Booqinq

Booqinq provides booking, scheduling, payments, customer records, reminders, and website tools for service businesses. Clients can book through a hosted page without installing an app or creating an account. Its calendar handles staff, rooms, appointments, deposits, and availability, while customer records can store visit history, preferences, intake answers, and notes; those records are exportable on every tier. Payments are processed through Stripe without a Booqinq markup, and card numbers go directly from the customer’s browser to Stripe. Listed connections include Google Calendar, WhatsApp, SMS and email, HubSpot, AgencyAnalytics, API, webhooks, and MCP. Booking from Google Search and Maps through Reserve with Google is also described. On Business, a hosted MCP endpoint lets compatible assistants check availability and book appointments. The free plan includes one location and 500 email reminders per month; paid plans charge extra for payments and prepaid messaging credits where applicable. Pricing includes Free at no cost, Solo at €25 a month or €21 a month billed annually, Pro at €69 a month or €57 a month billed annually, and Business at €129 a month or €107 a month billed annually.

Booqinq combines customer booking and business scheduling with records, reminders, and payment processing. Its free plan has stated location and reminder limits, while paid tiers vary by price and included capabilities.

Booqinq is aimed at appointment-based businesses such as salons, barbershops, spas, tattoo studios, pet groomers, and massage therapists. Its scheduling and client records may suit teams managing staff, rooms, and repeat visits.

Overview

Booqinq is a booking and operations platform for appointment-based businesses, especially salons and studios coordinating staff and customer visits. Its combination of a no-cost entry tier, exportable client records and increasingly capable paid plans makes it worth considering for businesses that expect their booking needs to grow. The main trade-off is that payment processing and messaging credits can add costs beyond the subscription.

Key features

Customers can book through a hosted page without an app or account, and Booqinq also supports discovery through Google Search and Maps with Reserve with Google. The calendar handles staff, rooms, appointments, deposits and availability, while technician scheduling and a nail service menu suit businesses where service choice and staff assignment matter. These tools reach beyond a simple appointment link, though the free tier’s single-location ceiling will constrain businesses operating across sites.

Client records can capture visit history, preferences, intake answers and notes, and are exportable on every tier. That portability is valuable for businesses building a customer history without making it captive to the platform. Integrations include Stripe, Google Calendar, WhatsApp, SMS/email, HubSpot and AgencyAnalytics, alongside an API, webhooks and MCP. Business adds a hosted MCP endpoint through which compatible assistants can check availability and book appointments—a specialized benefit, rather than a reason for most small shops to upgrade.

Payments run through Stripe with no Booqinq markup, and card numbers pass from the customer’s browser directly to Stripe. Payment processing and prepaid messaging credits cost extra on applicable plans, so the subscription alone does not represent every business’s operating cost. Booqinq says customer data remains within a selected US-East, EU-West (Frankfurt) or AP-Southeast region for storage, processing and backups. It also says personal fields are anonymized upon deletion, with hard deletion after 30 days by default or seven days in purge mode; deletion and restore actions are audit-logged. Its security page says it does not display compliance badges it does not hold.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing, forever. It includes unlimited staff and bookings at one location, 500 email reminders per month and a Booqinq-branded page. That is a useful way for a single-site business to start without a subscription, but the reminder cap and branding make it less suitable for a growing customer base or a polished standalone presence.

Solo costs €25/mo month-to-month or €21/mo billed annually. It keeps the one-location limit and unlimited staff, while adding a custom domain, payments and deposits, full CRM, and WhatsApp, SMS and voice credits. It is the logical step for a single-location operator that needs payment and customer-engagement tools, though messaging credits and processing can still cost extra on applicable plans.

Pro costs €69/mo month-to-month or €57/mo billed annually. It includes one location and unlimited staff, removes Booqinq branding, and adds AI rebooking, packages and memberships, and SDK/API access. This tier is better suited to established businesses that need more customer-retention options or developer access; it does not solve multi-location management.

Business costs €129/mo month-to-month or €107/mo billed annually. It supports multiple locations with unlimited staff and adds an AI phone agent, MCP and webhooks, plus priority support. The higher price is easiest to justify for a multi-site operator or one with a concrete need for these integration and automation tools.

Agency has custom pricing and includes a white-label portfolio, wholesale credits and provisioning playbooks, making it the tier aimed at agencies rather than an individual service business. A 14-day trial is offered. Annual prices are lower than month-to-month rates, so the commitment term matters when comparing tiers.

Platforms

Booqinq supports Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows, giving businesses and clients a broad range of access options.

Who it's for

Booqinq names salons, barbershops, nail studios, spas and wellness businesses, tattoo studios, lash and brow studios, pet groomers and massage therapists as its intended users. Its staff-and-room scheduling, service menu, records and deposits make it a stronger fit for appointment-led operations than for businesses seeking only a basic calendar. A solo or single-site provider can start free; multi-location businesses need Business, while agencies looking for white-label provisioning should consider Agency. The company identifies Karel as its founder and says the project began in 2023.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Unlimited bookings and staff on the free plan give a one-location business room to operate without a subscription, although reminders are capped at 500 monthly and the booking page carries Booqinq branding.
• Pros: Exportable client records on every tier help preserve customer history and portability if a business changes systems.
• Pros: Stripe processing without a Booqinq markup and direct browser-to-Stripe card transfer are clear advantages for payment handling, though processing and messaging may incur extra costs.
• Cons: The free plan and Solo and Pro are each limited to one location, so multi-site businesses must pay for Business.
• Cons: Subscription prices do not capture all costs where payment processing or prepaid messaging credits apply.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Nail Salon Software. SalonHub360 is another freemium option on Android, iOS and web; its Starter plan is $19.99/month for one staff member, online booking, a full service menu, client management and basic reminders. Choose it if a lower-priced paid entry plan and one-staff setup fit better than Booqinq’s unlimited-staff, one-location model.

Salonnare is a freemium Android, iOS and web option with a free tier capped at one staff member and 50 bookings per month, and a €29/month Starter tier with three staff members and unlimited bookings. It may suit a business comfortable with those specific staff limits and monthly price. Nail Studio Pro is another freemium option for Android, iOS and web; its free plan is denominated in BRL and caps registered clients, monthly appointments, catalog services and digital intake forms, with WhatsApp manual. Consider it if those limits and its currency and market fit your needs.

Anolla offers a free software tier for basic online table reservations, with paid features activated as needed; it is the more relevant alternative when that reservation focus matches your work. Zolmi is freemium on Android, iOS and web, with a START plan showing a three-staff example, stock limited to 10 products and SMS from A$0; consider it if that plan structure fits your operation. Clover POS is a paid Android, iOS and web option with a Starter plan built around a Mini POS system, an eight-inch screen, a restaurant growth plan, cash drawer and receipt printer; it is the alternative to weigh when that POS setup is a better match.

DaySmart Salon is a paid Android, iOS, web and Windows option; its Basic plan is $29 / Month for one user, online booking, confirmations, social booking and payment-related tools. It may fit a single-user business prioritizing that combination. Salon360App is a paid Android, iOS and web alternative with Starter, Growth and Premium plans priced annually; consider it if an annual-plan approach is preferable.

Verdict

Booqinq is a strong fit for appointment-based service businesses that want unlimited bookings and staff at one location to start, then a path to CRM, customer engagement and multi-location tools. Its portable records, broad scheduling scope and direct Stripe card handling are compelling reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if you need multiple locations without moving to the €129/mo Business tier, or if payment and messaging add-ons make the total cost less appealing.