Choosing salon software when you have 1 to 5 chairs shouldn't take a sales call and a spreadsheet. But between plans, add-ons and per-person pricing, comparing apps often does.
We compared seven popular scheduling apps on what matters to a small salon: what you'll actually pay as your team grows, what's included versus extra, and whether the app handles walk-ins as well as appointments.
What a small salon needs from a scheduling app
Before comparing brands, check these five things:
- Online booking clients can use from your Instagram bio or Google profile, any time of day.
- Text reminders included in the price, not charged per message. Clients miss emails far more often than texts.
- Commission tracking if your stylists or techs are on commission, so payday isn't an evening with a calculator.
- Walk-in handling if people come in without booking: a check-in list and a fair way to decide who takes the next walk-in.
- Pricing that stays fair as you grow. Some apps charge per person, some per location, and some add a fee for every new client from their marketplace.
What it costs: 1, 3 and 5 staff
Monthly prices from each company's published pricing as of October 2026.
| App | 1 person | 3 people | 5 people | New-client fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SupaDay Grow | $14 | $42 | $70 | None |
| Square Appointments | $0 (Free) | $0–$149 | $0–$149 | None |
| GlossGenius | $24 | $48 | $48 | None |
| Vagaro | $30 | ~$50 | ~$70 | None found |
| Fresha | ~$20 | ~$45 | ~$75 | 20% of first booking (min $6) |
| Booksy | $30 | ~$70 | ~$110 | 30% with Boost (max $100) |
| Mangomint | $130 | $150 | $170 | None |
A few notes:
- GlossGenius prices are for yearly billing. Paying monthly, Standard is $28 and Gold (up to 9 staff) is $56.
- Square charges per location, not per person. Free can't charge no-show fees and has no waitlist, Plus is $49 and Premium is $149.
- Vagaro is $30 plus $10 for each extra bookable calendar. New accounts often get $23.99 for the first 6 months.
- Fresha's US prices are from a review site, since its pricing page varies by country.
- SupaDay caps at $99 a month on Grow, so a 10-person team still pays $99.
Features compared
| Feature | SupaDay | Square | GlossGenius | Vagaro | Fresha | Booksy | Mangomint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online booking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text reminders | 500/mo included | Included on every plan | Text credits included | Included | 20 free per person, then paid | Included | Unlimited, included |
| Commission tracking | Yes (Grow) | Plus ($49) | Platinum ($148) | Add-on | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Payroll add-on ($50 + $8/worker) |
| Walk-in turn tracker | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Walk-in check-in | QR + tablet | No | No | +$10/mo app | No | Waitlist only | No |
| Marketplace for new clients | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
How each app stacks up
SupaDay: best for salons that take walk-ins
SupaDay's Grow plan ($14 per person a month, capped at $99) includes online booking, 500 text reminders a month, commission tracking, a walk-in turn tracker, QR check-in and checkout. The Business plan ($22 per person, capped at $149) adds a website builder, review requests, marketing campaigns and multiple locations.
Best for: small salons, nail salons and barbershops that take both walk-ins and appointments. Watch out for: no consumer marketplace, gift cards or memberships yet.
Square Appointments: the free option
Square's free plan gives one location online booking, a calendar and checkout with no monthly fee, and unlimited staff calendars, with automatic reminders. Booking confirmations, a waitlist, no-show fees and commission tracking start on Plus ($49 per location). (Full review: is Square Appointments good for salons.)
Best for: solo stylists and small salons already using Square for payments. Watch out for: no booking confirmations and no way to charge no-show fees on the free plan, and commissions locked to $49 a month per location.
GlossGenius: simple and polished
GlossGenius is clean, easy to set up and popular with solo stylists and booth renters. Standard covers one person, Gold covers up to 9 staff, and booth renters can get paid into their own accounts. Card processing is a flat 2.6%.
Best for: solo stylists, small studios and booth-rent salons. Watch out for: customizable commissions are a Platinum feature ($148 a month billed yearly), and there are no walk-in tools.
Vagaro: lots of features, lots of add-ons
Vagaro does a lot and has a large consumer marketplace. The base price is low, but each extra calendar adds $10, and its check-in app, text marketing, payroll and website are extras. (See the best Vagaro alternatives.)
Best for: salons that want marketplace exposure and many features in one place. Watch out for: the add-ons make the real price hard to predict.
Fresha: low price, fee on new clients
Fresha charges per person and has a big consumer marketplace. It takes 20% (minimum $6) of a new client's first booking from that marketplace, and each person gets 20 free messages a month.
Best for: appointment-only salons that want marketplace bookings. Watch out for: new-client fees and limited free texts.
Booksy: the marketplace for barbers and beauty
Booksy is $29.99 a month plus $20 for each extra staff member, with appointment reminders included. Its Boost program brings in new clients for 30% of their first visit, capped at $100.
Best for: appointment-heavy barbershops and beauty salons that rely on marketplace discovery. Watch out for: Boost fees, and per-person pricing that adds up as you grow.
Mangomint: premium and polished
Mangomint has a refined interface and strong automation, with unlimited appointment reminders included. It's $120 a month per location plus $10 per user, and phone, marketing and payroll are add-ons.
Best for: established salons with a front desk and budget for premium software. Watch out for: the highest starting price on this list, and no walk-in tools.
Is there a free salon scheduling app?
Square Appointments is the main free option that's actually usable: one location, online booking, a calendar and checkout, with no monthly fee. The trade-offs are no booking confirmations, no way to charge no-show fees, and no commission tracking.
Most other apps offer a free trial instead: 14 days for GlossGenius, and 30 days for SupaDay. A free trial is the better test anyway. Run a full busy week on it before deciding.
So which one should you pick?
- Take walk-ins and appointments? SupaDay, the only one here with a built-in turn tracker.
- Solo, want simple? GlossGenius, or Square's free plan if you already use Square.
- Want marketplace clients? Fresha, Booksy or Vagaro. Compare their new-client fees first.
- Premium salon with a front desk? Mangomint.
- Booth-rent salon? GlossGenius, where each renter gets paid separately.
For most small salons with 1 to 5 people that take both walk-ins and booked clients, SupaDay covers booking, reminders, commissions and turn tracking at a price that stays predictable as you add staff. Try SupaDay free for 30 days →
