Booking apps for salons, nail and beauty businesses: Fresha, Booksy, Vagaro, GlossGenius and Square compared on price, fees and fit
This is for salon, nail, lash and beauty owners choosing or switching booking apps. You will get the features that actually matter, verified prices and the fees that sit outside the monthly price, a worked bill for a three-chair nail salon, and an honest view of where WhatsApp booking fits alongside an app.
Quick answer
The best booking app for a salon depends on team size and where new clients come from. Square Appointments has a free plan, Booksy is $29.99 a month plus $20 per extra team member, Timely starts at $26 per staff and GlossGenius at $28. Compare marketplace fees, deposits and included text reminders, not just the monthly price.
What should a booking app for a salon actually do?
A salon app has to run each stylist's or technician's diary, protect you from no-shows and make rebooking easy. Generic scheduling tools built for meetings usually miss at least one of these.
- Diaries per staff member, with each person's services, prices and working days.
- Real service durations, including processing time for colour and the difference between an infill and a full set.
- Deposits and no-show fees taken at booking, the single most effective protection for long appointments.
- Automatic reminders by text, email or WhatsApp, with an easy way to cancel or move.
- Client cards with notes, formulas, allergies and photos of past work.
- Rebooking prompts so a client leaves with the next appointment.
- Payments and point of sale, if you do not already have them.
Salon booking apps compared: Fresha, Booksy, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Square and Timely
Prices in USD as listed on each vendor's own US pricing page in October 2026, monthly billing unless stated. Fresha shows prices in local currency by country, so we describe its structure instead of quoting a number.
| App | Price | Free plan or trial | Marketplace or new-client fees | Reminders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | Solo plan, or a price per team member; local currency | No free plan; 7-day trial | One-time fee on brand-new clients from the Fresha marketplace; none on returning clients | 20 free texts or WhatsApps per member a month, then paid; email free |
| Booksy | $29.99 a month plus $20 per extra team member | Free trial, no card | Optional Boost: one-time 30% of a Boost client's first visit, up to $100 | Confirmations and reminders always free |
| Vagaro | $23.99 a month introductory rate for 6 months; $10 per bookable calendar licence, up to seven | 30-day trial | Free marketplace listing; no commission stated | Unlimited notifications and reminders |
| GlossGenius | Standard $28, Gold $56 (up to 9 staff), Platinum $168 | No free plan; 14-day trial | None stated | Unlimited client notifications |
| Square Appointments | Free; Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location | Free plan | None; card fees instead (online 3.3% + 30¢ on Free) | Text and email; clients can reply to confirm or cancel |
| Timely | $26, $39 or $47 per staff | Free trial | No new client fees | 100 to 350 SMS a month included by plan |
In the UK and Australia, prices change by region, so check the local page. In October 2026 Booksy's UK page listed £40 a month plus £5 per extra team member, with 500 free marketing texts and 5p each after that, and Timely listed £22, £34 and £39 per staff in Great Britain and A$42, A$65 and A$79 per staff (excluding GST) in Australia. A three-person salon in London would pay about £50 a month on Booksy and £66 on Timely Build before card fees.
Several of these now sell AI extras too: GlossGenius lists an AI reception add-on at $50 a month and Vagaro describes an AI assistant for marketing and messages. Test those in the trial; we have not, so we do not rate them here.
Which salon booking app suits which salon?
| Your salon | Shortlist | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Solo nail tech, lash artist or mobile stylist | Square Free, GlossGenius Standard | Low or no monthly cost, payments built in |
| Barbershop with walk-ins and regulars | Booksy, Square | Booksy includes free reminders and a client marketplace; Square handles payments and walk-ins |
| Hair salon with 3 to 8 stylists | Timely, Vagaro, Fresha, GlossGenius Gold | Staff diaries, colour processing time, client notes |
| Spa with treatment rooms | Square Premium, Timely | Rooms as well as people need scheduling |
| New salon that needs discovery | Fresha, Booksy | Their marketplaces bring new clients, for a fee on the first visit |
| Clients mostly book by WhatsApp or DM | Any of the above plus a chat agent, or a chat agent alone | They ask questions before they book |
Is there a free booking app for salons?
Yes, Square Appointments has a free plan, but most salon apps are now paid with a free trial. Fresha, long known as the free salon app, lists no free plan on its pricing page in October 2026, and GlossGenius says plainly that it does not offer one.
"Free" apps make money elsewhere, so read the fee lines. Square earns on card processing. Fresha charges a one-time fee on new clients it brings you through its marketplace, though bookings from your own website, Instagram and Facebook are free. Booksy's Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit, up to $100, if you switch it on. None of this is hidden; it is on their pricing pages. But it means the cheapest app depends on how many new clients come through the marketplace and how much you take by card.
What a three-chair nail salon pays: a worked monthly bill
Hypothetical: three nail technicians, about 350 appointments a month, mostly regulars, card payments in the salon. US list prices, monthly billing, October 2026, before card processing fees.
| App | Working | Software per month |
|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments Free | Free plan, one location | $0, plus card fees |
| Square Appointments Plus | Adds no-show fees, waitlist and multi-staff booking | $49, plus card fees |
| GlossGenius Gold | Covers up to 9 staff | $56 |
| Booksy | $29.99 plus 2 extra team members at $20 | $69.99 |
| Timely Build | 3 staff at $26, 100 SMS included | $78 |
The gap between $0 and $78 is small next to one no-show a week on a full set. Choose on deposits, reminders and how quickly your team learns it; the price differences matter less than they look.
What nail, lash and beauty studios should check
Beauty bookings have quirks that generic reviews skip. Test these during the trial.
- Duration by service variant. Gel infill, full set with art and removal plus new set should all have different lengths, or the diary fills with overruns.
- Deposits for long services. A full set or lash extensions is a big slot to lose. Our deposit and cancellation policy templates help with the wording.
- Patch test rules for lashes, brows and tints, so the app or your staff can require one before the first booking.
- Design photos. Clients send inspiration pictures and ask "how much for this?". Most booking apps cannot answer that; a person or a chat agent has to.
- Where enquiries start. If most clients DM or WhatsApp first, the booking link is the second step, not the first.
For WhatsApp-specific advice, see the WhatsApp AI agent guide for nail and lash studios and the barbershop guide.
Where WhatsApp booking fits alongside a salon app
A lot of salon bookings start with a message, not a booking page: "how much for gel extensions?", "is Saturday free?", a photo of a design. Someone has to answer those, usually with wet hands.
We make ReplyKit, so weigh this accordingly. ReplyKit is an AI agent for WhatsApp and website chat that answers from your own price list, understands photos and voice notes, offers real open slots from your hours, books them with double-booking protection and sends a reminder about 24 hours before. It suits a salon that books mostly through WhatsApp and does not want clients to leave the chat. Plans start at $29 a month (see pricing), with a 7-day free trial, no card needed. Our salon and spa industry page shows how it handles a typical week.
Be clear about the limits. ReplyKit does not take deposits or payments, has no point of sale, and does not sync with Fresha, Booksy or the other apps above, so running both means keeping two diaries. If you need deposits, payments and client records, a salon app is the right core tool. WhatsApp connects through Quick Connect, an unofficial QR pairing that Meta does not sanction; read whether WhatsApp can ban your number and use the salon's own booking number. Before pairing you see one plain notice, and pressing Connect is your acceptance of section 3 of our terms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best booking app for a salon?
It depends on your size and how you find clients. Square suits salons that want a free start and payments, Booksy is built around barbers, Timely and Vagaro suit multi-stylist hair salons, and Fresha and Booksy add marketplaces that bring new clients for a fee.
Is there a free salon booking app?
Square Appointments has a free plan in October 2026. Fresha, Booksy, GlossGenius, Timely and Vagaro are paid apps with free trials. Free apps earn through card processing or marketplace fees instead.
Is Fresha still free?
No. Fresha's pricing page lists paid plans with a 7-day trial and no free plan. It also charges a one-time fee on brand-new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace, but not on returning clients or your own bookings.
How much does Booksy cost?
Booksy's US page lists $29.99 a month plus $20 for each extra team member, with appointment confirmations and reminders free. Its optional Boost feature charges a one-time 30% of a new client's first visit, up to $100.
What is the best booking app for a nail salon?
Look for service variants with their own durations, deposits for long sets, and reminders. Square, GlossGenius and Booksy are common choices for small nail studios. If clients send design photos and ask prices first, add a way to answer messages quickly.
Can clients book a salon appointment through WhatsApp?
Yes. A chat booking agent can answer price questions, offer open slots and book inside WhatsApp. It does not replace a salon app's deposits, payments or client records, so many salons pair messaging with an app.
Answer salon WhatsApps while your hands are busy
ReplyKit answers price and design questions from your price list and books real open slots in WhatsApp. 7-day free trial, no credit card.
Sources and further reading
- Fresha pricing · paid plans, 7-day trial, marketplace new-client fee, text and WhatsApp allowance
- Booksy US pricing · $29.99 a month, $20 per extra team member, Boost fee, free reminders
- Vagaro pricing · introductory rate, calendar licences, 30-day trial, unlimited reminders
- GlossGenius pricing · plan prices, no free plan, 14-day trial, AI reception add-on
- Square Appointments pricing · free plan, Plus and Premium per location, online card fees
- Timely pricing · per-staff prices in USD, GBP and AUD and included SMS
- Booksy UK pricing · GBP monthly price, per team member price and marketing text allowance
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. Prices for other vendors are taken from their public pricing pages as checked in October 2026 and may change. This article is general guidance, not legal or financial advice.