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If you’re running a salon, spa, or med spa, you know how much the right software can impact your day-to-day operations. From managing appointments to keeping up with client preferences, the tools you choose can shape your entire customer experience. Boulevard is a popular client experience platform designed to streamline bookings, optimize scheduling, and support business growth—but it’s not the perfect fit for everyone.
Boulevard has become the go-to client experience platform for many salons, spas, and wellness centers. However, if you're searching for alternatives due to pricing concerns, feature limitations, or workflow incompatibilities, you're not alone. Let's explore the top Boulevard alternatives in 2025, analyzing what makes each special and which businesses they work best for.
Before exploring alternatives, here's what Boulevard offers appointment-based businesses:
Why look beyond Boulevard? Several compelling reasons push businesses to explore other options:
When shopping for Boulevard alternatives, consider:
The market offers several compelling alternatives to Boulevard, each with unique strengths and ideal use cases. These platforms range from comprehensive business management solutions to specialized scheduling tools, providing options for businesses of all sizes and types. Let's examine the top contenders that are reshaping the appointment-based business landscape in 2025.
Mangomint wins fans with its exceptional user experience and powerful automation. The interface is so intuitive that new staff can pick it up quickly, saving you training time and preventing operational hiccups.
What makes it stand out? Advanced two-way texting keeps clients in the loop, smart automation reduces busywork, and seamless connections with other tools create a unified system for your business.
Mangomint's research shows a 20% drop in no-shows after implementing their automated reminder system. The platform somehow manages to be both sophisticated and user-friendly—a rare combination.
Starting at $245/month, Mangomint sits in the premium category but works best for medium to large salons and spas with multiple providers. Unlike Boulevard, it offers clearer pricing and a faster setup process that saves you time and resources upfront.
Phorest shines with its marketing capabilities. The platform comes packed with client retention tools, including a smart loyalty program, automatic review collection, and targeted email campaigns.
They offer something Boulevard doesn't at comparable prices—branded mobile apps for your business without development costs. Phorest's online reputation manager helps you build and maintain your online presence, crucial for businesses that live and die by reviews.
One salon saw a 20% jump in rebooking rates within six months of using Phorest's reminder system and loyalty program. The platform also includes robust e-commerce features that work seamlessly with in-person services.
Pricing is customized based on what your business needs rather than cookie-cutter packages, making it more flexible for growing businesses. Phorest works especially well for salons focused on keeping clients coming back and businesses wanting to build a stronger brand identity online.
GlossGenius has become the favorite solution for independent beauty pros and small teams. You can start using it in less than 10 minutes—no lengthy setup process like Boulevard requires.
The platform gives you professionally designed, branded booking websites that need zero tech skills to create, built-in payment processing with competitive rates, and marketing tools designed specifically for solo beauty pros or small teams.
At $48/month, GlossGenius costs significantly less than Boulevard while still giving you the core features independent professionals need. Its smart marketing tools automatically spot rebooking opportunities and potentially lost clients.
One stylist put it perfectly: "I needed something that worked from day one without a learning curve, and GlossGenius delivered exactly that." If you're moving from paper booking or basic digital calendars, GlossGenius offers the gentlest learning curve among all Boulevard alternatives.
If you care more about efficient scheduling than complete business management, Calendly offers a streamlined solution that excels at appointment automation. Its clean interface makes booking simple, and it connects with over 100 other business tools.
Calendly embeds easily into your website and social media profiles, creating multiple booking touchpoints without sending clients elsewhere. Its round-robin and collective scheduling efficiently distribute appointments among team members based on availability and specialization.
With a free tier and paid plans starting at just $10 per user monthly, Calendly is the most affordable option for businesses focused mainly on scheduling efficiency. Its enterprise-grade security makes it suitable even for regulated industries.
While it lacks Boulevard's industry-specific features (like inventory management or commission tracking), Calendly's laser focus on scheduling excellence makes it perfect for businesses handling other operational aspects through separate systems.
Vagaro matches Boulevard's features at a much lower price. You get comprehensive appointment scheduling, integrated payments, inventory management, and marketing tools all in one package.
Its client-facing app, with over 5 million downloads, puts member businesses in front of potential clients. Vagaro's forms builder lets you collect detailed information before appointments, streamlining the service process.
Starting at $25/month for single-provider businesses, Vagaro costs substantially less than Boulevard. The trade-off? Users report the interface requires more training, with some features buried deeper than in competing platforms.
Vagaro works particularly well for businesses offering diverse service types or those operating across multiple verticals, as its flexible setup handles a wider range of business models than Boulevard's more specialized approach.
As one of the oldest players in wellness booking, MindBody brings enterprise-grade capabilities with special strength in fitness and integrative health businesses. Many clients already have the MindBody app installed, making booking easier.
The platform offers sophisticated resource management for equipment and rooms, detailed reporting and business intelligence, and specialized features for fitness classes that Boulevard lacks. Its marketplace introduces you to potential new clients already using the platform.
MindBody's pricing starts higher than most alternatives at approximately $159/month for basic features, but its brand recognition and client network provide added value for certain business types. Its extensive API and partner ecosystem allow for significant customization.
The platform works best for businesses with multiple locations or those with hybrid models spanning different wellness categories, such as combined spa/fitness operations.
Fresha flipped the market with a commission-based model instead of subscription fees. You pay nothing monthly but instead pay a percentage on bookings made through their marketplace and for certain premium features.
This approach reduces upfront costs and ties the platform's success to yours. Fresha includes calendar management, client records, POS, inventory, marketing tools, and detailed reporting.
For businesses worried about Boulevard's high subscription costs, Fresha eliminates monthly fees while still providing professional-grade booking tools. Its commission rate of approximately 20% only applies to new clients finding you through Fresha's marketplace, not your existing clientele.
Fresha benefits businesses in growth phases wanting to expand their client base without increasing fixed costs, as well as those in competitive markets where marketplace visibility provides valuable exposure.
When evaluating Boulevard alternatives, it's important to compare them across key operational dimensions that impact your business daily. Below, we break down how each platform performs in critical areas, helping you identify which solution might align best with your specific operational needs and business goals.
Real-world experiences provide valuable insights into how these Boulevard alternatives perform in actual business environments. Here are key takeaways from businesses that have made the switch:
Finding the right replacement for Boulevard requires methodical evaluation of your specific needs against each platform's strengths. A structured approach helps ensure you select a solution that not only addresses current pain points but supports your long-term business goals.
Begin with a thorough assessment of your requirements across key operational areas:
Look beyond monthly subscription fees to understand the complete financial picture:
For a successful transition to your chosen alternative:
Boulevard offers comprehensive features for appointment-based businesses, but several excellent alternatives exist for those seeking different pricing structures, specialized features, or better alignment with specific business models. Mangomint delivers exceptional user experience with powerful automation, Phorest excels in marketing capabilities that drive client retention, and GlossGenius offers the fastest startup for independent professionals.
For simpler needs, Calendly provides streamlined scheduling at an affordable price, while Vagaro matches Boulevard's features at a lower cost. Your optimal choice depends on your specific business requirements, size, and growth objectives – making your platform selection one of the most consequential decisions for both operational efficiency and client satisfaction.
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