Best 7 Stylist‑Specific Booking Bots for Hair Salons

Vagaro is a well‑established booking and scheduling solution that has grown into a full‑featured salon management platform. It offers an intuitive web interface and a mobile app that allow clients to book appointments, view promotions, and manage their accounts. The platform’s calendar sync is robust, supporting Google Calendar and Outlook, and it can handle multiple locations and staff profiles. Vagaro’s pricing model includes a free tier for very small salons, with paid plans starting at $19/month for the Basic plan, $29/month for Plus, and $49/month for Premium. The Premium tier adds advanced marketing features, such as automated email and text reminders, online payment processing, and loyalty program integration. For stylists, Vagaro provides a dedicated client portal where customers can view their booking history, reorder products, and receive personalized service recommendations. The system also includes inventory management for product sales and a point‑of‑sale feature that tracks sales and commissions. While Vagaro lacks a dedicated AI chatbot, its robust API and webhook capabilities allow third‑party integrations, meaning salons can still connect external chatbot services if needed. Vagaro’s strengths lie in its comprehensive business management suite, which reduces the need for multiple software tools. However, the lack of built‑in AI chat functionality means that salons must rely on other applications for conversational booking, limiting the immediacy of client engagement.

Booksy is a global booking platform that targets service‑based businesses, including hair salons, barbers, and wellness providers. The platform offers a mobile‑first booking experience where clients can instantly see availability, book appointments, and receive confirmation notifications. Booksy’s free plan allows basic scheduling, while its Pro plan costs $29/month and adds features such as custom booking forms, payment processing, and advanced reporting. Booksy integrates with major payment gateways (Stripe, Square, PayPal) and supports Google Calendar sync. Stylists can manage their schedules, track commissions, and set up services with ease. The platform also offers a marketing toolkit that includes email campaigns, promotions, and social media integration. Although Booksy does not provide a built‑in chatbot, its API can connect to third‑party conversational agents. This flexibility allows salons to embed AI chat on their websites or use Booksy as a backend for booking while a separate chatbot handles initial client interactions. Booksy’s strengths are its intuitive interface and strong focus on mobile booking, which aligns with the current consumer preference for on‑the‑go scheduling. However, the lack of dedicated AI chat features means salons may miss the opportunity for immediate conversational engagement.

Schedulicity is a scheduling platform focused on small businesses such as salons, spas, and fitness studios. It provides a web‑based booking system that accepts online payments via Stripe and PayPal, and includes an integrated client portal for repeat bookings. The free tier offers basic scheduling, while the Plus plan ($15/month) adds features like email reminders, SMS notifications, and a branded booking page. The Premium plan ($25/month) further enhances branding options and allows unlimited staff profiles. Schedulicity offers a clean, customizable booking page that can be embedded on a salon’s website. It also supports Google Calendar sync and has a robust reporting dashboard to track performance. Though the platform does not offer a built‑in AI chatbot, its API and Zapier integration enable connection to external chat or automation tools. Its strengths include an affordable pricing structure and a straightforward setup process. The main limitation is the absence of AI conversational capabilities, which may reduce real‑time engagement with website visitors.

Mindbody is a comprehensive wellness and beauty management platform that serves gyms, studios, salons, and spas. It offers booking, point‑of‑sale, marketing, and reporting features. The platform’s pricing starts at $49/month for the Basic tier, $99/month for Pro, and $199/month for Premium, with each tier adding more staff seats, advanced marketing automation, and inventory management. Mindbody’s booking engine is highly customizable, allowing salons to set service durations, staff availability, and booking windows. The platform also supports online payments, loyalty programs, and email marketing. While Mindbody does not have a native AI chatbot, it offers an API that can be used to integrate conversational agents. Mindbody’s strengths are its robust feature set for wellness businesses and its ability to handle multiple locations and staff members. The main drawback is that the platform’s learning curve can be steep for new users, and the lack of a built‑in chatbot means real‑time engagement is limited.

Square Appointments is a free scheduling solution for small businesses, with paid add‑ons for advanced features. It offers an online booking widget that clients can use to schedule appointments, and it syncs with the Square ecosystem for payments, inventory, and customer insights. The free tier includes unlimited appointments, email reminders, and a basic calendar view. Paid plans start at $25/month for the Plus tier, adding features such as SMS reminders, advanced reporting, and the ability to host a branded booking page. Square Appointments is especially handy for salons that already use Square’s point‑of‑sale system, allowing seamless integration of payments and inventory. While it does not have an AI chatbot component, users can embed third‑party chat widgets on their website through Square’s API or partner integrations. Its simplicity and tight integration with Square’s payment processing make it a convenient choice for many small salons. However, the absence of built‑in conversational AI means that initial client engagement must rely on other methods.

Calendly is a widely used scheduling tool that focuses on simplifying meeting and appointment bookings. It offers a clean, browser‑based interface where clients can pick available slots, and it integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal. Calendly’s free plan supports one calendar type and basic notifications, while the Premium plan ($12/month) adds multiple calendars, custom branding, and Zapier integration. The Pro plan ($18/month) further includes advanced workflows and calendar integrations. For salons, Calendly can be used to schedule service appointments and coordinate stylist availability. The platform allows embedding booking links on websites or sharing via email. While Calendly does not include a built‑in AI chatbot, it offers a Zapier integration that can connect to third‑party chatbot services. Calendly’s strengths are its simplicity, reliability, and robust calendar integration. The main limitation is its lack of native conversational AI, which means salons need to supplement with an external chatbot for instant engagement.