No plan, no add-on
Vagaro charges $30 a month, $10 for each extra calendar, and $10 for the Online Shopping Cart. Payly takes paid bookings with no plan at all.
The free Vagaro alternative
Take paid bookings without Vagaro's monthly fees
Vagaro costs $30 a month, and taking payment when clients book adds its $10 Online Shopping Cart. On Payly there is no plan to buy. Clients pay with PayPal or a card, into your own account.
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Payly and Vagaro at a glance
$0
A month to take paid bookings
Vagaro costs $30 a month for one calendar, plus $10 for the Online Shopping Cart that takes payment at booking. Payly has no plan.
$46.55
Saved on 20 paid $50 bookings
Payly with Stripe costs $35.00 in fees. Vagaro costs $40.00 in plans plus $41.55 in card and network fees, $81.55.
PayPal
As well as cards
Vagaro takes deposits only through Vagaro Merchant Services. On Payly, clients pay with PayPal or a card, into your own account.
Why businesses move from Vagaro
Vagaro is a full salon and spa system, with a marketplace, card readers, memberships and payroll. For paid online bookings, its plan and add-on are what to weigh.
A lower online rate
Vagaro charges online payments at its keyed-in rate, 3.5% + 19 cents, so a $50 booking costs $1.94. Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents through Payly costs $1.75.
PayPal as well as cards
Vagaro takes deposits only through its own card processing. Payly takes PayPal and cards through Stripe on the same page.
More from the same dashboard
Payly also makes online stores, payment forms, event tickets and tip jars, all free, from the same account.
What you actually pay
Vagaro with its Online Shopping Cart against Payly, for 20 bookings of $50 in a month, each paid by card online.
| Cost | Payly$0/mo | VagaroOne calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $0 | $30 (+$10 a calendar) |
| Taking payment at booking | Included | $10 a month (Online Shopping Cart) |
| Online card rate | 2.9% + 30 cents with Stripe | 3.5% + 19 cents |
| Card fees on 20 bookings of $50 | $35.00 with Stripe | $38.80 |
| Monthly card network fees | None with Stripe | $2.75 |
| A month of 20 paid $50 bookings, all fees | $35.00 with Stripe, $44.70 with PayPal | $81.55 |
20 bookings of $50 paid online is $1,000 in sales, and the business pays the card fees on both sides. Vagaro charges online payments at its keyed-in rate, for businesses under $4,000 a month. Its network fees here are 0.15% of card-not-present sales ($1.50) and the $1.25 Mastercard location fee. Stripe charges no monthly fees, and PayPal Checkout charges 3.49% + $0.49. Vagaro's first 6 months are $23.99 a month; this uses the regular $30. Vagaro pricing as published November 2026.
What you get
- Several services on one page, each with its own length, price and link
- Free and paid services, with paid add-ons if you like
- Weekly hours, days off and different hours on any date
- Open times shown in each client's own time zone
- Minimum notice, how far ahead, gaps between bookings and a daily limit
- Group classes, with several people at the same time
- In person, by phone, your own video link or Google Meet
- Google Calendar: busy times blocked and bookings added
- Confirmation and reminder emails with Add to calendar links
- Clients cancel or pick a new time up to the cutoff you set
- A Bookings screen to see, cancel and refund bookings
- A link to share, and code to add your calendar to any website
How Calendar Bookings works in Payly
You set the services and hours. PayPal or Stripe collects each payment.
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Create a booking page
In Your sites, click New and choose Calendar Bookings. Start from a template or from scratch.
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Add your services and hours
Give each service a length and a price, or make it free. Then set the hours you take bookings on each day of the week.
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Connect PayPal or Stripe, then publish
Your booking page runs on your own free Cloudflare account. Share its link, or add it to your own website.
Honest answers
Is Payly really free?
Yes. There is no monthly fee, no transaction fee and no paid tier. PayPal and Stripe charge their standard processing fees on paid bookings, as they would on any platform. How can this possibly be free?
Is Vagaro free?
No. After a 30-day free trial, Vagaro costs $30 a month for one calendar, or $23.99 for the first 6 months, and $10 a month for each extra calendar. Taking a card, a deposit or the full price at booking needs the Online Shopping Cart, $10 a month.
Can clients pay with PayPal?
On Payly, yes: clients choose PayPal or a card. Vagaro takes deposits only through Vagaro Merchant Services, its own card processing, which takes cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
What does Vagaro do that Payly does not?
Vagaro lists you on its marketplace and takes in-person payments with card readers. It sells memberships, packages and gift certificates, and has a waitlist, inventory and payroll. Payly's booking pages have none of these.
How do I move from Vagaro to Payly?
Payly has no importer for Vagaro. Make a booking page from a template, add your services and hours, and connect PayPal or Stripe. Then share the new link or add it to your website. Bookings already made stay in Vagaro.
Thinking about another platform?
Take paid bookings with no monthly fees
Your calendar, your payment account, your clients. The only thing you pay is normal PayPal and Stripe processing fees.
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Vagaro is a trademark of its owner. Payly is not affiliated with or endorsed by Vagaro.