Overview

Salonist is salon and wellness management software for owners who need more than appointment scheduling. It is best suited to businesses coordinating bookings, checkout, staff, and retail operations in one system. Its broad feature set is a strong draw, but the free listing’s booking cap and marketplace fee and the paid plans’ monthly costs call for a close fit check.

Key features

Bookings and checkout

Clients can book through links and website widgets, as well as Instagram and Google, while a staff calendar supports scheduling. That gives businesses several routes to accept appointments without relying on a single booking channel. The POS handles desk and mobile checkout, tips, and split payments, useful for operations where staff take payment in different settings or need to divide a bill.

Day-to-day management

Client management, memberships, packages, staff permissions, timesheets, and reporting extend Salonist beyond a calendar and till. Retail inventory is also supported, though the plan tiers matter: inventory is included in Advance rather than Essential. Campaigns and WhatsApp/SMS notifications are likewise reserved for Advance, so the $79.00 USD per month entry paid plan may not be enough for businesses that want stock control or those outreach tools.

Apps, integrations, and safeguards

Salonist offers partner and customer booking apps, with the client app described as available on iOS and Android. The platform lists more than 40 integrations, including Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, WhatsApp, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Shopify, and Google Calendar. Custom integrations and API access are included in Expert, not the lower paid tiers, making that plan the relevant option for businesses with integration requirements beyond the listed connections.

Salonist says sessions use HTTPS, data is stored online with regular backups, and account owners can assign staff access levels. It states 99.95% availability and 24/7 support and maintenance. The company also says the software runs in 13 languages and serves customers in more than 60 countries.

Pricing

The free Market Place Listing plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes online booking, calendar, and scheduling, capped at 50 appointments per month. It can provide a limited way to establish a marketplace listing, but it is not an uncapped operating plan: Salonist charges a one-time 15% fee on the first visit from a new client acquired through its marketplace.

Essential costs 79.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and includes unlimited staff, POS, reports, standard data import, and in-app chat support. It is the entry paid option for businesses that need checkout and reporting without the campaign and inventory package. Advance costs 109.00 USD per month, billed monthly; it keeps unlimited staff and adds campaigns, inventory, WhatsApp/SMS notifications, and advanced data import. The $30 monthly step up over Essential makes sense when stock tracking or those communication tools are necessary.

Expert costs 179.00 USD per month, billed monthly. It includes unlimited staff, a dedicated account manager, multi-branch reporting, consent forms, custom integrations, and API access. This tier is aimed at larger or more complex operations that need branch-level reporting or tailored connectivity; a single-location business without those needs may be paying for more than it uses. Salonist offers a seven-day free trial with no credit card required and says it does not charge automatically when the trial ends. Free onboarding and data import are also available; chat and on-demand phone support are listed on Essential, while Expert includes a dedicated account manager.

Platforms

Salonist is available on Android, iOS, and the web, with API access included in Expert. Its client booking app is available on iOS and Android.

Who it's for

Salonist suits salons, spas, barbershops, and other beauty and wellness businesses that want booking, payments, client records, staff administration, and retail operations together. The free listing is best treated as a capped marketplace entry point, while Essential fits businesses needing core paid operations. Choose Advance for inventory and campaign tools, and Expert when multi-branch reporting or API and custom integration access justify the higher price. Businesses seeking only a basic booking calendar may find the paid tiers broader and costlier than necessary.

Pros and cons

Pro: Booking spans links, website widgets, Instagram, and Google, giving clients multiple ways to reserve appointments.
Pro: POS supports mobile checkout, tips, and split payments, alongside staff and client management tools.
Pro: All paid plans allow unlimited staff, avoiding a per-seat cap as a team grows.
Con: The free Marketplace Listing stops at 50 appointments per month and carries a one-time 15% fee on qualifying first visits.
Con: Inventory and campaigns require Advance at 109.00 USD per month; API access and custom integrations require Expert at 179.00 USD per month.

Alternatives

DaySmart Salon is worth comparing if a $29.00 USD per month Basic plan with one user and online booking is a better starting point than Salonist’s $79.00 USD per month Essential plan. Insight Salon Software offers a $25.00 USD per month single-employee Solo Edition or a $50.00 USD per month Partner Edition for businesses weighing lower-priced cloud plans against Salonist’s broader tier structure. Orbis Salon has a £4.99/month Lite plan for one staff member, one location, and 30 bookings per month, with a 50p booking service fee per booking; it may suit a smaller operation willing to work within tighter caps and fees.

GlossGenius is another paid option for comparison. Ovatu is also an alternative to consider. Rosy may be worth evaluating alongside Salonist. Simple Salon offers a $20 USD/month Starter plan capped at seven operators, with 0 SMS and additional SMS at 14c; it may fit a smaller team prioritizing a lower entry price and willing to accept those limits. MioSalon charges $49.00 USD per month per outlet for Standard with unlimited staff and appointments, a possible alternative for businesses comparing per-outlet pricing with Salonist’s per-plan tiers.

For broader comparisons, browse Salon Software, Salon and Spa Scheduling Software, or Salon Payroll Software.

Verdict

Salonist is a strong choice for beauty businesses that want booking, checkout, staff operations, and inventory options in one platform, with unlimited staff on every paid tier. Its clearest reason to choose it is that breadth; its clearest reason to look elsewhere is the cost of reaching higher-tier tools, alongside the free marketplace plan’s appointment cap and qualifying first-visit fee. Match the plan to the tools you actually need before committing.

	Salonist	Shortcuts
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$79/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	79 /mo	—

Salonist vs Shortcuts

Salonist

Shortcuts