Comparison

Drybar vs Varnish Lane

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Drybar

Book and manage professional blowout appointments at your favorite salon. Discover exclusive app-only promotions, join membership programs, and find style inspiration for your next visit. Rebook services and locations with ease.

Highlights
  • Book blowout appointments
  • Manage appointments
  • Exclusive app promotions
  • Barfly Membership management
  • Find salon locations
  • Style inspiration
Features
Read full description

At Drybar® shops, our philosophy is simple. Focus on one thing and be the best at it. For us, that’s blowouts. With that purpose in mind, we are focused on giving each and every client the premier blowout experience while providing professional quality products and tools to better help clients achieve and maintain the perfect blowout at home. Easily book a blowout appointment for you and all your friends. View, edit, or cancel your upcoming appointments on your personal home screen and seamlessly rebook your favorite service & location with just a few taps. You can find a Drybar location while on the go and become a Barfly with our Signature or Premium Memberships to ensure your hair is perfect on your most important dates throughout the month. 4 Reasons you'll love our new Mobile Booking App. 1. Get access to promotions and offers sent only to App users. 2. Book all your blowout appointments easily & frequently. 3. Join & manage your monthly Barfly Membership. 4. Find style inspiration for your next appointment.

About

Varnish Lane

Experience a new approach to nail care with waterless services. Book appointments, find locations, and manage loyalty rewards easily. Enjoy exclusive in-app promotions and natural, nourishing products for beautiful nails.

Highlights
  • Book and edit appointments
  • Find convenient locations
  • Purchase service bundles
  • Track loyalty rewards
  • Access exclusive promotions
Features
Read full description

Redefining nail care with our waterless services. Our spaces are lovely, our staff is exceptional and we use natural nourishing skincare products, polishes and gels. You’re going to love our new take on nails. *Book/edit appointments on the go *Find the most convenient location for you *Purchase service bundles *Track your loyalty and referral rewards *Get exclusive in-app promotions Welcome to Waterless!

Screenshots

Drybar4 screens
Varnish Lane4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Varnish Lane at 5.0 against Drybar's 2.5. Drybar's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (35 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Varnish Lane holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drybar has 35 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Drybar versus Varnish Lane: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrybarVarnish Lane
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (35 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews7.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings35 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDrybarVarnishLane LLC

Bugs and requests

Drybar

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Login credentials not recognized despite being correct
  • App logs out user every time it's opened
  • Password reset emails not being sent
  • Server error messages during booking process
  • Scrolling issues on date selection screens
Show 15 more
  • Font rendering too large making content unreadable
  • Location search returns incorrect/distant locations
  • App crashes when entering zip code search
  • Payment processing fails with server errors
  • Appointment confirmation not syncing to salon systems
  • Membership credits showing as zero when they exist
  • Add-on requests not appearing at salon
  • Appointments not displaying in user schedule
  • App freezes on confirmation screen
  • Unable to add payment methods despite limit errors
  • Location detection fails on cellular networks
  • Password validation inconsistent between app and website
  • Account profile phone number validation errors
  • Customer not found errors for existing accounts
  • Automatic next screen progression inconsistent

Requested features

17 requests
  • Face ID or biometric authentication support
  • Remember login credentials between sessions
  • Show available times across multiple locations simultaneously
  • Search appointments by date instead of location
  • Save user preferences and settings permanently
Show 12 more
  • Ability to select specific stylists
  • Display location phone numbers in app
  • Cancel and modify appointments within app
  • Show membership credits and benefits clearly
  • Integration with calendar apps
  • Keyboard shortcut support for login fields
  • Better error messaging and explanations
  • View appointment history with stylist names
  • Search by date range across nearby locations
  • Saved favorite add-ons and services
  • Automatic location detection accuracy improvement
  • Show availability before answering all questions

Varnish Lane

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Drybar

No in-app purchases

None

Varnish Lane

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drybar free?
Drybar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Varnish Lane free?
Varnish Lane is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drybar or Varnish Lane?
Varnish Lane is rated higher. Drybar averages 2.5 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Varnish Lane averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Drybar or Varnish Lane have ads?
Varnish Lane shows ads; Drybar does not.

Other comparisons