Best barbershop check-in apps, compared

A barbershop check-in app lets walk-ins put their name down from a QR code, a tablet at the door or a link, and tells them when the chair is close. Here are the apps barbers look at most, with prices from their own pages and who each one honestly suits.

What to look for

Walk-in line or appointment book

Some apps are built around the walk-in line, others around the appointment book with a waitlist for openings. If most of your clients walk in, check that the app shows each person their live place and wait.

Check-in at the door

A QR code covers clients with a phone; a tablet at the door covers the rest. Check whether the tablet check-in is included or an add-on.

The whole monthly price

Look past the headline price: fees for each extra barber, text allowances, marketplace commissions on new clients and card fees all add up.

Our app: NextUp Walk-in

We make this one, so it isn’t ranked against the others.

A walk-in line first: customers join from a QR code or a link with no app to download and follow their live place on their phone, a now-serving TV display shows who is up next, and a door tablet checks in walk-ins without a phone. The Walk-in plan is $29 a month for the first location and $19 for each one after, with 3 team members included at each; Pro ($59) adds online booking and deposits beside the line. Tips and card payments go through your own Stripe account; NextUp Walk-in’s card fee is 0.5% of each card payment, never on tips, at most $1. Texting is on paid plans (text alerts coming soon).

See pricing

The apps, A to Z

Barber-OS
Good fit for: Shops that want a point of sale and retail inventory with their booking; its walk-in kiosk is a $49 a month add-on.
Starting price
Solo $29/month (one barber); Elite (Shop) $89/month
Free plan or trial
A free online booking plan; a 7-day free trial of Solo and Elite
Texts
Two-way messaging and blast campaigns in its plan comparison; allowances not found on the pages checked
Built for
Barbershops and salons: booking, point of sale, inventory and team pay, with a walk-in kiosk add-on ($49/month)
From Barber-OS's pricing page, as of Oct 20, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs Barber-OS
Barbershop Manager
Good fit for: One barbershop that wants 500 texts a month included today, with optional check-in stations sold by the company.
Starting price
$99/month, or $891 a year, for one shop
Free plan or trial
No: a 14-day free trial (card required)
Texts
500 SMS a month included; more at 2¢ a text (1,000 minimum)
Built for
Barbershops, one shop at a time: check-in tablet, live waiting list, barber app and shop website
From Barbershop Manager's pricing page, as of Oct 20, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs Barbershop Manager
bavoli
Good fit for: A free walk-in check-in page with a few texts a month; it is built for restaurants first.
Starting price
Plus $30/month or $300 a year (a Free plan too)
Free plan or trial
Yes: Free at $0, with texts for the first 25 parties a month
Texts
Plus texts up to 500 parties a month, Pro ($60) up to 1,500
Built for
Restaurants first (waitlist, reservations, ordering), with a walk-in check-in page for barbershops
From bavoli's pricing page, as of Oct 20, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs bavoli
Booksy
Good fit for: Barbers who want new clients from a marketplace app; each extra staff member is $20 a month.
Starting price
$29.99/month plus tax, plus $20/month for each additional staff member
Free plan or trial
No: a 14-day free trial
Texts
Confirmations and reminders included, plus 2,000 marketing texts a month
Built for
Beauty and wellness: barbers, hair and nail salons, spas and massage
From Booksy's pricing page, checked October 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs Booksy
Ozync
Good fit for: A low flat price for a kiosk, QR sign-in and TV queue, with texts included and free for the first 100 guests.
Starting price
$15/month billed annually, or $20 month to month, in the US (one plan)
Free plan or trial
Free for your first 100 guests in total (not per month), every feature, no card
Texts
SMS or WhatsApp notifications included, with no per-text charge
Built for
Salons, barbershops, tattoo studios and other walk-in businesses: check-in kiosk, QR and NFC sign-in, TV queue and digital waivers
From Ozync's pricing page, as of Oct 25, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs Ozync
Squire
Good fit for: Appointment-first barbershops that want booking, payments at the chair and shop management, with a front-desk kiosk.
Starting price
$30/month (Independent, one barber)
Free plan or trial
No: a 14-day free trial
Texts
Email and text reminders included
Built for
Barbershops: booking, payments at the chair and shop management
From Squire's pricing page, checked October 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs Squire
theCut
Good fit for: Barbers who each keep their own book and want new clients from theCut’s app, where clients search for barbers nearby.
Starting price
Pro $25/month for a barber (Free is $0); the owner’s Shop account is $0/month
Free plan or trial
Yes: Free for barbers at $0 and a $0 Shop account for owners; a 30-day Pro trial, no card
Texts
Text appointment updates on Pro; push and email on Free
Built for
Barbers and barbershops: booking, mobile pay and an app where clients find barbers
From theCut's pricing page, as of Oct 24, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs theCut
thewaitlist
Good fit for: Running one walk-in line for free today, with 300 texts a month on its Free plan.
Starting price
$0/month (Free); Pro is $29/month
Free plan or trial
Yes: Free is $0/month, not a trial, with no card. Its first 10 shops get Pro free for a year
Texts
300 texts a month on Free; 1,000 a month on Pro, then 2¢ a text
Built for
Walk-in shops running a walk-in line
From thewaitlist's pricing page, checked October 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs thewaitlist
WaitLink
Good fit for: A low-cost walk-in line in the browser, with text alerts on its $15 Pro plan.
Starting price
Pro $15/month (Starter is free)
Free plan or trial
Yes: Starter at $0 a month
Texts
Automated SMS alerts on Pro; monthly allowance not found on the pages checked
Built for
Walk-in lines in the browser for barbershops, clinics, salons and restaurants, with tablet and lobby TV screens
From WaitLink's pricing page, as of Oct 20, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs WaitLink
WaitQ
Good fit for: Walk-in queues and bookings in one dashboard, with SMS or WhatsApp credits on every plan.
Starting price
Starter $27/month billed annually (1 location, 5 staff accounts); Grow $49, Business $119
Free plan or trial
No free plan found on the pages checked; a free 7-day trial
Texts
100 SMS or WhatsApp credits a month on Starter, 400 on Grow, 1,000 on Business; email and push unlimited
Built for
Walk-ins and bookings for restaurants, barbershops, salons, hotels, clinics and retail, with a TV screen for the line
From WaitQ's pricing page, as of Oct 25, 2026.
NextUp Walk-in vs WaitQ

Listed alphabetically, not ranked. Prices change, so check each app’s own page for today’s. Names are trademarks of their owners; NextUp Walk-in isn’t affiliated with them.

Common questions

How did you pick these apps?

They are the barbershop check-in and walk-in apps we have full comparison pages for, each checked against the app’s own pricing page on the date shown. They are listed alphabetically, not ranked. We make NextUp Walk-in, so it is shown separately and labelled as ours.

Do clients need to download an app to check in?

Not with NextUp Walk-in: clients join from a QR code or a link in the browser, and a door tablet covers anyone without a phone. Each app’s own page says how its clients join; open the comparison for the details.

Every walk-in waitlist app, compared

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