How Parlor stacks up
Most studio software handles booking. Parlor handles everything from the first enquiry to the final session — and everything in between. See how we compare.
The short version
Most booking tools start at the appointment. Parlor starts at the enquiry. That's the difference — we capture and convert leads that other tools never even see.
Parlor
Fresha
Vagaro
Mindbody
Square
Feature-by-feature comparison
How Parlor's Studio plan ($149/mo) compares to each competitor's equivalent tier. Competitor pricing and features checked 10 September 2026, in AUD. Timely prices per staff member and Vagaro per bookable calendar; Mindbody and Square price per location. Vendors change pricing often — check their sites before deciding.
| Parlor $149/mo |
Fresha From $15/user |
Vagaro From $45/mo |
Mindbody From $89/location |
Square Free / $40 per location |
Timely From $42/staff |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead management | ||||||
| Visual lead pipeline | ✓ | — | — | ✓ Growth | — | — |
| Quote request form | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lead assignment to staff | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Follow-up reminders | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conversion tracking | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Duplicate detection + merge | ✓ | Manual | Manual | — | — | Manual |
| Communication | ||||||
| Unified inbox | ✓ | Coming 2026 | Single-channel | ✓ | — | — |
| Instagram DM sync | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| SMS messaging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Internal team notes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Staff @mentions / DMs | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Booking | ||||||
| Online booking page | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Calendar sync | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deposit collection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Busy period pricing | ✓ | — | — | Limited | — | — |
| Walk-in / phone booking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic reminders | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compliance & forms | ||||||
| Digital consent forms | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on $15 | 3rd-party | ✓ Plus | ✓ Elevate+ |
| Custom form builder | ✓ | Basic | Add-on | 3rd-party | ✓ Premium | ✓ Elevate+ |
| Auto-send before appointment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 3rd-party | ✓ Plus | ✓ Innovate |
| Digital signatures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 3rd-party | ✓ Plus | ✓ Elevate+ |
| Aftercare instructions | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Team management | ||||||
| Staff profiles + schedules | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Role-based permissions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Basic | ✓ |
| Roster / rota management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-artist service pricing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-artist lead pipeline | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Reporting & analytics | ||||||
| Revenue dashboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lead conversion funnel | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Customisable widgets | ✓ | — | Limited | ✓ | — | — |
| Source attribution | ✓ | — | Basic | Basic | — | — |
| Automation & AI | ||||||
| Workflow automations | ✓ Growth | Messaging only | Marketing paid | ✓ Growth | Reminders only | ✓ Elevate+ |
| AI workflow generator | ✓ Growth | — | — | — | — | — |
| AI assistant (data queries) | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Voice-to-text | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Interactive walkthroughs | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Auto follow-up sequences | ✓ Growth | ✓ | Add-on | ✓ Growth | Reminders only | ✓ Elevate+ |
| Campaigns (SMS + email blasts) | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on | ✓ Growth | Email only (AU) | ✓ SMS, Elevate+ |
| Inventory & loyalty | ||||||
| Stock management | ✓ Growth | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Loyalty points program | ✓ Growth | Add-on | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on | ✓ Elevate+ |
| Membership plans | ✓ Growth | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Via Subscriptions | — |
| Gift vouchers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| KPI targets + tracking | ✓ | — | — | Limited | — | — |
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Monthly subscription | $149/mo | From $15/user | From $45 + $15/calendar | From $89/location | Free / $40 per location | From $42/staff |
| Transaction fees (in person) | None Stripe 2.9% + 30c | 2.29% + 20c | 1.90% | Not published | 1.60% | 1.85% + 30c |
| Free trial | Early access | 7 days | 30 days | Demo only | Free plan | 14 days |
| Lock-in contract | None | None | None | Varies by agreement | None | None |
Parlor vs Fresha
The bottom line
Fresha is a good booking tool, but it's exactly that — a booking tool. There's no way to track an enquiry before it becomes a booking, no pipeline, and no Instagram DMs. If you're losing leads in DMs, Fresha doesn't solve it. It's also no longer free: there's a per-user subscription now, and on top of that a 20% commission on every client who finds you through the Fresha marketplace — so a busy studio can pay well past Parlor's monthly rate.
Parlor vs Vagaro
The bottom line
Vagaro is a capable booking and marketing platform, but it's designed for generic salons. It prices per bookable calendar, so costs climb with every artist you add, and forms and marketing sequences are paid extras on top. Parlor moves in steps rather than per seat, so a five-artist studio pays the same as a two-artist one, with a lead pipeline and Instagram DMs that Vagaro doesn't offer. If your workflow involves consultations before booking — which tattoo studios always do — Parlor handles that natively.
Parlor vs Mindbody
The bottom line
Mindbody is enterprise software built for gyms and large wellness chains. It's powerful, but it's also expensive and complex, and a sales process rather than a sign-up. For a tattoo or beauty studio it's like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture. Mindbody does have a lead pipeline, but only on its top plan, and consent forms mean bolting on a third-party tool. Parlor takes minutes to set up rather than days, and includes the pipeline, consent forms and Instagram DMs as standard.
Parlor vs Square Appointments
The bottom line
Square is great at payments, but Square Appointments is a scheduler bolted onto a POS system. There's no lead tracking, no Instagram DMs, and no way to manage the consultation-to-booking workflow that defines studio work. It does have digital forms with signatures, on the Plus plan. It's built for every business, which means it's not really built for yours.
Parlor vs Timely
The bottom line
Timely is a clean, well-designed booking tool from New Zealand — great calendar, nice UI, and a genuine feature set. Consent forms, automations, SMS campaigns and loyalty are all there on the right plan. The difference is where each product starts. Timely starts at the appointment. Parlor starts at the enquiry — the lead pipeline and your Instagram DMs sit in the same place as the booking, so nothing falls through the gap between “someone asked” and “someone booked”. The other difference is how you pay: Timely charges per staff member, so the bill grows every time you take someone on. Parlor moves in steps rather than per seat — a five-artist studio pays the same as a two-artist one.
See the difference for yourself
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