Overview

SalonApp brings appointment management and salon back-office work together, making it a strong fit for independent stylists and growing salons that want more than a booking calendar. Its breadth is appealing, but the free plan is too constrained for ongoing use by most active businesses.

It runs on Android, iOS, and the web. Med spas can use it for front-of-house operations, but clinical records belong in a separate EMR.

Key features

Appointments and client records

The drag-and-drop calendar, online booking, automated reminders, and no-show protection cover the appointment cycle. Client profiles can hold color formulas, allergies, photos, preferences, and visit history, giving staff useful service context in one record. The free tier's 20-appointment monthly limit makes it better for trying the workflow than running a busy schedule.

AI receptionist and payments

The AI receptionist answers calls 24/7 in 16 languages and can book, cancel, or reschedule against the live calendar. Its higher tiers add message-taking and smart transfers, then priority phone routing. Monthly minute quotas—500, 1,500, or 5,000—make call volume a key factor in choosing a plan.

The point of sale supports tap, chip, swipe, and online payments, and integrates with Square and Stripe. QuickBooks and Xero synchronization can connect bookkeeping workflows. Intake forms, signatures, and photos are encrypted at rest; the maker says a BAA is available for HIPAA-applicable accounts. It also says data is protected with SSL encryption and row-level security, with daily backups on Supabase infrastructure.

Marketing and staff operations

Email and SMS campaigns, audience segments, A/B tests, referrals, automated flows, and review requests give salons several ways to follow up with clients. Staff tools include US and Canadian payroll, commissions, a time clock, and booth-rental support. Payroll-related capabilities also include tip calculation, contractor payments, tax filing, payroll reports, and direct deposit. That breadth can suit businesses consolidating routine operations, while the paid-plan tiers determine how much of it is practical to use.

Pricing

SalonApp is freemium, with paid plans from $39/mo. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial, and no credit card is required to start.

Free — 0.00 USD per free: Up to 15 clients, 20 appointments per month, and one staff member. The low cap makes this a limited introduction, not a durable option for a salon with regular bookings.
Starter — 39.00 USD per month, billed monthly: Up to five staff members, unlimited clients and appointments, POS and payments, basic reports, and email support. This is the clearest entry point for a small team that needs core operations without the expanded marketing and payroll features.
AI Receptionist Solo — 39.00 USD per month: 500 AI-handled minutes per month, 16 languages, booking, cancellations, rescheduling, and email support. It fits a business seeking call handling, but its minute allowance may not suit heavier call traffic.
AI Receptionist Starter — 79.00 USD per month: 1,500 AI-handled minutes, Solo features, message-taking, smart transfers, and priority email support. It gives call-heavy businesses more capacity and routing options.
Professional — 79.00 USD per month, billed monthly: Up to 15 staff members, marketing and loyalty, commission tracking, payroll management, advanced reports and AI, plus phone and chat support. It is the stronger choice for a larger team needing staff and client-retention tools.
Enterprise — 149.00 USD per month, billed monthly: Unlimited staff, multi-location support, online booking, data export and backup, a dedicated account manager, and custom integrations. It targets operators whose scale or integration needs exceed the smaller tiers.
AI Receptionist Pro — 149.00 USD per month: 5,000 AI-handled minutes, Starter features, priority phone routing, and a dedicated success manager. It is aimed at businesses that need substantially more call capacity and routing support.

Starter and AI Receptionist Solo share a price but serve different needs: core salon management versus phone automation. Compare the separate AI and salon-operation tiers against the capabilities the business actually needs rather than assuming one plan includes the other.

Platforms

SalonApp is available on Android, iOS, and the web, providing mobile and browser access for salon operations.

Who it's for

Independent stylists and boutique salons can start with core booking and payment tools, while larger teams may benefit from Professional or Enterprise staffing and location support. Spas and wellness businesses are also within its intended audience. Med spas should keep clinical records in an EMR rather than treating SalonApp as a clinical-record system.

Pros and cons

Pro: Client profiles combine service-relevant details such as allergies, formulas, photos, and visit history, which can help staff keep client context alongside appointments.
Pro: The AI receptionist can handle booking changes around the clock in 16 languages, with higher tiers offering more minutes and call-routing features.
Pro: Payments, bookkeeping connections, marketing, and payroll capabilities make it a broad operational package for salons seeking fewer separate tools.
Con: The free plan's 15-client, 20-appointment, and one-staff limits quickly constrain a working salon.
Con: Salon management and AI reception have separate plans and quotas, so buyers need to match the right combination to their needs.
Con: Med spas still need a separate EMR for clinical records.

Alternatives

Consider Gratsio if its freemium offer better matches a business centered on listings and store products; its free plan caps listings, product listings, store products, blog posts, and staff, and charges a 10% service-booking commission.

Salonist is worth comparing if a free marketplace plan with up to 50 appointments per month, online booking, and calendar scheduling better fits your needs.

Choose Spa/Salon Manager if you prefer a paid cloud option with employee-based plans; its listed cloud tiers start at 74.00 USD per month for one employee.

DaySmart Salon is an alternative if a paid plan starting at 29.00 USD per month and one-user booking features better suit your budget and team size.

Compare GlossGenius if a paid plan starting at 28.00 USD per month, with a custom booking website and client marketing, is a closer fit.

Insight Salon Software offers paid cloud plans starting at 25.00 USD per month for a single employee.

Consider Altegio if a paid subscription priced in HUF better fits your market; its one-month plan is 7490.00 HUF per month, with VAT excluded.

DaySmart Med Spa is another paid option, with a Basic plan at 29.00 USD per month for one user and scheduling, online booking, reminders, payments, and reports.

For more focused tools, browse Salon Payroll Software, Salon Commission Management Software, Salon Membership Software, or Salon Marketing Software.

Verdict

SalonApp is a good choice for salons that want booking, client records, payment processing, marketing, and staff operations in one platform, especially if an AI receptionist can reduce missed calls. Choose a paid tier matched to your team or call volume; look elsewhere if the free caps are essential to your business or if you need clinical records for a med spa.

	Mako	SalonApp
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial		Yes
Paid from	$7.42/mo	$39/mo
Platforms	Web	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Paid from	159 /mo	39 /mo
SMS messaging	Yes
Sales pipeline	Yes
Commission tracking		Yes
Tip calculation		Yes
Contractor payments		Yes
Tax filing		Yes
Payroll reports		Yes
Direct deposit		Yes

Mako vs SalonApp

Mako

SalonApp