Best picks · US edition
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Salons need more than a booking link: no-show protection, card payments at the chair, and ideally a way for new clients to find you. The big decision is whether to use a marketplace (Fresha, Booksy, Vagaro) for new clients or keep costs flat with a payments-led tool like Square.
Prices as ofUSD as published
Best all-in-one for salons and spas
Vagaro
Salon suite with marketplace, payroll and forms; $30 a month for one calendar plus $10 per extra, up to $90.
- Free plan
- No
- Entry price
- From $30 per month
Best for salons that want new clients from a marketplace
Fresha
Full salon suite; $19.95 Independent or $14.95 per team member, plus 20% on new marketplace clients.
- Free plan
- No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free)
- Entry price
- From $14.95 per bookable team member/month
Best for salons already on Square
Square Appointments
Payments, POS and no-show fees built in; US prices not captured yet.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK)
- Entry price
- US prices for Square Appointments weren't captured in this research pass. Check squareup.com before you choose.
Best for barbers
Booksy
Barber-focused marketplace; US prices not captured yet.
- Free plan
- No (trial)
- Entry price
- Booksy's US prices weren't captured in this research pass.
Best for independent stylists selling packages
Acuity Scheduling
Packages, memberships, gift cards and payments.
- Free plan
- No (7-day free trial)
- Entry price
- From $16 per month (annual billing)
Best flexible option without a marketplace fee
SimplyBook.me
POS, SMS and WhatsApp reminders and a free plan.
- Free plan
- Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider
- Entry price
- From $11.90 per month (annual billing)
How we chose
We compared every tool we track against these criteria, using each vendor's published prices and features as of November 2, 2026. We haven't run hands-on tests of every tool for this edition; see the methodology.
- Salon features: payments, no-show protection, staff calendars
- Total cost including marketplace and card fees, not just the subscription
- Ability to bring in new clients
- Local pricing published by the vendor
Side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry price | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service businesses: coaches, therapists, salons and studios | No (7-day free trial) | From $16 per month (annual billing) | Review · Visit site | |
| Barbers and beauty professionals | No (trial) | Booksy's US prices weren't captured in this research pass. | Visit site | |
| Salons, barbers and spas, especially in the UK | No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free) | From $14.95 per bookable team member/month | Review · Visit site | |
| Service businesses such as salons, clinics, tutors and fitness; EU-friendly | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | From $11.90 per month (annual billing) | Review · Visit site | |
| Salons, barbers, spas and any business taking card payments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | US prices for Square Appointments weren't captured in this research pass. Check squareup.com before you choose. | Review · Visit site | |
| US salons, spas and fitness businesses | No | From $30 per month | Visit site |
Features at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Payments | SMS reminders | HIPAA option | Teams | AI features | Marketplace | Video calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vagaro | No | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | Priced per calendar | Not checked | Vagaro marketplace | Not checked |
| Fresha | No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free) | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | Priced per bookable member | AI Concierge add-on | Fresha marketplace (20% new-client fee) | Not checked |
| Square Appointments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | Square payments (built in) | Not checked | Not checked | Unlimited staff on Free (1 location) | Not checked | Reserve with Google | Not checked |
| Booksy | No (trial) | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | +£5 per extra staff (UK) | Not checked | Booksy marketplace (Boost optional) | Not checked |
| Acuity Scheduling | No (7-day free trial) | Stripe, Square, PayPal | From Standard | BAA on Premium | Calendars by plan (1, 6, 36) | AI Booking Assistant (Premium) | No | Zoom |
| SimplyBook.me | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | Stripe, PayPal; POS | SMS and WhatsApp | Standard and above | Providers by plan | Not checked | No | Zoom |
'Not checked' means our research didn't confirm the feature either way; it doesn't mean the tool lacks it. Features are from vendor pricing pages and documentation as recorded on November 2, 2026.
Questions people ask
How much does Fresha charge salons?
A one-off 20% fee on new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace, plus payment processing fees and the subscription.
What's the cheapest salon scheduling software?
Setmore and SimplyBook.me have free plans, and Square offers a free tier. Among paid salon suites, Vagaro starts at $30 a month for one calendar.
Related
Sources
Prices and features as recorded on November 2, 2026 from these pages (research pass 26 October to 2 November 2026). Prices change: check the vendor's page before you buy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- Vagaro: https://www.vagaro.com/pro/pricing
- Fresha: https://www.fresha.com/en-GB/pricing
- Fresha: https://theaitill.com/tools/fresha
- Square Appointments: https://squareup.com/gb/en/appointments/pricing
- Booksy: https://biz.booksy.com/en-gb/pricing
- Acuity Scheduling: https://acuityscheduling.com/pricing
- SimplyBook.me: https://simplybook.me/en/pricing