Choosing the Best Salon POS System for Your Beauty Business

The best part about working in product marketing at Square is talking with salon owners, from one‑chair studios to multi‑location powerhouses. Along with analyzing the data from the 600,000¹ beauty, wellness, healthcare, and fitness businesses that run on Square, those conversations and insights have shown me that a modern point-of-sale (POS) is the command center that ties every dollar to staff, services, and clients.

In this guide, I’ll share the features salon owners can’t live without, the data behind them, and a side‑by‑side comparison of leading salon POS options so you can choose the one that powers your own heart‑led pursuit.

What makes a great POS system for salons?

Salons have scheduling quirks and customer‑service expectations that generic POS tools simply miss. At a minimum, look for:

1. Appointment scheduling: Efficiently manage bookings for clients, avoid overlaps, and optimize staff calendars. 
2. Inventory management: Track retail beauty products, manage stock levels, and automate reordering.
3. Employee time tracking and commissions: Monitor staff hours, calculate commissions, and manage payroll.
4. Integrated payments and tipping: Offer seamless payment options, including credit, debit, tap and digital wallets, with customizable tipping features.
5. Customer records and loyalty programs: Maintain detailed client notes and implement reward systems to encourage repeat business.
6. Automation to reduce manual tasks: Trigger text and email reminders to clients, and enable a waitlist that fills cancellations.

Beauty businesses that use Square’s cancellation fees see a 21% drop in cancellations and no-shows, according to Square data.

Why these features matter to clients

These features aren’t only important to salon operators, but to the clients they serve. According to the Square Industry Insights: Client Loyalty In the Beauty Industry report, 57% of clients who try a new hair stylist return to their original stylist. The top reasons clients return are directly related to the features a robust POS offers:

• Easy rescheduling (82%)
• Better communications between or before appointments (75%)
• Online booking options (53%)
• Loyalty discounts (52%)
• Selling retail items (25%)

Take popular Seattle salon Urban Nail Box. Using Square since the beginning, owner Rachel Dang grew the business to two locations, 34 employees, and over $1.5 million in annual revenue. “An exceptional experience at the salon is part of our identity at Urban Nail Box,” said Dang. “Square makes it easy to keep our schedule streamlined so no client ever waits more than five minutes past their booking time.”  

Best salon POS systems for 2025

Here’s a comparison of top salon POS systems, highlighting their features, pricing, and ideal business types:

*Information and prices verified June 2025. Check vendor sites for current offers.

Choosing the best POS system for your salon type

• Commission hair salons: Look for POS solutions that allow scheduling for multiple stylists, commission reporting, time tracking, and back bar deduction. Integration with a payroll provider is a bonus. 
• Independent beauty professionals: Look for booking calendars that are easy for clients to book from social media, with a low up-front cost. Indie pros will benefit from low to zero hardware costs, with mobile payments and calendar management a priority. 
• Nail salons: Look for solutions that can take payments quickly with tip tracking, and can accommodate walk-ins. Loyalty rewards and digital punchcards will entice repeat clients and pre-bookings for a fill. 
• Beauty salons: Look for apps that focus on product sales, offer memberships, and party bookings. 

Why Square for Beauty Salons stands out

Square for Beauty Salons offers a comprehensive ecosystem tailored for beauty businesses:

1. Transparent pricing: No hidden fees, with plans starting at $0/month that includes a free booking calendar. Get a whole CRM suite with the $29/month Plus plan or pay $69/month for a plan that meets complex resource booking and staff management needs.
2. Integrated tools: Combines Square Appointments, Square Loyalty, and Email + SMS marketing tools for a seamless experience, and offers centralized customer relationship management for better reporting for easier business decisions. When you’re ready to venture into new revenue streams, like selling retail products or hosting classes, Square makes it easy to add-on integrated solutions. Square salons that sell products and services online and in‑person see 43 % higher annual sales compared with service‑only peers, according to the same Square report.
3. User-friendly interface: Manage a booking calendar and take all forms of payment with one app. Get started with just a smartphone for tap payments. Allow clients to schedule online bookings 24/7: 75% of Square Appointments bookings happen through online booking sites and 31% happen outside of 9-to-5 hours, based on Square data.
4. Scalability: Suitable for both new, independent beauty pros, and established salons with multiple locations. As your business grows, Square makes it easy to reach a wider audiences. You can seamlessly enable in-person, online, or even social media transactions and bookings, helping you maximize your reach to new and existing clients. Plus, you can add-on hardware that’s mobile and built for wet environments (like Square Handheld) or stationary (like Square Register) depending on your business needs.
5. Banking capabilities: For beauty and salon businesses, cash flow can swing with every color order, chair rental, or last-minute no-show. Square Banking¹ keeps you in control, right inside the same app you use for booking and checkout. With Square Checking², funds are available immediately on Square Debit Card, eliminating the 1-2 day deposit delay with traditional banks. And when it’s time to expand, whether that’s adding a second location, refurbishing wash stations, or hiring a color specialist, Square offers financing that’s sized to your real sales history. Businesses that took Square Loans³ grew 6% faster after funding.

I used Square from day 1 when I was operating as a one-woman show. It was the easiest platform for online booking, automated appointment reminders, payments processing, marketing emails, and now even a marketplace app, and I’ve been able to secure custom fees as my business has grown.”

Rachel Dang → Owen, Urban Nail Box

Elevate your salon experience

The right POS does more than ring up sales; it safeguards loyalty and unlocks new revenue streams. If you’re considering venturing into classes or retail offerings in the future, it’s important to choose a POS provider that has the tools available when you’re ready. Sixty-three percent of consumers reported purchasing a retail item from a beauty business, according to the Square Future of Customers report, so take note of the additional offerings your clients may be looking for.

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