GlossGenius Pricing 2026: Real Costs & Hidden Fees
GlossGenius costs $28/month (Standard), $56/month (Gold), or $168/month (Platinum) on monthly billing — dropping to $24, $48, and $148 respectively with annual billing (up to 14% off) — plus a flat 2.6% card processing rate on every transaction, a payroll add-on at $40/month + $6/seat, and a 1.8% fee for instant payouts. Medspa operators pay $168/month (Practice Essentials) or $298/month (Practice Advanced, $248 annual). If you'd rather have a done-for-you custom website with AI chat and voice booking, CRM, and an SEO content engine that we build and run for you, AI Business Sites does that for a $1,497 one-time setup plus $497/month, live in 7 days.
Bottom line: GlossGenius is the cheaper, salon-specialized choice for beauty and wellness owners who want self-serve booking software; AI Business Sites wins for owners who want a managed website-plus-AI-back-office rather than an app they set up and run themselves. The right pick depends on whether you want a tool or a done-for-you system.
TL;DR
- •GlossGenius Beauty & Wellness plans cost $28/$56/$168 per month (Standard/Gold/Platinum) or $24/$48/$148 billed annually — up to 14% off.
- •Medspa & Aesthetics plans are Practice Essentials at $168/month ($148 annual) and Practice Advanced at $298/month ($248 annual).
- •Every plan carries a flat 2.6% card processing rate with no tap-to-pay, card-on-file, or manual-entry fees; instant payouts cost an extra 1.8%.
- •The payroll add-on is $40/month plus $6 per seat; text marketing credits range from 500 (Standard) to 2,500 (Platinum).
- •A 14-day free trial with no credit card is available, plus free data transfer from your previous platform and no cancellation fee.
- •Reviewers flag missing back-office basics: no direct invoicing, no dedicated business line or in-app client messaging, and no online ecommerce.
- •AI Business Sites takes a different approach: a done-for-you custom website plus AI back office for $1,497 setup + $497/month, live in 7 days, with full client ownership.
| Dimension | GlossGenius | AI Business Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $24–$148/mo (annual) or $28–$168/mo monthly for Beauty & Wellness; $148–$248/mo annual for medspa plans; payroll add-on $40/mo + $6/seatwinner | $1,497 one-time setup + $497/month flat; four optional add-ons ($149–$299/mo) |
| Payment processing | Flat 2.6% on all transaction types; instant payouts +1.8%; 100% chargeback protection on Gold/Platinum; card readers availablewinner | Stripe card payments built in for store, ordering, bookings, and tickets; no in-person POS hardware |
| Ease of use | Reviewers call it extremely user-friendly; white-glove data transfer; owner still learns and runs the app | Fully managed — the team builds and runs everything; owner approves and runs the businesswinner |
| Features | 100+ features: booking, POS, marketing, inventory, staff tools, memberships, multi-location; no direct invoicing, ecommerce, or business line | Custom 85+ page website, 24/7 chat & voice agents, CRM, 14+ SEO pieces/month, jobs & estimates, online selling with Stripe |
| Support | White-glove onboarding praised; users report slow chat/email support and occasional glitches | Managed team monitors and improves the system monthly; full training walkthrough at handoverwinner |
| Integrations | Google Booking & Reviews, 2-way calendar sync, Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android, Buy Now Pay Later | Stripe, Google Business Profile, Google & Bing Search Console, Cal.com/Calendly (receptionist add-on) |
| Setup | Self-serve signup, 14-day free trial, free data transfer from your old platform | $500 deposit starts a 7-day build; 85+ pages live at launch after client approval |
| Ownership & exit | No cancellation fee; data lives in the platform; booking site is GlossGenius-built | Client owns code, content, data, and domain; full GitHub repo and database export on exitwinner |
GlossGenius
glossgenius.com ↗GlossGenius is business management software built specifically for beauty, wellness, and health businesses — salons, spas, barbershops, medspas, tattoo studios, fitness, and solo professionals. It combines 24/7 login-free online booking, a custom booking website, payments and point of sale, client management, email and text marketing, inventory and retail management, and staff tools (time tracking, commissions, payroll via add-on) in one platform used by 120,000+ businesses. Pricing is flat-tier: Standard ($28/mo, $24 annual) for essentials, Gold ($56/mo, $48 annual) for teams up to 9 staff with forms, waitlists, and Google Booking, and Platinum ($168/mo, $148 annual) for teams of 10+ with goal setting, customizable commissions, and Google Marketing Analytics. Medspa operators get dedicated EMR-compliant plans (Practice Essentials and Practice Advanced). Every plan includes a flat 2.6% payment processing rate, free same-day payouts Monday–Thursday, and a 14-day free trial. The company cites an average 26% revenue lift in year one and 75%+ rebooking rates among members.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (Beauty & Wellness) | $28/mo | Booking website, unlimited client notifications, email & text marketing, inventory & retail, packages & memberships; $24/mo billed annually |
| Gold (Beauty & Wellness) | $56/mo | Everything in Standard plus forms & waivers, Google Booking & Reviews, automated waitlist, time tracking, room & resource management; up to 9 staff; $48/mo billed annually |
| Platinum (Beauty & Wellness) | $168/mo | Everything in Gold plus team goal setting & analytics, customizable commissions, Google Marketing Analytics; teams 10+; $148/mo billed annually |
| Practice Essentials (Medspa) | $168/mo | EMR tools for growing aesthetics practices; $148/mo billed annually |
| Practice Advanced (Medspa) | $298/mo | Full AI clinical suite, unlimited providers; $248/mo billed annually |
| Payroll add-on | $40/mo | $40/month + $6 per seat; built-in team payroll |
Pros
- +Transparent flat-tier pricing from $24/mo annual with no per-transaction fees beyond the flat 2.6% processing rate
- +14-day free trial with no credit card required, plus free data transfer from your previous platform and no cancellation fee
- +Deep industry-specific features for beauty, wellness, and medspa: processing times, waitlists, booth renters, commissions, EMR tools
- +Strong reported outcomes: 26% average revenue lift in year one, 75%+ rebooking rates, 40 hours of admin saved monthly
- +Free same-day payouts Monday–Thursday and 50% discount on Tap & Go card readers
Cons
- −Reviewers flag missing back-office basics: no direct invoicing, no dedicated business line or in-app client messaging, and no online ecommerce
- −Add-on costs creep up: payroll is $40/month + $6/seat and instant payouts carry an extra 1.8% fee
- −Users report slow chat/email support and occasional app glitches and sync issues
- −It's self-serve software — the owner must set it up, learn it, and drive their own marketing; the booking site is a template-based builder, not a custom-built, managed website
Best for: Independent stylists, salons, spas, barbershops, and medspas that want an all-in-one booking, payments, and marketing app they can run themselves at a low flat monthly cost.. Avoid if: You need direct invoicing, ecommerce, a dedicated business line, or a fully managed website and marketing presence handled for you rather than a self-serve app..
AI Business Sites
aibusinesssites.com ↗AI Business Sites, built by AIQ Labs, is a done-for-you AI business operating system rather than a website builder or SaaS toolkit. The team builds a custom website with 85+ pages live at launch (25–30 hand-crafted core pages plus 60 AI-generated SEO pages), sets up your Google Business Profile and Search Console, and configures a full AI back office: 24/7 chat and voice agents on the site, a CRM with lead capture and instant response, automated workflows, and a content engine publishing 14+ new SEO pieces every month plus daily industry news. The included Jobs & Estimates module covers quotes, scheduling, invoicing, and automated review requests; an online store, restaurant ordering, bookings, and event tickets with Stripe payments are built in for businesses that sell. Everything is managed by the AI Business Sites team — the owner runs their business while the system runs the rest. Clients own everything (code, content, data, domain), the site is standard React/Next.js, and there are no long-term contracts: month-to-month, cancel with 30 days' notice and leave with a full code and data export.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| One-time setup | $1497/one_time | Custom 85+ page website, Google presence setup, knowledgebase, FAQ bot, CRM, automations; $500 deposit, $997 due at launch |
| Managed monthly | $497/mo | Hosting, 14+ SEO content pieces/month, 24/7 chat & voice agents, CRM, jobs & estimates, online selling with Stripe, managed by the team |
| Add-on: Lead Generation | $149/mo | AI B2B lead discovery and business-intelligence summaries |
| Add-on: Outreach | $229/mo | AI cold email engine + form-submission browser agent with human approval |
| Add-on: Social Content | $299/mo | Daily posts across 9 platforms via a 10-agent pipeline |
| Add-on: AI Receptionist | $199/mo | Dedicated phone number answered 24/7 with booking, transcripts, and summaries |
Pros
- +Truly done-for-you: the team builds, trains, monitors, and improves the system — no technical work for the owner
- +One flat price ($497/month) with everything included except four clearly priced add-ons — no per-seat fees or processing-rate surprises
- +Custom 85+ page website with schema markup, not a template-based booking page
- +14+ new SEO content pieces every month plus daily industry news — content most owners never get written
- +Month-to-month with full client ownership and a clean exit (code to GitHub, full database export)
Cons
- −Higher entry cost than GlossGenius: $1,497 setup plus $497/month vs $24–$148/month
- −Not a point-of-sale app — no in-person card readers or booth-renter payment splitting for salon front desks
- −Not industry-specialized for salon workflows like commissions, processing times, or EMR compliance for medspas
- −Four add-ons (lead generation, outreach, social content, AI receptionist) are sold separately, not included in the $497/month
Best for: Local service businesses — trades, contractors, clinics, salons, restaurants, agencies — that want a managed website, AI booking and follow-up, CRM, and SEO content handled entirely for them.. Avoid if: You want the cheapest possible self-serve booking app, enjoy running your own software stack, or need salon-specific POS features like card readers and commission tracking..
Pricing compared: what you actually pay
GlossGenius uses flat-tier monthly pricing. Beauty & Wellness plans are Standard at $28/month ($24 billed annually, a 14% saving), Gold at $56 ($48 annual) for teams up to 9 staff, and Platinum at $168 ($148 annual) for teams of 10+. Medspa & Aesthetics operators pay Practice Essentials at $168/month ($148 annual) or Practice Advanced at $298/month ($248 annual). On top of the subscription, every transaction carries a flat 2.6% processing rate — with no tap-to-pay, card-on-file, or manual-entry fees — but the extras add up: payroll is $40/month plus $6 per seat, and instant payouts cost an additional 1.8% per withdrawal. There's a 14-day free trial, no credit card required, and no cancellation fee. AI Business Sites prices completely differently: a $1,497 one-time setup (a $500 deposit confirms the build slot, $997 due at launch) plus a flat $497/month that includes hosting, 14+ SEO content pieces monthly, 24/7 chat and voice agents, the CRM, the jobs-and-estimates module, and online selling with Stripe — with four optional add-ons (Lead Generation $149/mo, Outreach $229/mo, Social Content $299/mo, AI Receptionist $199/mo). At the entry tier GlossGenius is dramatically cheaper ($24–$28/mo vs $497/mo plus setup), but it's software you set up and run yourself; the AI Business Sites fee buys a managed system, a custom 85+ page website, and an ongoing content operation.
Hidden costs and fee traps
GlossGenius markets 'always know what you'll pay,' and its flat 2.6% processing rate genuinely removes the per-transaction surcharges competitors charge for tap-to-pay, card-on-file, and manual entry. But the true cost still climbs beyond the sticker price: the payroll add-on runs $40/month plus $6 per seat (a 5-person team pays $70/month extra), instant payouts carry a 1.8% fee anytime including weekends, and text marketing is credit-based — 500 credits on Standard versus 2,500 on Platinum — so heavy texters on the cheapest plan may need to upgrade. Multi-location pricing requires talking to sales, though a 15% multi-location discount applies. AI Business Sites has a different cost shape: the $1,497 setup and $497/month are the whole core model, and the four add-ons are clearly priced and can be added or removed month-to-month. There are no per-seat fees, no processing-percentage markup stated, and no long-term contract — cancel with 30 days' notice. The main 'hidden' cost is the setup fee itself, which GlossGenius doesn't charge; against that, AI Business Sites includes a custom 85+ page website, 14+ monthly SEO content pieces, and daily industry news that would otherwise cost separate subscriptions or agency retainers.
What GlossGenius does that AI Business Sites doesn't — and vice versa
GlossGenius is purpose-built for beauty, wellness, and health operations: point of sale with card readers and Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, 100% chargeback protection on Gold and Platinum, booth-renter bank account splitting, customizable commissions, processing-time-aware scheduling, waitlists that automatically fill cancellations, memberships and packages with automated redemptions, and EMR-compliant medspa plans. It also shows strong member outcomes: an average 26% revenue lift in year one, 75%+ rebooking rates, and 40 hours of admin saved monthly. Its gaps, per reviewer complaints, are back-office basics: no direct invoicing, no dedicated business line or in-app client messaging, and no online ecommerce. AI Business Sites inverts the trade-off. It doesn't do in-person POS, commissions, or EMR compliance — a salon front desk still needs GlossGenius-style checkout. What it delivers is a custom-built 85+ page website (not a template booking page), 24/7 chat and voice agents embedded on the site, a CRM with instant lead response, 14+ SEO content pieces and daily industry news every month, a jobs-quotes-invoices-review module for field-service work, and an online store with Stripe — all built, trained, and run by the AI Business Sites team, with the client owning the code, content, and data outright.
Self-serve app vs done-for-you system
The deepest difference isn't price — it's operating model. GlossGenius hands you a polished app: you sign up (14-day free trial, no credit card), get free data transfer of your appointments and client lists, then learn the calendar, POS, marketing tools, and settings yourself. Its own materials position it as software the owner runs, with AI teammates like the Growth Analyst and AI Marketing Assistant assisting inside the app. That suits owners who want control and low cost. AI Business Sites is the opposite posture: a $500 deposit starts a 7-day build in which the team designs, writes, and launches an 85+ page custom website, sets up your Google Business Profile and Search Console, configures the knowledgebase, FAQ bot, CRM, and automations, then keeps managing everything monthly — publishing content, monitoring systems, and improving them. The owner's job is to run the business; the system runs the rest. The trade-off is cost and control: $497/month plus $1,497 setup versus $24–$168/month, and less hands-on tweaking versus none at all. Owners who enjoy their software and have time to market themselves will prefer GlossGenius; owners missing calls and leads because they're on job sites or with clients are the ones a managed system was built for.
Which should you choose?
If you You're an independent stylist, barber, or solo beauty professional on a tight budget — choose GlossGenius — Standard at $24/month (annual) includes the booking website, unlimited notifications, email and text marketing, and inventory — with a flat 2.6% processing rate and a 14-day free trial..
If you You run a salon or spa team of up to 9 (or 10+) and need staff tools, commissions, and POS — choose GlossGenius — Gold ($48/mo annual) adds waitlists, forms, Google Booking, and time tracking; Platinum ($148/mo annual) adds unlimited staff, goal setting, and customizable commissions — none of which AI Business Sites offers..
If you You operate a medspa and need EMR-compliant clinical tools — choose GlossGenius — Its dedicated medspa plans — Practice Essentials ($148/mo annual) and Practice Advanced ($248/mo annual) with the full AI clinical suite — are built for aesthetics compliance..
If you You're a contractor, tradesperson, or clinic owner who keeps missing calls and never gets to marketing — choose AI Business Sites — The done-for-you system answers website visitors 24/7 via chat and voice, captures every lead into the CRM, and publishes 14+ SEO pieces monthly — all managed by the team for $497/month..
If you You want a real custom website that ranks on Google, not a template booking page — choose AI Business Sites — The $1,497 setup delivers 85+ pages at launch — including 60 AI-generated SEO pages with schema markup — plus automated internal linking and Google Business Profile setup..
If you You quote and schedule jobs in the field and want quotes, invoices, and review requests automated — choose AI Business Sites — The Jobs & Estimates module — AI-drafted quotes with online approval, a job board, invoices with card payment, and automated review requests — is included in the $497/month..
If you You want to own your website and data outright and leave whenever you like — choose AI Business Sites — You own the code, content, data, and domain; on exit you get a full GitHub repo and database export, with month-to-month billing and 30 days' notice..
Frequently asked questions
How much does GlossGenius cost in 2026?
GlossGenius Beauty & Wellness plans cost $28/month (Standard), $56/month (Gold), and $168/month (Platinum) on monthly billing, or $24, $48, and $148 respectively when billed annually — savings of up to 14%. Medspa & Aesthetics plans are Practice Essentials at $168/month ($148 annual) and Practice Advanced at $298/month ($248 annual). Every plan includes a flat 2.6% card processing rate, and there's a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
What are GlossGenius's hidden fees?
The main extras beyond the subscription are the payroll add-on at $40/month plus $6 per seat, instant payouts at an additional 1.8% fee (available anytime including weekends), and text-marketing credit limits (500 credits on Standard, 2,500 on Platinum). The flat 2.6% processing rate itself has no tap-to-pay, card-on-file, or manual-entry surcharges, and there's no cancellation fee. Multi-location pricing requires contacting sales, with a 15% multi-location discount.
Is GlossGenius worth it for a small salon?
For salons that want an all-in-one booking, payments, and marketing app, GlossGenius offers strong value: the Gold plan at $48/month (annual) covers up to 9 staff with waitlists, Google Booking, forms, and time tracking, and the company reports members see an average 26% revenue lift in year one and 75%+ rebooking rates. Be aware of the reported gaps — no direct invoicing, no dedicated business line or in-app client messaging, no online ecommerce — and that you'll be setting up and running the system yourself.
How does AI Business Sites pricing compare to GlossGenius?
AI Business Sites charges a $1,497 one-time setup (a $500 deposit to start, $997 due at launch) plus a flat $497/month that includes a custom 85+ page website, 24/7 chat and voice agents, a CRM, 14+ SEO content pieces monthly, jobs and estimates, and online selling with Stripe — all managed for you. Four optional add-ons run $149–$299/month. GlossGenius starts far cheaper at $24–$28/month but is self-serve booking software, whereas AI Business Sites is a done-for-you website and AI back office, live in 7 days, with full client ownership and month-to-month terms.
Does GlossGenius charge clients booking fees?
No. GlossGenius offers login-free, 24/7 online booking with no app downloads for clients and no booking fees charged to them, according to its own comparisons with StyleSeat (which requires clients to create an account). Clients book directly through your custom GlossGenius booking website, and the business pays the flat 2.6% processing rate on payments instead.
Which is better for a business that hates admin work?
It depends on what kind of admin. GlossGenius automates salon-specific busywork — reminders, rebooking prompts, waitlists, payroll — and reports members save 40 hours of admin per month, but the owner still configures and manages the app. AI Business Sites removes the setup and management entirely: the team builds the site in 7 days, runs the CRM, publishes content, and monitors the system monthly, so the owner's only job is approving and running the business — at a higher flat cost of $497/month plus the $1,497 setup.
Sources
- 1.GlossGenius Pricing & Subscription Plans — used for: pricing, features
- 2.GlossGenius Plans & Plan Comparison — used for: pricing, features
- 3.GlossGenius vs. Square: A Complete Guide — used for: pricing, features, reviews
- 4.GlossGenius vs. StyleSeat: Features, pricing, and fees — used for: pricing, features
- 5.The True Cost of Most Salon Booking Apps, Explained — used for: pricing
- 6.GlossGenius — Scheduling, Payments & More — used for: features, reviews
- 7.GlossGenius Memberships & Packages Software — used for: features
- 8.AI Business Sites — Done-For-You AI Business OS — used for: pricing, features
Pricing verified as of 2026. Always check the vendor's site.
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