7 Must-Have Appointment Booking Chats for Hair Salons

Calendly has become a household name for appointment scheduling across industries, including hair salons. The platform offers a clean, user‑friendly interface that lets stylists set availability, define buffer times, and publish booking links that clients can access via web or embedded widgets. Calendly’s strength lies in its seamless integration with popular calendar apps such as Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud, ensuring double bookings are automatically avoided. For salons that need to manage multiple stylists, Calendly’s Team feature allows shared calendars and role‑based permissions. Calendly’s pricing tiers are simple: the Free plan supports one event type and basic scheduling; the Premium plan at $12/month per user adds advanced features like scheduled reminders, custom branding, and integration with Zoom; and the Enterprise plan at $25/month per user offers SSO, advanced reporting, and priority support. While Calendly excels at straightforward booking, it lacks a full chatbot interface; the platform focuses on scheduling links rather than conversational booking. However, its integration with Zapier and other automation tools allows salons to trigger follow‑up emails or add clients to loyalty programs. Overall, Calendly is a reliable, low‑friction solution for salons that prioritize calendar management and want a proven, globally trusted scheduling tool.

Acuity Scheduling, acquired by Squarespace, offers a robust online booking platform that serves a wide range of service‑based businesses, including hair salons. Its standout feature is the ability to create multiple service types, each with unique durations, staff assignments, and pricing. Acuity also allows salons to set up intake forms, capture payments, and send automated email or text reminders. The platform’s integration ecosystem is broad: Acuity can sync with Google, Outlook, and Apple calendars, connect with Zoom for virtual appointments, and integrate with Zapier for custom workflows. Pricing starts at $15/month for the Basic plan, $25/month for the Standard plan (which includes additional staff members and custom branding), and $50/month for the Premium plan that adds advanced automation and reporting. While Acuity’s focus is on booking and client communication, it does not offer a native chatbot interface. Salons can embed Acuity’s scheduling widget or use the API to build a conversational flow, but this requires additional development. Acuity is ideal for salons that need a comprehensive scheduling system with intake forms, payment collection, and robust reporting.

Square Appointments is part of Square’s ecosystem, providing a unified solution for appointment booking and point‑of‑sale (POS) transactions. For hair salons, Square Appointments offers a built‑in booking calendar, staff management, and the ability to accept payments directly at the point of service. The platform also includes a client portal where customers can view their booking history and manage appointments. Square’s strengths lie in its tight integration with Square POS, enabling salons to track sales, inventory, and client spend in a single dashboard. Additionally, Square Appointments offers automated reminders, a shared calendar for staff, and the ability to set up recurring appointments. Pricing is straightforward: the free plan supports a single user and basic scheduling; the paid plan at $50/month includes unlimited staff, custom branding, advanced reporting, and the ability to accept payments. Square Appointments is therefore an excellent option for salons that use Square for payments and want a consolidated platform for booking and sales.

Mindbody is a comprehensive platform for health, wellness, and beauty businesses, including hair salons. It offers a robust booking engine that supports multiple services, staff members, and client management. Mindbody’s strengths include its ability to handle class scheduling, membership plans, and loyalty rewards. The platform integrates with major calendars, offers automated email reminders, and allows salons to publish booking widgets on their websites. Pricing starts at $149/month for the Essential plan, which includes basic booking and client management, and scales up to $179/month for the Premium plan, adding advanced reporting and marketing tools. Mindbody’s focus is on the overall business ecosystem rather than a conversational chatbot. Salons can embed Mindbody’s booking widget or use the API to build a custom chat interface, but this requires additional development. Mindbody is best suited for salons that need a full‑featured business management suite with loyalty programs and membership options.

Booker, now part of the Mindbody family, is a dedicated booking platform designed for salons, spas, and wellness providers. It offers a highly customizable booking widget that can be embedded on salon websites or shared via social media. Booker’s key features include appointment scheduling, staff management, and real‑time availability. The platform also supports automated email and text reminders, payment collection, and client intake forms. Booker integrates with major calendar apps and offers a client portal for self‑service. Pricing is tiered: the Starter plan at $39/month supports one staff member, while the Premium plan at $79/month allows up to five staff members and advanced customization. Like other Mindbody offerings, Booker does not include a native chatbot; salons can use the API to build conversational experiences, but this requires technical effort. Booker is ideal for salons that desire a dedicated booking solution with robust staff and client management features.

Zoho Bookings is part of the Zoho ecosystem, offering an online appointment scheduling tool that works well for hair salons. It allows salons to create custom booking pages, set up service types, and manage staff calendars. Zoho Bookings integrates tightly with Zoho CRM, enabling automatic capture of client data and follow‑up workflows. The platform provides automated email reminders, calendar sync, and the ability to accept payments through Stripe or PayPal. Pricing for Zoho Bookings starts at $9/month for the Basic plan, with higher tiers providing additional staff members, custom branding, and advanced automation. While Zoho Bookings is a solid scheduler, it does not offer a built‑in chatbot; salons would need to pair it with Zoho SalesIQ or another chat solution for conversational booking. Zoho Bookings is a cost‑effective option for salons already using Zoho products and looking for a lightweight booking solution.