Waitlist App alternative for walk-in shops
Looking for a Waitlist App alternative for a walk-in shop? Here's how NextUp Walk-in compares on price, texts and what's included, and when Waitlist App might suit you better.
| Feature | NextUp Walk-in | Waitlist App |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Pro $199/month per location, or $1,490 a year (Starter is free); Enterprise from $749/month plus $199 per location |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan: 1 location, 1 team member, 50 check-ins a month (no texts or TV display), no card needed; paid plans have a 14-day trial with every Pro feature | Yes: Starter at $0, no card, up to 250 customers a month |
| Texts | We pay for your first 500 a month, plus 250 for each extra location; then $0.03 each (texting switches on soon) | Automatic texts and emails on Pro (up to 1,500 customers a month); on Starter you text guests from your own phone |
| 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 | Card payments to your own Stripe account, at Stripe’s fees plus a per-sale platform fee (lower on Pro) that its pricing page doesn’t publish |
| Built for | Shops that take walk-ins and bookings: barbershops, salons, tattoo, auto service, repair, grooming | Many kinds of line in one app: waitlists and bookings, events and ticketing, with modes for tattoo shops, karaoke and car services |
Waitlist App figures are from Waitlist App's pricing page, as of Oct 22, 2026. Also from Waitlist App’s What’s New page (Tattoo mode in v4.24; AI phone agent on Enterprise in v4.22), as of Oct 22, 2026. Prices change, so check theirs for today's. Waitlist App is a trademark of its owner; NextUp Walk-in isn't affiliated with it.
- NextUp Walk-in3 team members a location included, then $10/month each$67
- Waitlist AppPro: $199/month per location ($1,490 a year); Enterprise adds a $749/month base for multi-location tools$597 $530 more
Each app's published monthly price, before taxes, texts and extra team members; theirs as listed on their own pricing pages, checked October 2026. Prices change: check theirs for today's.
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 Waitlist App might fit better
Honestly: Waitlist App may suit you better if you want a 48-hour pass for a single flash day or event rather than a monthly plan (Waitlist App’s Tattoo mode is part of Pro and can run on a pass), automatic texts to customers working today, or an AI phone agent that answers your business line (on Enterprise, from $749 a month plus $199 per location).
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.
Waitlist App’s pricing page says its per-sale platform fee is in the payment agreement you sign, not on the page. 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. On subscriptions, Waitlist App Pro is $199 a month per location, against $59 for a first location on NextUp Walk-in’s Pro plan.
- 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 Waitlist App
Is NextUp Walk-in cheaper than Waitlist App?
As of Oct 22, 2026, Waitlist App's pricing page lists a free Starter plan (no card, up to 250 customers a month), Pro at $199 a month per location or $1,490 a year, and Enterprise from $749 a month plus $199 per location. NextUp Walk-in's Walk-in plan is $29 a month for the first location and $19 for each additional one, and Pro is $59 and $39, with 3 team members included per location. NextUp Walk-in also has a Free plan with no card: 1 location, 1 team member and 50 check-ins a month, without texts or a TV display.
Does Waitlist App have a tattoo mode?
Yes. As of Oct 22, 2026, Waitlist App's What's New page lists Tattoo mode (v4.24, Oct 17, 2026): walk-ins pick an artist or First available, deposits, waivers signed on the phone and a counter tablet. It is part of Pro, and a 48-hour pass runs it for two days. With NextUp Walk-in, tattoo clients pick an artist or "Anyone" and see that artist's wait, sign your consent form on their phone before they join, and walk-ups without a phone use the Door Tablet; Pro adds booked sessions with deposits.
Do customers need an app with Waitlist App or NextUp Walk-in?
No, with either. Waitlist App's pricing page says customers tap a link or scan a QR code and watch their spot in a browser. With NextUp Walk-in, customers join from a QR code or your link and follow their place in line on their own phone, with no app to download and no account to make.
Try it on a Saturday
14 days free, with every Pro feature. Set up a location in about two minutes.