What is the best booking app for barbers?

It depends on where your clients come from. As of September 2026, Booksy ($29.99 a month plus $20 per extra staff member) and theCut (free, or $25 a month for Pro) are the marketplace apps US barbers use most, and Fresha ($14.95 per bookable team member) is the cheapest marketplace option in the UK and Europe. Squire ($50 a month per shop on its Pro plan) is the barber-only system for multi-chair shops. Vagaro, Square Appointments, Acuity, GlossGenius and Goldie charge no commission at all. Shops whose regulars book by name are usually best served by an app under their own name, which Codersy Apps builds for a flat €50 a month.

How much does a barber booking app cost per month?

As of September 2026: Squire is $30 a month for an independent barber or $50 per shop on Pro; Booksy is $29.99 plus $20 per additional staff member; theCut is free or $25 for Pro; Fresha is $19.95 for one barber or $14.95 per bookable team member; Vagaro is $23.99 for one calendar plus $10 per extra calendar; Square Appointments is $0, $49 or $149 per location; Acuity is $20 to $61; GlossGenius is $28 to $168; Goldie is free, $19.99 or $39.99. Card processing, usually 2.3% to 2.75% plus a few cents per payment, comes on top of every one of them.

Which barber booking apps charge a commission?

Three of the nine, and only on new clients from their marketplaces. As of September 2026 Fresha charges a one-time 20% commission with a $6 minimum on a new client's first marketplace booking, Booksy's optional Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit, and theCut charges $10 for every new client who books through its Search on the free plan (Pro has no per-client charge). Squire's pricing page lists no commission, and Vagaro, Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling, GlossGenius and Goldie have no marketplace at all. Returning clients are never charged a commission on any of them.

Is theCut free for barbers?

The software is. As of September 2026 theCut's Free plan costs $0, its Shop plan for owners costs $0, and Pro is $25 a month with a 30-day trial, or free for the following month once you process 100 or more transactions through theCut. What you pay is 2.75% processing on payments taken in the app (your client also pays a $0.95 fee per transaction), and on the Free plan $10 for each brand-new client who books you through theCut's Search if you switch Growth on.

Should a barbershop use a marketplace app or its own app?

Use a marketplace while it brings you clients you would not otherwise get; a one-time 20% to 30% commission on a $40 first cut is cheaper than most advertising. Once most of your chairs are filled by regulars who ask for their barber by name, a marketplace shows competitors next to your profile and keeps the client relationship on its own brand. An app under your shop's name, such as the one Codersy Apps publishes for a flat €50 a month with no commission, makes sense at that point. Many shops keep a marketplace listing for new clients and move their regulars to their own app.

Best Barber Booking Apps in 2026: Squire, Booksy, theCut and More

A barber booking app has a different job from a salon app. Services are short, so the calendar has to pack a 20-minute beard trim against a 45-minute skin fade. Clients book a barber, not a shop, so every chair needs its own hours, services and prices. Walk-ins still pay the rent, Saturday slots need a deposit, and the client who never turns up needs to lose the right to book. The best barber booking apps in 2026 do all of that, but they split into two camps: marketplace apps such as Booksy, theCut and Fresha, which bring new clients and charge for the introduction, and software under your own name, from Squire to a barber booking app published under your shop's name, which charges a flat fee and leaves the client relationship with you.

Below are nine barbershop booking apps compared on price, per-barber fees, commission and card processing, every figure as of September 2026 from the vendor's own pricing page, then the commission arithmetic on a $35 to $45 cut. For salons, see our best beauty salon booking apps guide.

Best barber booking apps compared

US prices as of September 2026 from each vendor's pricing page: Squire, Booksy, theCut, Fresha, Vagaro, Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling, GlossGenius and Goldie. Schedulicity is missing on purpose: Vagaro bought it in January 2025 and its site now says "Schedulicity is now Vagaro".

| App | Monthly price (US) | Extra staff | Marketplace commission | Card processing | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Squire | $30 for one barber; $50, $150 or $250 per shop | Included per shop | None listed | Not published | Multi-chair shops | | Booksy | $29.99 plus tax | $20 per staff member | Boost, optional: 30% of a new client's first visit | 2.49% plus $0.10 with the reader; 2.69% plus $0.30 keyed | US marketplace discovery | | theCut | Free; Pro $25; Shop plan $0 | Each barber has his own account | $10 per new Search client on the free plan | 2.75%, plus $0.95 paid by the client | Independent barbers starting free | | Fresha | $19.95 for one; $14.95 per bookable team member | $14.95 each | 20% one-time, minimum $6, marketplace new clients | 2.29% plus $0.20 in person; 2.79% plus $0.20 online | Small teams, UK and Europe | | Vagaro | $23.99 for one calendar (limited-time rate) | $10 per calendar up to seven, then free | None | 2.6% plus $0.10; 2.29% plus $0.19 above $4,000 a month | Bigger shops | | Square Appointments | $0, $49 or $149 per location | Unlimited staff calendars | None | 2.6%, 2.5% or 2.4% plus 15 cents by plan | Shops already on Square | | Acuity Scheduling | $20, $34 or $61 ($16, $27 or $49 billed annually) | 1, 6 or 36 calendars by plan | None | Stripe, Square or PayPal at their rates | Scheduling behind your own website | | GlossGenius | $28, $56 or $168 ($24, $48 or $148 billed annually) | Gold up to 9 staff; Platinum 10 or more | None | Flat 2.6% | One flat rate, US only | | Goldie | Free (20 appointments a month); Pro $19.99; Pro Plus $39.99 | Pro Plus: unlimited | None | 2.5% plus $0.30 on Pro; $1.20 client booking fee with deposits | Solo barbers wanting reminders | | Codersy Apps (your own app) | €50 flat, any number of barbers | Included | None | Stripe or a local processor, at their rates | Shops whose regulars book by name |

Squire

Squire is barber-only software priced per shop, not per barber. As of September 2026 its pricing page lists Independent at $30 a month for one barber with a 14-day trial, Pro at $50 a month per single-location shop with multiple barber accounts, Executive at $150 a month per shop with unlimited email and SMS marketing and rent collection, and Titan at $250 a month per shop with multi-location support and a branded app. It lists no commission and no processing rates, so get the rate in writing before you sign.

Watch-outs: the jump from $50 to $150 buys marketing and rent collection. On Capterra (4.2 out of 5 from 38 reviews) owners describe "nickel and diming at every opportunity" and say support "disappear[s] after you sign the contract".

Booksy

Booksy is the marketplace most US barbers know, and one plan covers booking by barber, deposits and 2,000 free marketing texts a month. As of September 2026 its US pricing page lists $29.99 a month plus tax for one user and $20 a month per additional staff member, with a 14-day trial and no commitment; processing is 2.49% plus $0.10 with the reader and 2.69% plus $0.30 keyed. The listing is free, and Boost, the optional discovery feature, takes a one-time 30% of a new client's first visit. The UK page shows £40 plus £5 per extra user plus VAT.

Watch-outs: four barbers cost $89.99 a month before tax, and Boost on a $40 cut is $12 per new client. On Capterra (4.4 from 482 reviews) barbers say Boost can "provide no results in getting you new clients" and complain about "not being able to put on file their credit card".

theCut

theCut is the barber-only marketplace, and its Free plan is real: a booking link, push and email notifications, no-show policies and mobile payments. As of September 2026 its pricing page lists Free at $0, Pro at $25 a month with a 30-day trial and a Shop plan at $0 for owners. Payments cost 2.75% plus a $0.95 fee paid by the client; process 100 transactions in a month and the next month of Pro is free. The catch is Growth: on the free plan it lists you in theCut's Search and charges $10 for every brand-new client who books that way. Pro has no per-client charge.

Watch-outs: $10 on a $35 cut is 29%, the highest rate in this guide, and it is charged when the client books. In the App Store reviews (4.7 from 18,000 ratings) barbers say it still applies "if they do not show up" and describe payments declined "while the client is in the chair".

Fresha

Fresha has the cheapest marketplace subscription and is the first stop in the UK and Europe. As of September 2026 its pricing page lists Independent at $19.95 a month and Team at $14.95 a month per bookable team member, with a 7-day trial; new marketplace clients carry a one-time 20% commission with a $6 minimum, returning clients nothing. Processing is 2.29% plus $0.20 in person and 2.79% plus $0.20 online, which is what deposits cost. Prices show in your local currency; the UK figures are in our Fresha pricing guide.

Watch-outs: every bookable calendar counts, and a regular Fresha does not recognise can be billed as new, so import your list before you switch the marketplace on. On Capterra (4.8 from 1,447 reviews) owners cite "promised free forever accounts" that ended and "the extra fees for text messages & taking payment details".

Vagaro

Vagaro is the all-in-one option, priced per bookable calendar with a cap that suits bigger shops. As of September 2026 its plans and pricing article lists $23.99 a month for one US calendar, marked "only for a limited time", plus $10 a month per additional calendar up to seven, then free. Processing is 2.6% plus $0.10 in person under $4,000 a month and 2.29% plus $0.19 plus $10 a month above it. No commission, but add-ons such as MySite ($20 a month) and the Branded App ($100 a month) are extra; our Vagaro pricing guide adds them up.

Watch-outs: the base price is promotional, so ask what it becomes at renewal, and former Schedulicity shops now pay it. On Capterra (4.7 from 3,657 reviews) owners "pay an extra fee just to collect fees to protect my business" and see "line-ups at the front desk waiting for screens to load".

Square Appointments

Square Appointments is the pick if you already take payments on Square; booking by staff member, reminders and unlimited staff calendars are on the free plan. As of September 2026 the Appointments pricing page lists Free at $0, Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 a month, each per location, with no-show fees and the waitlist starting on Plus. Square's fees article puts in-person processing at 2.6%, 2.5% and 2.4% plus 15 cents by plan and card on file at 3.5% plus 15 cents.

Watch-outs: charging a no-show fee needs Plus, a two-shop brand pays it twice, and there is no marketplace. On Capterra (4.5 from 262 reviews) a stylist says the "price continued to rise, and it felt like the value for the price did not go up equally".

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity, part of Squarespace, is pure scheduling behind your own website, with payments handed to Stripe, Square or PayPal at their rates. As of September 2026 its pricing page lists Starter at $20 a month for one calendar, Standard at $34 for up to six and Premium at $61 for up to 36, or $16, $27 and $49 billed annually, with a 7-day trial. A calendar is a barber, so a four-chair shop is on Standard.

Watch-outs: no free plan, no marketplace and no point of sale. On Capterra (4.8 from 5,765 reviews) reviewers say it "can be expensive for small businesses and it has no free tier" and warn "NO PHONE SUPPORT".

GlossGenius

GlossGenius is a booking site, reminders, deposits and payments at one flat rate, with no marketplace and US-dollar pricing only. As of September 2026 its pricing page lists Standard at $28 a month, Gold at $56 and Platinum at $168, or $24, $48 and $148 billed annually, with a 14-day trial; Gold covers up to nine staff and Platinum ten or more, and Standard's seat count is in our GlossGenius pricing guide. Processing is a flat 2.6%, so a $10 deposit costs 26 cents.

Watch-outs: three barbers need Gold, and there is no volume discount. On Capterra (4.8 from 349 reviews) owners complain about "raising the prices and making different tiers" and that "the system was always down".

Goldie

Goldie, formerly Appointfix, is the cheapest way for a solo barber to get reminders and a booking page. As of September 2026 its pricing page lists Starter free with 20 appointments a month, Pro at $19.99 a month for one user and Pro Plus at $39.99 a month with unlimited team members; its transaction fees article (updated 11 June 2026) puts cards at 2.5% plus $0.30 on Pro and Pro Plus, 3.5% plus $0.30 on Starter and 1.3% plus 20p in the UK. No marketplace, no commission.

Watch-outs: with no-show protection on, Goldie adds a $1.20 booking fee (£1.00 in the UK) to the client's checkout, and the only way to remove it is to turn deposits off. On Capterra (4.8 from 1,172 reviews) users say "all the features i like are only in pro plus".

Marketplace apps vs. your own barbershop app

Do the arithmetic on a $40 cut. Booksy Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit, so $12. Fresha takes 20% with a $6 minimum, so $8. theCut's Growth on the free plan takes a flat $10, a quarter of the ticket. All three are one-time fees, so a client who returns every three weeks for two years costs $8 to $12 for about $1,400 of haircuts. That is cheap advertising, if the client is genuinely new.

Twenty marketplace new clients a month cost $160 on Fresha, $200 on theCut's free plan or $240 on Booksy Boost, which is $1,900 to $2,900 a year. And the marketplace keeps working on your regulars: they open Booksy or Fresha rather than your shop, see other barbers next to your profile, and the client list and reminders run on the platform's brand. An app under your own name flips that: your logo on the client's phone, your client list, push notifications at no cost per message and no commission, at the price of discovery. Many shops keep a listing for first visits and their own app for everyone who comes back.

How to choose a barber booking app

Solo barber renting a chair. Start free with theCut, Square Appointments Free or Goldie Starter. Pay when you need SMS reminders or per-client cancellation rules: theCut Pro at $25, GlossGenius Standard at $28 or Squire Independent at $30. Pick Booksy or Fresha only if the marketplace actually fills your gaps.
Two to four chairs. Squire Pro at $50, Square Plus at $49, Vagaro at $53.99 for four calendars and Fresha Team at $59.80 are within $11 of each other; Booksy is $89.99 because of its per-staff fee. Decide on commission instead: marketplace clients, Booksy or Fresha; Instagram and word of mouth, Squire, Square or your own app.
Multiple locations. Square is $49 or $149 per location, Squire Titan is $250 per shop, and Vagaro runs several locations from one account. Add up the real total first.
Whatever the size, book yourself in as a client, pay a deposit, cancel, and read the reminder. If the flow is clumsy for you, it is clumsy for them.

The owned-app alternative

Codersy Apps designs, builds and publishes a booking app under your barbershop's own name and logo in the App Store and Google Play for a flat €50 a month, with no development or setup fee, no per-booking fee and no commission, and you can cancel any month. You get a client app and an admin app, a calendar per barber with his own hours, services and prices, 24/7 self-booking, push and email reminders, deposits through Stripe or a local processor (their fees are separate), a one-tap ban for repeat no-shows, push notifications to every client and numbers per barber. The client list belongs to you. A demo is on your phone within 7 days and the app is live in both stores in 3 to 4 weeks.

Today's live clients are salons (Milano Beauty, Ana Beauty Club, Lila Vanila and Belgrade Bling); the barbershop setup is on our barber booking app page. Our beauty salon app page shows what is included, the salon booking software pricing guide compares the same vendors for a three-chair salon, and beauty salon appointment apps covers reminders and deposits.

The bottom line

The subscriptions are close and processing costs roughly the same everywhere. What separates the best barber booking apps is whether you pay a commission for discovery, and whether the app on your client's phone carries your name or someone else's. If new clients come from a marketplace, pay the one-time fee and keep the listing. If your chairs are full of regulars who ask for their barber by name, stop paying for the introduction and talk to us about an app with your shop's name on it.