The best salon booking software for a small salon is the one that fills the chairs online for a flat monthly price and does not take a cut of every new client. In 2026 the shortlist is Fresha, Vagaro, Booksy, Square Appointments, GlossGenius and bbook, and they split three ways: marketplaces that send you clients and charge for them, a till with a calendar attached, and booking systems you run under your own name.
This is for a solo stylist or a salon with two to six chairs. Prices were checked on each company’s own pricing page on October 31, 2026, in the currency it showed us; most of these tools price by country, so check the page for your own market.
The best salon booking software, side by side
| Software | Price (checked Oct 31, 2026) | Fee on new clients | Free plan | Where clients book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | €14.95 / month solo, or €9.95 per bookable team member, plus tax | 20% of the first visit, minimum €5 | No, 7-day trial | Fresha marketplace or your Fresha link |
| Vagaro | $30 / month for one calendar, plus $10 per extra calendar up to seven (US, Oct 8; UK £20) | None shown; the marketplace listing is free | No, 30-day trial | Vagaro marketplace or widget, with a Vagaro account |
| Booksy | $29.99 / month plus tax, $20 per extra staff member | 30% of the first visit through Boost, capped at $100 | No, 14-day trial | Booksy app and marketplace |
| Square Appointments | Free for one location; Plus $29, Premium $69 per location (as of Oct 8, 2026) | None; Square card fees apply | Yes, one location | Your free Square booking site |
| GlossGenius | $28 / month Standard, $56 Gold, $168 Platinum ($24, $48 and $148 billed yearly) | None | No, 14-day trial | Your GlossGenius booking site |
| bbook | Free, then per user a month in your own currency (current prices) | None | Yes, 1 user, 30 appointments a month | Your own booking link, no account needed |
What to check before the feature list
What a new client costs you. Fresha and Booksy are marketplaces: when someone finds you in their app and books, Fresha keeps 20% of that first appointment and Booksy keeps 30%, charged once per client. If your book is already full of regulars, you are paying for people who would have found you anyway.
How the price grows with the team. Fresha, Booksy and Vagaro charge per chair, Square per location, GlossGenius by plan tier. Four stylists cost €39.80 a month on Fresha Team, $60 on Vagaro, $89.99 on Booksy, $56 on GlossGenius Gold and $29 on Square Plus.
Whether reminders are metered. Fresha includes 20 texts or WhatsApps a month per team member, then €0.12 each, so 100 reminders cost about €10 on top of the plan. Booksy says confirmations and reminders are always free.
Fresha
The biggest salon marketplace, and the one your clients already know. €14.95 a month solo or €9.95 per bookable team member is the cheapest subscription here for a team of three or more. Two catches: reminders are metered after the first 20, and you cannot take the marketplace off. Fresha’s help centre says unlisting your profile disables all your online booking channels, so the 20% fee stays. Full numbers in Fresha pricing and fees explained.
Vagaro
A full salon and spa suite, strongest in the US: calendar, point of sale, forms, memberships and a consumer marketplace, from $30 a month per bookable calendar and capped at seven paid calendars. Clients create a Vagaro account to book. For a one-chair studio most of it is weight you carry for nothing. More on the Vagaro alternatives page.
Booksy
One plan, everything in it: $29.99 a month plus $20 per extra staff member, with reminders and 2,000 marketing texts included. The marketplace is strong in US and UK cities. The catch is Boost, 30% of a new client’s first visit up to $100, easy to leave switched on long after your book is full. Details in Booksy pricing and fees explained.
Square Appointments
The right answer if your till and card payments already run through Square. Booking is free for one location, and clients book on a free booking site without an account. Plus and Premium add no-show fees, waitlists and multi-staff bookings, priced per location rather than per chair. You pay Square’s card processing on every transaction, and the calendar is built around the till rather than the other way round.
GlossGenius
Built for the independent US stylist who wants a booking site, a card reader and client notes in one app. $28 a month for Standard or $56 for Gold, team members included up to nine, and no commission on anything. It is US only.
Best salon software for a bigger salon
With ten chairs, a front desk and stock to count, you want what people call salon management software rather than booking software. Mangomint is $120 a month per location plus $10 per user, with text marketing from $30 a month on top. Phorest does not publish prices; you request a quote, and every plan includes migration, training and a bundle of texts, from 1,000 a month on Starter to 27,000 on Complete Advantage, then 5 cents each. Neither has a free plan.
How bbook compares
bbook is salon booking software you run under your own name. Clients book from your link with no account to create and no marketplace in between, and there is no commission on bookings or on new clients, ever. The free plan covers one user and 30 appointments a month, so a solo stylist or nail tech can run on it without a card. Paid plans are priced per user a month, with current prices in your own currency on the pricing page.
Reminders go out by email on every plan, and by SMS and WhatsApp on Business Premium. Deposits and online payments run through Stripe, Mollie or SumUp at their published rates, so you are not tied to one card provider. Business Premium also has the optional AI receptionist, which answers the phone while your hands are in foils and books the caller in.
FAQ
What is the best salon booking software?
For a solo stylist or a small team, a flat-price system with a free tier such as bbook or Square Appointments costs least, because nothing comes out of each booking. A new salon that needs walk-in volume gets clients from Fresha or Booksy, at 20% and 30% of a first visit.
What is the best free salon booking system?
bbook is free for one user and 30 appointments a month, with your own booking page and email reminders. Square Appointments is free for one location if you take payments through Square; Fresha, Vagaro, Booksy and GlossGenius offer trials only, from 7 to 30 days.
Do salon clients need to download an app to book?
No. With bbook, Square Appointments and GlossGenius, clients open your booking link in a browser and book without an account. Fresha, Booksy and Vagaro usually ask clients to book inside the company’s own app or marketplace profile.