Salons are where card fees and marketplace commissions bite hardest: lots of bookings, most of them paid by card, and several apps that bring you new clients for a cut of the first visit.
The example
A 3-chair salon
- 3staff
- 300bookings a month
- $70average price
- 30%paid online
60% pay by card at the appointment, the rest cash or other. 1 reminder text per booking, 4 new clients a month from booking apps. This is an illustration, not a statistic about the trade: put your own numbers in.
Spread at this volume: $547 to $829 a month, a difference of $3,377 a year.
Cheapest all-in for salons
GlossGenius · Gold
- Plan$56
- Card processing$491.40
- Text reminders$0
Vendor list prices checked 4 October 2026.
11 systems ranked
Partial estimates: some costs aren't published
These fit your must-haves, but at least one fee isn't public, so the real total is higher than shown. They're kept out of the ranking above.
Prices not published
What matters for hair and beauty salons
Deposits and no-show fees
A missed colour appointment is two hours of a chair. Check whether deposits need a higher plan (Square Plus, Vagaro's $10 cart add-on) or the vendor's own payments.
Per-seat pricing
Timely, Fresha Team and Booksy charge per stylist; Vagaro stops charging after 8 calendars; Square and GlossGenius Platinum don't charge per seat at all.
Marketplace new-client fees
Fresha (20%, $6 minimum), Booksy Boost (30%, capped at $100) and Vagaro promotions (20%) take a share of a new client's first visit.
Questions from hair and beauty salons
What is the cheapest booking software for hair and beauty salons?
At my example (a 3-chair salon: 300 bookings a month at $70), the cheapest all-in is GlossGenius on Gold at about $547 a month, including card fees. Third is Acuity Scheduling at $593. Change the numbers to match your business; the order changes with volume and how clients pay.
How much of the cost is card processing for hair and beauty salons?
For the cheapest option at this volume, card fees are about 90% of the monthly total. 90% of bookings in the example are paid by card.
Which booking systems are built for hair and beauty salons?
16 of the systems I track list hair and beauty salons among the businesses they target: Acuity Scheduling, Square Appointments, Setmore, SimplyBook.me, Picktime, Appointy, Vagaro, Fresha, Booksy, GlossGenius, Goldie, Mindbody, Booker, Timely, Wix Bookings, Boulevard.
BarbersSpas & massageTherapistsTrainersClinicsTutorsConsultants
No forms, no sales funnel
Want me to set it up for you?
I'll pick the system that fits your trade, set up your services, deposits and reminders, and connect the booking button to your website. Start with a free 20-minute call with me.
