Booking apps, salon software, AI receptionists, client texting, virtual try-on, reviews, color bar stock and staff tools. Each one described in our own words, with a link to its official site.
What a featured listing costs · from $199 a month
Vagaro is business software for salons, spas, barbershops and fitness studios. The core is an appointment calendar that clients can book into online, tied to a point of sale, client…
Boulevard is salon and spa software aimed at appointment-based businesses that care about how booking and checkout feel for the client. Clients book through a branded flow on the business…
Phorest is salon and spa management software that started in Ireland and is used in salons across Europe, North America and Australia. It covers the appointment book, online booking, point…
Zenoti is software for spas, salons, medspas and fitness businesses, used mostly by multi-location brands and franchises. It runs the appointment book, online and app booking, point of sale, memberships…
Booksy is a booking platform with two sides: a business app that barbers, stylists, nail techs and other beauty pros use to run their calendar, and a consumer app where…
Square Appointments is the booking product from Square, the payments company owned by Block. It gives salons, barbers and independent pros an online booking page, a calendar for one or…
Tools come from submissions and from our own reading. A tool must be live and offered to businesses today.
We open the official website and confirm the tool does what our listing will say.
Each description is a short account, in our own words, of what the tool does and who it suits.
If we can't confirm a detail, such as online booking or a mobile app, the listing says "not enough info".
A tool is listed once we have confirmed that its official site is live and that it does what our description says. Each tool sits in the one category that fits its main job, even when it does more. We don't publish scores, rankings or prices, because prices change often and a score would be our opinion dressed up as a fact. Tools we couldn't confirm stay off the site until we can.
SalonLinks is for the business side of beauty: owners, managers, barbers and independent stylists choosing software. It is not a guide to consumer beauty apps, and nothing here is legal, tax or medical advice.
Makers can submit or claim a listing. A person checks every request. Published by Zwings LLC.
Start with the problem that costs you the most each week. For one salon it is the phone ringing during color services. For another it is no-shows, or a color bar that throws away product, or payroll that takes the owner a whole evening. Pick the tool that fixes that problem first, and leave the rest for later.
Know who will use the tool every day. Owners usually choose software, but stylists, barbers and the front desk live in it. A calendar that looks good in a demo can be slow at the chair, and a staff app nobody opens will not give you accurate reports. Let one stylist and one desk person try every tool before you decide.
Write down your service menu before any demo. List each service with its real time, processing time, who can do it and its price levels. Ask the vendor to build part of it during the call. How a system handles a balayage with processing time, or a couples massage that needs two therapists and one room, tells you more than any feature list.
Look at payments and fees together. Many salon and booking tools make most of their money from card processing, marketplace bookings or add-ons, not the base subscription. Work out a normal month for your business with each vendor's fees, and check whether you must use their processing.
Be careful with AI claims. AI in salon software today mostly answers calls and messages, suggests times that fill gaps in the book, drafts marketing and helps with reports. Those are useful, and they depend on accurate data in your system. Ask what the AI can do without a person checking it, and set clear limits for complaints, refunds and anything about a reaction or injury.
Check how each tool connects to the rest. An AI receptionist is most useful when it can book into your real calendar. A review tool works best when your booking system tells it who just finished an appointment. Ask which connections are built in and which need exports or a paid connector.
Plan your exit before you sign. Your client list, formulas, notes, future appointments, gift card balances and package credits belong to your business. Ask for a sample export from any tool you are considering, and keep your own backup of client contacts from time to time.
Finally, run a short trial on a real day. Book a few real appointments, answer some real messages, or weigh a week of color. A tool that saves time on a busy Saturday is worth keeping. One that only looks good on a quiet Tuesday is not.
No. We describe what each tool does and who it suits, in our own words, and link to the official site. There are no scores or rankings. Paid placements are marked Sponsored and do not change our descriptions.
No. SalonLinks lists software and services that salons, spas, barbershops and independent stylists use to run their business. To find a salon near you, booking marketplaces such as the ones in our booking apps category are a better place to look.
Salon software prices depend on staff count, locations, add-ons and card processing, and they change often. An out-of-date price is worse than none, so each tool page links to the official site where current pricing lives.
It means we could not confirm that detail, such as online booking or a mobile app, from the tool's own site. We leave it marked that way instead of guessing, and update it when the maker confirms.
For many salons it covers missed calls, after-hours questions and simple bookings, which frees the desk for clients in the room. It does not replace a person for complaints, color corrections, or anything about a reaction to a service.
Use the submission form, or email us. We check every request by hand, write the description ourselves, and correct listings when a tool changes or shuts down.