Vagaro charges $30+/month. MindBody starts at $139/month. Booksy is $30–$50/month. Helix gives you online booking with deposit collection, automated reminders, and full client history — $279 once. All connected.
Bottom line: Booking platforms for service businesses cost $360–$1,668/yr. Vagaro is $360+/yr. MindBody starts at $1,668/yr. Booksy is $360–$600/yr. Helix is $279 once — online booking with deposits, reminders, client management, invoicing, and accounting. Over 1 year, every competitor costs more than Helix's lifetime price.
See what booking platforms really cost over time.
Pricing verified March 2026.
Vagaro is popular with salon and spa professionals. Online booking, POS, marketing tools, and a marketplace where clients can discover you. But the base price doesn't include everything — add-ons for online booking, marketing, and payroll bump the real cost to $40–$60/mo.
Booksy is a booking app popular with barbers and beauty professionals. Clean mobile app, marketplace, and automated reminders. But it's another $360–$600/yr subscription with limited accounting and no invoicing for custom work.
MindBody is the premium option for fitness studios, spas, and wellness businesses. Class scheduling, membership management, integrated payments. But $139+/mo is a significant expense for a solopreneur — that's $1,668/yr before you've served a single client.
Square Appointments is free for individual users. Clean booking pages, calendar sync, basic CRM. The catch: 2.6% + $0.10 on every card payment. On $5,000/mo in bookings, that's $130/mo in processing fees — $1,560/yr.
Helix Booking connects to everything. Client books online, pays a deposit, gets reminders. Their appointment links to their CRM profile with full history. After the service, one click generates the invoice. Payment flows to your P&L. No separate systems. No monthly fees.
| Tool | Year 1 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MindBody | $1,668 | $5,004 | $8,340 |
| Vagaro (with add-ons) | $600 | $1,800 | $3,000 |
| Booksy | $480 | $1,440 | $2,400 |
| Vagaro (base) | $360 | $1,080 | $1,800 |
| Helix (booking + everything) | $279 | $279 | $279 |
Square Appointments excluded — $0 subscription but 2.6%+ per transaction. On $60K/yr: $1,560+ in fees.
Vagaro starts at $30/mo ($360/yr) but add-ons push most users to $40-60/mo ($480-720/yr). Helix is $279 once for booking + CRM + invoicing + accounting.
Yes. Clients choose a service, pick a time, and optionally pay a deposit. The booking creates/links a CRM record, sends confirmation and reminders, and connects to invoicing.
Square Appointments is free (with per-transaction fees). For booking connected to CRM, invoicing, deposits, and accounting with no monthly fees, Helix is $279 once.
Yes. Deposit collection at booking plus automated reminders. Industry data shows deposits reduce no-shows by 50-80%.
For individual providers with their own client base, yes. Vagaro and Booksy offer marketplace discovery that Helix doesn't. If you already have clients, Helix replaces the booking tool and saves $360+/yr.
Online booking with deposits, reminders, and client history. Connected to your business. $279 once.
Calculate Your Savings· Data sourced from official pricing pages