Best Free Salon Booking System
A couple of these tools are genuinely free forever. Most "free" salon software is really a free trial. Here's what each one actually gives you — and where the free tier runs out.
What's actually free vs. just a trial
Figures as of September 2026 — pricing and free-plan limits change often, so confirm current terms directly with each provider before choosing.
| Truly free? | Staff limit | Biggest catch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setmore | Yes, forever | Up to 4 users | No SMS reminders, no calendar sync, Setmore branding |
| Square Appointments | Yes, forever | 1 (solo only) | Team features locked behind paid Plus/Premium plans |
| Fresha | No — 7-day trial | n/a | Markets itself as commission-free, but runs on a paid monthly subscription |
| Vagaro | No — 30-day trial | n/a | From $23.99/mo (intro rate) after the trial ends |
| Booksy | No — 14-day trial | n/a | From $29.99/mo after the trial ends |
| Certxa | No — 60-day trial | Unlimited | From $9/mo, but booking + POS + client management + kiosk included on every plan |
Pricing and free-plan details for Setmore, Square Appointments, Fresha, Vagaro, and Booksy are based on each provider's publicly published pricing pages as of September 2026. Terms change frequently — always confirm current pricing directly with the provider before switching.
Setmore and Square Appointments
Setmore — free up to 4 staff
Setmore's free plan is genuinely $0/month with no time limit, and covers unlimited appointments, a branded booking page, online and in-person payment acceptance, and mobile apps for up to 4 staff members. What it leaves out: SMS reminders, two-way calendar sync, custom service availability, and the ability to remove Setmore's own branding — all of which move to the $5–$12/user/month Pro plan.
Square Appointments — free for one person
If you're a solo stylist, barber, or nail tech already taking payments through Square, the free tier covers scheduling and payment processing at no extra software cost. The moment you add a second staff member, you're into Square's paid Plus or Premium tiers built for growing teams.
Why "free" has a ceiling
Free salon booking tools work well right up until one of these becomes true for your business:
You hire staff #5
Setmore's free tier stops at 4 people and Square's free tier stops at 1. Add another chair and you're shopping for a paid plan somewhere.
No-shows start costing you
None of the free tiers above let clients pay a deposit at booking — the single most effective lever against no-shows for high-value services.
You want one system, not five
Free scheduling tools rarely include a walk-in check-in kiosk, built-in POS, or client history in the same place — so you end up stitching several apps together instead.
Certxa: the next step after free
Certxa isn't free, but it's built to be the cheapest real upgrade once a free plan stops fitting — unlimited staff from the entry plan, no long-term contract, and a 60-day free trial to test it first.
Unlimited staff, from $9/mo
No per-seat pricing and no staff cap on any Certxa plan — a meaningful difference from Setmore's 4-person free ceiling.
Deposits, POS, and a kiosk included
Booking, client management, point of sale, and a self-service walk-in check-in kiosk ship on every plan — not as paid add-ons.
No markup on card processing
Card payments run at Stripe's standard rate plus a flat $0.60 connection fee — Certxa doesn't add its own percentage on top.