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Boulevard vs Rive

Boulevard logo

Boulevard

Software

Client experience platform for salons

From
$175/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rive logo

Rive

Software

Create interactive animations for any platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rive has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Boulevard pricing is charged per location, so a multi site business pays the full plan fee for each site; Rive limited ecosystem of plugins and third-party templates compared to established tools like After Effects
  • They diverge on capability: Boulevard covers Intelligent scheduling, Rive covers Vector animation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Boulevard and Rive actually diverge.

Attributes where Boulevard and Rive differ
AttributeBoulevardRive
Starting price$175/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Game engines
Founded20162019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Boulevard

  • Intelligent scheduling
  • Client profiles
  • Point of sale
  • Inventory management
  • Staff management
  • Gift cards & packages
  • Two-way messaging
  • Business analytics

Only in Rive

  • Vector animation
  • State machines
  • Skeletal animation
  • Code export
  • Real-time preview
  • Flutter
  • React
  • iOS SDK

Both cover

  • SSL encryption
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Boulevard

  • Appointment booking and client management for salons, spas and medspasnot Rive
  • Running point of sale and card payments alongside schedulingnot Rive
  • Automated client messaging, intake forms and marketing campaignsnot Rive

Rive

  • UI animationsnot Boulevard
  • Interactive graphicsnot Boulevard
  • Game animationsnot Boulevard
  • Micro-interactionsnot Boulevard

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Boulevard

  • Pricing is charged per location, so a multi site business pays the full plan fee for each site
  • The Essentials plan caps the business at 5 professionals; unlimited professionals require the Premier plan
  • Text and email allowances are metered per plan, with email blasts charged at $0.01 each beyond the plan allocation
  • Forms cost from $65 per month per location unless you are on the top Prestige plan
  • QuickBooks integration is an add on at $45 per month per location
  • ePrescribe is $45 per prescriber on top of the plan
  • Enterprise pricing is by consultation with no published rate

Rive

  • Limited ecosystem of plugins and third-party templates compared to established tools like After Effects
  • Not ideal for simple looping animations or static graphics that do not require interactivity
  • Production use can expose bugs and rough edges in the editor and runtime
  • No support for 3D animations; limited to 2D vector-based graphics

Pricing, plan by plan

Boulevard

$175/month
  • Essential$175/month
    • Appointment booking
    • Client management
    • Point of sale
  • Premier$325/month
    • Everything in Essential
    • Advanced booking
    • Marketing tools
  • Prestige$undefined/month
    • Everything in Premier
    • Multi-location
    • API access

Rive

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Design and animate
    • Team collaboration
    • Cannot export or ship
  • Cadet$9/month
    • Export and ship animations
    • Up to 1 team member seat
  • Voyager$32/month
    • Multiple team member seats
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$120/month
    • Custom solutions
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Boulevard if

  • You need intelligent scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want client profiles.
Boulevard review

Choose Rive if

  • You need vector animation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Game engines.
  • You also want state machines.
Rive review

Questions people ask

Is Boulevard or Rive better?
Neither clearly leads. Boulevard starts at $175/month and Rive at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Boulevard or Rive?
Rive has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $175/month for Boulevard and Free for Rive.
Does Boulevard or Rive run on more platforms?
Boulevard runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Rive runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Game engines.
Can I use Rive for free?
Yes. Rive has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Boulevard starts at $175/month.
What is Boulevard best used for?
Boulevard is most often used for appointment booking and client management for salons, spas and medspas, running point of sale and card payments alongside scheduling, automated client messaging, intake forms and marketing campaigns. Of those, appointment booking and client management for salons, spas and medspas and running point of sale and card payments alongside scheduling are not what Rive is typically brought in for.
What can Boulevard do that Rive cannot?
Boulevard covers Intelligent scheduling, Client profiles, Point of sale, Inventory management. Rive covers Vector animation, State machines, Skeletal animation, Code export. Both handle SSL encryption, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rive: Does Rive replace Adobe After Effects?

No. After Effects creates video files ideal for broadcast, explainers, and YouTube content. Rive creates interactive runtime files that respond to user input in real-time. Use After Effects for video production and Rive for app UI, micro-interactions, and responsive animations in web and mobile products.

Source
Rive: What platforms can I export Rive animations to?

Rive exports to Web, iOS, Android, macOS, and game engines (Unity, Unreal, Defold). It also integrates with frameworks like React, React Native, Flutter, and no-code builders like Framer, Webflow, and Wix Studio.

Source
Rive: Is Rive free to use?

Yes, Rive offers a free plan that allows you to design, animate, and collaborate for free. Paid plans (Cadet $9/mo, Voyager $32/mo, Enterprise $120/mo) are required to export animations and ship them to production environments.

Source
Rive: Does Rive work with React, Vue, and other web frameworks?

Yes. Rive provides official runtimes and libraries for React, React Native, and Flutter. The Rive Renderer is GPU-accelerated and runs at 120fps with MIT-licensed runtimes you can contribute to and modify.

Source
Rive: Can I create 3D animations with Rive?

Rive is a 2D vector animation tool focused on interactive vector graphics. For 3D design and animation, consider Spline or Blender. Rive excels at UI animations, micro-interactions, and responsive 2D graphics.

Source
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