Booking software for nail technicians

A sculpted acrylic full set with art can take two and a half hours, and when the client doesn't show, that afternoon is gone. Then there's the client who books a fill but arrives with another salon's set that has to come off, and the one who asks for "something simple" and shows a photo of 3D charms. For a nail tech the fix is a menu of services that say exactly what they include and how long they take, and a deposit that makes a no-show cost something.

From the inspo photo to the fill

1. Create your meeting types on the booking page with real lengths: "Gel manicure" at 60 minutes, "Acrylic full set" at 2 hours, "Fill" at 90, "Soak-off removal" at 30 and "Spa pedicure" at 75. Add a 10-minute buffer to clean and disinfect your tools.
2. In each description, say what's included and what costs extra: length, how many accent nails, chrome, charms or 3D art. For example: "Fill covers up to 3 weeks of growth; after that, book a full set."
3. Write your no-show policy where clients read it before they pay. An example: "$25 deposit goes toward your service. Cancel or reschedule 24 hours ahead and it's refunded. Later cancellations and no-shows keep the deposit. More than 15 minutes late and we may need to reschedule."
4. On acrylic and anything over 90 minutes, turn on charge to book with that fixed deposit, for example $25 on a $75 set, refunded when the client cancels 24 hours or more ahead. After that, it stays in your Stripe account.
5. Add a booking question: "Are you coming in with product from another salon?" If the answer is yes, write to her and move the booking to removal plus a full set. Inspo photos come by Instagram DM or text, because bookings don't take files.
6. The balance and the tip go through your own card reader or cash at the table. For house calls and events, send an invoice with a card pay link.
7. Turn on the follow-up email with your aftercare note ("Don't peel the gel") and a link to book the fill in two to three weeks.

A typical week

• Monday: four bookings for the week came in over the weekend from your Link in Bio page. Two are acrylic sets with the deposit paid.
• Tuesday: a client cancels her fill two days ahead and the deposit goes back to her card automatically. Another client takes the slot that afternoon.
• Wednesday: a 1 p.m. full set doesn't show. The $25 deposit stays with you; you mark the no-show and the automation sends her a link to book again, with a new deposit.
• Thursday: a bride asks for nails for herself, her mother and four bridesmaids. You send a proposal with each person as a line item and a 50% deposit.
• Saturday: seven appointments back to back. At closing you log gel polish, nail forms and a new UV lamp in Expenses.

All 13 tools, one by one

Your day runs through Scheduling. The rest helps with what you sell beyond sets, like classes, bridal parties and house calls:

• Link in Bio: your Instagram opens a page with your booking page, your service menu with prices, your studio address and an email signup to announce when holiday dates open.
• Short Links: a short link and QR code on the aftercare card you hand out with each set, so you can see how many clients scan it to book their fill.
• Forms: sign-ups for your nail class: name, whether they already have a kit and which date they prefer. Each response arrives by email and becomes a contact.
• Scheduling: one meeting type per service with its real length, a disinfecting buffer, a deposit on long sets, a reminder the day before and a follow-up email that links to the fill.
• Proposals: bridal parties, proms or corporate events: each person as a line with a quantity and price, travel as its own line, and a 50% deposit to hold the date.
• E-Signatures: the agreement for a class paid in two parts, or the rental agreement for a station in someone else's salon. Everyday clients don't need it.
• Document Tracking: your design catalog or class syllabus as a PDF; you see whether it was opened and can turn the link off when your prices change.
• Screen Recording: it records a computer screen, so clients won't see it. It's handy for showing students how to price a set in a spreadsheet.
• Notes & Boards: a board with supply orders and the designs you want to practice, plus notes with your class outline.
• Time Tracking: barely useful with fixed-price sets. Use it to find out how long a complicated design really takes before you put a price on it.
• Invoicing: the balance for a bridal party, a class or a house call, with a card pay link, your Zelle or Venmo details and reminders when it's overdue.
• Expenses: gel, acrylic powder, forms, files and the UV lamp, with receipts. Cash taken at the table doesn't count as income in the report unless you invoice it and mark it paid by hand.
• Automations: no-shows get a link to rebook, and a bridal proposal with no answer after three days gets a follow-up email.

If you teach classes

Sell a class with a sign-up form and one invoice per student. If students pay in two parts, send two invoices. Scheduling isn't for groups: each booking holds one person, so a six-student class runs on the form, not the booking page.

Licensing and taxes

• Nail techs are licensed by their state board, which also sets the cleaning and disinfection rules for tools and pedicure basins. Make the buffer between clients long enough for the steps your board requires.
• If you rent a station or a suite and set your own hours and prices, you're probably running your own business: income and tips go on Schedule C, with self-employment tax and quarterly estimated payments (IRS Publication 4902).
• Tips: the IRS list of occupations for the "no tax on tips" deduction includes manicurists and pedicurists. For 2025 through 2028, voluntary tips paid in cash or by card can be deducted up to $25,000. If you're self-employed, the deduction can't exceed the net income of the business, it phases out above $150,000 of modified adjusted gross income ($300,000 on a joint return), and it only covers federal income tax: self-employment tax still applies. Ask your tax preparer whether you qualify and how to claim it.
• Form 1099-K: payment apps and online marketplaces send one when you pass $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year, but card payments are reported whatever the total. All income is taxable, cash included, whether or not a form arrives.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state; check yours with a lawyer or your licensing board.

SoloWOS, Booksy or GlossGenius: which fits

For a no-show policy, the difference is when the money moves. SoloWOS takes the deposit when the client books and keeps it if she cancels late, but it can't charge anything afterward, because it doesn't store cards. Booksy's no-show protection can charge a deposit or a cancellation fee through its own payments.

Choose Booksy or GlossGenius if:

• You want to charge a late-cancellation or no-show fee after the fact. Booksy offers cancellation fees; SoloWOS doesn't.
• You take most payments at the table and want booking and in-person card payments in the same app.
• You want new clients to find you in Booksy's marketplace.

Choose SoloWOS if:

• A deposit taken at booking is all the no-show policy you need.
• Bridal parties, classes and house calls are a big part of your month.
• You want one price that includes forms, proposals, contracts and invoicing along with booking.

Prices and features checked between October 17 and 23, 2026 on each company's site.

Start with these three

Scheduling with services that say what they include and a deposit on acrylic, Link in Bio so Instagram sends people to that booking page, and Proposals for the first bridal party that asks.

Free tools that help

• Profit margin calculator to see what a full set leaves after product.
• Freelance rate calculator to price your hour at the table.
• Project cost calculator for a bridal party's package.
• Payment fee calculator to see what a $25 deposit nets after Stripe's fee.
• QR code generator for your aftercare card and your table.

What SoloWOS won't do for a nail tech

• No point of sale and no supply inventory.
• No design gallery, and clients can't upload inspo photos in a booking or a form.
• Reminders go by email, not SMS.
• No fill packages that count down and no charges to a saved card, so no fee after a no-show.
• One person per booking: no group classes with a set number of seats.
• SoloWOS doesn't file taxes, issue 1099s or collect sales tax for you. Invoicing sends the invoice with a pay link (card through your Stripe account) and your other payment details; your accountant or tax software handles the rest.