Top 10 Software for Salon and Beauty Professionals

Even if you are the most talented stylist in town, a messy calendar leads to unhappy clients and business losses.

The days of texting back and forth for an appointment are gone, as are missed calls. Beauty clients expect instant booking options, reminders, and even a direct way to pay their beauticians.

The best available salon scheduling software help avoid chaos in your day-to-day management at work. From automated reminders and payment gateways to marketing and various integrations, such software enable beauticians to focus on excellent customer experience.

No be-all and end-all platform exists (not yet, anyway), so it’s up to you to choose the most suitable option for your business. Let’s take a closer look at the top 10 software for salon and beauty professionals.

Top 10 Picks for Salon and Beauty Professional Software

1. Goldie – Best for solo beauty pros who want easy booking, reminders, and payments in one simple app.

2. ChiDesk – Best for managing salons and spas with powerful scheduling, POS, and inventory features.

3. Zenoti – Best for enterprise salons, spas, and wellness chains needing all-in-one growth and operations management.

4. Planfy – Best for small salons and barbershops wanting branded booking pages, online payments, and client reminders.

5. Mindbody – Best for fitness and wellness businesses looking for marketing tools and integrated class + appointment booking.

6. Mangomint – Best for premium salons and spas seeking a sleek, client-first scheduling and payment experience.

7. GlossGenius – Best for independent stylists who want stylish booking, payments, and marketing tools in one app.

8. Vagaro – Best for beauty, wellness, and fitness businesses needing customizable booking, POS, and marketplace visibility.

9. Acuity – Best for service-based pros who need flexible self-scheduling with deep calendar and payment integrations.

10. Fresha – Best for salons and barbershops wanting commission-free booking with a large client marketplace.

How to Evaluate the Available Tools for Salon and Beauty Pros?

Choosing a suitable scheduling tool comes down to a few key factors. Try to focus on the following when making your choice:

• Business size and type. Are you a solo beautician or have a small/large salon or barbershop? 
• Ease of use. Consider how intuitive the user experience is and whether you feel comfortable using the actual tool.
• Features beyond scheduling. Scheduling is the main feature. However, if you are looking for advanced analytics, marketing exposure, or various integrations, your choice could change.
• Pricing and fees. Some tools have free trials or free plans, while others are costly despite offering a plethora of neat features. 

1. Goldie

If you are a solo beauty pro looking for a simple solution to book appointments, send reminders, receive payments, and more, look no further than Goldie.

The smart scheduling feature lets clients book appointments whenever they wish. Automated text reminders reduce no-shows. The tool also tracks payments, sends invoices, and keeps client details in one place. You can access the data from your smartphone or tablet.

Whether you are a barber, makeup artist, pet groomer, tattoo artist, or persona trainer, Goldie makes running a business a much smoother process. 

Pros

• A free trial.
• Suitable not just for beauticians but also for pet groomers or personal trainers.
• Offers insightful business reports.

Cons

• The advanced plan with all the features can be expensive for some.

Key Features

• Online bookings
• Inventory management
• Card readers
• Reminders
• Reservations via Google

Pricing

• Free Starter plan with essential features.
• Pro plan with unlimited appointments and key features for 29.99€/mo or 299.99€/yr.
• Pro Plus with advanced features for 59.99€/mo or 599.99€/yr.

2. ChiDesk

Salon or spa owners should consider ChiDesk as a solid option. It handles scheduling, marketing, staffing, and payment, among other things.

The intuitive drag-and-drop calendar helps track both group and individual appointments and assign the necessary staff or equipment to clients. The schedule does not have double bookings or other errors.

Clients can book directly online and check themselves in via a browser-based mobile web app that costs nothing.

Pros

• Integration with other popular services.
• Allows clients to check themselves in and out.
• A comprehensive set of reports.

Cons

• Relatively steep learning curve.
• The Inventory Module has limits.
  

Key Features

• Group bookings
• Automated stock control
• Gift and card vouchers
• Employee scheduling

Pricing

• Solo for independent professionals working on their own for $40 per month.
• Standard for small teams with up to 5 employees for $60 per month.
• Advanced for medium-sized teams with up to 12 people for $80 per month.
• Premium for large teams with up to 20 professionals for $100 per month.
• Enterprise for enterprise operations with large teams for $120 per month.

3. Zenoti

Zenoti is another great tool for SPA and MEDSPA professionals. It’s an all-in-one AI platform that streamlines booking and smart scheduling with waitlists.

The AI part seems to be emphasized quite a lot, with an AI receptionist and an AI assistant, Zeenie. 

Disjointed tools and manual workflows are a thing of the past. Instead, Zenoti helps grow your business from one enterprise-grade dashboard.

Pros

• Comprehensive all-in-one feature set.
• Strong customer support and training.
• Robust reporting and AI-driven marketing.

Cons

• High costs and some hidden fees.
• Occasional glitches.

Key Features

• An AI-powered platform
• Benchmark data for business decisions
• Gift cards and referrals
• Automated waitlist management
• Direct social bookings

Pricing

• Growth for Salons and Spas starts at $350 a month, $250 for barbershops, $400 for Medspas, and $1500 for fitness clubs.
• Hypergrowth and Complete plans have custom pricing for different niches.

4. Planfy

Planfy does not have any standout features, but it still does its job. Beauticians and wellness pros gain access to a hassle-free booking platform.

Clients can make appointments in seconds via your website, social media pages, or a mini salon page. You control cloud-based calendars and make adjustments where necessary.

Automated SMS and email reminders reduce no-shows, while the built-in client recalls boost repeat visits.

Pros

• Clean and modern interface.
• Great client photo management.
• Affordable for small businesses.

Cons

• Limited visibility of user reviews.
• Customer support can be lacking at times.

Key Features

• Intuitive design
• Working hour customization
• Online payment for bookings
• Bookings on social media

Pricing

• Solo plan for 17€/mo with 250 bookings.
• Team plan for 37€/mo with 1500 bookings.
• Ultimate plan for 97€/mo with unlimited bookings.

5. Mindbody

Mindbody offers a unified calendar that takes care of classes, appointments, wait lists, and staff coordination across different devices.

Integrated payments, branded booking widgets and applications, an AI-powered receptionist, marketing automation, and even access to a massive client marketplace are the standout features of the platform.

Fitness, wellness, or beauty professionals will find their bookings full and work organized with Mindbody.

Pros

• Comprehensive all-in-one platform.
• Built-in marketing and marketplace exposure.
• Real-time updates and reporting tools.

Cons

• High costs.
• Some complexities using the platform.

Key Features

• Branded web tools and developer tools
• Third-party integrations
• Multi-location management
• Marketing tools

Pricing

• The pricing is not disclosed; you need to contact the sales team and talk to them.

6. Mangomint

You will not need extra tools with Mangomint. It streamlines scheduling, checkouts, group appointments, and business insights.

Enjoy a complete platform that is not just fast and intuitive. It’s also pleasing to the eye to use, which is something beauty pros should appreciate a lot.

Pros

• Easy to use and onboard.
• Superb customer support.
• Beautiful design.

Cons

• Customization limitations.
• Reporting could be better.

Key Features

• Express bookings
• Two-way texting
• Memberships, packages, gift cards
• Automated marketing flows
• Staff managing

Pricing

• Essentials plan for small teams for $165/month.
• Standard plan for busy salons and spas for $245/month.
• Unlimited plan for large businesses for $375/month.

7. GlossGenius

GlossGenius is another example of a tool that excels not just in the available features, but also in how the process and the UI look.

As expected, it offers scheduling, payments, and marketing, bringing it all together in one intuitive application.

Pros

• Beautiful interface.
• Integrated payments with transparent pricing.
• Built-in marketing tools.
• Intuitive scheduling tools.

Cons

• Limited flexibility.
• Minimal web access.

Key Features

• Free data transfer
• Reports and analytics
• Inventory management
• AI tools
• Instant payouts

Pricing

• Standard plan for $24/month with essentials.
• Gold plan for $48/month with growth tools.
• Platinum plan for $148/month with powerful features and customizations.

8. Vagaro

Vagaro delivers in its feature-packed all-in-one platform. A highly versatile calendar application, multi-location management, and bookings across different channels, including social media, are the standout features.

Vagaro boasts of having a 150-million-plus booking marketplace, which helps keep your appointments full. 

Pros

• User-friendly and feature-rich.
• Offers effective client reminders.
• Great for small business growth.
• Has helpful tutorials.

Cons

• Add-on costs can ramp up.
• Challenges uploading images.

Key Features

• Available on Android and iOS
• Custom commission tiers
• Powerful data and graphs
• Automatic reminders to customers

Pricing

• The pricing starts at £30 per month for one bookable calendar and gets £10 more expensive for each additional calendar. With 7 or more bookable calendars, the fee is consistent at £90 per month.

9. Acuity

Acuity Scheduling software offers a customizable yet powerful solution to managing client appointments.

Self-booking is available 24/7, with rescheduling or cancellation. Automated reminders, invoicing, and secure payments through different payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal add extra flexibility.

Pros

• Clean user interface.
• Strong scheduling and automation.
• Great calendar integrations.

Cons

• Customization requires technical knowledge.
• Payment options have some constraints.

Key Features

• Invoicing software
• Streamlined payment experience
• Client loyalty programs

Pricing

• Starter at $16/mo.
• Standard at $27/mo.
• Premium at $49/mo.

Each plan has core features and additional features with each tier. There is also a custom plan available by talking with the sales team.

10. Fresha

Eliminating booking bottlenecks and having an easier overall business process is possible with Fresha.

The platform is a savvy solution with its unlimited online booking, smart automated reminders, and a powerful POS.

The cloud-based platform taps into their global marketplace to showcase your service and help attract new clients, which is great for both new and established beauticians.

Pros

• Low-cost entry.
• Friendly mobile interface.
• Marketplace exposure.

Cons

• Customer support limitations.
• Feature locks behind add-ons.

Key Features

• Tools to boost sales
• Powerful calendar with unlimited bookings
• Hassle-free payments

Pricing

• The platform is free to use. There are no monthly fees, though the tool offers customer rates for enterprise solutions. In addition, there are optional paid features.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are beautician scheduling tools?

Scheduling tools are software platforms that let clients book appointments online directly, without contacting beauty pros directly. 

How do these tools reduce no-shows?

Most tools come with a built-in feature to send automated text or email reminders. Clients can confirm the original date or reschedule while also receiving a reminder about their appointment.

Are there free scheduling tools?

Absolutely. A fair few of these tools have free plans or free trials to test before you commit and pay for a subscription.

Can scheduling tools help grow the business?

Yes, and not just with improving client experience and satisfaction. Some platforms include marketing features, loyalty programs, and client recall campaigns.

How much does it cost to use scheduling tools?

Price varies depending on the platform. Some plans start at around $10 per month. More advanced platforms, depending on the feature package, can end up in the hundreds.

Conclusion: Find the Best Scheduling Tool for Your Business

The scheduling tools covered in the article should be enough to choose from for both individual beauticians and large salons.

You have the freedom to pick. Do so according to your available budget and needs. And remember, if one platform doesn’t satisfy your needs, you can try an alternative.