Booking apps for barbers: which fits a one-chair shop
Ten booking apps a barber can use, from marketplace apps to a plain booking link: who each one fits, its price as listed on its own site on Nov 4 2026, whether it has a free plan, a marketplace, card payments and no-show fees, and text reminders, and one honest limit for each.
Busifier makes Lo-Cal, one of the ten, so this page is not a neutral review: it is a sample of the tools barbers use, in no order of merit.
When Lo-Cal is not the pick
If you want a marketplace, card payments, no-show fees or text reminders, Lo-Cal is not the pick; here is who is.
- A marketplace that lists your shop where new clients search: Booksy, theCut (search placement on PRO), Squire, Vagaro and Fresha. Some charge for the new clients they send; each section below says how.
- Card payments, deposits or no-show fees: Booksy, theCut, Square Appointments (no-show fees on Plus), Squire, Goldie, Vagaro, Fresha, Setmore (deposits on Pro) and GlossGenius.
- Text reminders: Squire, Goldie Pro, Fresha, Setmore Pro and Square Appointments.
- More than one chair or person: Booksy (per extra user), Vagaro (per extra bookable calendar), Fresha (Team plan), Setmore (up to 4 users on Free) and Square Appointments (unlimited staff calendars on Free). For the others, check each site. Lo-Cal keeps one calendar per shop.
Lo-Cal fits a solo barber or a one-chair shop that wants its own booking link, set up for barbers, and none of the above. See Lo-Cal for barbers for its starting settings.
Ten booking apps side by side
| Tool | Free plan | Marketplace | Card payments and no-show fees | Text reminders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booksy | No (14-day trial) | Yes; optional Boost fee | Yes; no-show protection | Reminders free; 2,000 marketing texts a month |
| theCut | Yes, limited | On PRO | Yes; no-show protection | See thecut.co |
| Square Appointments | Yes | See squareup.com | Yes; no-show fees on Plus | Text and email reminders |
| Squire | Not stated (14-day trial) | Yes | Yes; no-show protection | Yes, on Independent |
| Goldie | Yes, 20 appointments a month | No | Deposits; no-show protection on Pro | Pro: 500 texts a month. Starter: by hand |
| Vagaro | No (30-day trial) | Yes | Yes; no-show fees: see vagaro.com | Reminders included; channel: see vagaro.com |
| Fresha | No (7-day trial) | Yes; 20% new-client commission | Yes; deposits | 100 free a month, then per text |
| Setmore | Yes, up to 4 users | No | Yes; deposits on Pro | On Pro |
| GlossGenius | No (14-day trial) | No | Yes; no-show policies | Reminders included; 500 marketing texts |
| Lo-Cal by Busifier | No (7 days free, with a card) | No | No | No, email only |
- Booksy: Prices as listed on biz.booksy.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: biz.booksy.com/en-us/pricing.
- theCut: Prices as listed on thecut.co on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: help.thecut.co/en.
- Square Appointments: Prices as listed on squareup.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: squareup.com/us/en/appointments/pricing.
- Squire: Prices as listed on getsquire.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: getsquire.com/pricing.
- Goldie: Prices as listed on heygoldie.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: heygoldie.com/pricing.
- Vagaro: Prices as listed on vagaro.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: vagaro.com/pro/pricing.
- Fresha: Prices as listed on fresha.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: fresha.com/pricing.
- Setmore: Prices as listed on setmore.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: setmore.com/pricing.
- GlossGenius: Prices as listed on glossgenius.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: glossgenius.com/pricing.
One chair, one month: each tool's own listed price
The price each tool lists for one barber for one month, side by side as written on its own site. Card processing, add-ons and sales tax come on top where they apply; we have not added anything up.
| Tool | Listed price for one barber, one month |
|---|---|
| Booksy | $29.99 a month, plus tax. |
| theCut | Free plan; PRO: see thecut.co. |
| Square Appointments | Free: $0 a month per location. Plus: $49 a month per location. |
| Squire | Independent: $30 a month. |
| Goldie | Starter: free, up to 20 appointments a month. Pro: $19.99 a month. |
| Vagaro | $23.99 a month for 6 months (promotion); the page shows $30.00 struck through. |
| Fresha | Independent: $19.95 a month, plus a one-time 20% commission on each new client the marketplace sends ($6 minimum). |
| Setmore | Free: $0. Pro: $5 a user a month with annual pricing (for the price billed monthly, see setmore.com). |
| GlossGenius | Standard: $28 billed monthly, or $24 a month billed yearly. |
| Lo-Cal by Busifier | $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax. |
Each app in a few lines
Booksy
Fits: A solo barber or small shop that wants to be listed in a marketplace app.
Price: $29.99 a month, plus tax, month to month, cancel anytime; $20 a month for each extra user. Prices as listed on biz.booksy.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: No free plan. 14-day trial, no card needed (per Booksy's FAQ).
- Marketplace: Yes, a free listing in the Booksy app. Optional Boost: a one-time fee of 30% of a Boost client's first visit, capped (see biz.booksy.com for the cap).
- Card payments and no-show fees: Card payments, and no-show protection (fee amounts not stated; processing fees apply). Card rates: 2.69% + $0.30 keyed, 2.49% + $0.10 on a reader, 2.49% + $0.20 with Tap to Pay.
- Text reminders: Reminders and confirmations free; 2,000 free marketing texts a month.
- Instagram and Google booking: Reserve with Google listed; for an Instagram button, see biz.booksy.com.
One honest limit: A solo barber pays the monthly price whether or not the marketplace brings anyone, and Boost takes a share of a new client's first visit.
theCut
Fits: Barbers who want a marketplace app made only for barbers.
Price: Free plan, with limited features. PRO: see thecut.co for the price and billing. Prices as listed on thecut.co on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: Yes, a free plan with limited features.
- Marketplace: Placement in theCut's search is on PRO only; the free plan gets a booking link and a QR code.
- Card payments and no-show fees: In-shop and mobile payments, and cancellation and no-show protection, on the free plan; custom cancellation and no-show policies and Tap to Pay on PRO. Mobile Pay: 2.75% a transaction, and the client pays a $0.95 fee.
- Text reminders: See thecut.co.
- Instagram and Google booking: See thecut.co.
One honest limit: Custom policies, search placement and Tap to Pay sit behind PRO, and PRO's price was not on the pages we could read.
Square Appointments
Fits: A barber who already takes card payments with Square.
Price: Free: $0 a month per location, with unlimited staff calendars. Plus: $49 a month per location. Higher plans: see squareup.com. Prices as listed on squareup.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: Yes, $0 a month per location.
- Marketplace: See squareup.com.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Card payments. Appointment deposits on Free and Plus; no-show fees on Plus. Card fees for online payments: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus.
- Text reminders: Text and email appointment reminders.
- Instagram and Google booking: A Book Now button for your site, a QR code and a widget; for Instagram and Google, see squareup.com.
One honest limit: No-show fees are on Plus, not on Free.
Squire
Fits: Barbers, from one chair to a crew.
Price: Independent (one barber): $30 a month. Pro (single shop): $50 a month. Higher plans and the billing cycle: see getsquire.com. Prices as listed on getsquire.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: Free plan: not stated. A 14-day free trial is offered.
- Marketplace: Yes: the Squire app and a "Find a barber" directory.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Payments, and no-show protection on Independent (amounts not stated). Processing rates: see getsquire.com.
- Text reminders: Free, unlimited email and text reminders on Independent.
- Instagram and Google booking: Google and Instagram booking listed on Pro.
One honest limit: Google and Instagram booking are listed on the $50 Pro plan, not the $30 one-barber plan.
Goldie
Fits: A solo barber or a very small shop.
Price: Starter: free, 1 user, 20 appointments a month, no card. Pro: $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year. Pro Plus: $39.99 a month or $399.99 a year. Bought through the App Store, Google Play or the site. Prices as listed on heygoldie.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: Yes: Starter, 1 user, 20 appointments a month.
- Marketplace: No built-in marketplace.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Deposits on every plan; no-show protection on Pro and up; a card reader in the US. Processing fees: see heygoldie.com.
- Text reminders: Starter: texts you send by hand from your own phone. Pro: 500 free texts a month through Goldie.
- Instagram and Google booking: Reserve with Google listed; for Instagram, see heygoldie.com.
One honest limit: The free plan stops at 20 appointments a month, with reminders you send by hand.
Vagaro
Fits: A shop with chair renters, or a barber who wants a suite with many add-ons.
Price: $23.99 a month for one location, labelled a 6-month promotion (the page shows $30.00 struck through); $10 a month for each extra bookable calendar; month to month, "exclusions apply". Prices as listed on vagaro.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: No free plan. 30-day trial (per Vagaro's FAQ).
- Marketplace: Yes, a free listing with every plan.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Card payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay; a free card reader with Vagaro Merchant Services. No-show fees and processing rates: see vagaro.com.
- Text reminders: Unlimited notifications and reminders included; text marketing price: see vagaro.com.
- Instagram and Google booking: Instagram, Facebook and Apple Maps booking included; Google under widgets and integrations.
One honest limit: The promotional price lasts six months; the struck-through price beside it is $30.00.
Fresha
Fits: A barber who wants marketplace clients and accepts a commission on new ones.
Price: Independent (one bookable member): $19.95 a month. Team: $14.95 a member a month. 7-day trial, cancel anytime. Prices as listed on fresha.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: No permanent free plan on the pricing pages. 7-day trial.
- Marketplace: Yes. New clients from the marketplace: a one-time 20% commission, $6 minimum. Bookings from your own link, Facebook and Instagram: no commission.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Card payments and deposits; no-show fee amounts not stated. Card rates: 2.79% + $0.20 online, 2.29% + $0.20 in person, 3.30% + $0.20 keyed by hand.
- Text reminders: 100 free automated texts a month, then $0.02 each; marketing texts $0.08 each.
- Instagram and Google booking: Google and social booking described; Instagram and Facebook bookings free.
One honest limit: Each new client the marketplace sends you costs a one-time 20% commission.
Setmore
Fits: A solo barber or a shop of up to 4 who want a free plan.
Price: Free: $0 for up to 4 users, unlimited appointments, online payments, email reminders. Pro: $5 a user a month with annual pricing, unlimited users. 30-day trial of Pro, cancel anytime. Prices as listed on setmore.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: Yes, for up to 4 users.
- Marketplace: No marketplace found.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Payments on both plans (Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay). Deposits on Pro, not on Free. No-show fees: see setmore.com.
- Text reminders: Text reminders on Pro (500 texts a user each month), not on Free.
- Instagram and Google booking: Instagram Book Now, Facebook Book Now and Reserve with Google, on both plans.
One honest limit: Text reminders and deposits need Pro.
GlossGenius
Fits: A solo pro who wants card payments built in.
Price: Standard: $24 a month billed yearly, or $28 billed monthly. Gold: $48 or $56. Platinum: $148 or $168. Prices as listed on glossgenius.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
- Free plan: No free plan. 14-day trial, no card.
- Marketplace: No marketplace described.
- Card payments and no-show fees: Card payments; cancellation and no-show policies (amounts not stated). Online invoicing 2.9% + $0.30; in-person rate: see glossgenius.com.
- Text reminders: Reminders and confirmations included; 500 marketing texts (2,500 on Platinum).
- Instagram and Google booking: Google booking on Gold and up; for Instagram, see glossgenius.com.
One honest limit: Google booking needs the Gold plan, and the in-person card rate showed as a blank field when we read the page.
Lo-Cal by Busifier
Fits: A solo barber or one-chair shop that wants its own booking link, set up for barbers, priced per business.
Price: $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax, or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax.
- Free plan: No free plan. Free for 7 days, with a card.
- Marketplace: No. Clients book from your own link.
- Card payments and no-show fees: No card payments, deposits or no-show fees.
- Text reminders: No. Email only.
- Instagram and Google booking: Put your link in your Instagram bio and your Google Business Profile.
One honest limit: One calendar per shop, so each chair does not get its own calendar.
What Lo-Cal does for a barber
- It starts from barber settings: 30-minute cuts, start times every 15 minutes, and same-day bookings up to 2 hours ahead. Change any of them.
- Clients book from your link. You get each request by email and confirm it in one tap, or turn on automatic confirming.
- Paste your Google, Outlook or iCloud calendar link, and Lo-Cal hides the times you are busy. Each confirmed booking reaches your calendar as an invite.
- One calendar per business, priced per business.
Lo-Cal is also set up for: dog groomers, mobile detailers, lash artists, braiders, massage therapists, dog trainers, tutors, lawn care and cleaning.
Price
Lo-Cal on its own
Or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax. One price per business, no setup fee. Cancel anytime, and download your bookings anytime.
Free for 7 days. A card is needed to start; cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. We email you 2 days before your trial ends.
$9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax (or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax) after the trial.
With a Busifier website
Booking is included at no extra cost. Busifier builds your whole website, and you pay $0 until your approved site is live.
Questions
What is the best booking app for barbers?
It depends on what you need, and Busifier makes one of the ten, so this page names no winner. If you want new clients from an app, look at a marketplace such as Booksy, Fresha or theCut. If you need deposits or text reminders, Lo-Cal is not the pick. If regulars book from your bio, a plain booking link covers it.
Do I need a marketplace app or my own booking link?
A marketplace app lists your shop where new clients search, and some charge for the clients it sends. Fresha charges a one-time 20% commission on each new client its marketplace sends ($6 minimum), and none on bookings from your own link. Booksy's optional Boost is a one-time fee of 30% of a Boost client's first visit, capped. Booksy, Vagaro, Squire, Fresha and theCut PRO have a marketplace. If your chair is mostly regulars and referrals, your own booking link may be all you need: it goes in your Instagram bio, your Google Business Profile and your texts to clients. Lo-Cal by Busifier is that kind of link, with no marketplace. As listed on each site on Nov 4 2026.
Which barber booking apps have a free plan?
As listed on each site on Nov 4 2026: theCut has a free plan with limited features. Goldie Starter is free for 1 user and 20 appointments a month. Setmore Free covers up to 4 users. Square Appointments Free is $0 a month per location, with card fees on each payment. Booksy, Vagaro, Fresha and GlossGenius list trials, not free plans, and Squire's page names a 14-day free trial and does not state a free plan. Lo-Cal by Busifier has no free plan: it is free for 7 days with a card, then $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax.
Can customers book from my Instagram bio or Google Business Profile?
Yes, with any tool that gives you a booking link: paste it in your Instagram bio and your Google Business Profile. With Lo-Cal by Busifier, clients tap the link, pick a time and send a request you confirm in one tap. A Book button inside Google or Instagram is a different thing that some apps list: Booksy, Goldie and Setmore list Reserve with Google, Setmore lists Instagram and Facebook Book Now buttons, Squire lists Google and Instagram booking on its Pro plan, and GlossGenius lists Google booking on Gold and up. As listed on each site on Nov 4 2026.
What does a one-chair shop actually need?
At least a link clients can tap at any hour, your services and hours set right, and a way to see each booking before the day starts. Then decide on three things. If no-shows cost you, you may want deposits or no-show fees. If your clients live by text, you may want text reminders. If you want strangers to find you in an app, you may want a marketplace. If you need none of the three, any tool on this page with a booking link covers it, Lo-Cal included.
Does Lo-Cal take deposits or send text reminders?
No. Lo-Cal by Busifier takes no card payments or deposits, charges no no-show fees and sends email only, no text messages. It keeps one calendar per business. If you need any of those, one of the other tools on this page fits better.