Softwr

Beauty & Salon · head to head

SalonBiz vs Zen Planner

SalonBiz logo

SalonBiz

Beauty & Salon

Complete salon and spa management suite

From
$89/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zen Planner logo

Zen Planner

Sports & Recreation

Member management for fitness businesses

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: SalonBiz pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium; Zen Planner limited staff app features compared to desktop version
  • They diverge on capability: SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling, Zen Planner covers Member management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SalonBiz and Zen Planner actually diverge.

Attributes where SalonBiz and Zen Planner differ
AttributeSalonBizZen Planner
Starting price$89/month$99/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryBeauty & SalonSports & Recreation
Founded20052006

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 SalonBiz

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Point of sale
  • Inventory management
  • Client database
  • Staff management
  • Marketing automation
  • Business reporting
  • QuickBooks

Only in Zen Planner

  • Member management
  • Automated billing
  • Class scheduling
  • Workout tracking
  • Marketing tools
  • Mailchimp
  • SugarWOD
  • Wodify

Both cover

  • Stripe
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

SalonBiz

  • Salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per locationnot Zen Planner
  • Integrated card payments through SalonBiz Paymentsnot Zen Planner
  • Beauty school and institute management with student recordsnot Zen Planner

Zen Planner

  • Workout trackingnot SalonBiz
  • Nutrition managementnot SalonBiz
  • Health monitoringnot SalonBiz
  • Fitness coachingnot SalonBiz
  • Wellness improvementnot SalonBiz

Where each one falls short

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

SalonBiz

  • Pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium
  • Each tier caps service professionals at 5, 12 and 20 respectively, with extra staff sold in blocks of 10 at $55 per month
  • Not using SalonBiz Payments raises the monthly fee by $25 to $45 depending on tier
  • School and institute plans are capped at 100 students on Essential and 200 on Premium, with extra students at $15 per month per 25
  • Enterprise and multi location pricing is quote only with no published rate

Zen Planner

  • Limited staff app features compared to desktop version
  • System crashes and occasional bugs reported by users
  • Integration difficulties with certain third-party platforms
  • Customers report continued charges after completed cancellation

Pricing, plan by plan

SalonBiz

$89/month
  • Standard$89/month
    • Scheduling
    • POS
    • Client database
  • Premium$179/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Inventory
    • Staff management

Zen Planner

$99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Zen Planner review.

Which should you pick?

Choose SalonBiz if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want point of sale.
SalonBiz review

Choose Zen Planner if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated billing.
Zen Planner review

Questions people ask

Is SalonBiz or Zen Planner better?
Neither clearly leads. SalonBiz starts at $89/month and Zen Planner at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SalonBiz or Zen Planner?
SalonBiz starts at $89/month and Zen Planner at $99/month.
Does SalonBiz or Zen Planner run on more platforms?
SalonBiz runs on Web, Windows. Zen Planner runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is SalonBiz best used for?
SalonBiz is most often used for salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per location, integrated card payments through salonbiz payments, beauty school and institute management with student records. Of those, salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per location and integrated card payments through salonbiz payments are not what Zen Planner is typically brought in for.
What can SalonBiz do that Zen Planner cannot?
SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling, Point of sale, Inventory management, Client database. Zen Planner covers Member management, Automated billing, Class scheduling, Workout tracking. Both handle Stripe, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zen Planner: Does Zen Planner have a free tier?

No, Zen Planner does not offer a free tier. Pricing starts at $99 per month with no free trial mentioned in their standard offerings.

Source
Zen Planner: Can Zen Planner integrate with ClassPass?

Yes. ClassPass seamlessly integrates with Zen Planner, allowing gyms to sync their schedule and avoid overbooking when offering ClassPass to members.

Source
Zen Planner: Does Zen Planner work with SugarWOD?

Yes. Zen Planner integrates with SugarWOD, making it a popular choice for CrossFit gym owners who want to manage both WOD tracking and gym operations in one system.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on SalonBiz

More on Zen Planner

Keep looking

Other head to heads