Nail Salon Booking Software for Walk-In Free Days

How nail salon businesses use SalonBook

Nail services stack. A client rarely books one thing: she books a soak-off, then a new full set, then art on two accent nails. SalonBook handles this by letting you define each piece as a service with its own duration and price, so the total time blocked on the calendar matches the time the tech actually spends at the table.

Setup for a nail salon takes about an hour. You add each nail tech, create the service menu with durations and photos, set hours and breaks per tech, and connect Stripe, Square or PayPal. Your booking page is live at ocmpro.com/your-salon immediately, and Pro plans can use a custom domain with SSL.

Structuring a nail service menu that books correctly

Most nail salons on SalonBook build their menu in three layers: base services (classic manicure, gel manicure, acrylic full set, dip powder, pedicure), preparation services (gel removal, acrylic soak-off, dip removal) and add-ons (nail art per nail, French tips, chrome, extra length). Each has a duration. A client choosing gel removal plus gel manicure books 75 minutes instead of 45, and the tech is not rushed.

Photos matter more for nails than almost any other service. The booking wizard shows the photo attached to each service, so a client who saw a design on Instagram can find and book that exact design instead of describing it by text.

Running the room on a busy Saturday

On the calendar, each tech has a column. Walk-ins are added in a few taps and appear alongside online bookings, so nobody double-books a pedicure chair. If a client calls to move her appointment, the front desk drags it to a new slot and the client receives an updated confirmation automatically.

When a two-hour nail art appointment cancels, the waitlist offers the slot to clients who asked to be notified. The first to accept is booked without anyone making a call, and the deposit policy applies to the new booking as well.

Start free, upgrade when you add staff

The Free plan is $0 per month and covers one nail tech, five services, online booking, a calendar, a client list, email confirmations and a public website with the theme studio. A solo nail tech working from a suite can run a full book on it.

The Pro plan is $39 per month, or $348 per year (about $29 per month billed annually), for up to three staff with unlimited services and products. It adds deposits and no-show fees, SMS reminders, the waitlist with auto-book, the client portal, intake and consent forms with digital signature, loyalty, referrals, gift certificates, memberships, an online shop for polish and aftercare products, invoices with tipping, reports, all ten website templates, custom CSS, the embed widget, a custom domain with SSL, and Google Tag Manager and Meta Pixel support.

Enterprise is $89 per month, or $828 per year (about $69 per month annually), for unlimited staff, a JSON data API and headless mode. All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, no contract, no setup fee, and you can cancel at any time.

SalonBook charges no marketplace commission, no per-booking fee and no per-client acquisition fee. Your processor (Stripe, Square or PayPal) charges its normal card fees; SalonBook adds nothing on top.

Getting your clients to book online

Nail clients already live on Instagram and Google Maps. The goal is to put a booking link everywhere they already see your work.

1. Set your SalonBook page as the Book link on your Google Business Profile so a search for your salon shows a booking button next to your hours and reviews.
2. Put the booking link in your Instagram bio, and mention it in the caption of every nail art post. Because each service has a photo, the client can find the design she just saw.
3. If you already have a website, embed the SalonBook widget so clients book without leaving your site.
4. Enable 24-hour and 1-hour reminders. Fewer late arrivals means the schedule holds and the last client of the day is not turned away.

The client portal lets clients reschedule or cancel within your policy, see past invoices, save a card for deposits, check loyalty points and send a referral link to a friend. Referrals are a natural fit for nail salons, where clients often book together.

Who SalonBook is for

SalonBook suits a solo nail tech in a rented suite, a three-station neighborhood salon, and a larger salon with a row of pedicure chairs that needs unlimited staff. Pricing is flat, so a busy month does not cost more than a quiet one.

If you have been booking through DMs, the change is simple: clients keep finding you on Instagram, but they book themselves, pay their deposit and get their reminders without you typing a message.