Barbershop Manager alternative for walk-in shops
Looking for a Barbershop Manager alternative for a walk-in shop? Here's how NextUp Walk-in compares on price, texts and what's included, and when Barbershop Manager might suit you better.
| Feature | NextUp Walk-in | Barbershop Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Walk-in: $29/month for your first location, $19 for each additional one. Pro, with appointments: $59 and $39. 3 team members included per location, then $10/month each | $99/month, or $891 a year, for one shop |
| Free plan or trial | No free plan: a 14-day free trial with every Pro feature | No: a 14-day free trial (card required) |
| Texts | We pay for your first 500 a month, plus 250 for each extra location; then $0.03 each (texting switches on soon) | 500 SMS a month included; more at 2¢ a text (1,000 minimum) |
| Online payments | Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ online, plus NextUp Walk-in's 0.5% card fee (at most $1 a payment, never on tips). Your clients pay no booking fee | Checkout with a text receipt; card rate not found on the pages checked |
| Built for | Shops that take walk-ins and bookings: barbershops, salons, tattoo, auto service, repair, grooming | Barbershops, one shop at a time: check-in tablet, live waiting list, barber app and shop website |
Barbershop Manager figures are from Barbershop Manager's pricing page, as of Oct 20, 2026. Prices change, so check theirs for today's. Barbershop Manager is a trademark of its owner; NextUp Walk-in isn't affiliated with it.
What you get with NextUp Walk-in
- Customers join from a QR code or your link on their phone: no app, no account
- Their place and wait, live on their phone (opt-in text alerts coming soon)
- A now-serving TV display for your waiting area
- A door tablet for walk-ins without a phone
- A staff screen to call, start and finish visits
- A best time to come today, each person’s own wait, and family tickets for a parent and kids
- Customer screens in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and Chinese
- On Pro: online booking and a team calendar, with email reminders and deposits
- Checkout in cash, by pay link, with a saved card or on a Stripe card reader
- Your services and prices, and who each customer asks for
- Your trade's own words, your logo and colors
- Insights: busiest days and hours, waits, top services
- Online tips tracked for each person, and on Pro, booth rent and suite rental collected for you
- A read-only link so ChatGPT, Claude and other AI assistants can look up your live wait and hours
- Passkey sign-in: Face ID, fingerprint or device PIN
- Runs in any browser on a phone, tablet, computer or streaming stick, or in the NextUp Walk-in app for Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV
When Barbershop Manager might fit better
Honestly: Barbershop Manager may suit you better if you run one barbershop and want 500 texts a month working today, with optional check-in stations from Barbershop Manager ($499 counter, $1,499 floor stand).
NextUp Walk-in’s Pro plan runs the walk-in line and the appointment book together, with checkout, your client list and email campaigns, priced per location.
Compare other waitlist appsWhat taking payments really costs
The card rate is one line of the bill. The rest is the subscription, fees for each person on your team, and anything added on top of each payment. NextUp Walk-in is priced per location with 3 team members included at each, then $10 a month for each one after. It takes tips, bills, deposits, no-show fees, packages and memberships through Stripe, with Stripe's own fee and NextUp Walk-in's capped 0.5% card fee on top, never on tips.
Barbershop Manager lists checkout but no card rate on the pages checked. NextUp Walk-in’s rate is Stripe’s published rate plus NextUp Walk-in’s 0.5% card fee (at most $1 a payment, never on tips), the same for every business.
- Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for a card payment online or 2.7% + 5¢ on a card reader, 0.8% by bank (at most $5)
- NextUp Walk-in's card fee: 0.5% of a card payment, at most $1, and never on tips or rent
- No booking or convenience fee for your clients: they pay the price on your menu
- Team pay statements and payroll export: what each person is owed, less rent and advances
Capped at $1
On top of Stripe's processing fee, NextUp Walk-in's fee is 0.5% of a card payment, never more than one dollar ($1). A $200 service and a $2,000 package carry the same $1 NextUp Walk-in fee.
Tips stay yours
NextUp Walk-in never charges a fee on tips. Only Stripe's processing fee applies, and you choose whether the tip or the business covers it.
Not on everything
Cash, gift-card redemptions, store credit you spend and booth rent carry no NextUp Walk-in fee. It only ever applies to card payments.
No booking fee
Your clients pay no booking fee to book with you online.
Questions about Barbershop Manager
Is NextUp Walk-in cheaper than Barbershop Manager?
As of Oct 20, 2026, Barbershop Manager's pricing page lists $99 a month, or $891 a year, for one shop, with 500 texts a month and a 14-day trial that needs a card; its check-in stations are $499 (counter) and $1,499 (floor stand). NextUp Walk-in's Walk-in plan is $29 a month for the first location and $19 for each one after, and the door tablet runs on a tablet you already have. Texts switch on soon, once carrier verification finishes; until then customers follow their place live on their phone.
Can NextUp Walk-in run more than one shop?
Yes. Each location has its own line: $29 a month for the first location and $19 for each additional one on the Walk-in plan, with 3 team members included per location. Barbershop Manager's pricing page prices one shop.
Try it on a Saturday
14 days free, with every Pro feature. Set up a location in about two minutes.