Running a salon business can be a hectic experience. With so many appointments, clients, and resources to keep track of, it is not very difficult to get overwhelmed. Wait times and client satisfaction are the major concerns of any salon business. Both of which can be improved by better management strategies. Unfortunately, not every salon business owner has the expertise required to reduce wait times and increase satisfaction at the same time. However, there are certain tools that business owners can turn to for aid. Hence, we have compiled a list of the top 12 salon apps that can improve your business.

1. Rosy Salon Software

Rosy Salon Software is a great app for improving overall appointment scheduling systems for small and large businesses. It is even helpful for the individual stylist. With features such as double booking and cancellation management, you rarely miss any appointments. It also ensures that your work schedule is always optimised and you don’t lose any time. It allows scheduling access from anywhere and lets you see client history and create personalised text and email reminders. The first 30 days are free, with a subsequent $29 monthly charge. The app is compatible with iOS and Android.

2. Timely

Community experience is one of the areas of focus for this app. Timely allows the user to manage online bookings and other salon services while networking with other salon professionals. It also includes an appointment management system, client experience management, a payments system, and a POS system. In addition, it provides business management services as well such as inventory checks, employee management, reporting, and analytics. It is an all-in-one software with a 14-day trial period and offers packages ranging from $15 for individual stylists and $30-200 for businesses. It is compatible with all browsers, iOS, and Android phones.

3. Simple Salon

Simple Salon is another simple feature-packed software app. It provides an at-a-glance look at upcoming appointments, a unique booking page, SMS reminders, and much more. The marketing features included are very helpful as well. These features include gift cards, loyalty point management, and automated marketing campaigns. The app allows a 30-day free trial with a subsequent monthly payment of $15 for the individual stylist, $56.99 for small businesses and $113 for large businesses. The app is highly platform friendly and is available on all browsers, iOS and Android devices as well.

4. Salon Iris

The selling point of Salon Iris is its simplified interface with easy options for online bookings and managing schedules. The app can also automate salon reminders for no-shows and recurring marketing features. The loyalty program management is also highly engaging. The app goes beyond expectations and recognises other business needs as well. The app helps in managing revenues and expenses. It can also help owners with remarketing strategies by using social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Salon Iris has a 14-day free trial period. The monthly payment plans start from $29 for individual stylists and packages for small and medium businesses ranging from $59 to $200. It is available on all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

5. Vagaro Salon Software

One of the few industry favourites, Vagaro Salon Software, is highly recommended by salon owners. The reason for such loyal customers is obvious from its superior management features. The app includes all the necessary salon booking and management features such as appointment scheduling, booking forms, appointment cancellation notification system and more. It also allows payment management, including POS promotional package management, seamless appointment scheduling, invoices, and payroll management. Vagaro is an all-in-one management app relied on by spas and salons equally. The app offers a 30-day trial period followed by monthly payments of $25 for individual stylists and $35-75 for small businesses, and $85 for larger businesses. It is also compatible with all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

6. Appointy

As the name suggests, Appointy specialises in providing smooth appointment services. Appointy comes with a pre-installed automated scheduling system that makes appointment scheduling a seamless operation for both the owner and the customer. The app interface is very organised and optimised with marketing features. It helps manage schedules, payments and booking page integrations with social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The app greatly boosts productivity and optimises product management and inventory. A monthly payment of $29-49 is charged from small businesses, and the enterprise plan is placed at $79. The app is free for individual stylists and is compatible with all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

7. Schedulicity

Schedulicity provides all the salon management services, including instant bookings, seamless payments, credit cards, and marketing features. The app has a very simple interface and is easy to navigate. It is an all-in-one solution for salon management, including revenue and marketing aspects. Customer loyalty program management and package development are additional nifty features. Schedulicity follows a unique payment program based on the number of appointments or bookings made. The user is charged on a monthly basis based on the bookings made, with the first ten bookings being free. As a result, Schedulicity is an excellent option for individual stylists, and the unlimited bookings plan can be accessed with a payment of $34. It is compatible with all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

8. Square Appointments

Square Appointments boasts its easy sale system with various additional features that make it an excellent addition to the salon business. For example, it has a POS system for staff management, bookings and payments solutions, and social media management solutions, all under one roof. In addition, the app is an excellent choice for individual stylists due to its pricing system that targets them. It is free to use for individual stylists and monthly payment for small and medium-sized businesses ranging from $50-90 for up to 10 employees. The only drawback to this app is its lack of compatibility with Android devices. However, the app is compatible with iOS and all kinds of browsers.

9. ZENOTI

ZENOTI is a unique salon app focused on ease of scheduling and maintaining bookings. Primarily meant for salons and spas, ZENOTI’s feature-packed system makes it relevant for the beauty and wellness industry as well. The app is highly versatile, with over 12,000 users in over 50 countries. Highlighted features include online bookings, scheduling, resource management, personalised interaction, booking and cancellation notifications and reminders, as well as follow-up features. It also allows personalised customer interactions with its automated SMS service. ZENOTI’s website doesn’t display actual prices but offers a free demo with all the features. The prices are available upon request.

10. Versum

Versum boasts a large user base of over 45,000 active users. The reason for such popularity is quite obvious, with the app offering simple salon management solutions such as employee access, customer access, automated reminders, and marketing functions. It also allows the management of customer programs such as loyalty programs and gift card supplies. It is helpful for business management as well with its valuable cash flow and revenue management systems. Additional financial reports and analytical tools are also available. Versum offers a 14-day trial period, with subsequent pricing information available after sign-up. Compatibility is not an issue for Versum, for it is compatible with all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

11. Fresha

Fresha is has been developed after it merged with another salon development app named Shedul. Shedul is widely used in the beauty industry as a salon scheduling app. Hence, Fresha also caters to a large audience. It offers simple, fast, and flexible booking opportunities, thereby improving customer experience. It boasts a large user base of over 50,000 partners. The features offered by the app include appointment scheduling, a POS system for payment solutions, product inventory management, payment processing services, and marketing promotion facilities. Reporting and analytics tools are also included in Shedul. The payment plan of Fresha makes it the best app for newcomers to salon management apps. The app is completely to use with no subscription plans for additional features. All the features are available in the free plan with compatibility for all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

12. Insight Salon Software

Insight Salon is an industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in providing salon management services. The major reason for industry support is its user-friendly platform with training and resource management tutorials so that customers can get the most out of the app. Some of its features include booking management, client management, email marketing services, inventory control, and POS management systems.

The pricing system starts at $25 a month for individual stylists, $45-90 a month for small and medium-sized businesses, and $125 for large companies or franchises. The app is compatible with all browsers, iOS, and Android devices.

13. Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling is a salon management app developed by the management giant Squarespace. As a result, the app has a well-developed design that has established an easy interface for clients to make bookings and payments. In addition, the app has collaborated with other sale systems such as Square, Stripe, and PayPal for additional customer support. Promotional features such as gift cards and loyalty packages are also available. It offers a 7-day free trial with subsequent monthly charges ranging from $15-50 for small businesses to large franchises.

With so many amazing management apps in the market, it can become an ordeal to identify the one that suits your needs. Look for essential services such as ease of appointment bookings and payment solutions. Social media integration can also prove to be greatly helpful in the future. Use this list to encircle the best app that can cater to all your management needs.

Source: Smallbiztrends