A spa or salon point-of-sale (POS) system manages client transactions, sales data, and tracks customer information just like any other POS system. It also includes industry-specific features like appointment scheduling, online booking, and client-facing account management tools. The best spa POS systems include all of these features and start at under $100 per month.
Top 5 Salon POS Systems for 2021
| Salon POS System | Best For |
|---|---|
Best salon POS system for individual service providers and small salon and spa owners | |
Health, wellness, and fitness businesses that need intake forms | |
Small salons that have multiple stylists | |
Spas, salons, and booth renters that want robust client retention tools | |
Solo massage therapists (most affordable option) |
How We Evaluated Salon POS & Spa Management Software
As someone who has worked reception at salons and spent about five years managing spas with up to 40 employees at each location, I know these businesses need more than just a generic POS system. In addition to considering standard POS features like affordable pricing, payment processing, reports, time tracking, retail sales, and accounting tools, I prioritized POS software that has easy booking features for both businesses and clients, including lots of customization options and an online booking website or portal.
Because there is not a lot of time to check out guests between appointments, salon and spa POS systems also need to be incredibly easy to use. We prioritized time-saving features like automated appointment confirmations, detailed client pages with purchase histories and detailed notes, and marketing automation.
We also considered specialty features like intake forms, resource management (so that spas can book appointments based on available rooms, not just available providers), no-show protection (with stored credit cards or prepayment), and SOAP notes. We also looked at CRM and marketing tools like loyalty programs, directory listings, and social media integrations so that it’s easy to bring in new clients. Finally, we also considered extra employee management tools, including tipping, commissions, break management, and booking notifications.
Based on our criteria, Square Appointments is the best salon POS. The system received the highest total score according to our rubric for salon POS systems (4.64 out of 5). Square also makes some of the best overall POS systems for small businesses. Click through each of the tabs in the box below to see our evaluation criteria in detail.
30% of Overall Score
The most important features that a salon POS system needs are efficient booking and CRM systems. I looked at whether the software provided cloud-based calendar management, automated appointment reminders, an online customer portal, and an online appointment booking capability. I also looked for their resource booking features, the availability of client intake forms, and the presence of cancellation and now-show protection policies.
20% of Overall Score
Next to appointment scheduling, checkout and sales features are crucial to a salon POS system, which is why I gave this plenty of weight. I examined whether a software provided contactless payment options, retail product selling tools, gift cards, and membership and package sales and management capabilities. Another key feature I considered is whether or not the system included employee commission tracking.
20% of Overall Score
For this criterion, I listed the following features to be key to a successful spa and salon POS software: inventory management, payroll reporting, cloud-based reporting, and employee management. The factors considered included retail and supply tracking tools, staff scheduling and permissions, and payroll reporting.
20% of Overall Score
I considered any standout features for each system, how easy to use each product is, user reviews, and whether it generally offers a good value for its price.
10% of Overall Score
I gave the most points to software that offered free individual plans and those whose team plans (five or more users) cost under $50 per month. We also prioritized systems that don’t have a cap on the number of appointments you can book and include integrated payment processing.
Spa & Salon POS Systems Compared
Square | Fresha | Vagaro | Salon Iris | MassageBook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly fee | $0 - $90 | $0 | $25 - $85 | $29 - $119 | $0 - $34.99 |
Free trial | 30-day | N/A | 30-day | 14-day | One year |
Processing fees | 2.5% - 2.6% + 10 cents | 2.19% + 20 cents* | 2.75% | Custom | 2.6% + 10 cents |
User accounts | 1 - 10 | Unlimited | 1-Unlimited | 1-Unlimited | Unlimited |
Appointments per month | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
*Additional 20% new client fee applies to clients booking from the Fresha marketplace.
Square Appointments
PROS
- Affordable and user-friendly
- Integrated payment processing with pre-payment and no-show options
- Automated messaging tools (via Square Assistant)
- Free online store and booking website
CONS
- No resource booking or management
- No integrated intake forms
- Limited customization options
- Limited phone support
| RATING CRITERIA | Appointments and CRM | 4 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Checkout and Sales | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Back Office Tools | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Pricing | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 |
Square Appointments is a cloud-based appointment booking software that is part of the larger Square system, which offers some of the best POS products for small businesses. It includes a free booking website and online store, integrated payment processing with built-in no-show protection, and automated appointment reminders with Square Assistant. All these are found in an incredibly easy-to-use software package.
Square Appointments is free for individuals, affordable for teams, and can be customized with Square’s other software solutions like Payroll and Marketing, making it the best overall POS for small salons. In our evaluation, Square Appointments earned a 4.64 out of 5. Lack of integrated intake forms and resource booking prevented it from earning a perfect score.
Square Appointments Pricing
- Monthly subscription fee: $0 for individuals, $50 for two to five employees, $90 for six to 10 employees, custom pricing for businesses requiring more than 10 employees with bookable calendars.
- Payment processing fee: Free plan is 2.6% + 10 cents per transaction. Paid plans are 2.55% + 10 cents per transaction.
- Hardware costs: Square Appointments can run on any desktop or be downloaded onto any iOS and Android smartphone and tablet. Contactless and chip card reader available for $49, and iPad stand with card reader for $169. Payment plans are available.
Square Appointments can be accessed from various devices.
(Source: Square)
Square Appointments Features
- POS: Square Appointments is an app and web-based POS that can be used on any computer or downloaded through the Apple and Google Play app stores.
- Appointments: Allow customers to book and reschedule appointments 24/7 with its online booking tools. You can maintain full control of your calendar with set business hours, block time off, and choose to manually or automatically approve each appointment request. In addition, you can manage multiple calendars, sync these with your personal calendars, and update in real time across every device.
- Square Assistant: Square Assistant is an automated messaging tool that sends appointment reminders and can respond to customers to confirm, cancel, or reschedule appointments.
- Payments: Accept credit cards, save payment methods on file, require pre-payments or deposits, collect no-show fees, and send invoices. All of these settings can be adjusted, and will then be implemented automatically on your online booking page.
- Retail sales: Create and manage a product catalog, track stock levels, sell retail products in-store and online, and attribute sales to employees for commission with this feature.
- Marketing and client retention: Create customer profiles containing contact and payment data, view appointments and purchase histories, and add custom notes. You can also link your software to Square Marketing to create sophisticated email campaigns or add-on Square Loyalty to make automated points-based loyalty programs.
- Employee scheduling and tracking: Adjust schedules, appointment types, and bookable hours for each employee. When an appointment is checked out, the sale is automatically tied to the employee’s profile for easy payroll and commission reporting.
- Square Dashboard: Add staff members and set access levels, track employee sales, manage multiple locations, and view reports. Use the Dashboard to manage retail and inventory items, set up an online store, and manage any add-ons like payroll, email marketing, and loyalty programs.
Vagaro
PROS
- Has integrated intake forms and waivers
- Resource booking options
- Can design and sell memberships with autopay
- Has a free trial
CONS
- Expensive payment processing fees
- Very basic reporting tools
- Can be slow and glitchy
| RATING CRITERIA | Appointments and CRM | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Checkout and Sales | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Back Office Tools | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Pricing | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 |
Vagaro is a cloud-based POS for spas, salons, and fitness businesses. It manages client memberships and recurring billing, has a drag-and-drop appointment calendar, and offers tools to manage product sales, inventory, and resource booking. Notably, Vagaro has integrated customizable intake forms and waivers, making it the best option for businesses needing that functionality.
In our evaluation, Vagaro earned a 4.5 out of 5, with perfect marks for appointment booking and checkout tools. It also has new features like contactless checkouts, a dual-screen for customer-facing display at checkout, and the ability to live-stream classes and consultations. A higher price point prevented Vagro from earning a higher score.
Vagaro Pricing
- Monthly subscription fee: $25–$85 per month depending on how many employees require their own calendar. Every plan includes the same features.
- Payment processing fee: 2.75% per swipe, dip, or contactless payment. 3.5% + 15 cents for keyed-in payments. Discount options available for high-volume merchants.
- Card reader hardware costs: Free chip, tap, and swipe card reader with each account. Dock available for $39.
- POS hardware costs: Countertop terminal bundles with touch-screen monitor available from $613–$952.
Vagaro’s complete computer EMV POS system
(Source: Vagaro)
Vagaro Features
- POS: Use Vagaro’s cloud-based software to track sales, employee performance, customer information, stock, and process payroll.
- Appointments: Clients can book through Yelp, Facebook, Vagaro (website or app), or your business website, as well as create a custom booking website or integrate a booking widget into your existing one. In addition, you can set lead times required for appointments, break times needed in between sessions, and types of services each employee can offer.
- Client management: Vagaro stores data for every customer—including service and product purchase histories, contact information, notes, payment information, and gift cards. You can also set up memberships or packages and automatically bill customers, while customers can view their accounts and the list of available services.
- Intake forms and charting: Add SOAP notes to each appointment and create custom forms for clients to fill out whenever they book. These forms can be liability waivers, surveys, or anything else you want them to be, and they’ll automatically save to a client’s profile.
- Retail features: Sell products in-store and online, track inventory, and submit purchase orders. Integrated options for shipping, buying online, and pick up in-store are also available.
- Marketing and client retention: These features include automated email and text marketing, daily deal promotions, and the ability to build a website and branded app. You can also utilize its marketing tools to create loyalty and membership programs.
- Employee scheduling and tracking: Set employee logins and permissions, determine commission structures, run payroll right in the software, and integrate with Gusto and other HR tools.
- Reporting: The reporting dashboard is accessible from any device and shows inventory, employee clock in/out, commission reports, and payroll. Vagaro offers limited data-keeping tools on customers.
Fresha
PROS
- Free software
- Low processing fees with no-show protection
- Easy to implement and use
- Automated appointment reminders with unlimited SMS messaging
CONS
- Charges a 20% new-client fee when booked through the Fresha Marketplace
- No intake forms
- Limited customization options
- Customer support can be slow to respond
| RATING CRITERIA | Appointments and CRM | 4.5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Checkout and Sales | 4 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Back Office Tools | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Pricing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
Fresha (formerly Shedul) is a free POS system that’s built specifically for salons and spas. This simple, flexible booking and payment processing software includes full retail sales capabilities, inventory tracking, analytics, and marketing tools. Unlike Square, which is free only for individuals, Fresha is free for unlimited team members.
In our evaluation, Fresha earned a 4.4 out of 5. A really low price point, user-friendly interface, customer-facing business directory, and detailed booking features earned the system a high score. A lack of integrated intake forms, payroll reporting, and gift card management prevented Fresha from earning a perfect mark.
Fresha Pricing
- Monthly subscription fee: $0. Fresha has two plans: Fresha and Fresha Plus. Both are no-cost subscriptions. The difference is that Fresha Plus includes payment processing, appointment reminders, and a listing in the customer-facing Fresha marketplace.
- New-client fee: Appointments booked through the Fresha marketplace have a 20% new-client fee. This does not apply to repeat customers or customers that book directly through your website or social page.
- Payment processing fee: 2.19% + 20 cents per transaction.
- Hardware costs: Verifone v400m or Verifone e286 wireless card terminals with contactless payments are available. Contact the Fresha sales team for pricing details.
Navigate Fresha’s features with ease from a single dashboard.
(Source: Fresha)
Fresha Features
- POS: Fresha is a cloud-based system that can be used across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. You can download the Fresha mobile business app from the App Store and Google Play.
- Appointments: Clients can book 24/7 through your website, the Fresha marketplace, Instagram, Facebook, and Google. You can also view and manage appointments through a simple dashboard where you can drag and drop to reschedule.
- Appointment reminders: Send automatic appointment reminders and receive notifications for canceled and rescheduled appointments.
- Retail features: Attach bar code scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers to create a full retail set-up. You can also track product inventory (for both retail sales and professional use) and submit orders to suppliers.
- Marketing and client retention: Create personalized and targeted campaigns with customizable message templates and auto-sends for birthday messages, overdue clients, VIP customers, and more. You can also gain new customers through listings on the Fresha marketplace, which is a customer-facing app.
- Team management: Create unlimited employee logins and calendars, manage staff schedules, view actual clock-in and off-hours, create a staff directory, and assign custom permissions for each staff member.
- Reporting: View live reports on performance and financials on your dashboard.
Salon Iris
PROS
- Resource booking tools
- Walk-in kiosk options
- Robust scheduling features
- Easy to learn (includes training videos)
CONS
- Outdated and clunky interface
- Pricey for individual therapists
- Payment processing requires a separate application and integration
- Only works on Mac with Boot Camp or other Windows emulators
| RATING CRITERIA | Appointments and CRM | 4 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Checkout and Sales | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Back Office Tools | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Pricing | 3.13 | OUT OF | 5 |
Salon Iris is one of the leading salon POS systems in the market because it offers salon-specific features. Appointment scheduling and reminders, online booking, resource management, and social media booking all come standard to the app. Plus, you can collect customer satisfaction surveys, manage online reviews in one place, and analyze results in a reporting dashboard to pinpoint trends and identify opportunities for client retention.
Additional reports and an integrated payment processor make this a good, all-in-one solution for any salon worker or owner and one of the most popular salon POS systems on the market. In our evaluation, Salon Iris earned a 4.26 out of 5. Most of the necessary features are available in Salon Iris. However, the program is expensive and has a somewhat clunky or complex interface.
Salon Iris Pricing
- Monthly subscription fee: $29 to $109. Locally installed and license-based pricing also available.
- Payment processing fee: Salon Iris integrates with Card Connect, which requires a separate application. Card Connect rates vary.
- Hardware costs: Run Salon Iris on a Windows PC or Mac with a Windows emulator. Salon Iris also offers an all-in-one terminal with a touch-screen monitor and cash drawer.
Salon Iris’ all-in-one front desk solution
(Source: Salon Iris)
Salon Iris Features
- POS: Cloud-based Windows POS lets you track appointments, sales, taxes, clients, and more. You can also connect accounting software like QuickBooks and manage your online booking site.
- Appointments: Each account comes with a customizable landing page with online booking and a client portal for customers to manage appointments. You can also send automated text and email appointment reminders, color code appointment types, manage multiple employee calendars, and easily drag and drop appointments to reschedule.
- Retail features: Track inventory levels with options for low-stock alerts and automated reorders. This feature also lets you connect to a bar code scanner.
- Marketing and client retention: Manage your online reputation, collect customer satisfaction surveys and analyze results in a reporting dashboard, and view and manage online reviews. You can also create automated email marketing campaigns with professionally designed templates and send SMS marketing messages.
- Employee scheduling and tracking: Create individual employee logins with customized permission settings, set up schedules in minutes, track times off, set up hourly wages and commission settings, and run payroll reports.
- Reporting: View over 200 real-time reports in the Salon Iris dashboard.
MassageBook
PROS
- Offers a free plan, plus discounts for AMTA and ABMP members
- Walk-in kiosk options
- Integrated SOAP notes and intake forms
- Outcall booking options
CONS
- Best for individuals, not storefront spas and salons
- Very limited customization options
- No product or inventory management capabilities
- No loyalty program
| RATING CRITERIA | Appointments and CRM | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Checkout and Sales | 3 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Back Office Tools | 1.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Pricing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
MassageBook is cloud-based client management and appointment booking software designed for massage therapists operating as solo providers. It focuses on client scheduling and management but also has integrated payment processing and tools to build a website.
There are free plan options and discounts for massage therapists who belong to American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP). This makes it an excellent option for new massage therapists looking to build out their practice.
In our evaluation, MassageBook earned a 3.79 out of 5. It has very few back-office tools, like no inventory, employee, commission, or product tracking. However, the incredibly low price point and detailed booking tools make it a great option for solo provider massage therapists.
MassageBook Pricing
- Monthly subscription fee: $0 to $34.99; members of AMTA receive 25% off, while ABMP members receive 15% off.
- Payment processing: MassageBook integrates with Square and Stripe for integrated payment processing. Square rates are 2.6% + 10 cents per swipe/dip/tap and 3.5% + 0.15 cents for manually entered cards. Stripe rates are 2.75% per swipe/dip/tap and 2.9% + 0.30 cents for manually entered transactions.
- Hardware: Browser-based software works on any tablet and computer, so no specific hardware is required. However, you can purchase chip and contactless card readers independently, if needed.
MassageBook helps simplify bookings for you and your clients.
(Source: MassageBook)
MassageBook Features
- POS: Browser-based software includes appointment scheduling, online booking, marketing tools, SOAP appointment notes, memberships, client database, free directory listing, client intake forms, and a free website. This software is best for solo providers, which is reflected in the features below.
- Appointments: Clients can book appointments, purchase services, and reschedule bookings online. They can set up recurring or repeat appointments according to different patterns—like weekly or biweekly. Employees can also log in anywhere to check their appointments and schedules. Some versions sync with Google Calendar.
- Marketing and client retention: Set up a client database, send out targeted emails and promotions, and send automated SMS and email appointment reminders. You can also sell and manage membership packages and gift cards, as well as manage online reviews, set up a directory listing, and connect to Facebook.
- Availability management: MassageBook is designed specifically for the physically demanding work of massage therapists. You can set the number of massage hours or appointments that your staff can handle in one day, so MassageBook will automatically stop accepting appointments after meeting the maximum number of hours or appointments. This software is designed to accommodate bookings in multiple locations, including outcall scenarios.
Bottom Line
A spa or salon POS system should combine the most-needed features of any salon owner, stylist, and service provider such as scheduling, online booking, client and product management, and payment processing. You have plenty of options when it comes to cost, as there are free salon POS solutions and pricier programs that offer more robust reporting and reputation management tools.
Square Appointments offers a great value with an affordably priced, user-friendly software that is ideal in a variety of spa and salon settings. The software lets users manage appointments and transactions, set up a sleek online booking website and store, and automate marketing and client retention features. Visit Square to try Appointments for free.
Vanessa Doctor contributed to this article.
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