of Vagaro's entire business suite. Choose Kora when direct bookings and transparent fees matter most.
What if I use Vagaro for directory exposure?
You can still invest in local marketing while using Kora for owned bookings. The tradeoff is less reliance on marketplace discovery in favor of clients booking directly with you.
Does Kora charge per staff member?
No per-seat pricing—see Kora pricing for plan details.
Can Kora support classes, appointments, and rentals?
Yes. Kora supports multiple booking models in one engine, including capacity-based slots and asset-style bookings alongside standard services.
How do I switch clients to my Kora booking page?
Update your site, social profiles, and client emails with one branded link, and consider a short in-visit script for regulars. See how Kora works.
Pick Kora for direct control
If you want simpler pricing, owned client relationships, and direct booking infrastructure under your brand, start free and connect Stripe when you are ready.