Any recommendations for a booking system with a good waiting list feature?

I chair-rent and I use Square Appointments completely separately from the main salon. You just set your own location as a general Brighton address or your own mobile setup. Clients book with you specifically, not the salon. Works really well and the salon owner doesn't even see my diary.

🤍 5 ⚑ #1

For deposits specifically, Trafft is really smooth. The client gets a card payment screen as part of the booking flow — it doesn't feel like a separate step or like you're being suspicious of them. I take £30 on everything and no one has complained since I set it up properly.

🤍 1 ⚑ #2

The waiting list feature on Appointy is genuinely good — better than any other system I've tried. When a cancellation comes in it automatically notifies the next person on the waiting list. Has filled eight last-minute slots for me this month alone.

🤍 8 ⚑ #3

My clients were pretty resistant at first — a few of them are older and not very tech-savvy. What helped was walking them through the booking link in person the first time. Once they'd done it once they were completely fine. Now I get booking confirmations at 11pm from people I would have thought would never manage it.

🤍 2 ⚑ #4

Honestly? Just go with Jane App. I know there are loads of options but for a solo PMU studio in the UK it covers everything you actually need — online booking, SMS reminders, deposits, basic reporting. Don't overthink it. Half the features on the premium plans you'll never use.

🤍 6 ⚑ #5

I chair-rent and I use Setmore completely separately from the main salon. You just set your own location as a general Newcastle address or your own mobile setup. Clients book with you specifically, not the salon. Works really well and the salon owner doesn't even see my diary.

🤍 2 ⚑ #6

I've been using BookPin for two years and honestly I'd recommend it for a small nail studio. The setup took me about half a day but once it's done it just runs. Clients get automatic reminders, you can take deposits, and the calendar view is really clear. Give the free trial a go — you'll know within a week if it works for you.

🤍 1 ⚑ #7

I've used Phorest for 3 months and the support is hit and miss if I'm honest. Response times are slow. But the product itself is solid and I rarely need support because once it's set up it just works. I'd still recommend it — just don't rely on them for urgent help.

🤍 1 ⚑ #8

I tested Fresha and SimplyBook.me side by side for a month. Fresha won on price, SimplyBook.me won on features. For a solo nail studio just starting out, Fresha's free plan is hard to argue with. You can always switch later once you know exactly what you need.

🤍 1 ⚑ #9