Booking software for barbers in Australia

1. Online booking clients can change themselves

Clients should see each barber’s real available times and pick one, any hour of the day. Just as important, they should be able to move their own booking. If a client can reschedule in a few taps, many will, instead of quietly not turning up.

Put the booking link where your clients already find you: your Instagram bio, your Google Business Profile and your website. Regulars on a three or four week cycle can book the next cut before they leave the chair.

2. Deposits and no-show fees where they matter

A missed Saturday appointment is a chair nobody else could book. You don’t need a deposit on every cut, but it helps to be able to ask for one on the bookings that hurt most: peak times, longer services like a cut and beard, and first-time clients.

Whatever you decide, show the rule before the client books: how much notice you need, and what happens to the deposit if they cancel late or don’t show. Our cancellation policy template is a starting point.

3. A calendar the whole shop can read

Each barber needs their own hours and the services they do. If a senior barber charges more than a junior, list them as separate options so clients see the right price before they book. The person running the shop needs the whole day at a glance, and the say over who can change what.

4. Selling at the counter

Many shops sell pomade, clay and beard oil at the counter. Look for a checkout that can add products to the sale and keep a count of what is on the shelf, so you reorder before you run out.

5. Where the money goes

Ask any provider where card payments land, what is added on top of the card rate, and when you are paid. A booking commission on new or returning clients is a cost that grows as the shop gets busier, so check for one before you sign up.

6. Per barber or per shop

Booking software is usually priced one of two ways: a fee for each staff member, or one price for the location. Per-staff pricing goes up every time you add a chair. Per-location pricing changes only when the team moves into a bigger band. Work out what each model costs with the team you have now and the team you plan to have in a year. The booking software cost guide walks through the sums.

7. Employed barbers or chair renters

Decide this before you set anything up. If the shop employs its barbers, one shop account with a team calendar fits. If each barber rents a chair and keeps their own takings, they usually need their own booking setup and their own payment account, because card payments go to whichever business holds the account.

Questions to ask before you choose

• Is there a booking commission, on new clients or returning ones?
• Is the price per staff member or per location, and what happens when you hire?
• Can clients move their own bookings, and can you set a cut-off?
• Can you take a deposit or charge a no-show fee on a saved card?
• Whose account do card payments go to, and what is added on top of the card rate?
• What comes across from your current system, and what doesn’t?

Barbershop booking in Preen

• Clients can book and move their own appointments online. Your booking page shows your cancellation window, in hours, before they book.
• Take deposits and charge no-show and late-cancellation fees on a saved card. A deposit can be a fixed amount, a percentage or full prepayment, set for the whole shop, one service or one client.
• Team calendar, roster and permissions, and staff and service reporting, on Studio and up. A waitlist from Solo up.
• Sell products at checkout and track their stock, with deliveries, stocktakes and a list of what's running low.
• Card payments go through your own Stripe account. Preen adds nothing on top of Stripe’s rate. Stripe’s fees apply. See stripe.com/au/pricing.
• One price per location, not per seat. Solo $19, Studio $49 for up to five bookable staff, Growth $89 for up to fifteen, and Scale from $149 for sixteen or more, a month, GST included. No booking commission, new client or returning.

More on how Preen works for a shop is on the Preen for barbers page.

Questions people ask

Do barbers need to take deposits?

Not for every cut. Many shops ask for a deposit or a saved card only where a no-show hurts: Saturday mornings, longer services and first-time clients. Regulars who always turn up can be left alone.

How much does Preen cost for a barbershop?

Preen is priced per location, not per barber. One bookable barber is Solo at $19 a month. Up to five is Studio at $49, and up to fifteen is Growth at $89. GST included, and no booking commission, new client or returning.

Can clients book and move their own appointments?

Yes. Clients can book and move their own appointments online, within the cut-off you set, so a change of plans doesn't need a call between cuts.

Can I sell grooming products as well as cuts?

Yes. Sell products at checkout and track their stock, with deliveries, stocktakes and a list of what's running low.

Does Preen provide a card reader?

No. At checkout you can charge an eligible saved card through Stripe, or record cash, your existing terminal payment, bank transfer or a gift-voucher redemption.

Can I bring my clients across from my current system?

Yes. Bring your clients, services, staff and diary across by CSV. Notes history, held deposits, stored cards and your old booking link don't move.