You have a salon or spa to run, and that means your days are filled not only with client appointments but also managing back-end systems and processes. From marketing your business to providing stellar customer service, there’s a lot to get done from one day to the next.
If you can relate, then chances are you’re always looking for innovative tools to make it easier to run your business. One such tool is a salon POS (point of sale) system, which allows you not only to accept payments from clients but also manage your salon business, encourage repeat bookings, create an outstanding client experience, and encourage new business.
When you set down your shears or massage tools for the day, it can be helpful to know you’ve got a salon POS system working behind the scenes to optimize your sales and retention efforts. To find the best salon system for your business, consider the following 10 salon POS systems – and be sure to check out GlossGenius, our top choice for the best salon POS systems for modern beauty salons.
When you are first starting out as a salon or spa owner, you might be able to get away with a simple system for collecting payments. However, as you grow, add more hairstylists and clients, expand your services, and work to make a bigger impact in the community, you’ll need a more sophisticated salon POS system.
Here are some reasons to consider investing in a POS system tailored to your needs.
Running a salon is no joke – between tracking sales, reaching out to clients, bookkeeping, tax planning, marketing your business, and running payroll, you have a lot on your plate.
With a POS system, it’s much easier to manage day-to-day operations, helping to automate tasks such as appointment booking, staff scheduling, reminders, and inventory management. Taking everyday tasks off your to-do-list frees you up to focus on growing your business instead of getting bogged down in time-consuming tasks.
Client loyalty goes a long way in the salon industry – who doesn’t love rebooking with their favorite hairstylist or nail artist? – but you can’t rely on relationships alone to retain clients. That’s especially true in light of the pandemic, where digital innovations have become the norm in all industries and consumers have come to expect seamless online transactions.
In one survey of 7,000 consumers, respondents admitted they would favor having a flawless digital experience over staying loyal to a particular brand. Six out of 10 Americans, or 58%, are willing to pay a premium for seamless digital experiences, and around the world, 59% of consumers said the same.
Moreover, more than half of respondents said they would be unlikely to return to a business that falls short in its delivery of the digital experience. The majority of them simply would not give a brand a second chance after a poor online experience.
Given these findings, you can gather that in a salon or spa environment, most clients and prospects want a seamless pathway to booking or rescheduling appointments, getting reminders and notifications, paying for services, and receiving hand-picked offers and personalized service.
We cannot stress this point enough: Delightful client experiences are a must.
From budgeting for various expenditures to running payroll and preparing taxes, a POS system will track every penny. Always know where your money is, learn how much you’re spending, and find opportunities to save on expenses.
As you save time, automate tasks, and reduce operational costs with salon POS software, you will be better positioned to gain an edge on the competition. A good POS system will grow with your business to help you adapt to evolving needs and industry trends.
Although most POS systems share some commonalities, they are not all created equal. Consider the following factors as you decide which features are must-haves for your salon POS system.
Going back to the digital client experience, it’s crucial that your salon POS system has an intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate for clients and staff. There should be a minimal learning curve to get up and running.
Your salon POS system should have easy appointment booking and management tools so it’s easy for clients to schedule appointments and manage their bookings.
A salon POS system can track inventory at the point of sale, automatically updating sales tax, client purchase history, and inventory quantities. Find out not only what’s running low but also which items aren’t moving off your shelves so you can make knowledgeable purchasing decisions.
Your point of sale system should have built-in marketing tools for welcome emails, social media, SMS messages, and targeted outreach. Whether you’re personalizing messages for anniversaries and birthdays or sending out promotional messages, salon POS systems can help you better manage client relationships and track client histories.
Security and versatility are the two most important factors when it comes to payment processing. Ensure your salon POS system is not only secure but also compatible with various payment methods, including credit card payments and digital wallets.
Your POS system should have reporting and analytics capabilities to help you track the numbers that matter most. From viewing client rebooking rates and average ticket values to adding up how much revenue you’re driving from retail sales, your POS system should be able to curate the most important metrics.
Here are our top picks for the best salon POS systems:
Okay, let’s dive deeper into each one!
As an all-in-one salon POS system, GlossGenius has a stylish user interface with a range of features for modern salons. Drive more bookings, manage client relationships, and delight your clients with a seamless digital booking and payment experience.
After a free trial, paid plans start at $24 per month.
Clients love the online booking features, ease of use, and customizable branding options. Some users mention a lack of integrations and other features. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
As a popular salon POS system, Vagaro serves solo professionals as well as large enterprises alike. Affordable and user-friendly, the platform enables client and team management, marketing, online booking, and more.
Vagaro users mention user-friendliness, easy setup, and good customer service. Poor integration with QuickBooks and a lack of certain automations are chief complaints for Vagaro users. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
After a free trial, paid plans start at $25 per user per month.
Square is an all-in-one appointment booking, payment processing, and client management POS with a range of features for beauty professionals. Secure payments with no hidden fees and contactless payments are seamless, creating a positive client experience.
Square offers a free plan with pay-as-you-go options. Paid plans start at $29 per month.
Payment integrations are easy to set up and include alternative options like Afterpay. One of the primary user complaints is poor customer service. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
From booking appointments and getting paid to attracting and retaining clients, Booksy handles a variety of POS functions for beauty and wellness businesses. The platform acts as both an appointment scheduling software and an online marketplace connecting clients with salon and spa professionals.
After a free trial, paid plans start at $29.99 per user per month.
Users say the app is easy to use for both clients and salons. Others complain of poor customer service and confusing text reminders to clients. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
Salon POS software Fresha provides a unified dashboard with a bird’s-eye view of appointments, sales, and new clients. The platform offers a range of payment processing solutions, including payment links, Fresha terminals, barcode scanners, and receipt printing.
In addition to its free plan, which includes a variety of tools for startup salons and spas, Fresha offers optional paid features. Choose from payment processing, bookings on the Fresha marketplace, marketing tools, and other options.
Users mention the ease of setup and use. Others complain of hidden fees that make this platform not exactly “free.” The system also may not recognize duplicate accounts. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
Built specifically for salons, spas, and fitness studios, Mindbody is an online booking system that comes with an integrated point of sale (POS) system. If you have a high volume of clients, the software is up to the task, enabling appointment booking, team management, retail sales, and more.
Pricing starts at $139 per month.
Many users complain that Mindbody is difficult and expensive to use, even if it has robust features. Others say the platform is an industry leader. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
Known for its appointment scheduling capabilities, Acuity Scheduling facilitates smooth online bookings at an affordable price. For one monthly fee, the software provides unlimited services and appointments. If your top pain point is providing easy self-scheduling, then Acuity could be a viable solution for your salon or spa.
After a free trial, plans start at $16 per month when paid annually, for a single user and location, or $20 monthly.
Many users champion Acuity’s scheduling features. Others lament a learning curve and high price for desired features. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
A close cousin of Mindbody, Zenoti provides a unified salon POS system for appointment bookings, payment processing, marketing, inventory and staff management, and more. Loaded with over 21 features, it’s built specifically for salon, spas, fitness studios, and other health and wellness professionals.
Book a demo and request a quote based on desired features and required licenses.
Users mention Zenoti offers hands-on support and implementation for easy setup. Others say complex issues can be laborious to resolve. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
Built by and for salon professionals, Meevo is an all-in-one salon and spa software solution that streamlines appointment booking, marketing, client management, and more. The platform serves solo professionals, multi-location brands, and franchises alike, helping businesses of all sizes spend less time on administrative tasks and more time growing their businesses.
Request a demo to see personalized pricing and solutions.
Users report experiencing bugginess, lag time, and difficulties in getting the system set up or migrating client data. Others say the platform is easy to use once it’s up and running and has a colorful, visually engaging user interface. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
Among the free salon POS systems available, Zolmi is another solid option that includes a POS, appointment scheduling, and salon management. No-show protection, smart reminders, self-scheduling, and team management tools keep your salon running smoothly without bogging down you or your team.
Zolmi offers a free version of its software or an upgraded version starting at $9 per user per month.
Users say Zolmi is a great value for the money, even with the free version. Others mention it can be difficult to manage appointments on a mobile device. Read reviews on Capterra and G2.
Since launching in 2015, GlossGenius has raised the bar on salon software for salons and spas. In collaboration with Stripe, we have enabled beauty and wellness entrepreneurs to book over $1 billion in business – a testament to the spirit of innovation on which our New York-based startup was founded. In 2021 alone, we added more merchants than in the previous four years combined.
Because we have a partnership with Stripe, we are able to offer exceptional ease-of-use and configuration capabilities to our user base, which often has diverse and specific use cases. With Stripe Connect, we are able to integrate payments into our salon POS solutions, allowing merchants to focus on business growth while Stripe handles complex Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.
Furthermore, we are able to offer Stripe Billing for subscriptions and invoicing, and Stripe Terminal for in-store checkout experiences – plus a variety of sleek, stylish POS hardware, like card readers. that connect to the GlossGenius app for easy credit card processing. Fast access to cash, end-to-end encryption, and native support for chip cards and contactless payments make GlossGenius the preferred POS solution for beauty and wellness professionals.
Beyond providing innovative salon and spa software solutions, GlossGenius is committed to creating entrepreneurial success stories. With Stripe, we share a long-term vision of bringing more financial options to small businesses via Stripe Capital and Stripe Issuing.
We have only just begun to reshape the future of salon and spa software. If you’re ready to begin writing your own success story with the help of GlossGenius and Stripe, sign up for a free trial and start exploring the possibilities for your future.
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