Vagaro is a capable all in one built for salons first. The complaints that push massage therapists away are consistent: the $30 sticker grows to $50 to $70 once you add the pieces a practice actually needs, the interface leans salon, and your clients live inside the Vagaro app world. Here is the honest side by side.
| PainTrace | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | $29, everything included | $30 base, add ons extra |
| Real monthly total | $29, flat, founders keep it for life | $50 to $70 with typical add ons, per user reports |
| Whose brand your clients see | Yours: your colors, your name, your page | Vagaro branding and app throughout |
| Marketplace beside your listing | No marketplace, ever | Yes, competitors share the ecosystem |
| Built for | Massage, bodywork and wellness first | Salons first, massage second |
| Reminders, intake, reports, campaigns | Standard kit | Several sold as add ons |
| Buffer time between sessions | One setting | Supported |
| Your data if you leave | Full CSV export anytime | Export available |
Practitioner reports put the working Vagaro total at $50 to $70 a month once text credits, forms and marketing pieces are added. PainTrace ships reminders, intake forms, campaigns, reports, waitlist and the client list in the base $29, because a price you cannot budget on is not a price.
Vagaro operates a consumer marketplace and app. That is great for Vagaro and mixed for you: your regulars become marketplace users who see other businesses. PainTrace has no marketplace by design. Your booking page wears your name and sends clients only to you.
Export your client list as a CSV from Vagaro, import it into PainTrace in one click, set your services and hours, connect your own Stripe or Square, and your branded booking page is live at yourname.paintracebooking.com. Your clients and your data stay yours on the way in, and they stay yours if you ever leave.