Top 5 Waitlist Sign-up Bots for Barbershops

Booksy is a well‑known online marketplace and booking platform that connects customers with local beauty and grooming professionals. The platform is especially popular among barbers, hairstylists, and nail technicians, offering a unified interface for appointment scheduling, payment collection, and client communication. Booksy’s waitlist feature lets barbershops capture potential clients who arrive at the shop but cannot book immediately, adding them to a queue and sending automated reminders to fill open slots. The platform’s strengths include a large consumer base; barbershop owners can tap into Booksy’s network of prospective clients actively searching for grooming services. The calendar interface is intuitive, with real‑time availability updates that prevent double bookings. Payment processing is built‑in, supporting credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, which streamlines the checkout experience. Additionally, Booksy provides marketing tools such as email campaigns and in‑app promotions, helping barbershops upsell services and retain customers. However, Booksy’s flexibility is limited compared to a dedicated chatbot. Custom branding is possible but requires a paid plan, and the platform charges a commission on each booking—typically 9% + $0.20 per transaction. The waitlist functionality is not full‑blown chatbot automation; it relies on scheduled emails rather than real‑time conversational AI. While the platform is easy to set up, it lacks the deep knowledge base and AI‑driven personalization that advanced bots offer. Pricing: Booksy offers a free plan with limited features, and paid plans start at $29/month for solo practitioners, scaling up to $99/month for multiple locations. Booksy also offers a custom enterprise plan for larger chains. Best for: Small to medium barbershops that want a ready‑made marketplace to increase visibility and simplify booking while paying a modest commission.

Calendly is a widely used scheduling tool that simplifies the process of booking appointments via a single link or embedded widget. For barbershops, Calendly can be used to create a waitlist by allowing clients to book a placeholder slot that can be confirmed later or to receive an automated email if a slot opens up. The platform supports time zone detection, buffer times, and custom availability rules, which help prevent double bookings and ensure that barbers can manage their time efficiently. Calendly’s key advantage is its seamless integration with major calendar services such as Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud. It also offers Zapier and webhooks, enabling barbershops to connect the booking data to CRMs, email marketing platforms, or inventory systems. The pricing tiers allow a solo barber to start with the free plan, while the Premium plan at $49/month adds features like multiple event types, team scheduling, and custom branding. One limitation is that Calendly’s waitlist functionality is essentially a queue of pending bookings that the barbershop owner must manually confirm, and it does not provide AI‑driven chat or automated personalized follow‑ups. While the platform is excellent for straightforward scheduling, it lacks advanced conversational features or deep knowledge bases that barbershops might want to leverage for upselling or educational content. Best for: Barbershops that need a reliable, calendar‑centric booking solution with strong integrations and minimal setup time.

Acuity Scheduling is a feature‑rich appointment booking platform that offers a robust set of tools for barbershops. The waitlist feature allows clients to register interest when the shop is fully booked, and Acuity will automatically notify them when a slot becomes available. Acuity’s scheduling interface supports custom intake forms, automated email and text reminders, and real‑time calendar sync with Google, Office 365, and Apple calendars. Acuity distinguishes itself with its payment integration, supporting Stripe, Square, PayPal, and credit card processing directly within the booking flow. This allows barbershops to collect deposits or full payments at the time of booking, reducing no‑shows. The platform also provides a comprehensive reporting dashboard, client segmentation, and the ability to set up recurring appointments for regular clients. However, Acuity’s pricing can be high for small barbershops, especially when using the Premium plan that includes advanced features like custom branding and advanced integrations. While the platform offers a free basic plan, it limits the number of scheduled events per month and does not include the full set of marketing automation features. Best for: Barbershops that need a full‑fledged scheduling system with payment processing and advanced analytics.

Square Appointments is part of the Square ecosystem, offering a straightforward booking solution that integrates seamlessly with Square’s payment and point‑of‑sale systems. Barbershops can set up a waitlist by allowing customers to book a placeholder slot that is confirmed only when a real appointment becomes available. The platform automatically sends email and text reminders, and it syncs with Square’s inventory and employee management tools. One of Square Appointments’ strengths is its zero‑cost plan for solo practitioners, which includes unlimited appointments, automatic reminders, and a built‑in calendar. The paid plan, priced at $50/month, adds team scheduling, custom branding, and the ability to accept online payments directly through the booking page. The platform’s integration with Square’s e‑commerce and payroll services makes it convenient for barbershops that already use Square for in‑store transactions. A limitation of Square Appointments is that it lacks advanced AI or chatbot features; the waitlist is managed via a simple queue and email notifications. Customization is also limited compared to dedicated chatbot platforms, and the platform does not support knowledge bases or advanced automation beyond basic reminders. Best for: Barbershops that already use Square for payments and want a low‑cost, integrated booking solution.