The Best Lash Studio Software: From Solo Techs to Growing Studios

The perfect booking platform for your lash studio depends on where you are in your journey in the business. Solo techs will need something more affordable with features to help build the books; established and growing studios will want more automations.

What do all lash techs need, no matter what? Detailed client notes, various business protections, and ease of use (for yourself, your staff, AND your clients). There are plenty of great options out there, and finding the best for lash tech’s particular priorities today and going forward in their careers can be overwhelming. Most platforms know what salons need and have the basics available, so I’m going to compare what matters for a dedicated lash studio of any size.

GlossGenius

Protecting Your Business

GlossGenius lets you require a deposit, share your cancellation policy, and collect a card-on-file for each booking. You can also easily create HIPAA-compliant forms and attach them to the booking flow. Legally binding e-signatures help you maximize time in the room and appointments cannot be confirmed without forms being completed.

Growing and Maximizing Your Book

GlossGenius doesn’t have a marketplace for client discovery, but you can customize your branding to attract your ideal clients. Its automated waitlist can also contact clients when an appointment becomes available, helping fill last-minute openings.

Booking and Client Experience

Clients don’t need to create a profile, download an app, or sign in to book. They can choose their appointment, complete your required forms and policies, and they’re set. Frictionless is important when you’re starting out. The less information a potential client has to share when trying out a new stylist can be the thing that converts them. Sometimes a lash appointment is an impulse, so why not make it fun and easy!

Best for: New or solo lash techs who want strong branding options, a quick client booking experience, and optimized books.

StyleSeat

Protecting Your Business

A card on file is required for every booked service. You can set your own cancellation terms, and refunds are easy if you decide that the policy doesn’t fit the particular instance, like rescheduling. You can either waive it or always require for a specific client or specific service. You get to set what matters by service, client, and how much you require for each. 

StyleSeat also offers customized deposits, flat fee, or percentage. Waivers and consent forms are customizable, and clients can add inspiration photos, which is a really nice feature to speed up the in-room consultation.

Growing and Maximizing Your Book

Clients can find you on their marketplace, but they will take a % of that booking. Their marketing game is strong, so if you’re very new to the lash game, I’d take advantage of this. Another great perk is their peak-pricing automation. Your in-demand appointment times will be dynamically priced for maximum income. Their automated waitlist will reach out to clients who have signed up. If they already have an appointment but would like to come in sooner, StyleSeat will handle it.

Booking and Client Experience

StyleSeat requires clients to create an account, and clients have to pay a fee to book. It’s small, but not nothing! More established solo techs will be able to convince their established clients to sign up; newer lash techs may experience some resistance here. New clients trying a new tech may not always want to take the time to create a profile first. A bonus: StyleSeat is the only platform that supports video. Show off those fluttering lashes for new clients!

Best for: Established solo techs with a loyal following will appreciate the all-in-one pricing, the dynamic pricing optimization of their busiest times, plus automated waitlist support.

Square Appointments

Protecting Your Business

Customizable deposits are available with the added bonus of having a week to decide if you’ll enforce the policy and charge. If you cancel or no-show the appointment, you can charge then or wait. It’s not an automated charge when you cancel an appointment, which is helpful. Waivers, consent, and intake forms are there, but not as intuitive as strictly salon-focused platforms. 

Square’s version of waivers, forms, charts are called PDF sharing in some places, Forms in others. Connecting this information is manual on the free version, so it takes some patience and practice to learn the system.

Growing and Maximizing Your Book

Square Go marketplace allows clients to find you, and there is no charge to the client. It’s free on the Basic plan, but it is only available on iOS. Square does offer an automated waitlist, which will proactively reach out to clients to fill spots as they open up, but only on the paid tiers.

Booking and Client Experience

A client profile is required to use the Square Go app. The sign-up is simple enough, so I wouldn’t call it a barrier to new clients booking an appointment.

Best for: Solo techs and studios interested in scaling up and reaching new clients. Keep in mind it’s not a salon-forward platform, so some of the features and descriptions might be confusing. There are fees for add-ons as you grow, so weigh those options before you commit.

Boulevard

Protecting Your Business

Boulevard lets you set your no-show and cancellation policy and will collect a card on file for each appointment booked online. What really stands out here for me is Boulevard’s chargeback dispute protection. With the card not present verification, you lower your risk of a claim stating the client was never in the studio, their card was not authorized to be used, etc.

Boulevard’s forms and charts are very customizable. There are triggers available that can send the more detailed, longer forms and consents/waivers to new clients vs a shorter questionnaire form to existing clients coming for a fill. Their drag-and-drop form builder allows you to send exactly what’s needed for each appointment. 

Growing and Maximizing Your Book

Boulevard’s booking system is an overlay on your existing website so your branding is front and center, always. You can add the booking features to your Google Business Profile. For established studios already attracting clients through search, a paid marketplace feature isn’t necessary.

One shortcoming is Boulevard’s waitlist, which isn’t fully automated like the others. Still, filling empty slots is simple enough as the waitlist is prominently displayed on the Front Desk and Calendar page of the dashboard, so your Front Desk team can access it easily. 

Where Boulevard shines in this category is optimizing your books by offering clients booking online appointment times that minimize gaps in the schedule.

Booking and Client Experience

Client profiles are not required, but clients can add a password to access the appointments portal. Adding widgets to your owned website creates the ideal client experience flow, the way you want them to experience your studio.

Best for: Studios who are looking to scale past a few techs. You’ve already got your base clientele, so paying for a marketplace isn’t necessary. The built-in automations for client communications are top-notch and ensure customer awareness of policies before services begin.

Choosing a platform for your lash studio can teach you a lot about where you are now and where you want to grow next. I hope this guide gave you some things to consider depending on your goals. 

Keep in mind what can happen when your business grows, not only what you need right now. You may feel that some features aren’t valuable to your team just yet, but switching later means exporting client information and retraining staff. If you intend to stay solo, then don’t pay for things you don’t need. Think about which problem you most need the platform to solve now and what you’re likely to need next.

A new solo tech would benefit from marketplace placement, while an established solo tech might prefer more automations to free them up from admin work to be busier in the lash room.