myAthenaAI

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Vagaro vs myAthenaAI

Vagaro: All-in-one booking, payments and marketplace software for salons, spas, clinics and fitness. myAthenaAI: the AI-native clinic management system for aesthetic and beauty clinics — booking, clinic management, stock and marketing in one system, with Athena, the AI built in, doing the work.

The short answer

Vagaro is clinic software your team operates. It keeps the diary and the records; you still do the answering, chasing, booking and marketing.

myAthenaAI does the work for you. It's a full clinic management system (booking, client records, stock, payments, staff) with Athena built in. She knows the clinic, and she answers every WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Messenger message, text, email and phone call, and books, moves and takes deposits inside the diary. She runs the reminders, follow-ups and rebooking, answers anything you ask about the business, and makes the marketing: campaigns, images, before-and-afters, content and your website.

Why myAthenaAI

  • It covers more of a clinic's work: 53 of the 54 features we compared, against Vagaro's 32 (counting its paid add-ons and partial versions). Included as standard: myAthenaAI 53, Vagaro 16.
  • It gives you time back. Other systems keep the diary while you do the work. Athena does the answering, booking, chasing, follow-ups and marketing herself, on every channel and the phone, 24/7. See your own hours back.
  • It has every angle covered. Front desk, owner assistant, the clinic's running, marketing and content, your website and your ad tracking, in one clinic management system with one login, instead of booking software plus add-ons plus five other tools.
  • It's built for appointment businesses, by people who've run them. Made specifically for aesthetic clinics, med spas, salons and practitioner-led clinics, by people who have built and run clinics.
  • It's AI-native, not bolted on. Athena runs inside the system, so she knows the clinic: the same Athena who answers your clients works from your diary, client history, treatments, prices and policies, and she's the one you ask about takings and stock. Other systems add an AI receptionist on top; in myAthenaAI the receptionist is one of the jobs she does.
  • It's built for where clinic software is going. The whole system was built around Athena, and new capabilities ship every week.

Feature counts are from this page's comparison, checked 3 November 2026 against each vendor's own website.

How many hours a day would she give you back?

With other clinic software, the software keeps the diary and you still do the work: replying, chasing, booking, following up and posting. With myAthenaAI, Athena does that work, so the hours come back to you and the bookings that slip through missed calls and no-shows come back too.

Every clinic is different, so we don't print a made-up number. Answer eleven quick questions and see your hours a day back and bookings won back a month, with every assumption shown.

Get my estimate

Feature by feature

FeaturemyAthenaAIVagaro
Who does the work
Who answers, books, chases and markets Athena does itAthena answers, books, chases, follows up and makes the marketing. You approve and treat. You and your teamThe software gives you tools; you or your staff operate them.
AI built in, not sold as an add-on IncludedThe AI is the product: one employee across every job, not an add-on. Paid add-on / higher planPer help-centre excerpt, Vera Receptionist costs £10/mo UK ($10 US) plus a text plan; marketing pages say included. source
Hours given back and bookings won back Get your estimateHours a day back and bookings won back, worked out from your own week. You still do the workBooking software saves some admin; the answering, chasing, booking and marketing are still yours.
AI front desk
AI replies on WhatsApp IncludedReplies by herself, 24/7, and books from the chat. Not listed on their siteVera answers Vagaro listing-page chat and SMS only; WhatsApp not found. source
AI replies to Instagram DMs IncludedAnswers DMs (and the story they replied to) and books from the chat. Not listed on their siteVera answers listing-page chat and SMS only; the Instagram integration is a booking button. source
AI replies on Facebook Messenger IncludedSame brain and booking power on Facebook Messenger. Not listed on their siteVera answers listing-page chat and SMS only; Facebook Messenger not found. source
AI replies to texts (SMS) IncludedReplies to texts and books. Paid add-on / higher planVera replies to texts on your text-marketing number; per help-centre excerpt needs Vera (£10/mo UK) and a text plan. source
AI replies to emails IncludedAnswers client emails and can book. Not listed on their siteVera covers listing-page chat and SMS; AI email replies not found. source
AI answers the phone IncludedAnswers in a natural voice, knows returning callers, books during the call. Not listed on their siteVera covers chat and SMS only; no voice call answering found. source
Books, moves and cancels inside the conversation IncludedBooks, moves, cancels, adds or swaps treatments in the real diary. PartialUpdate page: Vera sends links to book, reschedule or cancel. Business AI page claims she reschedules and cancels directly. source
Sends deposit and payment links in the conversation IncludedSends deposit, balance or payment links; the amount comes from the system. Not listed on their siteNo deposit or payment links from Vera described. source
Understands voice notes IncludedUnderstands WhatsApp and Instagram voice notes. Not listed on their siteNo voice-note handling found. source
Owner assistant
Ask anything about your business IncludedAsk by chat or voice: takings, gaps, no-shows, top clients, stock. 50+ instant answers. IncludedOwners ask Vera plain-language questions about revenue, services, new clients and staff; released Aug 2026. source
Tell her to do it (move, cancel, message, block time) Included"Move Sarah to 3pm", "block Friday", "text her": hundreds of actions, by role. Not listed on their siteVera answers report questions; owner commands to move bookings, message clients or block time not found. source
Growth ideas from your own numbers IncludedOffer and campaign ideas from your margins, quiet days and lapsed clients. PartialVera recommendations (lapsed clients, underbooked days) marked coming soon; Fill My Books auto-promotes open slots instead. source
Reports and daily brief IncludedReports, spoken day and client briefs, optional daily and weekly digests. IncludedAdvanced reporting included; Vera answers owner questions about business data in chat. source
Running the clinic
Online booking IncludedOn your Smart Site, or straight from the conversation. IncludedBooking widget plus booking via Vagaro marketplace, Instagram, Facebook and Apple Maps, all plans. source
Diary and staff calendar IncludedYour real diary: rooms, practitioners, treatment times, rota. IncludedCalendar and resource management included; priced per bookable calendar up to seven. source
Deposits and no-show protection IncludedDeposits at booking, chased automatically; saved-card charges; trusted-client exemptions. IncludedDeposits, card required to book, and automatic late-cancel/no-show fees; needs Vagaro card processing. source
Fills cancelled slots automatically IncludedA freed slot is offered to waitlisted clients and booked when one says yes. IncludedWaitlist can auto-notify or auto-book clients when a slot opens; included in all plans. source
Appointment reminders IncludedWhatsApp, SMS or email reminders, plus confirmations and change notices. IncludedUnlimited notifications and appointment reminders listed as included in every plan. source
Rebooks clients who went quiet IncludedSpots who's due back and reaches out in your voice. IncludedAutomated 'Lost Customer' email campaigns 1-52 weeks after last visit; text version needs text plan. source
Aftercare and check-in messages IncludedAftercare, day-3 and day-7 check-ins, progress-photo requests. IncludedAutomated 'After Visit' email campaign up to 30 days post-checkout, e.g. care tips or rebooking link. source
Consent and medical forms IncludedSent before the visit, signed in the client's members area. Paid add-on / higher planDigital intake, consent and waiver forms via Forms add-on (£10/mo UK, $10 US). source
AI-written treatment notes IncludedDictate or type; Athena tidies the treatment note. Not listed on their siteSOAP notes use dot-phrase shortcuts; AI note writing not found. source
Stock IncludedLevels, orders, suppliers, usage forecast, margin per treatment. IncludedInventory tracking listed as included in every plan. source
Drafts reorders; reads serial numbers from a photo IncludedDrafts reorders of what's low for your approval; reads serials from a label photo. IncludedLow-stock alerts and reorder points; purchase orders built with quantities forecast from real sales. source
Payments IncludedStripe and Square: payment links, deposits, saved cards, refunds. IncludedIntegrated card processing, card readers and POS terminals; rates not on pricing page. source
Marketing and content
Email / SMS / WhatsApp campaigns IncludedEmail, SMS and WhatsApp campaigns and sequences. IncludedEmail campaigns included (1,000 free/month); SMS campaigns need a paid text plan. source
AI builds the campaign (audience and messages) IncludedAthena picks the audience and offer and writes the drafts; you approve. PartialVera Fill My Books creates promotions and targets customers via marketplace, email and push; 5% or 20% per-booking fee. source
Revenue from each campaign IncludedBookings and revenue from each campaign. PartialPer help-centre excerpt, campaign reports count bookings from tracked Vagaro links; revenue per campaign not found. source
AI images and flyers in your brand IncludedTreatment images and promo flyers, with your real logo and colours. Not listed on their siteVagaro AI writes text (descriptions, bios, promos, blogs); image generation not found. source
Before-and-after assistant IncludedAuto-aligns, checks and brands side-by-sides; won't send without consent. PartialBefore/after photos can be tagged, annotated and compared over time; aligned or branded composites not found. source
Content research (trends, viral videos, search questions) IncludedViral aesthetics videos and competitor ads analysed; the questions people search. Not listed on their siteNo content or trend research tools found. source
Content planner IncludedPlans the week and reminds you on the day; you post. Not listed on their siteNo social post planner or scheduler found. source
Writes posts and captions IncludedPost ideas, captions and shot-by-shot storyboards. Not listed on their siteAI writes descriptions, bios, promo text and blog posts; no social post or caption creation found. source
Writes your blog and newsletter IncludedWrites and publishes SEO blog posts and a newsletter. Paid add-on / higher planVagaro AI writes blog posts at no extra cost; blogs publish on MySite, a paid add-on (£15/mo UK). source
Voiceovers in your own voice IncludedVoice Studio: scripts and voiceovers, even WhatsApp voice notes, in your voice. Not listed on their siteNo voice cloning found. source
Review requests IncludedAsks for a Google review after the visit. IncludedClients automatically prompted by email/app to review on Vagaro after service; Google review requests not described. source
AI-drafted review replies IncludedDrafts on-brand replies for you to post; turns good reviews into images. PartialPer help-centre excerpt, 'Enhance with Vera' drafts replies to reviews on your Vagaro listing page only. source
Smart Site
Clinic website IncludedThe Smart Site: your clinic's website, built for you. Paid add-on / higher planMySite website builder add-on, £15/mo UK; custom design service extra. source
A page per treatment, with prices and booking IncludedEvery treatment gets its own page with prices, aftercare and booking. Not listed on their siteMySite syncs your service menu; separate pages per treatment not described. source
Courses and upgrades offered at booking IncludedRecommends a multi-session course at the booking step, with the per-session price. IncludedClients choose add-ons for services or classes when booking online. source
AI on the website (chat or voice) IncludedVisitors chat or talk to Athena; she answers and sends them to book. PartialMySite chat widget goes to the team's Connect inbox; Vera on websites marked 'coming soon'. Vera answers listing-page chat. source
Built to be found by ChatGPT and AI search IncludedStructured pages, llms.txt and IndexNow so ChatGPT and Google can read and quote you. Paid add-on / higher planMySite (£15/mo UK add-on) states SEO tools, optimised pages and keyword-rich blogs. source
Ads and tracking
Traces bookings to the ad that made them IncludedWhich source and which Meta ad brought each lead, booking and pound. PartialSource report shows booking channel; campaign report tracks bookings from Vagaro links; GA4/Google Ads on MySite. source
Server-side tracking IncludedFirst-party, server-side tracking through your own site address. Not listed on their sitePer help-centre excerpt, MySite supports Google Analytics and Ads tags; server-side tracking not found. source
Sends bookings and revenue back to ad platforms IncludedBookings and payments, with value, sent to Meta, Google, TikTok, ChatGPT and Microsoft. Not listed on their sitePer help-centre excerpt, MySite links GA4 conversions to Google Ads; Meta Conversions API not found. source
Syncs client lists as ad audiences IncludedClient and lead lists kept in sync as ad audiences; opt-outs left out. Not listed on their siteNo ad-platform audience sync found. source
AI ad advisor (what to back, pause, make next) IncludedTells you which ads to back or pause and briefs the next one. Not listed on their siteNo AI ad analysis or recommendations found. source
Also compared
Consumer marketplace for new clients Not offeredNot a marketplace: Athena works your own channels and clients. IncludedListing on the Vagaro consumer marketplace and app included in every plan. source
Treatment records and photos IncludedClient history, notes, photos and serial numbers on every appointment. PartialSOAP notes with face charts and photo mark-up; templates via Forms add-on, file/photo attachments need paid Vagaro Drive. source
Two-way WhatsApp inbox IncludedOne inbox per client across every channel; staff can take over any time. Not listed on their siteTwo-way client chat is via SMS and in-app Connect messaging; no WhatsApp found. source
Instagram DMs in the inbox IncludedInstagram DMs in the same inbox. PartialInstagram integration adds a booking button; no Instagram DM replies found. source

✓ Included  ·  £ Paid add-on or higher plan  ·  ◐ Partial  ·  — Not listed on their official site (it may exist; we couldn't find it). Competitors checked 3 November 2026 against each vendor's own website and help centre, with a source on every cell of the one-to-one pages. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@myathenaai.com and we'll correct it.

Fresha, Phorest, Pabau, Cliniko, Timely, Ovatu, Boulevard, Vagaro, Mindbody and Square are trademarks of their respective owners; their names and logos are shown only to identify their products. myAthenaAI isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Some add-on prices and rows were confirmed from excerpts of Vagaro's help centre, which blocks automated reading. Vagaro's own pages describe Vera's pricing inconsistently.

myAthenaAI notes: answering clients on every channel and the phone is on the Assistant + Reception plan. Tracking and analytics (server-side tracking, conversion feedback, audience sync, per-ad attribution and the AI ad advisor) are included. Automations are switched on per clinic.

Where myAthenaAI goes further

What myAthenaAI does that we couldn't find on Vagaro's own site:

Where Vagaro may be the better fit

Switching from Vagaro

When you apply, we ask which system you book clients in with today so we know what we'd move your clients and diary over from. Every clinic is installed by hand, and Athena is trained on your treatments, prices, policies and tone before she answers anyone. Before you move, read what to check before switching booking software.

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