Overview

Salonist is an operations platform for salons, spas, barbershops, and other beauty and wellness businesses. It suits owners who need to manage appointments alongside checkout, staff, and retail. Its breadth is useful, but the marketplace fee and the Expert-only API access make plan choice important.

Key features

Booking and checkout

Clients can book through links, website widgets, Instagram, and Google, while staff can manage appointments in a calendar. That gives businesses several ways to bring bookings in without relying on a single channel. The POS supports desk and mobile checkout, tips, and split payments, which is a practical fit for businesses with varied payment situations.

Business operations

Client management, memberships, packages, staff permissions, timesheets, and reporting extend the product beyond scheduling. Retail inventory is also supported, though the plan structure matters: inventory is included from Advance, not Essential. Businesses that need it should account for the higher monthly cost rather than treating the entry paid plan as a complete operations package.

Apps, integrations, and access controls

Salonist offers partner and customer booking apps, and its client booking app is available on iOS and Android. It lists more than 40 integrations, including Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, WhatsApp, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Shopify, and Google Calendar. Custom integrations and API access are reserved for Expert, so teams that need to connect Salonist directly to their stack must budget for the top tier.

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

Pricing

Salonist has a free Marketplace Listing plan and three paid plans, all billed monthly. The paid tiers include unlimited staff, so the price differences are driven by capabilities rather than seat caps.

Market Place Listing — 0.00 USD per free: Includes online booking, calendar, and scheduling, capped at 50 appointments per month. This can suit a small operation trying the marketplace route, but Salonist charges a one-time 15% fee on the first visit from each new client acquired through its marketplace.
Essential — 79.00 USD per month: Adds POS, reports, standard data import, and in-app chat support alongside unlimited staff. It fits businesses ready to pay for checkout and reporting, but it does not include inventory or campaigns.
Advance — 109.00 USD per month: Adds campaigns, inventory, WhatsApp/SMS notifications, and advanced data import. It is the more relevant tier for businesses managing retail stock or wanting those messaging and campaign tools.
Expert — 179.00 USD per month: Adds a dedicated account manager, multi-branch reporting, consent forms, custom integrations, and API access. This is the appropriate tier for multi-branch operations or teams that need API connectivity; it is a substantial step up from Advance.

A seven-day free trial requires no credit card, and Salonist says it does not automatically charge when the trial ends. Free onboarding and data import are available; Essential lists chat and on-demand phone support, while Expert includes a dedicated account manager.

Platforms

Salonist supports Android, iOS, web, and API. The customer booking app is available on iOS and Android, while API access is tied to Expert.

Who it's for

Salonist is best suited to beauty and wellness businesses that want booking, POS, client and staff management, and retail operations in a single system. Essential is a fit when checkout and reports matter most; businesses needing inventory should look to Advance, and teams integrating through an API or managing multiple branches should consider Expert. A business that only needs appointment scheduling may not need this breadth or its higher-tier costs.

Pros and cons

Pro: Booking spans links, widgets, Instagram, and Google, giving clients multiple ways to reserve appointments.
Pro: POS supports mobile and desk checkout, tips, and split payments, alongside staff and client management.
Pro: More than 40 listed integrations offer several routes to connect payment, communication, accounting, and calendar tools.
Con: The free listing is limited to 50 appointments monthly and carries a one-time 15% fee on the first marketplace-sourced visit from a new client.
Con: Inventory is excluded from Essential, while API access and custom integrations require the 179.00 USD per month Expert plan.

Alternatives

For a broader category comparison, see Salon and Spa Scheduling Software, Salon Software, and Salon Payroll Software.

Acuity Scheduling may suit a business seeking paid scheduling software with a 20.00 USD per month Starter plan that includes one calendar.
Simple Salon is worth considering for a paid option with a 20.00 USD per month Starter plan capped at seven operators.
Setmore offers a free plan for up to four users, making it an alternative for teams prioritizing a user-capped free tier.
SimplyBook.me has a free plan capped at 50 bookings, one custom feature, and one provider, which may suit a smaller booking setup.
Zoho Bookings offers a free plan for one user and one event type, so it may fit a narrower, single-user scheduling need.
Fresha is another freemium option, with plans for an independent team member or an unlimited team.
Plandok is another freemium option available on web and Android.
GlossGenius is a paid option with a 28.00 USD per month Standard plan that includes a custom booking website, unlimited client notifications, marketing, and inventory.

Verdict

Choose Salonist if your salon or wellness business needs more than a calendar and values booking, POS, and day-to-day operations together. Its strongest case is that operational breadth, with a clear path to inventory and API capability in higher tiers. Look elsewhere if you need only basic scheduling or if the marketplace fee and Expert price make its broader toolkit poor value for your needs.

	Salonist	Setora
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	$79/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	Web, iOS, Android
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	79 /mo	—
Online booking	Yes	Yes
Staff availability	—	Yes
Appointment reminders	—	Yes
Waitlist management	—	Yes

Salonist vs Setora

Salonist

Setora