Compare
ChairBooks vs GlossGenius
GlossGenius is a full salon platform: booking, payments, a website, marketing and staff tools. ChairBooks is bookkeeping and taxes for one stylist, and booking comes with it. Both book your clients and take cards. They split at tax time.
Checked on on glossgenius.com. Prices and features change, so look at their current page before you decide.
| ChairBooks | GlossGenius | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99/mo or $149/yr, one plan | Standard $28/mo ($24/mo billed annually). Gold $56 ($48). Platinum $168 ($148). |
| Free trial | 30 days, card asked at signup | 14 days, no card |
| Card rate | Your own Stripe account: 2.9% + 30¢ for a card paid online | Flat 2.6% on every plan |
| Cut of your bookings | None. Stripe's card fee only. | None beyond the card rate |
| Income from visits | Posts itself at checkout: service, tip and product | Tracked from its bookings: appointments, retail and tips |
| Spending | Bank and card feed, sorted into Schedule C categories you confirm | Receipt photos, categories you pick, recurring expenses |
| Tax time | Schedule C worksheet, quarterly set-asides, year-end package | 1099-K plus sales, retail, inventory, transaction and expense reports for your accountant |
| Booking | Booking page, 100 reminder texts a month, waitlist, deposits | Online booking, unlimited reminders, website; waitlist from Gold |
| Apps | iPhone, iPad, and any browser | iPhone, Android, and the browser |
| Staff | One stylist per account | Teams on Gold and Platinum |
Where GlossGenius wins
- A lower card rate. GlossGenius publishes one flat 2.6% on every plan. ChairBooks card payments run on your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard rate, 2.9% + 30¢ for a card paid online.
- A real website. Every GlossGenius plan includes a website builder with templates and a portfolio gallery. ChairBooks gives you a booking page.
- Marketing. Unlimited marketing emails on every plan, and a review request with every receipt. ChairBooks sends appointment reminders, not campaigns.
- Retail extras. Gift cards, memberships, packages and inventory with barcode scanning come with every plan. ChairBooks has none of those.
- Unlimited reminders. Client notifications are unlimited on every GlossGenius plan. ChairBooks includes 100 texts a month, then $5 for 100 more.
- Android. GlossGenius runs on Android as well as iPhone. The ChairBooks app is iPhone and iPad; on Android you use it in the browser.
- A trial with no card. GlossGenius gives 14 days without a credit card. ChairBooks gives 30 days and asks for a card at signup.
- Room for a team. GlossGenius Gold and Platinum add staff management, and payroll is an add-on. ChairBooks is one stylist per account.
Where ChairBooks wins
- Your spending comes in from the bank. Connect your bank and card once, and purchases arrive sorted into the categories a Schedule C uses. You confirm them. GlossGenius tracks expenses from receipt photos and the categories you pick.
- A Schedule C worksheet that fills in all year. The year-end package hands your preparer that worksheet and your full ledger. GlossGenius's own tax page tells you to send your accountant your 1099-K and five of its reports.
- Quarterly set-asides. ChairBooks shows what to put aside for each estimated tax payment, from your own numbers.
- A smaller bill. $14.99 a month or $149 a year, against $28 a month for GlossGenius Standard, or $24 a month billed annually.
- Mileage and receipts. A mileage log, and a receipt reader that fills in the expense from a photo.
Questions, answered
Is ChairBooks cheaper than GlossGenius?
On the monthly price, yes: $14.99 against $28 for GlossGenius Standard, or $24 a month billed annually. On card fees GlossGenius costs less: a flat 2.6% against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for a card paid online. If most of your money comes in by card, add both up before you choose.
Does GlossGenius do my bookkeeping?
It tracks your appointment income, retail and tips, and you can log expenses with receipt photos. For taxes, its tax page has you give your accountant your 1099-K and its reports. ChairBooks pulls your spending in from the bank and fills in a Schedule C worksheet as you go.
Can I bring my clients over from GlossGenius?
Yes. Send us your client list, as an export or a spreadsheet, and we move it by hand, free.
Does ChairBooks file my taxes?
No. It keeps your books, shows your quarterly set-asides and builds a Schedule C worksheet for your preparer. It isn't tax advice.