Salonist is the Best Alternative to Booksy

POS and Payments

Booksy's point-of-sale functionality is basic and focused on simple appointment payments. Salonist delivers a fully-featured POS system that handles product sales, service bundles, gift cards, split payments, and multiple payment methods — turning every checkout into a seamless, professional experience for your clients.

With Salonist you get:

• Full POS supporting cash, card, and digital wallet payments
• Sell retail products and gift cards directly at checkout
• Apply discounts, coupons, and loyalty rewards at the register
• Detailed transaction reports for every payment processed

Inventory Management

Booksy offers no meaningful inventory management — a significant gap for salons that also sell retail products or need to track product usage during services. Salonist's inventory system keeps your stock accurate in real time, reducing waste, preventing shortages, and helping you understand exactly which products drive the most profit.

Salonist offers you:

• Real-time inventory tracking across products and supplies
• Automated low-stock alerts to prevent running out of key items
• Link product usage directly to services performed

Business Analysis Reports

Booksy's reporting is limited to basic appointment data — you can see your bookings but not much else. Salonist gives you a complete picture of your business health with reports spanning revenue, staff performance, marketing campaigns, client retention, and inventory — everything you need to make confident decisions and plan for growth.

Salonist offers you:

• Revenue, service, and product sales reports
• Staff performance, attendance, and commission reports
• Client visit frequency and retention analytics
• Inventory usage and stock movement reports

Staff and Payroll Management

Booksy focuses on the client-facing side of your business and leaves staff management largely to external tools. Salonist handles your entire team from one platform — scheduling, performance tracking, commission calculations, and payroll — so you spend less time on admin and more time serving clients.

Salonist provides:

• Automated payroll and commission calculations for all staff
• Staff scheduling with shift management and time tracking
• Individual performance dashboards for each team member

WhatsApp Marketing

Booksy's marketing capabilities are largely limited to basic notifications within its platform. Salonist goes further with native WhatsApp marketing that lets you run targeted campaigns, re-engage inactive clients, and share seasonal promotions — reaching your audience where they actually spend their time.

Salonist helps you:

• Send personalized WhatsApp campaigns to segmented client lists
• Automate re-engagement messages for lapsed clients
• Combine WhatsApp with email and SMS for maximum reach

Customer Review and Feedback

Booksy collects reviews within its marketplace but you have limited control over how that feedback is managed or used for your business. Salonist gives you your own automated feedback system that captures client sentiment after every appointment, helping you improve services and build a loyal, satisfied client base.

• Automated post-service feedback requests sent to every client
• Monitor and respond to feedback from a centralized dashboard
• Use client insights to continuously improve your services