Salon Iris is one of the longest-standing names in salon software, and there is real value in that. It knows what a salon needs because it has been asked for twenty years — appointment books, client history, formulas, retail, and reporting all sit where an experienced salon owner expects them. Mako is a newer, broader platform built around financial visibility and flat pricing. The comparison is mostly about maturity versus modernity, and about how many users you have.
Salon Iris: Basic at $29/month for a single user, Deluxe at $69/month for three users, Deluxe Growth at $149/month, and Premium at $199/month. Additional users are roughly $9/month each on the multi-user tiers. Published openly with a free trial.
Mako: Pulse is free. Paid plans are Mako Basic at $139/month, Mako Team at $249/month, and Enterprise at $999/month — roughly 20% less on annual billing at $1,334, $2,390, and $9,588 per year. Basic includes 3 team members, Team includes 15, Enterprise is unlimited. No per-user charge.
At one or three users Salon Iris is substantially cheaper — $29 or $69 against $139. Higher up they draw level: Deluxe Growth at $149 sits just above Mako Basic at $139, and Premium at $199 sits below Mako Team at $249, though Team includes fifteen members without per-user fees. From there it comes down to which feature set you actually need rather than which price is lower.
Software that has survived two decades in a demanding vertical has usually earned it. Salon Iris handles edge cases that newer tools have not encountered yet, and salons that have run on it for years rarely find gaps.
The flip side is the interface and the pace of change. Owners migrating from Salon Iris most often cite the experience feeling dated rather than any missing capability. If your team is comfortable and the book is running, that is a weak reason to switch. If you are hiring stylists who expect software to feel like the apps they use everywhere else, it is a real one.
Salon Iris: Mature. Formulas, client history, appointment rules, and retail all handled thoroughly.
Mako: Strong on client records, booking, memberships, and packages, built for services broadly rather than salons specifically.
Edge: Salon Iris on pure salon depth.
Salon Iris: $29/month for a single user.
Mako: $139/month at Basic; Pulse free for retention benchmarking only.
Edge: Salon Iris, decisively, for solo operators.
Salon Iris: Per-user charges on top of the tier.
Mako: Flat within tier regardless of headcount, 15 included at Team.
Edge: Mako as you hire.
Salon Iris: Extensive reporting, oriented toward operational reports rather than owner dashboards.
Mako: Native P&L, cash flow, LTV, retention, and service profitability.
Edge: Mako.
Salon Iris: Familiar to long-time users; dated to new ones.
Mako: Modern, quick for new staff to pick up.
Edge: Mako.
Salon Iris: Salon and spa focused.
Mako: Salons, studios, gyms, wellness, and trades on one platform.
Edge: Mako for mixed operations.
Pick Salon Iris if:
Pick Mako if:
Your salon is a business. Not a hobby, not a side project, not a calendar with a cash register. It deserves software that treats it accordingly. If your platform cannot tell you whether you are financially healthy, it is not doing its job. And in 2026, you have better options.
See Mako in action — no sales call required
Mako is built for independent salon owners who would rather spend their time on clients than on demo calls. Open the live demo, poke around, and see exactly how scheduling, billing, and financial intelligence come together in one place.
Try the demo: https://app.makocrm.so/demo
Self-serve. Instant access. No forms, no calendars, no "talk to sales."
