The short answer
Use Vagaro for appointments, checkout, and getting found by new clients. Use NailNote for what happens in the chair: which exact bottle a regular wore last time, the photo of her set, the custom mix your senior tech invented, and getting the right tech to the front desk. NailNote has no booking or payments, so the two don't overlap much.
Side by side
| NailNote | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Client, color, and team app for nail salons | Booking, POS and payments, marketing, marketplace, and payroll |
| Booking and calendar | No - keep your booking app | Yes |
| POS and card payments | No | Yes - small merchants 2.6% + $0.10 per in-person card payment |
| Client notes | Client profiles with visit history, allergies, and notes | General, Allergy, and Formula note types on the client profile; appointment notes |
| Visit photos | A photo on every visit; compare two sets side by side (Pro) | Profile picture included; photos linked to clients or appointments need Vagaro Drive (from $10/mo) |
| Polish colors linked to each visit | Yes - every visit links to bottles in your polish inventory, with bottle codes | Not listed - colors can go in a free-text Formula note |
| Color recipes / formulas | Color recipes; steps, coats, variants, and salon-standard recipes on Pro | "Formula" is a free-text note type |
| Inventory | Polish inventory per shade: stock in/low/out, shelf location, import from a polish library | Retail and in-house product inventory (including color); needs Vagaro card processing and the Online Shopping Cart |
| Team chat | Included on every plan (Free keeps 90 days of history) | Free 1-on-1 and group chat in the separate Connect by Vagaro app |
| Call a tech to the front desk | Yes - Buzz, on every plan | Not listed |
| Vietnamese | Yes - the whole app, chosen per person | App Store lists English only |
| Platforms | iPhone (Android coming soon) | iOS, Android, web |
| Price (as of November 5, 2026) | Free plan; Pro $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr; Business $24.99/mo | $23.99/mo limited-time rate with 1 calendar; +$10/mo per extra employee calendar (up to 7) |
"Not listed" means we could not find the feature on the vendor's own website, pricing page, help center, or App Store listing as of November 5, 2026. Prices are US list prices on that date and change often - check the vendor's pricing page before deciding.
Where Vagaro is stronger
- Everything in one system: booking, checkout, marketing, a marketplace, and payroll.
- An Allergy note type on the client profile, separate from general notes.
- Free team chat in the Connect by Vagaro app.
- Inventory for in-house products, not just retail, if you use Vagaro's card processing.
- Android and web as well as iPhone.
If you need any of these, keep Vagaro. NailNote does not replace it.
Where NailNote is different
Colors are records, not notes. Vagaro's Formula note is free text: you can type "OPI GCH39" into it, but nothing connects that note to the bottle on your wall, its stock, or the other clients who wore it. Photos tied to visits also need the paid Vagaro Drive add-on. In NailNote every visit is linked to real bottles in your polish inventory, with brand, line, and bottle code, so "same color as last time" is one tap, low stock shows before the client sits down, and a discontinued shade tells you exactly which clients are affected.
Built for the team at the front. Buzz calls a specific tech to the desk with a reason ("customer's here," "need a hand") and shows when she is on her way. Team chat lets anyone drop a polish color, recipe, or visit photo into a message.
Vietnamese for everyone who uses it. Each person picks English or Vietnamese inside the app, so an owner, a front desk, and techs can share one salon in two languages.
A free plan that stays free. 1 salon and up to 3 members, with client history, photos, polish inventory, recipes, chat, and Buzz. Pro is $9.99/month.
Using both
- Keep booking and checking out clients in Vagaro, as you do today.
- When a client is in the chair, open her in NailNote: last visit, photo, exact colors.
- After the set, log the visit with the bottles used and a photo - about a minute while the top coat cures.
- Use Buzz from the front desk when her next client arrives.
See how polish color tracking works, read why client notes beat memory, or compare all three booking apps.