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Beauty · head to head

DaySmart Spa vs Merlua

DaySmart Spa logo

DaySmart Spa

Beauty

Spa and medi-spa booking and management with published tiers from 29 USD a month

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Merlua logo

Merlua

Beauty

Booking software built for beauty salons

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Merlua has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DaySmart Spa only one user is included on the entry plan and three on the middle plans, so a spa with eight therapists pays the tier price plus 9 USD per extra head and the headline price bears no relation to the real bill.; Merlua plan prices are not published. The pricing page renders its comparison table client side and no amounts are visible on it as of September 2026, so the cost of Standard or Premium is not knowable before signup.
  • They diverge on capability: DaySmart Spa covers Online booking, Merlua covers Guest online booking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DaySmart Spa and Merlua actually diverge.

Attributes where DaySmart Spa and Merlua differ
AttributeDaySmart SpaMerlua
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android, WordPress

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

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 DaySmart Spa

  • Online booking
  • Point of sale
  • Automated reminders
  • Staff scheduling and payroll data
  • Memberships and packages
  • Inventory
  • Marketing

Only in Merlua

  • Guest online booking
  • Services and staff
  • Calendar and availability
  • Deposits and payments
  • Email and SMS reminders
  • Branded booking page
  • Staff and client apps

What people use each for

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

DaySmart Spa

  • A single therapist spa that wants online booking and card payment for under 30 USD a month with no setup projectnot Merlua
  • A spa with three to six staff that needs rotas, commission and retail stock in the same system as the diarynot Merlua
  • A spa selling prepaid packages and memberships that needs balances tracked against future bookings rather than in a spreadsheetnot Merlua
  • An owner moving off paper diaries who wants automated text reminders to cut no shows and can size the message allowance against booking volumenot Merlua

Merlua

  • Taking salon bookings without forcing client accountsnot DaySmart Spa
  • Cutting no-shows with deposits and remindersnot DaySmart Spa
  • Coordinating several staff members' availabilitynot DaySmart Spa
  • Running a branded booking page from an existing websitenot DaySmart Spa
  • Giving staff their schedule and earnings on their phonenot DaySmart Spa

Where each one falls short

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

DaySmart Spa

  • Only one user is included on the entry plan and three on the middle plans, so a spa with eight therapists pays the tier price plus 9 USD per extra head and the headline price bears no relation to the real bill.
  • Text and email allowances are tiered, so a spa that leans on reminders can be forced onto a much more expensive plan by message volume rather than by needing any additional feature.
  • The unlimited user tier has no published price at all, which breaks the transparency the rest of the range offers exactly at the point where a multi site chain needs to plan a budget.
  • There is no clinical charting, consent capture or medical record handling, so a medi-spa performing injectables or laser treatments needs a second system for patient records and the two will not share data.
  • It is a long established small business product built around a desktop lineage, and reporting and the interface show that age next to newer spa platforms, which matters if you want modern analytics rather than a working till.

Merlua

  • Plan prices are not published. The pricing page renders its comparison table client side and no amounts are visible on it as of September 2026, so the cost of Standard or Premium is not knowable before signup.
  • Stripe is the only payment processor named, so a salon banking elsewhere has no alternative route.
  • Built for beauty specifically. A clinic, a gym or a barber chain wanting inventory, POS or memberships will find those absent.
  • The integration list is short next to established salon platforms: Stripe, WordPress and SMS, with no accounting, marketing or POS connections listed.
  • A new vendor with no independent review coverage, so the reliability claims rest on the vendor's own material.

Pricing, plan by plan

DaySmart Spa

$29/month
  • Basic$29/month
    • 1 user
    • Appointment scheduling and online booking
    • Payment processing
  • Deluxe$69/month
    • 3 users included
    • Additional users at 9 USD each
    • Larger text and email allowance
  • Deluxe Growth$149/month
    • 3 users included
    • Additional users at 9 USD each
    • Higher message allowance
  • Premium$199/month
    • 6 users included
    • Additional users at 9 USD each
    • Advanced payroll and reporting

Merlua

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core scheduling with no time limit
    • Basic booking management
  • Standard and Premium$undefined/month
    • 14-day full-feature trial, no card required
    • No Merlua booking transaction fees
    • Monthly or annual billing, switchable at any time

Which should you pick?

Choose DaySmart Spa if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want point of sale.
DaySmart Spa review

Choose Merlua if

  • You need guest online booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, WordPress.
  • You also want services and staff.
Merlua review

Questions people ask

Is DaySmart Spa or Merlua better?
Neither clearly leads. DaySmart Spa starts at $29/month and Merlua at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DaySmart Spa or Merlua?
Merlua has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for DaySmart Spa and Free for Merlua.
Does DaySmart Spa or Merlua run on more platforms?
DaySmart Spa runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. Merlua runs on Web, iOS, Android, WordPress.
Can I use Merlua for free?
Yes. Merlua has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DaySmart Spa starts at $29/month.
What is DaySmart Spa best used for?
DaySmart Spa is most often used for a single therapist spa that wants online booking and card payment for under 30 usd a month with no setup project, a spa with three to six staff that needs rotas, commission and retail stock in the same system as the diary, a spa selling prepaid packages and memberships that needs balances tracked against future bookings rather than in a spreadsheet, an owner moving off paper diaries who wants automated text reminders to cut no shows and can size the message allowance against booking volume. Of those, a single therapist spa that wants online booking and card payment for under 30 usd a month with no setup project and a spa with three to six staff that needs rotas, commission and retail stock in the same system as the diary are not what Merlua is typically brought in for.
What can DaySmart Spa do that Merlua cannot?
DaySmart Spa covers Online booking, Point of sale, Automated reminders, Staff scheduling and payroll data. Merlua covers Guest online booking, Services and staff, Calendar and availability, Deposits and payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DaySmart Spa: How much does DaySmart Spa actually cost for a team of eight?

The 199 USD Premium plan includes six users, so eight users is 199 USD plus 9 USD each for the two extra, before payment processing fees.

Merlua: Is there a free plan?

Yes. Merlua states it offers "a robust free tier with core scheduling capabilities so you can manage basic bookings without a time limit", separate from the paid trial.

Source
DaySmart Spa: Does it handle medi-spa clinical notes?

No. There is no clinical charting or consent record, so medical treatments need a separate patient record system.

Merlua: How does the free trial work?

Fourteen days of full access to all premium features with no credit card required upfront. At the end you either pick a plan or continue on the free tier.

Source
DaySmart Spa: Is there a free plan?

No, but there is a free trial. The cheapest paid tier is 29 USD a month for one user.

Merlua: Does Merlua charge booking transaction fees?

No hidden booking transaction fees on the Standard or premium tiers. Standard payment processing fees from your gateway, such as Stripe, still apply.

Source
DaySmart Spa: How is it different from DaySmart Salon?

Same underlying platform, configured for spa services, packages and treatment rooms rather than chair based salon workflows.

Merlua: Do clients need an account to book?

No. Clients complete bookings as guests without creating a password or a permanent account.

Source
Merlua: What happens if I cancel?

Premium features stay active until the end of the current billing period, and plans can be upgraded, downgraded or switched between monthly and annual at any time from billing settings.

Source
Merlua: What can I install it on?

A web dashboard, mobile apps for staff and clients, a WordPress plugin, and an embeddable booking widget for any site.

Source
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