Best 7 nail
salon software suites
for small business
[in 2024]

Aside from delivering quality treatments, nail salon owners will need to think about optimizing their schedule for maximum efficiency, promoting their services to keep new clients coming in, and other tasks that come with managing a business.

If you want to eliminate some routine admin and keep your nail salon running as smoothly as possible, here’s 7 of the best nail salon software suites on the market to help you optimize your operations.

Vev

Who It’s For

Vev’s free and user-friendly platform offers all the core features you’ll need to deliver a high standard of service and keep your business running smoothly. The user-friendly scheduling software allows you to create a list of treatments unique to your salon, which your users can then choose from and book into your available timeslots for instant confirmation.

These features make it one of the best nail salon software options for any stylist who wants to optimize their operations, without spending a fortune on software or having to deal with a complex learning curve.

Features Overview

Vev’s core feature is a simple and user-friendly booking system, which allows your clients to browse treatments and times, and instantly select an appointment that works for them. Combined with automated reminders, this helps keep clients in the loop about their upcoming treatment, and gives you and your staff a quick, at-a-glance look at your upcoming schedule.

This scheduling system is supported by a robust CRM where you can organize client data, analyze behavior, and base future promotion and business decisions based on the nuances of your target audience.

The easy in-app payment processing and marketing features help your clients enjoy an all-around frictionless experience, and equip you with the tools you need to keep new business coming in while remarketing to your satisfied clients.

Pricing

• Forever free, with features that provide all you need to keep your nail salon running smoothly.

• $89.00 per year for Vev+, for users who need additional advanced features.

Pros

• A multifunctional free version that will give most nail salons all they need.

• User-friendly no-code interface that still allows for great customization.

• Easy setup and readily-available tech support.

• User-friendly with no complex learning curve.

• Versatile payment options, including scan-to-pay and tap-to-pay.

• Robust in-built CRM so you can tailor your salon treatments to your clients.

Cons

• While the free version is perfect for most businesses, the no-code design may disallow certain advanced features.

• There’s currently no enterprise version, meaning some medium-to-large businesses may find the scalability limited.

2. GlossGenius

Who It’s For

GlossGenius is a multifunctional software suite with versions made for different wellness businesses, including nail salons. Its user-friendly design features allow you to build a polished client-facing website without the use of any complex tools, making it one of the best nail salon software options for businesses who are concerned with their branding, but don’t have a large design budget.

Features Overview

In terms of functionality, GlossGenius offers all the core features you’d expect from a nail salon software, including a scheduling system, payment processing, analytics and reporting, and payroll.

The highlight of this software option is the accessible site builder software, which allows you to customize several different aspects of how your booking system will appear to your customers. You can even order physical card readers in a variety of skins to help give your in-store experience a more personal touch. Though the sites can wind up looking a little similar to competitors who are also using GlossGenius, the customization options are still a great way to give your site a professional sheen without spending a lot on web design.

Pricing

• Standard: $24 per month.

• Gold: $48 per month.

Website

https://glossgenius.com

Pros

• Professional-looking booking site and card reader.

• Intuitive design platform that’s accessible to non-techy users.

• Affordable pricing.

Cons

• Drag-and-drop design platform has its limits in terms of branding and customization.

• No booking link or widget that you can share across other touchpoints like your website or social media.

• Certain features are only accessible via mobile app, making it less conducive to a more traditional office management environment.

3. Booker (by Mindbody)

Who It’s For

Booker, now a property of Mindbody, stands out for its wealth of supporting features for sales and marketing. This makes it one of the best nail salon software choices for businesses with big growth ambitions, and who want to spearhead their campaigns from a simple, user-friendly platform.

Features Overview

As the name suggests, Booker’s design is centered around a booking system where your clients can select the treatment they’re looking for and then set an appointment in any of your available time slots. This can be done either directly through your app / site, or through a social media integration.

As you book your clients, the data harvested by Booker will allow you to drive marketing through promotional emails and instant messages, helping you to both convert drop-in appointments, and retain satisfied clients with automated, targeted campaigns. You can also use Booker’s appointments page as a platform for selling digital products like gift cards, and process these sales quickly and easily with an in-built POS.

Pricing

• Only available through custom pricing plans set up through Booker’s sales team.

Website

https://www.mindbodyonline.com/business/booker

Pros

• Integrated marketing features.

• A simple and familiar booking system.

• The option to sell digital products through the platform’s own POS.

Cons

• Custom pricing plans can make budgeting hard for new businesses finding their first software.

• Users have reported lag and other technical issues when trying to check clients in and out.

• Users have reported that customer support seems to favor businesses using premium pricing.

4. Zenoti

Who It’s For

Zenoti is a general wellness and spa software suite with a diverse array of functions that will be useful for many nail salons, especially when it comes to detailed staff management and payroll customization. The wealth of features makes it one of the best nail salon software options for larger salons who want a tool that can cover multiple areas of their business.

Features Overview

Zenoti’s core features offer basic, but practical functionality when it comes to appointment scheduling, with a booking link that can be implemented on Facebook and Instagram to reduce the steps your clients need to take to secure an appointment. This tool comes with automated email and SMS reminders to reduce the risk of no-shows and improve client retention.

Staff management features is where Zenoti really shines, giving you and your staff around-the-clock mobile access to their shift timetable, the earnings they’ve made, and some tipping and performance metrics. There are many more nuances that Zenoti users can add to their staff management tools, making the staff profiles an especially attractive feature for nail salons with large teams.

Pricing

• Custom pricing available to discuss through Zenoti’s sales team.

Website

https://www.zenoti.com

Pros

• Detailed staff management tools for larger teams.

• Seamless, integrated payments.

• Possibility to integrate various third-party apps thanks to an open API.

Cons

• Non-transparent pricing structure, which could cause smaller businesses to go over-budget.

• Dated design which staff and clients might find hard to navigate.

• Some users have reported difficulty with accessing core features through the mobile app rather than the desktop version.

5. DaySmart Salon

DaySmart Salon is a purpose-built version of the DaySmart business software suite, fine-tuned specifically for wellness salons. Like many of the other tools in this list, it offers robust features for scheduling, client management, and promotion. The key difference is that it comes with several reputation management features to help you boost promotion on social media and review sites.

Features Overview

DaySmart Salon users can use its simple customization features to add their menu of services to a client-side booking system, giving clients an easy way to select and schedule their next appointment, while equipping you and your staff with an intuitive at-a-glance snapshot of the schedule so you can plan the coming weeks.

With the in-built reputation management features, you can also set up automated review reminders for your satisfied customers, encouraging them to leave reviews on platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Yelp. This makes it an attractive platform for newer businesses who want to develop their brand reputation quickly and start building more traction.

Pricing

• Basic: $29 per month.

• Deluxe: $69 per month.

• Deluxe Growth: $149 per month.

• Premium: $199 per month.

• Premium growth: Custom pricing available through sales team.

Website

https://online.daysmartsalon.com

Pros

• A simple and intuitive booking system that makes appointments easy for your clients, and organization easy for your staff.

• Multi-platform reputation management features for encouraging clients to leave reviews.

• A diverse menu of pricing options that can be amended as your business grows.

Cons

• Staff management tasks, including adjusting pay rate, comes with a lot of manual admin.

• The platform isn’t conducive to processing family or group bookings, which might clash with your nail salon’s service offerings.

• Some users have reported technical glitches after they switch from one plan to another.

6. Fresha

Who It’s For

Purpose-built for salons and spas, Fresha offers its users scheduling, payment processing, inventory and marketing features that will allow you to tend to all the day to day admin at your nail salon. It also has a unique pricing structure that’s based on how much you use the platform’s features, rather than monthly or yearly billing. This makes it one of the best nail salon software options for business owners who want their tech budget to reflect their exact needs.

Features Overview

The user-friendly Fresha platform allows new users to set up their marketplace profile quickly and easily. As soon as you’ve created your account, your clients will be able to choose from your list of services and book them in available timeslots with just a few clicks.

The software’s automated marketing has robust segmentation features so you can separate your clients into groups based on their brand loyalty, spending behavior, and other variables, ensuring that your marketing efforts have the best possible chance of conversion.

Pricing

• Free version available.

• Paid features such as payment processing, marketing communications, and report generating are charged based on the number of team members who need access as well as your usage of these features.

Website

https://www.fresha.com

Pros

• All the core features for nail salon software in a user-friendly interface.

• Designed for salon and wellness businesses, without the need for heavy customization.

• Usage-based pricing.

Cons

• New client fee.

• Limited customization for marketing communications.

• Free version is missing features which are available for no cost on alternative platforms.

7. Ovatu

Who It’s For

Another salon-specific software platform, Ovatu comes with a detailed CRM that allows you to build nuanced profiles of your clients based on the data from their past appointments. This makes it one of the best nail salon software options for businesses who have a growing customer base, and need to make sure they’re giving their clients the attention they’ve come to expect.

Features Overview

The first thing Ovatu prompts new users to do is to build their own branded mini-site, which clients can then select services from and book them into a convenient time slot. This part of the platform also has online payment processing and customizable deposit options to help reduce no-shows.

The “Customer Profiles” and “Customer Segments” tools offer a number of CRM functions for building detailed profiles on individual clients, then grouping grouping based on their previous spending and booking behaviors. This gives users a more detailed view of their entire audience for better-informed marketing.

Pricing

• Neat: $25 per month.

• Loaded: $38 per month.

Website

https://ovatu.com

Pros

• Branded online storefront with no coding required.

• Effective customer segmentation tools to boost your marketing efforts.

• Reliable online payment processing that helps reduce no-shows.

Cons

• Some users have noted a lack of tutorials and training, which might cause a steep learning curve.

• Minimal integrations with other wellness tools.

• Live customer support is restricted to US pacific time hours, making it somewhat inaccessible for global and remote teams.

Final Thoughts

Offering a great nail salon service requires a high level of personalization, and you shouldn’t let a lot of manual admin tasks get in the way of this.

We hope this guide has shown you how a robust nail salon tool can minimize manual intervention in your business, and helped you find the best nail salon software for your exact needs.