Online booking software for barbershops

tilkbook is free online booking software for barbershops. Clients open the shop’s booking page, pick their barber — skin fade specialist, straight razor shave expert, or the barber who has done their taper for years — choose a service, and lock in a slot without calling or walking in to check availability. Each barber’s schedule, services, and prices live independently. A skin fade takes the same slot as an edge-up; a men’s cut plus beard trim runs longer; a lineup or buzz cut is faster. The booking engine calculates availability correctly for each combination. Automated email reminders go out before every appointment on every plan, free. SMS reminders — with 98% open rates — are a paid upgrade. Deposits and no-show fees require the optional Stripe payments add-on. The whole setup — services, barbers, hours — takes under 10 minutes. Unlike Booksy, which charges monthly subscription fees and per-booking fees in a market where $35 cuts leave thin margins, tilkbook’s core scheduling is free.

How does per-barber booking work for a barbershop?

Each barber on tilkbook has their own profile, their own service menu, and their own availability calendar. The shop owner builds the master service list — fade, taper, skin fade, low taper, high taper, lineup, edge-up, beard trim, straight razor shave, men’s cut, bald fade, buzz cut — and assigns the relevant services to each barber.

A barber who specialises in skin fades and straight razor shaves lists those. A barber who focuses on tapers and men’s cuts lists those. When a client opens the booking page, they pick their barber first and then only see the services that person actually offers, at that person’s prices.

For booth renters, this matters especially. A barber renting a chair sets their own schedule — Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 6pm — independently from the shop’s general hours or another renter’s schedule. When they take a day off or change their hours, they update their own profile. Clients who book that barber see the correct availability without the owner having to manage it manually.

Per-barber digital business cards extend the booking flow outside the shop. Each barber gets a card with a short link and NFC tap support. A client saves the barber’s card to their phone contacts after the first cut. Next time they need a haircut, they tap or click the link and book directly. No searching, no calling, no walking in to check.

Can I charge a deposit on longer appointments?

Yes. Deposits are available on any service through the optional Stripe-powered payments add-on. For barbershops, the most common use case is longer combo appointments — a men’s cut plus beard trim, or a men’s cut plus a straight razor shave — where a no-show leaves a 45-60 minute gap in the chair that cannot be filled on short notice.

Deposits are configured per service. A shop might require a deposit on any appointment over 30 minutes and skip it for a quick fade or buzz cut. The deposit amount is flexible. When a client books, they enter a card at checkout; the deposit captures immediately and the remaining balance settles in-shop.

If the client cancels outside the cancellation window, the deposit refunds. If they cancel inside the window or no-show, the shop retains the deposit as a cancellation fee, or an additional no-show fee can be charged off-session. The shop owner can also excuse a no-show for a regular client — reverses the charge, logs the excuse, keeps the relationship intact.

For shops not yet on the payments add-on, the booking flow defaults to pay-in-shop. The booking still works; money just does not move online until the add-on is connected.

How do automated reminders reduce no-shows for barbershops?

Every booking generates a confirmation email immediately. Automated email reminders go out before the appointment on every plan — no configuration required, no extra cost.

For higher-value appointments or shops with a persistent no-show problem, SMS text reminders are available as a paid upgrade. Text messages are harder to miss than email — open rates run around 98% — and a reminder the morning of a cut significantly improves show rates. SMS compliance (TCPA opt-out) is handled automatically; clients who reply STOP are removed from SMS reminders.

Reminder timing is configurable. A common setup: an email 24 hours before, and an SMS the morning of the appointment. Staff also receive notifications for new bookings, cancellations, and reschedules. Notification settings are in the admin dashboard under Settings → Notifications.

When a client cancels, tilkbook checks the waitlist. If another client is waiting for that barber at a matching time, they receive a claim link to take the slot — filling the gap without any manual outreach from the shop.

What does tilkbook cost compared to Booksy for barbershops?

Booksy is the most widely used booking platform in the barbershop market. It has a large network of users who discover barbers through the Booksy app, which is a real distribution benefit. The cost trade-off is real: Booksy charges a monthly subscription plus per-booking fees. On a $35 men’s cut volume, those fees add up.

tilkbook’s core scheduling — per-barber calendars, unlimited bookings, email reminders, waitlist, digital business cards, Google Calendar sync — is free. No monthly subscription, no per-booking fee. SMS reminders and the Stripe payments add-on (deposits, no-show fees) are the paid upgrades.

For a barbershop that already has its own client base and does not need the Booksy discovery network, tilkbook reduces software overhead to zero on the core booking workflow. Barbers who share their personal booking link via Instagram or NFC business cards build their own direct-booking channel rather than depending on platform discovery.

See the full feature and pricing comparison or learn more about the Stripe payments integration.

How does a barbershop go live on tilkbook?

Setup is a guided checklist after signup:

1. Add services — name each service (fade, taper, lineup, beard trim, straight razor shave, etc.), set the duration and price. Use the barbershop vertical template to pre-populate a starter list, then edit to match the shop’s actual menu.
2. Invite barbers — add each barber by email. They accept the invite, set their own hours and days, and assign their services. Booth renters manage their own calendars independently.
3. Set shop hours — the availability engine uses shop hours plus each barber’s individual schedule to generate bookable slots.
4. Share the booking link — paste it in the shop’s Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, or on a printed QR card at the counter.

The shop goes live as soon as there is at least one active service, business hours set, and at least one active barber. No credit card required.

What features are free for barbershops on tilkbook?

Everything in the core booking workflow is free — no subscription, no per-booking charge:

• Unlimited bookings received
• Per-barber service menus, calendars, and availability
• Booking confirmations and email reminders
• Waitlist with automatic slot offers on cancellations
• Customer management and booking history
• Digital business cards — one for the shop and one for each barber, with NFC tap and Apple/Google Wallet
• Google Calendar sync (two-way) and iCal feed import
• Bulk-reschedule for closures and barber changes

Paid upgrades:

• SMS reminders (paid add-on)
• Deposits, no-show fees, tips, refunds, and discount codes (optional payments add-on via Stripe — see Stripe integration)

For most barbershops, the free tier covers the complete booking workflow. SMS and payments are there when the shop needs them.

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tilkbook is a free Booksy alternative for barbershops that want per-barber scheduling, deposits, and no-show protection without a monthly software bill. It also works well for shops that used Setmore, Fresha, Acuity Scheduling, or Calendly and want a platform purpose-built for service businesses with multiple staff. See how tilkbook handles pricing versus competitors.