The best salon software assists business owners in managing employees, customers, and other aspects of salon business operations. Top providers like Mangomint and Vagaro use booking management, service package automation, and other advanced features to unburden hairstylists, hairdressers, and cosmetologists of administrative tasks.
These capabilities improve operational efficiency, staff productivity, and salon business profitability. Based on our evaluation, we’ve identified the eight best salon software for small businesses.
- Mangomint: Best easy-to-use salon software
- Vagaro: Best for revenue management
- Fresha: Best free salon software
- GlossGenius: Best for appointment booking customization
- Bitrix24: Best for customer relationship management
- Square Appointments: Best POS for multiservice salons
- Schedulicity: Best for automated reminders
- Phorest: Best for client loyalty programs
- Best Salon Software for Small Businesses Compared
- Mangomint: Best Easy-to-Use Salon Software
- Vagaro: Best for Revenue Management
- Fresha: Best Free Salon Software
- GlossGenius: Best for Appointment Booking Customization
- Bitrix24: Best for Customer Relationship Management
- Square Appointments: Best POS for Multiservice Salons
- Schedulicity: Best for Automated Reminders
- Phorest: Best for Client Loyalty Programs
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Bottom Line
Best Salon Software for Small Businesses Compared
| Provider | Starting Monthly PriceBased on annual billing on a per-month basis; monthly billing is available at slightly higher rates, unless otherwise specified. | Free Plan | Our Rating out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $165 for 2 to 10 salon service workers or providers | ✕ 30-day free trial | 4.49 |
| Visit Mangomint | |||
 | $30 for 1 bookable calendar | ✕ 30-day free trial | 4.38 |
| Visit Vagaro | |||
 | Free | ✔ | 4.35 |
| Visit Fresha | |||
 | $24 | ✕ 14-day free trial
| 4.32 |
| Visit GlossGenius | |||
 | $49 For 5 users | ✔ For unlimited users | 4.20 |
| Visit Bitrix24 | |||
 | $29 per locationProcessing fees start at 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction. | ✔ For a single location | 4.07 |
| Visit Square Appointments | |||
 | $34.99 per user | ✕ 14-day free trial | 3.82 |
| Visit Schedulicity | |||
 | Contact provider | ✕ Free demo | 3.79 |
| Visit Phorest | |||
Mangomint: Best Easy-to-Use Salon Software
Mangomint Pricing Plans*
Cost:
- $165 per month for two to 10 service providers
Key Features:
- Calendar and scheduling
- Client management
- Online booking
- Staff management
- Gift cards and packages
- Mobile apps and Gift Up integrationGift Up enables you to sell customizable gift cards on your salon website and track usage and sales within MangoMint automatically.
- Reporting and retail inventory
- Multilocation
- Payments and point-of-sale (POS)
- Standard data import
Mangomint Pricing Add-ons:
- Integrated formsCollect and organize important client data, treatment notes, and more. : $50 per month (plus $25 per additional location)
- Two-way textingCommunicate with clients and manage conversations all in one place. : $75 per month (plus $25 per additional location)
- Payroll processingMake payday easy with built-in payroll processing. : $50 per month (plus $8 per worker)
- Shopify integrationFor Standard plan subscribers only; not available for Essentials plan subscribers. : $50 per month
- Web hooksSend event data from MangoMint to other third-party applications to trigger sequences and workflows. This add-on integration is only available with Standard and Unlimited plans. : $50 per month
- Mailchimp integrationThis email marketing integration keeps your contacts in sync so you can run automatic email campaigns based on client data (included in Standard and Unlimited plans). : $25 per month
- WaiverForever integrationThis easy-to-use tool creates waivers and client intake forms (included in Standard and Unlimited plans). : $25 per month
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Mangomint offers a 30-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
The Mangomint sales and checkout dashboard (Source: Mangomint) 
An online booking interface on a salon website supported by Mangomint (Source: Mangomint) 
Clients can upload inspirational photos for desired hairstyles or services when booking online. (Source: Mangomint)
Our Expert Opinion
Mangomint is our top choice for easy-to-use software because of its highly intuitive interface and smart automation features, simplifying complex routine tasks in your salon business. Most importantly, users don’t need to create a Mangomint account to access the app. Salon, beauty, parlor, and spa owners can use this industry-specific software to process payroll, client bookings, and other tasks, streamlining business operations.
Vagaro: Best for Revenue Management
Vagaro Pricing Plans*
One Location
Cost:
- Starting at $30 per month for one bookable calendar
Key Features:
- Create, send, and manage invoices including rent collection
- Sell memberships, packages, and gift certificates
- Create and manage customer loyalty programs
- Customizable calendar with waitlist and resource management
- Online booking on Vagaro, Instagram, Facebook, and Apple Maps
- Business and employee booking widget
- Automated notifications and appointment reminders
- Free listing with unlimited daily bookings on the Vagaro Marketplace
- 1,000 free email marketing messages each month
- 24/7 live phone, email, and chat support with free training
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Enterprise business software for multiple locations is also available at a custom price. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Vagaro reports showing income generated from salon rental (Source: Vagaro) 
The Vagaro AI creates compelling revenue-generating campaigns. (Source: Vagaro)
Our Expert Opinion
Vagaro is our top choice for revenue management because salon business owners can facilitate the rent and fee collection process more easily. You can also create loyalty programs for your salon via memberships and gifts. Moreover, Vagaro offers AI and customization tools, which can help improve your operational efficiency and branding.
Fresha: Best Free Salon Software
Fresha Pricing Plans*
Free
Cost:
- $0
Key Features:
- Unlimited appointment bookings
- Unlimited team members
- Unlimited locations
- Unlimited clients and email notifications
- Unlimited product inventory
- Unlimited reporting and much more
Add-ons:
- PaymentsFor card processing and in-person or contactless tap to pay. : Start at 10 cents per transaction
- Marketplace bookingsA one-time fee applies to new clients who discover your business via the Fresha marketplace. : 20% one-time commission (minimum fee of $6 per client applies)
- CommunicationsUnlimited emails and in-app automated notifications like appointment reminders, cancellation notifications, and thank you messages. : 2 cents per text (Automated notifications include 20 free monthly texts, unlimited emails, and in-app notifications); blast campaigns (engage clients with cost-effective promotional texts and emails and track campaigns)
- InsightsEnhance reports with rich data, control user access, and make more profitable decisions for your salon business. : $9.95 per team member monthly
- Team paySimplify payroll with commissions, wages, timesheets, and automated pay functionality. : $7.95 per team member monthly
- Google rating boostPrompt clients to leave a Google review after a positive experience. : $14.95 per location monthly
*Pricing for add-ons is based on monthly billing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
A Fresha birthday email greeting (Source: Fresha) 
The Fresha dashboard with salon services booked on a calendar view (Source: Fresha) 
Online booking in the Fresha app (Source: Fresha)
Our Expert Opinion
Fresha is the most affordable software for salon small businesses and independent hairstylists, hairdressers, and cosmetologists. It comes with unlimited appointment bookings, reporting, client notifications, and other core salon-related features—all for free. If you want to add more functionality to your salon software, you can choose any optional features such as payments for card processing and marketplace bookings.
GlossGenius: Best for Appointment Booking Customization
GlossGenius Pricing Plans*
Cost:
- $24 per month for unlimited team members
Key Features:
- Customizable website
- Easy, 24/7 online booking
- Built-in payment processingFlat 2.6% processing rate.
- Unlimited appointment reminders
- Free same-day business transfers
- Free data transfer service, training, and setup
- Free email marketing
- Access from any device (mobile, tablet, or desktop)
- Client management and inventory management
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the plans. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. GlossGenius offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
GlossGenius’s custom website builder for online bookings (Source: GlossGenius) 
GlossGenius’s custom portfolio for salons (Source: GlossGenius) 
GlossGenius waivers integrate with the online salon appointment booking feature. (Source: GlossGenius) 
GlossGenius’s custom salon website builders adapt to mobile screens and tablets. (Source: GlossGenius)
Our Expert Opinion
GlossGenius is our best salon software for customizing online appointment booking with its custom website builder, forms, and waivers. You can create custom portfolios, team member profiles, services, and contact pages on your salon website.
GlossGenius provides curated themes that you can choose from to elevate your salon brand without any design experience needed. Plus, you gain peace of mind about your cash flow with its no-show protection feature.
Bitrix24: Best for Customer Relationship Management
Bitrix24 Pricing Plans*
Cost:
- $0 for unlimited users
Key Features:
- Chat, email, and video call clients and employees
- Select a meeting room for calendar events
- Customizable pipeline
- Visual website builder with a site template for a salon
- View your team’s calendar and choose available slots for meetings
- Instant synchronization Google Calendar, Apple iCloud, Microsoft Office 365
- Calendar access permissions and custom fields on user profiles
- AI CoPilot for creating and summarizing tasks and more
- Unlimited deals and contacts with sales intelligence for customer journey tracking
- Product catalog inside CRM
Bitrix24 Pricing Add-ons:
- Landline calling: Starts at .005 cents per minute
- Rent a local US or UK number: $4 to $11 per month
- Rent a toll-free number: $6 per month
- Rent a session-initiated protocol (SIP) connector: $49 per month
- Call transcription: 5 cents per minute
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the plans. Monthly billing and enterprise plans are available for a higher cost. Bitrix24 offers a 15-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Bitrix24’s website builder for salons (Source: Bitrix24) 
Bitrix24’s Kanban boards on desktop and mobile app view (Source: Bitrix24)
Our Expert Opinion
Bitrix24 is our top pick for customer relationship management because of its advanced features, including collaboration, sales intelligence, and project management for sales, marketing, and customer support. If you are looking for robust salon software, this CRM can help you manage your appointments, events, and tasks on your calendar. Moreover, Bitrix24 has a dedicated site template for salons and highly customizable pipelines for branding and sales.
Square Appointments: Best POS for Multiservice Salons
Square Appointments Pricing Plans*
Cost:
- $0 for a single location
Key Features:
- Send professional invoices
- Next-business-day, same-day, and instant transfers
- “Tap to Pay” on iPhone and Android can take payments with just your phone
- Add and view as many staff calendars without an employee limit
- Square Assistant helps clients confirm, reschedule, or cancel appointments
- Create and customize a booking website
- Booking integrations for websitesAdd a Book Now button to your website, create a QR code for a contactless booking option, or embed a booking widget into your existing website.
- Sales reports and stock counts with alerts
- Automated marketing campaigns
- Instagram, Facebook, and Google integrationsYou can add a Book Now button to your Instagram account, Facebook page, or Google Business Profile.
Square Appointments Pricing Add-ons:
- Square OnlineSell, take bookings, and show off your services online. : Pay the Square processing fee of 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction when you make a sale (discounted processing on the paid Premium plan).
- Square InvoicesSend digital invoices and estimates, accept payments, and send reminders. : Start at 2.9% plus 30 cents per online card payment (1% with a maximum fee of $10 per online Automated Clearing House or ACH payment)
- Square MarketingStay connected to customers with automated email and text message marketing campaigns. : Starts at $15 per month
- Square LoyaltyKeep clients coming back with an easy-to-use rewards program. : Starts at $45 per month, per location for 0-500 loyalty visits
- Square PayrollPay employees faster, automate your tax filings and offer benefits all in one place. : Starts at $6 per person paid, monthly
- Square Gift CardsBring in new clients with custom digital or physical gift cards. : Starts at 50 cents per physical card
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Square offers subscription services where you are billed monthly or annually for all active paid services. Processing fees apply starting at 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Square Appointments in-person contactless payment (Source: Square Appointments) 
Adding location details for multiple branches in Square Appointments (Source: Square Appointments)
Our Expert Opinion
Square Appointments is the best salon software provider with POS for multiservice locations. It enables clients to make contactless payments through digital wallets, iPhone devices, and credit or debit cards. It has a free plan for one location, making it suitable for startups. As you grow your salon business, you can set Square Appointments in multiple branches, allowing you to manage your staff, calendar, and online bookings on a centralized platform.
Schedulicity: Best for Automated Reminders
Schedulicity Pricing Plans*
Unlimited Plan
Cost:
- $34.99 per month for one provider
Key Features:
- Appointment text reminders and confirmation emails for clients
- Online booking and calendar management
- Customizable, automated email marketing tools
- Built-in payment processing with one low processing rate
- Deposits and prepayment options
- Personalized policies and client notes
- Sales tools, including customizable discounts and Fill My Book
- Autobilling and package management
- Unlimited phone and email support
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Unlimited plans for additional providers are available, ranging from $44.99 to $94.99. Schedulicity offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Schedulicity’s dashboard for client profiles (Source: Schedulicity) 
Schedulicity’s client text message reminder opt-in (Source: YouTube) 
Schedulicity appointment confirmation text (Source: Instagram)
Our Expert Opinion
Schedulicity is the winner in automated reminders in this list of the best salon software. You can send clients email and text message reminders and confirmations automatically. If you have additional information for clients, you can easily include that in client notification emails and attach a link to custom forms that you have on your salon website.
Phorest: Best for Client Loyalty Programs
Phorest Pricing Plan & Overview*
Cost:
- Contact provider
- SMS rates at 5 cents per message
Key Features:
- Automated email and SMS alerts and review requests
- Scheduling and online bookings with deposits
- Boost retail sales with “Expert Recommendations” via SMSExpert Recommendations enable your salon workers to send personalized retail product recommendations to customers via SMS.
- Sell gift cards online
- The marketing suite is updated monthly with new templates and free imagery
- Staff rostering and management
- Smart POS and cardless checkout with stored card details
- Inventory management
- Our advanced reporting suite and video consultations
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the plans. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Schedulicity offers a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
Phorest’s loyalty TreatCard earns points. (Source: Phorest) 
Phorest’s Staff Goals feature shows the status of employee goals. (Source: Phorest)
Our Expert Opinion
Phorest is the winner in client loyalty programs on this list of the best salon software providers. With its loyalty card, TreatCard, customers are enticed to avail themselves of more of your salon services to earn points and get more discounts. Phorest Chat further enhances customer loyalty by having personalized customer conversations through text messaging.
How We Evaluated the Best Salon Software for Small Business
To choose a CRM system for software for salons, we looked at attributes relevant to this business niche, including client and employee management tools. We carefully assessed the payment processing, appointment scheduling, and other priority features for streamlining salon operations. Lastly, we evaluated general product characteristics such as price, ease of use, and customer support. Our evaluation process offers insights into the best salon software to improve operations and grow your business.
We looked at overall features we feel are necessities in salon software for small businesses, like features for client and lead management and email and text message marketing. We also looked into each system’s payment processing, dashboard reporting, and appointment scheduling tools. Aside from these, we also evaluated the software integrations and mobile app features.
Pricing took into account free salon software plan availability and various scalable pricing options that a beauty parlor or salon business could purchase affordably to customize its system. We also looked at the option to either pay monthly or save by paying annually.
We evaluated niche features specifically for salon management. The specific advanced features we reviewed include inventory management and employee management tools. We also assessed the availability and scalability features of the top salon software, especially its POS and loyalty programs. These capabilities are essential for seamless and secure salon business operations, which include customer service, marketing, and sales.
The solutions were also evaluated on platform usability. This was analyzed according to the expertise required to set up an account, the ease of integrating with native or third-party CRM applications, and the skill needed to use the features. We also reviewed the overall intuitiveness of navigating the system’s interface and customizing the software to the user’s needs.
Extensive support and service help prevent poor user experiences that users may encounter while using these salon software solutions. Help and support were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of support via phone, live chat, and email. This is also a crucial consideration when evaluating the best CRM for small businesses like salons and spas.
In addition to firsthand experience with these software systems, we evaluated what users say about each product. These criteria consider how customers feel based on their reviews to gain insight into platform popularity, ease of use, and overall value for the price.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Salon software streamlines your day-to-day operations, from client and employee management to payment processing and brand website and online store development. It is equipped with automated features to help salon managers and employees save time and effort on routine administrative tasks. This helps them focus more on servicing their clients and boost revenue for the business.
The key features to look for in salon management software include online booking and calendar and email sync for appointment scheduling and client interactions. It is also important to consider features for payment processing, invoicing, loyalty programs, gift management, renter collection tools, and digital contracts for revenue management. The best salon software has payroll processing, marketing tools, and incentive program features for employees.
Hairdressers can use salon software to acquire more clients and establish good relationships with existing ones for higher income. You can sync your calendar, email, messaging, and other existing tools you use on a centralized platform. You could also create your very own online booking system shareable on your social media and embeddable in your website.
Bottom Line
The best salon software can help hairstylists and hairdressers offer packaged services online via their business websites and social media. It enables salon owners to process payments, manage suppliers, and more. It also improves customer experiences, allowing them to book salon appointments and generate vouchers as gifts. While Vagaro is our top salon software, the best system for you depends on your unique business needs.
