Compare barbershop apps

AppBuild.diy compared with 6 providers and the option to vibe code your own app: prices, fees, contracts and whether you get your own branded app.

Best for: barbershops businesses that want their own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and the web, starting free with 0% AppBuild commission on paid plans.

Your business. Your own app.

A look inside AppBuild: barbershop home, appointment booking example, loyalty rewards example, push notification example.

See barbershops apps

AppBuild app example showing barbershop home — AppBuild barbershops app comparison — Barbershop home

AppBuild app example showing appointment booking example — AppBuild barbershops app comparison — Appointment booking example

AppBuild app example showing push notification example — AppBuild barbershops app comparison — Push notification example

Providers in this comparison

SQUIRE
Vertical barbershop software
Booksy
Booking software + consumer marketplace app
theCut
Barber booking app + client marketplace
Fresha
Booking software + consumer marketplace
Vagaro
Salon/barber/spa software + marketplace
Boulevard
Salon/barber/spa software
Vibe coding
Build from scratch with Lovable, Claude, Base44 or similar tools

Price and features at a glance

Provider	Type	Starting price (as published)	Your own branded app	Order / booking fees	Contract / trial
AppBuild.diy	Branded app builder for local businesses	Free (up to 10 users); $49/month or $299/year; $99/month or $499/year	Yes — App Store, Google Play and web	0% AppBuild commission on paid plans; Stripe card fees apply	No contract; free plan
Vibe coding	Build from scratch with Lovable, Claude, Base44 or similar tools	Variable: AI subscriptions / credits, plus hosting, database and any paid services as usage grows. Free allowances may apply; not a fixed all-in price.	Bespoke branding and features; store packaging and submission require additional setup	Depends on your chosen payment provider and services; processing fees still apply	Depends on the tools and services you choose; free tiers may have limits
SQUIRE	Vertical barbershop software	Independent UK£20/mo (solo barber); Pro UK£30/mo single location; Executive UK£60/mo per shop; Titan UK£90/mo per shop. Page title reads "Plans from $30/mo"	Yes: "Branded app" listed on Titan (UK£90/mo per shop); "Flex branded app" listed on Independent	Not stated on pricing page	14-day free trial
Booksy	Booking software + consumer marketplace app	US: $29.99/mo + tax, extra users $20/mo each. UK: £40/mo, extra team members £5/mo each (plus VAT)	Shared (clients use the Booksy customer app)	Boost: one-time 30% fee on first visit (US max $100; UK minimum £5). Card fees US 2.69% + $0.30 mobile; UK 1.29% + 20p + VAT mobile	No commitment, cancel anytime. Trial: US 14 days, UK 7 days, no card
theCut	Barber booking app + client marketplace	Free plan available; PRO subscription price not stated on help page (third-party search results cite $20 to $25/mo)	Shared (clients book in theCut app)	2.75% per Mobile Pay transaction to barber; clients pay a $0.95 processing fee. PRO free if processing Mobile Pay	PRO trial offered, length "shared during activation"
Fresha	Booking software + consumer marketplace	UK: Independent £14.95/mo (1 member); Team £9.95 per team member/mo; Enterprise custom (ex 20% VAT). US: Independent $19.95/mo, Team $14.95 per team member/mo (third-party: costbench.com)	Shared (Fresha marketplace app)	New-client marketplace: 20% one-time commission, minimum £4 per client (UK). Online card 1.40% + £0.25	No minimum commitment; 7-day trial
Vagaro	Salon/barber/spa software + marketplace	UK: one location £20/mo (struck-through £30), 1 bookable calendar; extra calendar licences $10 (US) each up to 7. US: $30/mo (third-party: koalendar.com)	Add-on: "Branded App" offered; price not shown on pricing page (third-party: koalendar.com cites $100/mo)	Not stated	Cancel anytime, no cancellation fees; 30-day free trial
Boulevard	Salon/barber/spa software	Essentials $143/mo for 1 location; Premier $234/mo per location; Prestige $328/mo per location (annual pricing shown, "Save 10%")	No (not listed on pricing page)	Not stated	Demo-led ("Get a demo"); trial not stated

How AppBuild differs

vs SQUIRE: SQUIRE's branded app is listed on its top Titan tier (UK£90/mo per shop); AppBuild's branded store app with loyalty and push is on every tier including Free (up to 10 users).
vs Booksy: Booksy clients book inside the shared Booksy app and Boost charges 30% on first visits; AppBuild gives the shop its own app listing and takes zero commission.
vs theCut: theCut clients book through theCut's own app with a $0.95 client fee and 2.75% barber fee; AppBuild charges no per-booking or client fee (Stripe's own fees only).
vs Fresha: Fresha takes a 20% one-time commission on marketplace new clients; AppBuild takes none and the business's own app holds its customer relationship.
vs Vagaro: Vagaro's branded app is a separate add-on; AppBuild includes the branded app in the base product.
vs Boulevard: Boulevard starts at $143/mo and does not list a branded client app on its pricing page; AppBuild Pro is $49/mo and is a branded app.

Where AppBuild is strong

Your own branded app on the App Store, Google Play and the web, starting free with every feature for up to 10 users.
Flat monthly price, not per staff member or per booking.
Works alongside Square Appointments and Acuity if you already use them.

Where others may suit you better

Lighter on salon back-office tools such as payroll, staff commission and stock control.
No marketplace listing to bring in new clients.

Key features by provider

Provider	Market	Key features	Source
SQUIRE	US, UK (page shows UK£ when viewed from UK)	Online booking, no-show protection, waitlist, email/SMS marketing (Executive), commission and rent collection, loyalty program (Titan), gift cards, inventory, Tap to Pay	getsquire.com
Booksy	US, UK	Unlimited bookings, calendar, marketing tools, client management, 500 free SMS/mo (UK)	biz.booksy.com, biz.booksy.com
theCut	US	Virtual storefront, search visibility, client messaging, cancellation/no-show policies	help.thecut.co
Fresha	UK, US	Booking, payments, marketplace listing, Klarna BNPL	fresha.com
Vagaro	US, UK	Online booking, Google/Apple Maps/Instagram booking, MySite website, forms, reports, free card reader with Vagaro Merchant Services	vagaro.com
Boulevard	US	Booking, email blasts, forms ($65/mo per location add-on), QuickBooks sync ($45/mo per location)	joinblvd.com
Vibe coding	Depends on your chosen tools	Full design freedom. Ordering, bookings, loyalty, permissions and integrations must be built, tested and maintained. Native push, certificates and store submissions need additional technical work or a service such as AppBuild.	lovable.dev, claude.com, base44.com

Gaps in published data: theCut PRO price not on its own pages; Fresha and Vagaro US prices third-party only (pages localised to UK); Vagaro branded app price third-party only; Boulevard trial not stated; SQUIRE US-dollar tier prices not visible (UK-localised page).

Build from scratch with AI, or start with AppBuild?

Lovable, Claude, Base44 and similar tools are a genuine alternative in any industry. A bespoke build gives you more control over the design and business logic. AppBuild offers a shorter route to launch for supported business needs, with ready-made capabilities you can add without building each one yourself.

Consideration	AppBuild.diy	Vibe coding
Time to market	Start with ready-made pages and features; configure your content and services. Store review still takes time.	A prototype can be quick; production testing, payments, permissions and store preparation add work.
Costs	Published plan price, plus applicable payment processing, store-account and third-party service costs.	Variable: AI subscriptions / credits, plus hosting, database and any paid services as usage grows. Free allowances may apply; not a fixed all-in price.
Flexibility & ease of use	Add supported capabilities such as loyalty, bookings and ordering through the builder; less freedom than a fully custom product.	Bespoke layouts and logic; each new capability needs implementation, testing and ongoing maintenance.
Push & app stores	AppBuild provides push and app infrastructure, subject to setup requirements and store approval.	Native push certificates, signing and store submissions are technical work, not automatically solved by generating a website.
Ongoing responsibility	Shared business-app framework and managed infrastructure; you manage your business content and settings.	You are responsible for security, data access, updates and the services behind your app.

These approaches can work together: build your bespoke experience with AI, then use AppBuild to wrap your app and add supported native capabilities such as push notifications. Wrapping does not automatically add AppBuild’s business features to your custom app.

Tool pricing and allowances vary: Lovable pricing · Claude pricing · Base44 pricing. Check the services your project actually needs.

AppBuild pricing

Plan	Price	What you get
Free	$0/month	Up to 10 app users. Your own app on iPhone, Android and the web.
Business	$49/month or $299/year	Up to 1,000 app users. 0% AppBuild commission on orders.
Business Pro	$99/month or $499/year	Unlimited app users. 0% AppBuild commission on orders.

Card processing fees are charged by Stripe on top of any plan and are not set by AppBuild. Full details on the pricing page.

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Last checked 7 October 2026. Competitor prices come from their own public pages, linked below each table. Where a price isn't published we say so. Spotted something out of date? Tell us via support.