I remember when I first graduated with my cosmetology license — in formula terms, I was equal parts excited and terrified. I wasn’t just responsible for creating stunning hair, now I was also fully in charge of scheduling clients, keeping track of appointments, managing payments, handling retail sales, and remembering important client notes — a lot, I know.
For new stylists or salon owners, this can quickly become overwhelming, which is why having a user-friendly, well-designed salon/client management software can make all the difference — it helps you stay organized, gives clients an easy and professional booking experience, and frees you up to focus on the artistry — rather than paperwork.
If I were to make any recommendations to my past self, it would be to find a software system that balances simplicity, affordability, and essential features (booking, payments, reminders). Below are my top picks that I feel like best fit this criteria as well as a recommendation for when you’re ready to scale your efforts or if you want a software system with more advanced tools.
Making a good first impression as a new stylist is very important, and the right software can get you started on the right foot.
GlossGenius
What is GlossGenius?
GlossGenius started as a booking site geared toward solo artists, but has expanded into a platform that works for businesses as well. They have 3 tiered subscription options (standard, gold, platinum) based on what your business needs.
One of my favorite parts of GlossGenius is the aesthetic — like it or not, appearances are highly important in the beauty industry, and from both a user and consumer perspective this platform is sleek and modern.
Affordability — their standard subscription starts as low as $24 a month, which makes it a great option for beginner stylists, or stylists who work from home.
Features — they have all of the basic features I feel are essential when starting your career, such as a semicustomizable calendar, automated appointment reminders/confirmation, and a POS system for taking payments.
Things to keep in mind… as you grow your business, you will likely outgrow their features because they are more limited to solo stylists or small businesses. Also, you can pay for their marketing features in the higher tiers, but they do not have any marketing included in the standard package, which is a downside. In the beginning, stylists need all the marketing tools we can get.
Summary: GlossGenius is a fantastic “starter kit” for independent stylists and beginners, but as you grow, you will probably want to look for something with more advanced features.
Vagaro
What is Vagaro?
Vagaro has long been considered the value brand of booking sites, and its affordability is why it is so popular. I love this option, because similar to GlossGenius, it helps cater to stylists with a lower budget. For a solo stylist, it starts at $23.99 a month and increases depending on the number of stylists or locations you have.
What makes Vagaro a great option? My favorite perk of using Vagaro is that no matter the plan you sign up for, you will have access to market yourself through their consumer webpage or app by listing you or your salon to be found when searched — and they charge no commission off of bookings. They also have those necessary tools; calendar, auto reminders, and POS.
The downside of Vagaro is as you want to add more than just the very basic tools, it can start to feel frustrating because of the extra hidden fees. It also tends to have the occasional glitch, which may be due to how widespread their business is. But in my experience, it’s never been so severe that it would be a deal breaker for me.
Summary: Vagaro does really well at covering the basics and is a great low cost option for beginners or even small salons, but as you level up in your career, I would consider other alternatives.
Square Appointments
What is Square Appointments?
Square became a very popular payment method in small businesses. With that success, they decided to create Square Appointments to help these businesses manage payments and appointments all in one place. When it was originally created, it wasn’t very functional for salons, but as it has grown, they have worked to improve its function for hairstylists.
The biggest pro for Square Appointments is that their base level software is free — how do you beat free as a new stylist? Also, if you have any experience with Square as a method of taking payments, many people feel that the transition to the appointment software is seamless.
Square is great at taking payments, however, they do have higher processing fees than most competitors and their software and tools are super basic.
Summary: I would only really recommend Square Appointments to newly graduated cosmetologists or stylists that have used Square as a payment method. You are going to want to upgrade your software pretty quickly, and there are affordable base options out there that offer more.
Fresha
What is Fresha?
Fresha is an online booking software designed to support businesses in the beauty, wellness, and selfcare industries. With multiple price points, it caters to beginners, solo stylists, and even multi-chair salons.
I like Fresha from a consumer perspective — scheduling an appointment is simple, and they have access 24/7. Their subscriptions start as low as $19.95 if you are a solo stylist, which makes it very affordable, and you have all the basic software required for keeping your books organized; unlimited calendar space, POS, client notes, automated reminders, etc. They even have marketing options similar to Vagaro through their online platform.
While I love Fresha for solo stylists, I think it tends to lack some advanced software for multi-location businesses, or large salons looking to continue to grow, such as analytical reports for tracking success or failures in business. They also charge a one-time commission fee of 20% of the service if a new client discovers you through their marketplace. Similar to most affordable software systems, it only allows you to semi-customize, often leaving you at the mercy of their predetermined templates.
Summary: Fresha is a great “starter” option and is user-friendly for clients, which is important for making a good impression. But if you are struggling to fill your books and need extra marketing, I would choose Vagaro over Fresha because there is no commission fee. If you have big dreams to own a large salon, you will likely reach a point where you have outgrown Fresha, and you will want something with deep-level business support.
Boulevard
What is Boulevard?
Boulevard is built specifically for salons, medspas, and similar services that are already very established, and need a system to support running the day-to-day of their business(s) while helping them to continue to grow. It is currently my favorite software for the most advanced business support. In the future, when you are ready to leverage some amazing tools to grow your business, I would absolutely consider Boulevard.
This is really the definition of “you get what you pay for” — it’s a higher price point starting at $158 a month, but has all the bells and whistles. I love the calendar — it’s easy to use and super customizable, which as a stylist, I really appreciate. We all have a different work flow, and when you are busy enough that you are doubling up on client bookings, you really want to make sure it’s done correctly.
The software for staff support is incredible — if you are managing a large staff and multiple locations, they have tools for scheduling, tracking commission from product sales, a time clock if you have hourly employees, and a way to easily keep track of staff information.
Aesthetic – not only is it highly functional, but it has a very modern and high-end look that makes it appealing to clients.
Last, but not least, Growth Support: If you’re an already successful business but you’re wanting to keep that momentum rolling, they have so many tools to support that. They have reports that will track performance and help identify areas that need improvement, profit and loss estimators, automated marketing options, and so much more.
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The only real con for me on this one is the high price point, but it’s not meant for everyone, and that’s okay. This type of software would be over-kill for a solo stylist or a very small salon.
Summary: Boulevard is really meant for more than running the back end of a business. They are designed to help your business to grow and improve margins, retain clients, and to achieve whatever your business ideal looks like.
Conclusion:
The “right” salon software isn’t necessarily the one with the most features. It’s the one that fits your current needs, your budget, and your goals — right now. First impressions are important for client retention, and having the right software for appointments can play a big role in your clients’ experience with you.
If you’re newly graduated and fresh to the hair world, don’t worry about all the add-ons — just make sure you have the basics covered.
My overall top choice as a beginner is Vagaro, and once you have your feet on the ground and you’re ready for the next step, Boulevard can help your already budding business to flourish.
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