5 Top Scheduling Tools for Nail Artists

In a fast-paced world of beauty services, success is no longer just about delivering the actual service itself. It’s also about managing time.

Beauticians have to be efficient, clients want to wait as little as possible, and finding that balance is not easy.

You will find that a fully booked nail salon isn’t operating like that just because it has talented artists or does great marketing. There is also something less glamorous and obvious: a booking tool for nail salons.

Modern consumers have growing expectations. They hate waiting in line or dealing with the hassle involving rescheduling. Some also forget about appointments and appreciate a timely reminder.

The buzz about AI and other modern tech is a hot topic, and it’s both developers and consumers keeping an eye on whatever can help.

Taking care of certain manual tasks sounds like a herculean task. It’s much more efficient to automate the process and eliminate redundancy.

A scheduling tool for nail artists isn’t just for a big salon. Individuals can utilize it just as well. By picking the right system, it’s much easier to minimize chaos and ensure consistency.

Let’s take a look at the 5 top scheduling tools for nail artists.

1. Goldie

Goldie is one of the best nail salon management software for nail artists looking to streamline their business operations.

It’s flexible and relatively cheap compared to some of the competition out there. Extra points for offering a free plan to try out the tool. It has 20 appointments per month, but it should be more than enough to get started and switch to a paid plan with unlimited appointments.

Key Features:

• Reservation via Google
• Analytics to keep track of expenses and staff performance
• Client notes
• An option to create a dedicated booking website
• Personalized message templates

Pricing:

Goldie has three plans. The first is free, with 20 appointments per month. Then there is Pro and Pro Plus, for 29.99€/mo and 59.99€/mo, respectively.

2. SimplyBookMe

If flexibility without complexity happens to be a priority for you as a nail artist, then SimplyBookMe could be the right choice.

The solution is tailor-made for small to mid-size salons that want full control over booking, pricing, displaying, and management. There is no need to be a tech expert to make the most out of the software.

Key Features:

• A dedicated branded booking page
• Detailed service menus
• Chrome Finish and other add-ons and up-sell tools
• Google Calendar sync
• Social media integration

Pricing:

SimplyBookMe offers multiple plans, starting with Free and Basic for €8.25 per month, going all the way to the Premium bundle for €60 per month.

3. Calendly

Calendly is not the first booking tool that comes to mind when thinking about beauty services. If anything, it’s commonly used in the corporate space.

Having said that, more and more nail artists and other beauticians are discovering Calendly. Its minimalist and link-based scheduling approach appeals to a fair few people.

Key Features:

• Simple booking links shareable on social media, email, texting, etc.
• Real-time calendar sync with Google, iCloud, and more
• Settings to set up custom availability

Pricing:

For personal use, Calendly is free. However, for a business, you will need to choose between a Standard that costs $10 /seat/mo or Teams that costs $16 /seat/mo.

4 Acuity Scheduling

Someone described Acuity Scheduling as a Swiss army knife of booking software. It’s an apt description considering what this solution brings to the table.

Acuity works for both salons that have complex service combinations as well as those enterprises that have layered bookings (offering multiple services simultaneously).

Key Features:

• Full control in customizing service menus and intake forms
• Client reminders via emails and texts
• Package deals, memberships, and gift certificates
• Automated time-zone detection to show availability in real time

Pricing:

Acuity offers three plans. The Starter costs $20 /mo, the Standard costs $34 /mo, and the Premium costs $61 /mo. By billing annually, you can save 20% off each.

5. Fresha

Calling yourself a #1 software for salons and spas is quite a statement. However, Fresha can back it up to some extent thanks to its marketplace discovery and global reach.

The tool helps enterprises expose themselves and attract potential customers, which is a nice bonus to have in your scheduling software.

Key Features:

• Integrated POS for payments
• No-show and deposit protection
• Advanced analytic tools
• Staff and inventory management suite

Pricing:

Fresha offers a 14-day trial. The Independent plan is €12.95, while the Team plan is €8.95. The latter is cheaper because it is per team member, monthly.

Conclusion

All in all, there is a decent amount of choices to consider among all these nail salon scheduling tools.

Take the time you need to consider the features and pricing. Once you come to the conclusion of which tool you prefer, try it and see if it meets your expectations. If not, you can seek an alternative until you find a suitable solution.