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AI scheduling tools for hair and beauty salons in the UK

A salon diary has to juggle chairs, rooms and people: a cut and colour that runs three hours, a 15-minute brow tidy, a therapist who only does Saturdays. No-shows cost money straight away because the slot can't be resold. Booking apps let clients book themselves, send reminders and, in many cases, take a deposit or card details up front.

Prices were re-checked on each provider's own page; the date is next to each one. Rules and figures from GOV.UK are linked where they're used.

Self-booking and reminders

Clients increasingly expect to book online at 10pm. Fresha and Booksy list you in a consumer marketplace, but both charge a one-time fee on new marketplace clients (20% on Fresha; 30% on Booksy's optional Boost); Timely says it charges no new-client fees (all checked 14 October 2026). Compare them in our salon booking software guide.

Deposits and cancellation fees

Deposits reduce no-shows, but keep the terms proportionate and tell clients before they book. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, an unfair term in a consumer contract isn't binding on the consumer (legislation.gov.uk), so a fee far bigger than your real loss is risky. Put the policy in the booking confirmation.

Age checks and allergy tests

If you offer injectables, it's an offence in England for a business to arrange botulinum toxin or fillers for an under-18 for cosmetic purposes (legislation.gov.uk), so add a date-of-birth check to online booking. Sunbed businesses in England and Wales must keep under-18s off sunbeds (legislation.gov.uk). For colour, follow each product's instructions on allergy alert tests and book the test as its own short appointment so it isn't forgotten.

The options, with prices

Tool	Price and free plan	UK notes and source
Fresha Booking, payments and client records for salons, spas and barbers, with a consumer marketplace.	Independent: $19.95 a month. Team: $14.95 per bookable team member a month. 20% one-time fee on new marketplace clients (minimum applies). Card fees extra. 7-day free trial. Booking links, Facebook and Instagram bookings and email/app notifications are included free.	Our check showed US-dollar prices; the provider may show pounds to UK visitors. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Booksy Booking app for hair, beauty and barbers with a marketplace listing and marketing tools.	£40 a month for all features, plus VAT. Extra users £5 a month each. Optional Boost: one-time 30% fee (minimum £5) on new marketplace clients. 7-day free trial. No booking fees on unlimited bookings.	UK prices in pounds, plus VAT. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Timely Salon and spa booking software with client records, payments and text reminders.	Build: $26, Elevate: $39, Innovate: $47 per staff member a month, billed in USD when we checked. 14-day free trial, no card needed.	Payments available in the UK. Our check showed US-dollar prices; the provider may show pounds to UK visitors. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Calendly Online booking links that let customers pick a time that suits your calendar.	Free plan (always free). Standard: $10 per seat a month. Teams: $16 per seat a month. Enterprise from $15k a year. An always-free plan for basic scheduling.	Prices are in US dollars. Source, checked 14 October 2026
Google Business Profile Your free listing on Google Search and Maps, where customers leave reviews and you reply.	Free. Create and manage your listing, share a review link and reply to reviews at no cost.	Works in the UK. Source, checked 14 October 2026

What to check before you choose

Marketplace fees on new clients (Fresha 20%, Booksy Boost 30%) against flat or per-staff pricing.
Can it take a deposit or card on file, and show the cancellation policy before booking?
Can services need a prior patch-test appointment?
Can you schedule rooms and equipment as well as staff?
Fresha and Timely showed US-dollar prices when we checked; confirm the UK price.

A prompt to start with

Paste this into ChatGPT or Claude, filling in the brackets:

You manage the diary for [salon name] in [town] with [number] stylists and therapists: [names and services each offers]. Here are next week's bookings and requests: [paste]. Build a day-by-day plan, flag clashes and gaps, list clients who need an allergy alert test before their colour appointment, and draft a friendly reminder text that includes our cancellation policy: [policy].

Free tools

Price a job with the quote and VAT calculator (20%, 5%, 0% and reverse charge), or work out your day rate (see how much to charge per hour). Comparing job management apps? Read Tradify vs Jobber. Driving between jobs? The mileage allowance calculator uses HMRC's flat rates, and van costs for sole traders compares leasing, buying and the mileage rate. Deposit, rebooking and tipping-policy prompts: ChatGPT prompts for salons.

Questions

Can a salon charge a no-show fee?

Many do, using a deposit or card on file. Keep the fee proportionate and tell clients before they book: an unfair term isn't binding on a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Which booking app has no commission on new clients?

Timely says it charges no new-client fees, but prices per staff member. Fresha and Booksy charge on new marketplace clients. Checked 14 October 2026.

Are these prices in pounds?

Not all. Where a provider only publishes US dollar prices we show dollars, so check the price in pounds at checkout.

Do you get paid if I sign up?

Some links may become affiliate links, and we'll label them when they do. It doesn't change what we list. See how we make money.

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