Scheduling apps for businesses come in many formats, many of which can be customized for your needs. Not only will this article delve into the key features of a great scheduling app, we’ll also explore some of the top ones designed for any budget, along with tips on how to choose the best one.

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9 Best Scheduling Apps For Self-Care Businesses

The best scheduling apps for businesses are the ones that streamline your daily operations, keeping them smooth and problem-free. Scheduling apps can help support proper management of your clients by handling bookings and cancelations, and eliminating the need for anyone to wait on the phone. Below, we’ll dig into what a scheduling app is, what to consider when choosing one, and which ones are worth your time. 

What Is A Scheduling App?

A scheduling app is a software application that allows businesses to seamlessly manage and schedule online booking and appointments. Depending on the software, these programs can provide automated bookings and reminders, top tier client communication services, payment processing, and appointment management. Scheduling apps can keep your business on track and up-to-date, and prevent you from double-booking clients. 

4 Factors Of a Great Scheduling App For Self-Care Businesses

With so many scheduling apps for businesses to choose from, we outline below the key factors to look for when selecting your own, and how they can make a difference in your daily operations. 

Service Categorization

If your self-care business offers multiple services, such as massages and nails, it’s helpful to have a program that can organize this in an easy to read format. Giving clients the option to easily select between the services you provide will let them see open appointment slots and conveniently book themselves in. 

Real-Time Availability

Scheduling apps that provide real-time availability allow clients to see open appointment slots and book themselves accordingly. Whether you own a spa or a fitness studio, a live schedule can make it possible for clients to book last-minute appointments, filling up spots that would otherwise remain empty. 

Automated Reminders

Sometimes life happens, and it’s easy for clients to forget they’ve made an appointment. A good scheduling app can send automated reminders to your customers so that they always know when and where to go. With some scheduling apps, you can even customize SMS and/or email messages and tailor them to your specific reminder type (such as confirmations or rescheduling). 

With GlossGenius, we keep up with your schedule so you don’t have to. Sign up with GlossGenius today and take advantage of our automated reminder system so clients never miss an appointment again!

Payments

Scheduling apps for self-care businesses that have payments built directly into booking let you check clients out quickly and give clients the ability to pay for their appointments online (or you can set up recurring payments). Look for payment features that allow you to keep a card on file for deposits or in case someone no-shows. Also, check payment processing rates. Some systems can charge high fees for every transaction and have different rates for different payment types.

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9 Best Scheduling Apps For Self-Care Business

If you’re looking for the best scheduling apps for businesses in the self-care sphere, we’ve listed a few of the top contenders below along with a description of their features.

GlossGenius

Best for: Small- and medium-sized businesses 

Pricing: Starts at $24/month

GlossGenius helps self-care businesses run their entire business from one place, from setting up an online booking site and sending client notifications to processing payments and managing staff. Key features of GlossGenius as an appointment scheduling software include a fully customizable online booking system, a website builder with modern templates, the ability to add forms and waivers right into your booking process, waitlists, and customizable services. 

GlossGenius offers both client and staff management services, so you can easily view customer information and appointment history, as well as manage your staff schedules and payroll. Along with integrated payment processing, GlossGenius also provides reporting and analytics services, so you can view detailed reports about your bookings, revenue, and client history, which can help you make informed decisions about your business and identify areas for improvement.

GlossGenius offers different subscription plans for each stage of your business. Plans start at just $24/month and include all the essential features you need for an early-stage business. Other plans offer more advanced features. GlossGenius pricing is straightforward and transparent, so you always know what you’re paying for. GlossGenius also offers payment processing at a flat rate of 2.6% on any type of transaction, which is amongst the best and most simplified in the industry.

Mindbody

Best for: Enterprise businesses

Pricing: Custom pricing options

Mindbody is another type of wellness scheduling software that handles appointment scheduling, offers a branded mobile app (for iOS and Android), has AI customer support, payment management, and various marketing tools. This suite of capabilities enables businesses to streamline their operations, while also expanding their reach and customer base. 

However, some find the interface to be less than user-friendly, with limited customization options for your business page. Mindbody has custom pricing plans which are not public on their website. Because of this, Mindbody does lean more on the enterprise side and is best suited for larger businesses.

Acuity Scheduling

Best for: Squarespace websites

Pricing: Starts at $20/month

Acuity is a platform for small to medium-sized salon businesses looking for an affordable booking solution. Acuity Scheduling is an appointment scheduling software that enables clients to book appointments, make payments, and fill out intake forms online. They also offer features like custom booking pages, appointment reminders, and calendar sync. However, there are also limited customer support and reporting options, and if you have multiple locations the pricing can get rather expensive. 

Acuity Scheduling offers four pricing plans, starting from the "Emerging" plan ($16/month if you pay for a year) that allows for one calendar and one appointment type. The other plans are "Growing" "Powerhouse", and a custom-priced enterprise plan. 

Square Appointments

Best for: Businesses of all sizes

Pricing: Has a free plan

Square is a popular online scheduling platform designed for businesses of all types. From salons and fitness studios to coffee shops and restaurants, many in-person businesses rely on Square to process their payments. Square has features like buy now and pay later, as well as a free plan option, but some users find their customer service lacking and add-on pricing expensive. Their offering is also a little less customized for self-care businesses since Square is built to service a variety of different industries.

Square has a free plan that includes basic features like online booking and payment processing at 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction. They also offer a "Plus" plan for $29+ per month, which includes more advanced features like staff management, marketing, and analytics. There are still several add-on fees for features that are important to self-care businesses so do your homework before deciding.

SimplyBook.me

Best for: Salons, tailors, and other service industries, international businesses

Pricing: From $0 - $49.90/month

All SimplyBook.me plans support several languages and include features like scheduling, appointment booking, administrative tasks, and client notifications. However, the number of custom features, included bookings, and providers you can have is limited with the less expensive plans. Only the paid plans offer features like accounting software integration, payment processing, and a branded client app. 

With the free plan, you are limited to one provider and only 50 bookings per month. If you pay annually, the basic plan works out to $8.25/month, whereas the standard plan is $24.90/month, and the premium plan increases to $49.90/month. (If you opt to pay monthly from the start, the plans increase by several dollars.) With their premium options, you get up to 2,000 client bookings per month, recurring payments and refund services, directory listings, and a booking website plus widget. 

SetMore

Best for: Wellness, self-care, and other service industries

Pricing: From $0 - $5/month 

SetMore makes for a useful wellness scheduling software, with up to 200 bookings for their free plan (and unlimited for pro), along with payment processing, custom booking pages, email reminders and customized notifications, and select app integration. With the pro plan, your features include everything you get in the free plan, along with two-way calendar sync, recurring appointment settings, SMS reminders, and a 1% donation to plant trees!

SetMore has affordable pricing, offering a substantial free plan and a pro plan for just $5 a month (with annual payment). The price increases to $12/month if you opt for monthly. 

Calendly

Best for: Businesses that mostly need appointment scheduling

Pricing: Free to $20/month

This calendar scheduler program can be useful for businesses looking for a straightforward scheduling system. Calendly offers integration with your other calendars so you can easily set up, display, and edit your availability, control notifications and client reminder messages, and even process payments through a third-party integration like Stripe or PayPal. However, because Calendly is a basic calendar scheduler program, it is not specifically geared for wellness businesses. It offers little by way of customization, and some users complain about the poor customer service. 

Calendly offers a free version, but the lack of advanced features can make it hard to organize your schedule properly. For $10 you can access their standard version, which will give you access to automated reminders, payment integration, and unlimited event types. 

Schedulicity

Best for: Small business salons and wellness centers

Pricing: $34.99/month

Schedulicity is one of the best booking software choices for salons and spas, allowing business owners to fully maximize their calendar control. With Schedulicity, clients have access to an online calendar so they can make their own appointments, as well as receive appointment reminder texts. In addition to marketing tools and payment processing features, business owners on Schedulicity can also block repeated no-shows from future bookings. 

Pricing starts at $34.99/month for solo providers, but additional providers cost $10 each. So for those with up to five providers, the price can increase to $44.99 - $84.99/month. However, if you need to support at least seven providers, Schedulicity only charges a flat rate of $94.99 a month, regardless of how many more you add after that. 

Vagaro

Best for: Salons looking for a marketplace

Pricing: Starts at $30/month

Vagaro is a scheduling system software that offers salon owners a suite of tools designed to help with the back end of their business, such as online booking, notifications, payments, and customer tracking. They have a robust appointment scheduling tool, as well as a marketplace to promote your services. Vagaro is a good option for salons or spas who are looking for a platform with similar features to GlossGenius. However, some users report poor customer service and a hard to navigate user interface. Their add-on model also means paying extra to unlock features (like custom templates for your booking page) and those fees can really add up.  

Vagaro's pricing starts at $30/month for individual business owners with no employees. If you have multiple team members or want to grow your business, Vagaro charges an additional $10 per user per month.

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3 Tips To Choose The Right Scheduling App

If you’re still not sure about which is the best booking software for your self-care business, keep reading to see some helpful tips on how to choose the right one. 

Consider Your Business Needs

The first step to choosing a scheduling app is identifying all the features you’ll need to successfully streamline your business operations. The size of your business, how many clients you’ll need to manage, the number of appointments you service, and whether you’ll rely on third-party integration tools should all contribute to your decision on which client booking software will work best for you. 

Look For User-Friendly Interfaces

Clients don’t want to spend any more time than they have to trying to figure out how to book an appointment at your business, and you certainly don’t want to spend your day fielding software questions. The right client booking system should be easy to navigate without bogging down users with complicated directions (or redirections). 

Don’t Downplay Security

Clients want to know their personal details—like address, phone number, and payment details—are safe and secure. Choosing a scheduling app only because it’s cheap can open you up to security breaches that may expose your client’s personal information and endanger their privacy. Make sure that the client booking system you choose has a robust privacy policy and takes the necessary steps to encrypt or otherwise protect your clients’ info. 

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Take Control of Your Self-Care Bookings With GlossGenius

The right scheduling apps can make a huge difference in your self-care business operations by enhancing appointment organization and client experiences. With features like Online Booking, Scheduling and Calendar, and Client Notifications, GlossGenius is the ideal scheduling app for self-care business owners looking to stand out in a crowd. GlossGenius’ modern design, intuitive scheduling features, and transparent pricing make it a great option for self-care businesses to streamline their operations.

NOTE: All prices and feature comparisons are as of July 9, 2024. GlossGenius has no affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement with the companies referenced in this article or their affiliates. All trademarks, logos, and brand names are used for identification purposes only and remain the property of their respective owners.