Best Barber Booking Apps in 2026: The US Buyer's Shortlist
We compared Barbr, Squire, Booksy, theCut, Fresha, Square Appointments and Setmore on real US prices, new-client fees, no-show protection and App Store ratings. Here's which barber booking app fits your chair.
The best barber booking app in the US for most barbers is Barbr. It's built for barbers, it costs $25 a month, each extra barber is $10, and there's no commission on new clients. Squire suits big multi-location shops, and marketplaces like Booksy and theCut can send you new clients, but they charge you, or your clients, for every one of them.
I'm Reef, the founder of Barbr, so I'm biased. To keep this useful, every price, fee and rating below comes from each company's own website or app store listing, checked on October 16, 2026, and each app has an honest "best suited for" note, including where it beats us.
Key takeaways
- Barbr is the best all-round pick for US barbers. It's built for barbers, costs $25 a month with $10 per extra barber, and includes no-show protection, deposits, text reminders and Google review tools on every plan. It has no marketplace, so you never pay commission on new clients.
- New-client fees can cost more than the subscription. Booksy Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit, Fresha 20% with a $6 minimum, and theCut $10 per new client on its free plan. Squire adds a $1 to $3 booking fee that your clients pay.
- Per-barber pricing decides the bill for shops. A five-barber shop pays $65 a month on Barbr, $109.99 on Booksy and $74.75 on Fresha's Team plan before fees, while Squire charges one flat price per shop.
- Free plans are real, but they come with catches. theCut, Square Appointments and Setmore all start at $0. theCut charges per new client and 2.75% on payments, no-show fees on Square need the $49 Plus plan, and deposits on Setmore need Pro.
- Ratings vary more than you'd think. On the US App Store, Barbr's business app is rated 4.9, Square Appointments 4.9, Squire 4.8, Fresha 4.8, Setmore 4.7, theCut 4.7 and Booksy Biz 4.5.
What a barber booking app actually is (and what it is not)
A barber booking app lets clients book, reschedule and pay for appointments with you online, at any time, without texting you. You set your services, prices and hours once. You share a booking link in your Instagram bio, TikTok and Google Business Profile. Clients pick a time, get a confirmation and a reminder, and show up.
The good ones do more than fill a calendar. They cut no-shows with text reminders, deposits and no-show fees charged to a saved card. They bring clients back with rebook reminders, recurring appointments and loyalty rewards. They grow your reputation by asking every client for a Google review. And they show you what you're actually earning.
A booking app is not the same as a marketplace. Some apps, like Booksy, theCut and Fresha, also list you in a consumer app where people browse for a barber nearby. That can bring new faces, but they usually charge for each new client, and those clients are often comparing you with the shop down the street on price.
A booking app is also not a general appointment scheduler. Tools built for every kind of business, like Setmore, work for barbers, but they don't know what a skin fade is, how long a cut and beard takes, or that your Saturday mornings are worth more than your Tuesday afternoons. Barber-specific apps are set up for how barbers actually work: walk-ins mixed with appointments, cash and card, regulars every three weeks, and most new clients coming from social media.
If you're also working on getting found locally, read our guide to getting your barbershop found on Google. A booking app and a strong Google profile work best together.
How we ranked these barber booking apps
We compared every app on the same seven criteria, using US prices and US App Store data:
- Monthly cost for a solo barber, in dollars, on the plan you'd actually need.
- Cost of adding barbers, per extra barber or per shop.
- Fees on new clients, including marketplace commission and any booking fees passed on to your clients.
- No-show protection on the entry plan, meaning deposits, a saved card and no-show or late-cancel fees.
- Tools to win and keep clients without a marketplace, such as review requests, rebook reminders, loyalty and a website.
- App Store rating and number of ratings for the business app in the US.
- Free trial length, and whether you need a card to start.
Built-for-barbers counted in an app's favor, but price, fees and no-show protection carried the most weight, because they decide how much of every cut you keep.
The best barber booking apps in 2026
Here's the shortlist. Prices are monthly, before sales tax and card processing fees unless stated. They were checked on October 16, 2026 and can change, so confirm on each provider's site before you sign up.
1. Barbr, best for barbers who get clients from Instagram, TikTok and Google
Barbr is a booking app built only for barbers. You set up your services in about five minutes, share one link, and clients book you 24/7 while you cut. Plans are $25, $30 or $40 a month, each extra barber is $10 a month, and every new account gets a 14-day free trial with no card required.
Every plan includes the things that protect your income: automatic text reminders, deposits, no-show and late-cancel fees charged to the client's saved card (even if they pay cash), a waitlist that fills canceled slots, and recurring appointments for regulars. To grow, Barbr asks every client for a Google review, sends rebook reminders when someone's due a cut, runs win-back offers for clients who haven't been back, and rewards regulars with loyalty perks like every tenth cut free. Its Milo AI can text clients for you. Higher plans add a premium website that ranks on Google and a custom-branded client app.
Barbr's business app is rated 4.9 on the US App Store from 90 ratings and 4.9 on the UK App Store from 260. More than 3,400 barbers use it. Switching is free: the team moves your clients, bookings, reviews and photos over for you.
Barbr deliberately doesn't run a consumer marketplace. There's no directory that puts you next to the shop down the street and invites clients to compare on price, and no cut of your new clients' first visits. New clients come from your own link, your socials and Google, and Barbr's review requests, rebook reminders and Google ranking tools are built to grow exactly that. Barbr is also newer in the US than Booksy, Squire or theCut, so it has fewer US ratings.
Best suited for: solo barbers, mobile barbers, booth renters and small shops who get attention on Instagram, TikTok and Google and want flat, low pricing with no commission. Adding a barber is just $10 a month.
2. Squire, best for multi-location shops that want shop-management tools
Squire is a platform built for barbershop owners, founded in 2015 and trusted by more than 5,000 shops. Its pricing is one flat price per shop: Independent $30, Pro $50, Executive $150 and Titan $250 a month. There's a 14-day free trial on Independent.
Squire's pricing page lists a $1 to $3 booking fee paid by your clients on every plan, at every visit. It's the most common complaint in Squire's reviews, along with tips pre-selected for clients and slow support. Card payments cost 2.5% + $0.20 in person and 2.9% + $0.30 online. The tools that make Squire stand out, like booth-rent collection, commission reporting, a branded landing page and multi-location, sit on the $150 and $250 tiers. A full branded website only comes with Titan.
The business app, Squire Commander, is rated 4.8 on the US App Store from 4,501 ratings.
Watch out for: the client booking fee. A regular who comes every three weeks pays Squire an extra $17 to $52 a year just to book you.
Best suited for: multi-chair and multi-location shops with booth renters, where the higher-tier management tools pay for themselves.
3. Booksy, best for barbers willing to pay for marketplace exposure
Booksy has one plan at $29.99 a month plus tax, with $20 a month per extra user, so a five-barber shop pays $109.99 a month before fees. There's a 14-day free trial.
Bookings from your own link and marketing are commission-free. Switch on Booksy Boost and Booksy promotes you in its marketplace, then takes 30% of each new client's first visit, up to $100. Mobile payments cost 2.69% + $0.30 and Tap to Pay 2.49% + $0.20.
Booksy Biz is rated 4.5 on the US App Store from 15,068 ratings, and Booksy scores 3.0 on Trustpilot from 16,574 reviews. Recent 1- and 2-star reviews describe Boost charges for clients the business says didn't come through Boost, charges continuing after cancelling, slow support, and a barber who says Booksy wouldn't export their client list.
Watch out for: Boost. On a $30 cut, every Boost client costs you $9, so ten a month takes your bill from $29.99 to $119.99.
Best suited for: solo barbers who want visibility in a big consumer app and are prepared to pay a cut of new clients for it.
4. theCut, best free app with a barber-only marketplace
theCut is a US barber app founded in 2016, with one app for clients, barbers and shop owners. The FREE plan is $0, PRO is $25 a month with a 30-day free trial, and the Shop plan for owners is free, with each barber paying for their own account.
Free comes with fees. On FREE, theCut charges $10 for each new client it sends you, and one barber reports being charged even when that client no-showed. Every card payment costs the barber 2.75%, and clients pay an extra $0.95 per transaction. Instant payouts cost 1.5%. No-show fees aren't automatic: the barber has to charge them by hand.
theCut is rated 4.7 on the US App Store from 17,868 ratings, and 4.1 on Google Play. Reviews most often mention hard-to-reach support and payout or payment problems.
Watch out for: the per-client and payment fees. Ten new clients a month on FREE costs $100, four times Barbr's starting price.
Best suited for: independent barbers and booth renters who want a free app and a barber marketplace, and accept paying per new client.
5. Fresha, best for salons that want a marketplace and don't mind paying per seat
Fresha is a booking platform for beauty and wellness businesses, built mainly around salons and spas. The Independent plan is $19.95 a month for one bookable team member, and the Team plan is $14.95 per bookable team member a month. There's a 7-day free trial. Fresha's free plan for independents ended in 2025.
Bookings from your own link, Instagram and Facebook are free, but new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace cost a one-time 20% fee, with a $6 minimum. Card payments cost 2.29% + $0.20 in person and 2.79% + $0.20 online. Most growth tools cost extra: a website is $15.95 a month, client loyalty $59.95 and Google Rating Boost $14.95.
Fresha's business app is rated 4.8 on the US App Store from 3,903 ratings. In its 1- and 2-star reviews, businesses complain about new-client fees charged for clients they say found them elsewhere, and slow support when money is held.
Watch out for: the add-ons. Getting the loyalty, Google review and website tools that come with Barbr adds about $91 a month to Fresha's price.
Best suited for: salons with several staff who want gift cards, memberships and a marketplace, and can absorb per-seat pricing plus 20% of each new marketplace client's first visit.
6. Square Appointments, best for a free start if you already use Square
Square Appointments comes from Square, the card payments company. The Free plan is $0, Plus is $49 a month and Premium $149 a month, all per location, with unlimited staff. Plus and Premium come with a 30-day free trial.
The catch for barbers is that the Free plan has no no-show fees or cancellation policies. Those need Plus, at $49 a month per location, nearly double Barbr's starting price. Text message marketing isn't available on Free either. Card payments cost 2.6% + 15¢ in person on Free and 3.3% + 30¢ online.
Square Appointments is rated 4.9 on the US App Store from 195,305 ratings. Square's company-wide Trustpilot score is 3.6, with frequent complaints about funds held for weeks and accounts frozen without a clear reason.
Watch out for: "free" stops being free as soon as you need no-show protection.
Best suited for: barbers who already use Square for payments and rarely get no-shows.
7. Setmore, best for free basic scheduling (not built for barbers)
Setmore is a general appointment scheduler for any kind of business. Its Free plan covers up to 4 staff calendars but only sends email reminders. Pro is $12 per user a month, or $5 a month billed yearly, with a 30-day money-back window.
Deposits, text reminders and recurring appointments, the tools that actually stop no-shows and keep regulars coming back, all need Pro. Payments run through Square, Stripe or PayPal at their own rates. There are no barber tools like rebook reminders or loyalty.
Setmore is rated 4.7 on the US App Store from 9,184 ratings.
Watch out for: the free plan has no deposits and no text reminders, so it does little to stop no-shows.
Best suited for: barbers just starting out who want a free booking page and can live without no-show protection for now.
What you actually pay each month
Subscription prices don't tell the whole story. Here's what a solo barber pays in a month when 10 new clients book through each app's marketplace, at $30 a cut. Figures are before sales tax and card fees.
| App | Subscription | Fees on 10 new marketplace clients | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbr | $25 | $0, no marketplace fees | $25 |
| Squire | $30 | $0 to you, but clients pay $1 to $3 per booking | $30 |
| Square Appointments | $49 (Plus, for no-show fees) | $0, no marketplace | $49 |
| Fresha | $19.95 | $60 (20%) | $79.95 |
| theCut (FREE) | $0 | $100 ($10 each) | $100 |
| Booksy with Boost | $29.99 | $90 (30%) | $119.99 |
If none of your new clients come through a marketplace, those fees drop to zero, but then you're paying for a marketplace you don't use.
Side-by-side comparison
The table compares each app on the criteria above: what a solo barber pays, what each extra barber costs, the fees on new clients, the free trial, and the US App Store rating of the business app.
| App | Solo barber price | Extra barbers | Fees on new clients | Free trial | US App Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbr | $25/mo | $10/mo each | None, no marketplace | 14 days, no card | 4.9 (90) |
| Squire | $30/mo | Flat price per shop | Clients pay $1 to $3 per booking | 14 days | 4.8 (4,501) |
| Booksy | $29.99/mo + tax | $20/mo each | 30% with Boost, capped at $100 | 14 days | 4.5 (15,068) |
| theCut | $0 (PRO $25/mo) | Each barber has own account | $10 per new client on FREE | 30 days on PRO | 4.7 (17,868) |
| Fresha | $19.95/mo | $14.95/mo each (Team) | 20% of first visit, min $6 | 7 days | 4.8 (3,903) |
| Square Appointments | $0 (no-show fees from $49/mo) | Unlimited staff | None | 30 days on Plus and Premium | 4.9 (195,305) |
| Setmore | $0 (deposits on Pro, $12/user/mo) | Per user on Pro | None | Free plan | 4.7 (9,184) |
Which barber booking app fits your shop
| You are | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A solo or mobile barber growing on Instagram and TikTok | Barbr | Low flat price, no commission, and tools that turn followers into regulars |
| A booth renter who wants your own clients | Barbr or theCut | Your own booking link, with theCut adding a marketplace for a per-client fee |
| A shop owner adding barbers | Barbr or Squire | $10 per extra barber on Barbr, or one flat price per shop on Squire |
| A multi-location shop | Squire | Multi-location, booth rent and commission tools on the higher tiers |
| A barber who wants marketplace clients | Booksy or theCut | The biggest consumer apps, with fees on new clients |
| Already using Square for payments | Square Appointments | Free plan and payments in one place |
What results look like with Barbr
Here's what barbers using Barbr have achieved:
- 60 new clients in three months from a TikTok bio link. One barber put his Barbr link in his TikTok bio so viewers could book in a couple of taps. In his first three months, that link brought in 60 new clients.
- From working in a shop to owning two at 19. Ninoscuts, a Barbr barber, went from working in someone else's shop to opening two shops of his own by the age of 19.
- A brand-new studio fully booked in three months. One barber launched a new studio on Barbr and was fully booked within three months.
- No-shows down 90%. With text reminders, deposits and no-show fees, one barber cut their no-shows by 90%.
- 10 hours a week saved. One barber used to spend about 10 hours a week booking people in and replying to messages. Barbr now does that for him.
You can read more from barbers in Barbr's reviews.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best barber booking app in the US?
For most solo barbers and small shops, Barbr is the best fit. It's built for barbers, starts at $25 a month, adds each extra barber for $10, and takes no commission on new clients. Squire suits big multi-location shops, and Booksy and theCut can send you marketplace clients, for a fee on each one.
How much does a barber booking app cost in the US?
Expect to pay between $0 and $50 a month for a solo barber. theCut, Square Appointments and Setmore have free plans, Fresha starts at $19.95, Barbr at $25, Booksy at $29.99 and Squire at $30. Marketplace and client booking fees can add more than the subscription.
What is the best free app for barbers?
theCut has a free plan for barbers with a booking link and payments, but charges $10 for each new client it sends you and 2.75% on card payments. Square Appointments and Setmore are also free to start, though no-show fees on Square need the $49 Plus plan and deposits on Setmore need Pro.
Do barber booking apps take commission?
Some do, but mainly on new clients they send you from their marketplace. Booksy Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit (capped at $100), Fresha takes 20% (minimum $6), and theCut charges $10 per new client on its free plan. Barbr has no marketplace and charges no commission on new clients.
How do I stop no-shows as a barber?
Use an app that sends automatic text reminders and takes a deposit or saves a card at booking, so you can charge a no-show fee. Barbers on Barbr have cut no-shows by up to 90% with reminders, deposits and no-show fees.
What's the difference between a booking app and a marketplace?
A booking app gives your clients a link to book you. A marketplace also lists you in a consumer app where new clients can find you, usually for a fee. You can use a booking link alone and still get new clients from Instagram, TikTok and Google.
Can I switch barber booking apps without losing my clients?
Yes. Most apps let you export your client list, and Barbr moves your clients, bookings, reviews and photos over for free. Do it on a slow week and share your new booking link everywhere your old one was.
Is Barbr available in the US?
Yes. Barbr is available across the US with pricing in dollars: $25, $30 or $40 a month, plus $10 for each extra barber. It started in the UK, where thousands of barbers use it.
Try Barbr free (no card required)
If you're a barber in the US, the quickest way to know whether Barbr fits is to use it for a couple of weeks. Setup takes about five minutes. Add your services, prices and hours, then put your link in your Instagram and TikTok bios. Your clients get reminders, you get deposits and no-show protection, and your Google reviews start building from the first booking. If you're switching from another app, we'll move your clients over for free. Start your 14-day free trial and take your first booking today.
