Alternatives to Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare

Best Ulta Beauty Alternatives in 2026

By App Store Tracker Editorial · Updated — App Store ratings fetched to

The short version

Ulta Beauty pairs makeup, skincare, and haircare shopping with salon booking, virtual try-on, and loyalty rewards. The closest US-based pick is e.l.f. Cosmetics, which matches Ulta's shop-share-earn flow and ties at a 4.87 rating across 39K reviews. Several Sephora and Cult Beauty options cover the same beauty catalog but mostly serve international markets, so US shoppers should weigh region before switching.

Ranked by App Store rating
10 alternatives
Live App Store data
No paid placements
Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare app icon

The app you searched for

Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc

Top brand haircare & fragrance

4.9(2.5M)
Free
Get Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare on App StoreSee full Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare data →

Shoppers seek Ulta Beauty alternatives when shade-finding feels thin, shipping or account changes frustrate them, or they want a different rewards program. The apps below share Ulta's core job: browsing makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance, with features like virtual try-on, shade matching, loyalty points, and in some cases salon booking. Several picks are regional Sephora and beauty-retailer apps that mirror Ulta's catalog but serve markets like the UAE, KSA, India, or Australia. We ranked these alternatives by embedding similarity against Ulta's catalog and feature set, then weighed each app's live App Store rating and review volume so the order reflects relevance and real sentiment, not marketing copy.

Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare alternatives compared

AppRatingPrice
e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skincare4.9 (40.4K)Free
Planet Beauty4.9 (1K)Free
Sephora UAE: Beauty & Makeup4.4 (1.7K)Free
Sephora KSA: Beauty & Makeup4.5 (1.3K)—
Cult Beauty: Beauty & Makeup4.8 (6)—
ألتا بيوتي الشرق الأوسط——
Urban Beauty Lounge—Free
SSBeauty: Beauty Shopping App——
Adore Beauty | Shop Beauty Now——
BeautyOnTApp—Free

US App Store ratings, prices from Apple. See the latest US top free Shopping chart.

10 alternatives to Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare

  1. 1e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skincare icon

    #1e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skincare

    e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc.

    4.9(40.4K)
    Free
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    e.l.f. Cosmetics is the closest US-based alternative: a polished shopping app for makeup, skincare, and viral beauty products with a shop-share-and-earn community angle that echoes Ulta's loyalty-driven experience. Its 4.87 rating across 39K reviews ties Ulta exactly.

    How it differs

    e.l.f. is a single-brand store, so you only get e.l.f. products rather than Ulta's multi-brand catalog spanning hundreds of labels. There's no salon booking, and the value-focused single-brand lineup makes it narrower than Ulta's full beauty marketplace.

    See full data on e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skincare →
  2. 2Planet Beauty icon

    #2Planet Beauty

    Beena Beauty Holding, Inc

    4.9(1K)
    Free
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Planet Beauty matches Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare on core function and category fit. Embedding similarity score: 88%.

    How it differs

    Distinguishes on monetization (fully free) and editorial focus. Rated 4.9 stars across 1K reviews.

    See full data on Planet Beauty →
  3. 3Sephora UAE: Beauty & Makeup icon

    #3Sephora UAE: Beauty & Makeup

    Sephora

    4.4(1.7K)
    Free
    89% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Sephora UAE matches Ulta closely on catalog and features: makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, shade matching, and the latest beauty trends. Beauty shoppers used to Ulta's browse-and-discover flow will recognize Sephora's curated brand approach immediately.

    How it differs

    This is Sephora's UAE app, so its catalog, pricing, and shipping target Middle East shoppers rather than Ulta's US base. Its 4.44 rating across 1,700 reviews trails Ulta, and the regional focus makes it a poor fit for US customers despite the strong brand match.

    See full data on Sephora UAE: Beauty & Makeup →
  4. 4Sephora KSA: Beauty & Makeup icon

    #4Sephora KSA: Beauty & Makeup

    Sephora

    4.5(1.3K)
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Sephora KSA delivers the same beauty-retail experience as Ulta: makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, tools, and shade matching from a curated brand lineup. The discovery-first approach will feel familiar to Ulta shoppers.

    How it differs

    This Sephora app serves Saudi Arabia, so its catalog, pricing, and fulfillment are built for KSA shoppers rather than Ulta's US base. It's a paid app with a 4.51 rating across 1,259 reviews, and the regional focus rules it out for US customers.

    See full data on Sephora KSA: Beauty & Makeup →
  5. 5Cult Beauty: Beauty & Makeup icon

    #5Cult Beauty: Beauty & Makeup

    The Hut.com Ltd

    4.8(6)
    89% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Cult Beauty shares Ulta's mission of curating both iconic and indie beauty brands across makeup, skincare, and more. It targets the same discovery-minded shopper who wants to explore lesser-known labels alongside household names.

    How it differs

    Cult Beauty is a UK-based retailer with a paid-app model and only 6 ratings, so it has almost no track record. Its catalog and shipping serve UK and international shoppers rather than Ulta's US market, limiting its usefulness as a direct swap.

    See full data on Cult Beauty: Beauty & Makeup →
  6. 6ألتا بيوتي الشرق الأوسط icon

    #6ألتا بيوتي الشرق الأوسط

    M.H. Alshaya Co. W.L.L.

    0.0(0)
    89% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    This is Ulta Beauty's Middle East app, built around the same all-in-one beauty experience: makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, in-store service booking, and virtual try-on. The layout and shopping flow mirror the US app Ulta shoppers know.

    How it differs

    It's operated by a regional franchise partner and serves Middle East customers, so its catalog, pricing, and store locations don't match the US Ulta. With no ratings yet, it has no track record, making it irrelevant for US shoppers despite sharing the Ulta name.

    See full data on ألتا بيوتي الشرق الأوسط →
  7. 7Urban Beauty Lounge icon

    #7Urban Beauty Lounge

    Urban Beauty Lounge, LLC

    0.0(0)
    Free
    89% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Urban Beauty Lounge overlaps with Ulta's salon side, letting you book beauty appointments and manage loyalty points in a few taps. Both serve shoppers who blend in-store beauty services with rewards tracking, and its 5.0 rating signals a smooth booking experience.

    How it differs

    Urban Beauty Lounge is a single-salon booking app, not a beauty retailer, so it has no makeup or skincare catalog to shop like Ulta. With only 30 ratings it's a hyper-local tool that complements Ulta's services side rather than replacing its store.

    See full data on Urban Beauty Lounge →
  8. 8SSBeauty: Beauty Shopping App icon

    #8SSBeauty: Beauty Shopping App

    Shoppers Stop Ltd.

    0.0(0)
    89% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    SSBeauty matches Ulta's premium-beauty positioning, offering makeup, skincare, fragrances, personal care, and men's grooming from lifestyle and luxury brands. It serves the same shopper who wants a curated multi-brand beauty catalog in one app.

    How it differs

    SSBeauty comes from India's Shoppers Stop and targets Indian customers, so its brand mix, pricing, and shipping don't align with Ulta's US offering. With no ratings yet it lacks any track record, making it irrelevant for US-based Ulta shoppers.

    See full data on SSBeauty: Beauty Shopping App →
  9. 9Adore Beauty | Shop Beauty Now icon

    #9Adore Beauty | Shop Beauty Now

    Adore Beauty

    0.0(0)
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    Adore Beauty pitches itself as a one-stop beauty shopping app, letting you shop favorite brands, filter by need, and discover new arrivals, the same browse-and-buy loop Ulta shoppers rely on for makeup and skincare.

    How it differs

    Adore Beauty is an Australian retailer, so its brand selection, pricing, and shipping target Australian shoppers rather than Ulta's US market. With no ratings yet it offers no track record, making it a weak substitute for US-based Ulta users.

    See full data on Adore Beauty | Shop Beauty Now →
  10. 10BeautyOnTApp icon

    #10BeautyOnTApp

    BEAUTY ON TAPP (PTY) LTD

    0.0(0)
    Free
    88% similar
    Get on App Store

    Why it's similar

    BeautyOnTApp positions itself as a complete beauty store in your pocket, mirroring Ulta's goal of fast, trusted beauty shopping from one app. It serves shoppers who want a single mobile storefront for their beauty buys.

    How it differs

    BeautyOnTApp is a South African retailer's official app, so its catalog, pricing, and delivery serve that market rather than Ulta's US base. With no ratings yet it has no proven track record, making it irrelevant for US shoppers comparing it to Ulta.

    See full data on BeautyOnTApp →

How we ranked these 10 alternatives

Embedding similarity

Every app in our database carries a dense vector embedding derived from its title, subtitle, full description, and category metadata. To find apps similar to Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare, we compute cosine distance against every other app and keep the closest 30. The similarity score shown on each pick is 1 - distance/2 clamped to [0,1] — 100% means the embedding spaces are identical, 0% means orthogonal.

Ranking

Apps from Ulta Beauty: Makeup & Skincare's own developer are left out. The 10 most similar of the rest are ordered by App Store rating times the logarithm of their rating count, so a 4.8-star app with 100,000 ratings ranks above a 4.5-star app with 200 ratings.

Data dates

The similar-app list was computed on May 25, 2026. Ratings are the latest US App Store fetch for each app, taken between October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026. Prices and update dates come from Apple when the page is built.

What we don't do

No paid placements. No affiliate links. No sponsored picks. Read our full methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Ulta Beauty?+
e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skincare by e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc. has the strongest App Store rating of the 10 apps here: 4.9 stars from 40,423 US ratings on October 19, 2026.
Which app is most like Ulta Beauty?+
ألتا بيوتي الشرق الأوسط is the closest match: its App Store listing is 89% similar to Ulta Beauty's by text embedding.
Are there free Ulta Beauty alternatives?+
Yes. 5 of the 10 apps are free to download on the App Store: e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skincare, Planet Beauty, Sephora UAE: Beauty & Makeup, Urban Beauty Lounge, BeautyOnTApp.