Best Salon Scheduling Software

Last Updated on March 5, 2026 by Ewen Finser

When I worked in a salon, scheduling software was always a pain. Some clients complained that one platform was too confusing, while others had issues booking on a different one. Everyone seemed to have a preference based on their age or needs, and on the internal side, it wasn’t much better. 

That said, I’ve had my fair share of experience with salon scheduling software and can now offer a reliable roundup of the best options based on your staff setup, the kind of clients you serve, and the services you offer.

I’ll walk through Boulevard, GlossGenius, Vagaro, Goldie, Acuity, and Fresha, and I’ll help you figure out which one makes the most sense for your salon.

The Short Answer

Each of these platforms has something to offer, and the “best” one really depends on what matters most to you. If you’re an independent stylist who’s just starting out or doesn’t have your own salon yet, I think GlossGenius and Fresha are two of the strongest options. If you’re running an established salon with a team and you want to build long-term client relationships, Boulevard is the best pick. It has strong marketing tools, reliable customer support, and an all-in-one feature set that’s included at a single price.

The Top Salon Scheduling Software Picks Compared

About Boulevard

Boulevard is a newer business management platform that not only provides salon scheduling but also features an intuitive calendar interface to view schedules, a client management system that sends automated reminders (Boulevard says these can reduce no-shows by 71%), and a POS system that enhances the transaction process. It also allows you to create client profiles so you can build stronger client relationships by being able to see what your client has booked in the past.

About GlossGenius

GlossGenius provides simple scheduling and appointment reminders in addition to some basic reporting tools. Like Boulevard, it stands out from a lot of the other platforms because it leans more into fostering client relationships. You can manage bookings with your customers and save unique profiles for them with their appointment history, what sort of dye colors they’ve used, and other notes you’ll want to remember for next time.

About Vagaro

Vagaro is a scheduling software option for salons that also includes point-of-sale features, business management tools, and inventory management. It has earned its reputation by allowing businesses to start with a baseline membership, then pick and choose the features they want to pay for after that. It also stands out because you can create your own web store within the platform and take advantage of Vagaro’s internal Marketplace to reach more potential customers.

About Goldie

Goldie is a simple platform for independent stylists and professionals who want to keep track of their schedules. It is ideal for solo stylists who want to manage basic customer data, stay organized, and slowly grow their brand.

About Acuity

Acuity offers easy online payments, appointment reminders, and a user-friendly booking system with an emphasis on automation. The platform stands out because it lets you create repeatable workflows, so booking and follow-ups feel more hands-off. Plus, if clients miss their appointments, it automatically charges a no-show fee. 

About Fresha

Fresha is a simple but effective scheduling software for salons. It combines appointment booking and calendar tools with two sides of the platform: a business app for managing your schedule, and a customer-facing app for booking. If a client already uses Fresha, they can search for salons nearby, book an appointment with your business, and even pay for services right in the Fresha app. 

Salon Scheduling Software – Comparison at a Glance

Platform	Best For	Price Range (USD)	Client Profiles	Marketing Tools	Customer Support	Language Support	Booking Process	POS System	Unique Features
Boulevard	Salons with teams, client relationship building	$176–$410/month	Yes	Included (campaigns, promos)	24/7 live support, chat, email	English	App/online, reorder multi-services	Included	Multi-service auto-reordering, high-touch support
GlossGenius	Independent stylists, solo professionals	$24–$148/month	Yes	Basic client-based	Phone, email, chat (limited hours)	22 languages	App only, easy to useApp only, easy to use	Included	Flat payment processing, app-only focus
Vagaro	Small to mid-size salons with flexible needs	$30–$90/month	Yes	Advanced (extra cost)	Phone, chat, email, live reps	12 languages	Online/app, Book Now via maps/social	Included	Marketplace, AI tools, webstore
Goldie	Independent stylists just starting out	Free–$40/month	Limited	Minimal	Email, chat, phone	English & French	No account needed	Basic	Simple scheduling, social media booking button
Acuity	Small to medium salons with automation need	$16–$49/month	Limited	Email integrations	Email, articles, chat	12 languages	Online intake forms, cancellations	Included	No-show fees, repeat workflows
Fresha	Budget-conscious independent stylists	Free–$9.99/month (fees apply)	Yes	Basic promos (cost per item)	Premium support for paid plans	22 languages	Client app + business app	Included	Client & business apps, budget friendly, wide language support

Price

Price matters, especially for independent stylists. Fresha, for example, looks free at first, which is very appealing, especially for smaller teams or those on a tight budget. However, they work a little differently by charging extra fees for features. For example:

1. You get 20 free texts per month, but after that, text reminders for appointments are 2 cents each.
2. Every time someone pays for a service with a tap-to-pay function, it’s $0.10.
3. When an in-person or online payment is made with Fresha, it’s a 20-cent fee and 2.19% on top of that.
4. Promotional text messages are 8 cents each, and promotional emails are two cents each.
5. Data reporting each month per team member is $10.

So if you have two team members and you want a data report generated each month, that’s $20, and if you have 100 customers to whom you send confirmations for appointments, that can add a few dollars to your monthly bill as well.

Exhausted yet? Me too. 

All of these platforms offer slightly different features, so it’s hard to do a perfect side-by-side. But here’s a rough cost range for the tools in this roundup:

• Fresha: Free for independent users, $9.99 for teams (with fees, custom rates available)
• GlossGenius: $24 to $148 per month, depending on your plan
• Vagaro: $30 to $90 per month, depending on number of locations (some features cost extra)
• Boulevard: $176 to $410 per month, depending on your plan
• Goldie: Free to $40 per month, depending on your plan (some features cost extra)
• Acuity: $16 to $49 per month, depending on your plan (some features cost extra) 

If you’re deciding based on price, don’t just look at the monthly subscription. Pay attention to what’s included, what costs extra, and how pricing changes as you add staff. For solo stylists, a simple all-in-one tool like GlossGenius can be easier to budget for. For teams, Boulevard tends to be the better long-term value because more of the features are included instead of being sold as add-ons.

Business Size

If it’s just you managing bookings from a rented chair, you’ll usually be fine with something simple like Fresha or Goldie. But if you have employees (or you’re planning to), you’ll want a platform that can handle more than scheduling, which is where Vagaro and Boulevard make more sense.

• Fresha: Ideal for individuals
• GlossGenius: Ideal for small or medium-sized salons
• Vagaro: Meant for smaller to medium-sized businesses
• Boulevard: Ideal for all sizes
• Goldie: Ideal for small salons or individuals
• Acuity: Better for small or medium-sized salons

I really like GlossGenius for an independent contractor. If you are by yourself and don’t need any extra bells and whistles, this is a great app—but it’s only an app. 

If you’re looking to scale or have even a small team, Boulevard is the better option because, at some point, you are going to need more than just a scheduling resource. Even though it requires more of an investment upfront, you are getting marketing options, scheduling options, booking features, POS systems, client management, and data reports all included in the price, so you’ll get the most bang for your buck.

Customer Support

Customer support is one of those things you don’t think about until you really need it. I’ve had to reach out to support teams for most of the platforms on this list, and it can get frustrating fast when you’re stuck waiting on hold (if there’s even a phone number) and then get sent back to an FAQ article as if you didn’t start there.

Boulevard has a lot of support options. They offer more than one way to reach support, and they also have webinars and live training when you’re first switching over, which makes the setup feel a lot less overwhelming. If you want something with stronger hands-on support, that’s where Boulevard tends to stand out.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what support looks like across each platform:

• Fresha: Help articles and email support with live chat and phone options for people who pay for premium support 
• GlossGenius: Online articles as well as email, phone, or text support, 10 hours per day, 6 days per week 
• Vagaro: Email help desk, chat feature, phone support, FAQ page, and live representatives
• Boulevard: FAQ page, chat function, email help desk, and live representatives available 24/7
• Goldie: Internal client forums and articles, FAQ page, help desk via email or chat, and phone support
• Acuity: Online articles, email help desk, FAQ form, and chat function on the website

Language Accessibility

If you have clients (or staff) who prefer booking in a different language, this is one of those details that matters way more than people expect. Fresha stands out because of its language options. It is available in over 120 countries, which makes it one of the best widely accessible scheduling software options. It also supports 22 languages, which is great for salons operating in areas where clients or staff come from different backgrounds and need different languages when navigating the appointments/services. 

• Fresha: 22 languages
• GlossGenius: 22 languages
• Vagaro: 12 languages
• Boulevard: English
• Goldie: English and French
• Acuity: 12 languages

The Booking Process

Varago is highly competitive when it comes to booking because of one thing in particular: they have an integrated POS system, so when your customers select staff members, purchase through your website, or book appointments, they can do it all internally without being redirected somewhere else. This can help you capture more business and revenue, as some new clients might shy away when they get redirected to a third-party platform.

That said, Boulevard was clearly designed by people who have worked in the spa and salon industry. It has some great functions within the booking platform that a lot of outsiders wouldn’t even think of. One of my favorites is the way they schedule multiple treatments within one appointment. 

I once had a client come in for color and a keratin treatment, but she booked the keratin treatment first. We didn’t catch it until she had already arrived for her appointment, and we were left scrambling to fit everything in in the correct order since two different staffers were scheduled to do her treatments, and one ended up double-booked for the new timeslot. 

With Boulevard, clients can book multiple services and select the order in which they want those services to be completed. However, the intuitive back end of the system will also reorder them for you and your team where absolutely necessary. Since clients won’t necessarily know which treatments need to happen in a certain order, Boulevard provides that extra layer of security upon booking to ensure they get the most out of their visit. 

Here’s how the booking experience compares across each platform:

• Fresha: There is the business and personal app, one for customers booking salon appointments and one for employees
• GlossGenius: It is easy for customers to book in the app, but they need the app to do it
• Vagaro: Customers can book in the app or online with a “book now” feature on Apple Maps, Facebook, and Instagram 
• Boulevard: Customers can book in the app or online, with easy management for cancellation, selecting the stylist, and looking at the calendar for broad availability
• Goldie: The platform is simple to use and lets clients book appointments without having to create an account
• Acuity: The scheduling option makes it easy for customers to fill out intake forms, get an invoice, or cancel an appointment

Marketing

Vagaro is known for their marketing features. They have a lot of AI tools that help you craft your marketing content compared to the other options on this list, and you can take advantage of the Vagaro marketplace, where your salon can show up to people searching inside the platform. The downside here is that a lot of these marketing tools cost extra. However, that’s kind of their entire business model: only pay for the things you want and customize everything. 

If you want marketing features that are included in your monthly subscription, Boulevard is the way to go. In general, these two (Vagaro and Boulevard) have more marketing support than the rest of the list.

• Fresha: There are a few marketing promotions that help you grow your business 
• GlossGenius: Client profiles for better marketing promos
• Vagaro: Lots of internal marketing options on the Vagaro Marketplace and other integrations
• Boulevard: Lots of marketing options like automated campaigns, email blasts, and product promos
• Goldie: No real marketing efforts but a “book” button for social media pages
• Acuity: There are marketing Integrations capable with MailChimp and AWeber

That said, one of the most underrated “marketing” tools is client profiles. Both Boulevard and GlossGenius do this really well. Right before an appointment, you can pull up that client profile and see services they’ve booked as well as notes that you might have kept on things like the color mixes you did, products you recommended, etc.

While not technically a direct form of marketing, it will certainly build repeat business. As a customer, there is nothing that irks me more than showing up for an appointment with a stylist I have used in the past, telling them I just want my roots touched up so that everything matches, and having them ask me what colors they used on my last appointment because they didn’t take any notes. 

I assure you I always choose a new stylist if this happens because I know how simple it is to write down a quick set of notes during the treatment.

Summing Up

Overall, my recommendations are: Boulevard for building client relationships, strong customer support, and medium-sized businesses looking to get all the features beyond just scheduling; Fresha or GlossGenius for independent stylists on a tight budget; Vagaro for easy booking process and marketing options; and Fresha for language optimization.