Booksy, Squire and theCut are the three names barbers hear most. They look similar from the outside, since all three handle online booking, payments and reminders. The real differences are in who pays, how the price grows with your team, and what happens when a new client finds you through the app.
The quick comparison
Prices from each company's official pricing page, October 2026.
| Booksy | Squire | theCut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it charges | Per shop + per extra barber | Flat per shop | Free for owner, each barber pays |
| Solo barber | $29.99 | $30 (Independent) | $0 or $25 |
| 4 barbers | ~$90 | $50 (Pro) or $150 (Executive) | $0 for owner, barbers pay $0–$25 each |
| New-client fee | 30% of first visit with Boost (max $100) | None listed | $10 per new client on free barber plan |
| Card processing | 2.49% + $0.10 (card reader) | Not published | 2.75% |
| Text reminders | Free | Free, unlimited | Pro plan ($25) |
| Commissions | Not listed | Executive ($150) | Not listed |
| Booth rent | Not listed | Rent collection on Executive | Rent tracking, free for owners |
| Waitlist | Included | From Pro ($50) | Not listed |
| Walk-in line with turn order | No | No | No |
| Branded app | No | Titan ($250) | No |
| Gift cards | Included | Titan ($250) | Not listed |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | 30 days of Pro |
Booksy: everything on one plan, plus a big marketplace
Booksy charges $29.99 a month plus $20 for each extra barber, and every feature is on that one plan: online booking, waitlists, text marketing (2,000 messages a month), gift cards, memberships and packages. There's no contract, and clients never pay to book.
Its big draw is the Booksy marketplace, where clients search for barbers near them. If you turn on Boost, Booksy promotes you there and charges a one-time 30% of the new client's first visit, up to $100. Clients who book through your own link don't trigger the fee.
Best for: appointment-heavy barbers and shops that want new clients from the marketplace. Watch out for: per-barber pricing adds up as you grow, Boost fees on new clients, and no commission or booth-rent tools listed.
Squire: flat pricing per shop, with premium plans
Squire charges per shop, not per barber. Adding barbers doesn't change the price.
- Independent ($30): for a solo barber, with unlimited reminders.
- Pro ($50): a full shop with multiple barbers, Google and Instagram booking, and a waitlist.
- Executive ($150 per shop): adds commission and rent collection, unlimited text and email marketing, and a Google reviews tool.
- Titan ($250 per shop): adds multiple locations, a branded app, loyalty, gift cards and inventory.
Best for: established shops with a bigger team, especially those that want their own branded app. Watch out for: commissions and rent collection need the $150 plan, and card processing rates aren't published.
theCut: free for owners, each barber pays their own way
theCut works differently. The shop owner's plan is free: you manage staff, track booth rent and run multiple locations at $0. Each barber picks their own plan:
- Free ($0): booking link, no-show protection and payments, but $10 for each new client found through theCut, and no text reminders.
- Pro ($25 a month): adds text reminders, client blasts, and new clients from theCut without the per-client fee.
Card processing is 2.75% on both plans.
Best for: booth-rent shops where every barber runs their own book and pays their own way. Watch out for: the shop has less control, there's no commission tracking listed, and no walk-in tools.
What none of them do well: walk-ins
All three are built around appointments. Booksy and Squire have waitlists, but those are lists your staff manage, not a line clients join when they walk in. None of the three tracks turn order, so the "whose turn is it?" question stays on paper.
If walk-ins are a big part of your day, you need:
- Self check-in, for example clients scanning a QR code at the door.
- A visible line your team can see, with who's next.
- A fair turn tracker, so the next walk-in goes to the right barber.
That's where SupaDay is built differently. Its Grow plan includes a walk-in queue with QR check-in, a turn tracker, online booking, commission tracking and 500 text reminders a month, for $14 per barber, capped at $99. A 4-chair shop pays $56. (More in our guide to barbershop check-in systems and walk-in queues.)
Which one should you pick?
- You want new clients from a marketplace: Booksy. Share your own booking link with regulars so Boost fees only apply to truly new clients.
- You run an established shop and want your own branded app: Squire, on Executive or Titan.
- Your shop is all booth renters: theCut, since it's free for you and each barber controls their own book.
- Your barbers are on commission: Squire Executive ($150), or a tool that includes commissions on its base plan.
- You take a lot of walk-ins: look beyond these three for a real walk-in line and turn tracker.
Want the full field, including Square, Vagaro, Fresha and GlossGenius? See the best barbershop software for walk-ins and booking.
The bottom line
Booksy wins on marketplace reach and all-in-one pricing. Squire wins on flat per-shop pricing and premium features for established shops. theCut wins for booth-rent shops where the owner pays nothing. All three are appointment-first, so shops that live on walk-ins should look for a real walk-in queue and turn tracker. See how SupaDay works for barbershops →
