Quick answer
For salons and spas, our pick is Quill Booking, our own plugin, for the lowest-cost booking with deposits, reminders and team scheduling. If you have many stylists and services, Amelia and LatePoint are the most complete staff-and-services systems, and Salon Booking System is purpose-built for salons. All of them take bookings on your own site with no per-booking commission.
Salon booking apps often charge a commission on new clients or a monthly fee per stylist. A WordPress plugin puts booking on your own site for a yearly price, and the money for deposits goes straight to your Stripe or PayPal account.
Disclosure: Quill Booking is our plugin, so we put it first. DoubleScale is a sister product from the same team. We list the same facts for every product, including what each one does not do well, so you can make your own call.
Compared at a glance
| Plugin | Best for | Free version | Paid from (1 site) | Lifetime from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quill Booking | Best value for small salons | One-on-one meetings | $39/year | $109 |
| Amelia | Best for multi-stylist salons and spas | Yes (Lite) | $49/year (Starter) | $299 (Standard) |
| LatePoint | Best free option with deposits | Yes, with payments | $99/year ($79 intro) | $249 ($199 intro) |
| Salon Booking System | Purpose-built for salons | Yes, unlimited services and bookings | €89/year | None |
| Bookly | Best for text reminders | Yes, up to 5 services | $99/year (Pro) | $129 (Pro) |
| DoubleScale | Best for client marketing | Yes, booking pages and group events | $99/year | $299 |
What salons and spas need from a booking plugin
- Online booking by service and stylist, with prices shown.
- Deposits for long services such as colour.
- Text reminders 24 hours before, which most salon clients prefer.
- A clear late-cancellation and no-show policy.
- Rebooking links after each visit.
How we chose
We checked every product’s own pricing and feature pages and its WordPress.org listing, then judged it on what matters most for this use:
- Staff and services: clients pick a service, a stylist and a time.
- Deposits for long or expensive services.
- Text reminders.
- Mobile booking experience.
- Price compared with salon apps.
1. Quill Booking: best value for small salons
Quill Booking works well for small salons and independent stylists: each stylist gets a booking page, deposits are taken through Stripe, PayPal or WooCommerce, and reminders go out by email, SMS or WhatsApp on Pro. Larger salons with many services may prefer a staff-and-services system like Amelia.
- Free version
- One-on-one meetings
- Paid from
- $39/year, or $109 lifetime
- Calendar sync
- Google, Outlook, Apple (Pro)
- WordPress.org
- 5.0★ (1 rating)
What you get
The free plugin covers one-on-one meetings with availability rules, buffers, booking questions and email confirmations and reminders. Pro adds group, round-robin and collective events, Google, Outlook and Apple Calendar sync, Zoom, Meet and Teams links, Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce payments, Twilio SMS and WhatsApp, and Zapier, Make and webhooks. Every Pro plan includes every feature; plans differ by the number of sites.
Pros
- Every Pro feature from $39 a year
- Lifetime licence from $109, the lowest here
- Works with Quill Forms for longer intake forms
Cons
- Young plugin with a small WordPress.org user base
- Free version is limited to one-on-one meetings
- Latest WordPress.org release is tested up to WordPress 6.9
Best for: Best value for small salons. Visit Quill Booking
2. Amelia: best for multi-stylist salons and spas
Amelia is built for exactly this: employees, services, extras, locations and a customer panel, with deposits and reminders on Standard.
- Free version
- Yes (Lite)
- Paid from
- $49/year; most need Standard at $99
- Calendar sync
- Google, Outlook, Apple (Standard)
- WordPress.org
- 4.6★ (793 ratings), 90,000+ sites
What you get
Amelia is built around employees, services and locations, and also sells events. Lite includes a back-end calendar, events, email and SMS notifications and free Square payments. The Standard plan ($99 a year) adds calendar sync, Zoom, Meet and Teams, Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce, reminders, recurring appointments, custom fields and multiple locations.
Pros
- Strong employee, service and location management
- Square payments in the free version
- Large, active user base
Cons
- Reminders and calendar sync need Standard
- Customer panel is not in the free version
- About 20 Wordfence vulnerability reports in 2025 and 2026, so keep it updated
Best for: Best for multi-stylist salons and spas. Visit Amelia
3. LatePoint: best free option with deposits
LatePoint takes deposits with Stripe and PayPal even in its free version, and Pro adds multiple staff and locations.
- Free version
- Unlimited appointments, payments
- Paid from
- $99/year ($79 intro)
- Calendar sync
- Google, Outlook, Apple (Pro)
- WordPress.org
- 4.9★ (107 ratings), 100,000+ sites
What you get
The free plugin includes unlimited appointments, events with capacity, a customer dashboard, email notifications and Stripe, PayPal and Razorpay payments with deposits. Pro adds multiple staff and locations, group and recurring bookings, rescheduling, calendar sync, Zoom, Meet and Teams, SMS and WhatsApp, custom fields and webhooks.
Pros
- Online payments in the free version
- Most installed booking plugin on WordPress.org
- No Wordfence vulnerability reports in 2025 or 2026
Cons
- Custom fields and rescheduling are Pro-only
- Email-only notifications in the free version
- Introductory price renews at full price
Best for: Best free option with deposits. Visit LatePoint
4. Salon Booking System: purpose-built for salons
Salon Booking System is designed for hair salons, barbers and spas, with unlimited services and bookings free and a staff app on paid plans.
- Free version
- Unlimited services and bookings
- Paid from
- €89/year (1 site)
- Built for
- Salons, barbers, spas
- WordPress.org
- 4.4★ (187 ratings)
What you get
Salon Booking System is made for hair salons, barbershops and spas. The free version includes a booking calendar, unlimited services and bookings and email notifications. Basic (€89 a year) adds online payments, advanced staff management and a staff app; Business (€169 a year, two sites) adds every add-on, multiple locations, white-label and WooCommerce checkout.
Pros
- Designed specifically for salons
- Unlimited services and bookings for free
- 15-day trial of the paid plans
Cons
- Small user base (2,000+ sites)
- Online payments need a paid plan
- Prices in euros, excluding VAT
Best for: Purpose-built for salons. Visit Salon Booking System
5. Bookly: best for text reminders
Bookly sends SMS and WhatsApp notifications from its free version, and Pro unlocks unlimited staff and services.
- Free version
- Up to 5 services
- Paid from
- $99/year (Pro); payments need Business
- Calendar sync
- Google (Pro), Outlook (Business)
- WordPress.org
- 4.4★ (586 ratings), 60,000+ sites
What you get
Bookly sells features in Pro, Business and Ultimate tiers plus add-ons. The free version allows five services with local payments and SMS and WhatsApp notifications through Bookly Cloud (pay as you go). Pro adds unlimited staff and services, Google Calendar, Zoom and Meet. Stripe, PayPal, group and recurring bookings and the customer cabinet need Business ($129 a year).
Pros
- SMS and WhatsApp notifications without a paid plan
- Large add-on catalogue
- Lifetime licences from $129
Cons
- Stripe and PayPal need the Business plan
- Free version capped at five services
- Features spread across many tiers and add-ons
Best for: Best for text reminders. Visit Bookly
6. DoubleScale: best for client marketing
DoubleScale adds a client database with email campaigns, so you can win back clients who have not booked in a while.
- Free version
- Booking pages, group events
- Paid from
- $99/year, 1 site
- Calendar sync
- Google, Outlook, Apple (Basic)
- WordPress.org
- 5.0★ (7 ratings)
What you get
DoubleScale is a WordPress CRM with a built-in booking module, so every booking creates or updates a contact record. The free version includes one-to-one and group events, booking pages, buffers, attendee reschedule and cancel, and email reminders. The Basic plan adds round-robin and collective events, a waiting list, calendar sync, Meet, Zoom and Teams, custom booking questions, SMS and Stripe and PayPal payments.
Pros
- Bookings land in a full CRM with email and automations
- Group events and rescheduling in the free version
- Round-robin and collective team events
Cons
- Small user base
- Calendar sync and custom questions need Basic
- More than you need if you only want a booking page
Best for: Best for client marketing. Visit DoubleScale
Frequently asked questions
What is the best booking plugin for a hair salon?
For small salons and independent stylists, Quill Booking offers deposits, reminders and team scheduling at the lowest price. For multi-stylist salons, Amelia, LatePoint and Salon Booking System have the most complete staff-and-services features.
Can I take deposits for salon bookings?
Yes. LatePoint takes deposits in its free version; Quill Booking, Amelia, Bookly and Salon Booking System take them on paid plans.
Do salon booking plugins charge commission?
No. WordPress booking plugins charge a yearly or one-time licence; payment processors such as Stripe charge their normal fees.
Should salons send text reminders?
Yes. Text reminders are read quickly and research shows they reduce no-shows. Ask for the client’s phone number and consent when they book.
Related guides
- How to reduce no-shows
- Appointment cancellation policy template
- 30 appointment reminder templates
- 9 best WordPress appointment booking plugins
Try Quill BookingBooking pages, calendar sync, video links, payments and reminders on your own WordPress site.
See pricingSources
Checked on November 5, 2026: the WordPress.org plugin directory and the official pricing or product pages of Quill Booking, Amelia, LatePoint, Salon Booking System, Bookly, DoubleScale. Prices change often; if you spot an outdated figure, tell us and we will update this page.
