Software Alternatives & Startups

Merlua VS Salonist

Compare Merlua VS Salonist and see what are their differences

Merlua logo Merlua

Management dashboard for modern businesses

Salonist logo Salonist

Salonist is a cloud-based based salon management system for Hair, Bridal, Barber shops, Massage center & Nail salon Owners to run their salon in an easy way.
  • Merlua
    Image date //
    2026-08-28
  • Merlua
    Image date //
    2026-08-28
  • Merlua
    Image date //
    2026-08-28

Manage appointments, staff, and deposits in one clean system. Designed for clarity, built for growth. High-performance software for the modern beauty professional.

  • Salonist Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-11-09

Salonist is the user-friendly booking & scheduling solution for beauty and wellness professionals. Boost your sales and attract new clients by accepting online bookings directly through your Facebook, Instagram, and website with more AI based features.

For beauty and wellness businesses and professionals, Salonist is an all-in-one platform to manage their operations with ease. It covers everything you need to run a salon smoothly, from booking appointments and handling payments to keeping customer records, automating marketing, managing loyalty programs, tracking beauty product inventory, etc.

Salonist

$ Details
Free Trial $19 / Monthly (plus $10 for each staff upto 14 staff members)
Platforms
Windows Android iOS
Release Date
2017 April

Merlua features and specs

  • Online Booking
    Direct customer scheduling based on staff availability and time-slot logic
  • Deposit Payments
    Secure upfront booking deposit processing via integrated Stripe payments
  • Staff Management
    Staff selection during booking, working hours setup, and individual schedule tracking

Salonist features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Salonist offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that makes it accessible for users who may not be tech-savvy. This simplifies the process of managing salon operations.
  • Comprehensive Features
    The platform provides a wide range of features including appointment booking, inventory management, client management, and reporting, which can help streamline salon processes and improve efficiency.
  • Online Booking
    Salonist allows clients to book appointments online at their convenience, which can enhance customer satisfaction and reduce the workload on staff.
  • Customer Engagement Tools
    It includes features like automated reminders, promotions, and loyalty programs that help in maintaining client relationships and increasing customer retention.
  • Cloud-Based
    Being a cloud-based solution, Salonist ensures that data is accessible from anywhere and reduces the need for IT infrastructure, offering flexibility and convenience.

Possible disadvantages of Salonist

  • Cost
    For small salons or independent beauticians, the cost of using Salonist might be a concern, especially if they do not utilize all the provided features.
  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, there may still be a learning curve for some users to fully understand and utilize all the features efficiently.
  • Customization Limitations
    Some users may find that Salonist does not offer enough customization options to suit their specific needs or branding requirements.
  • Internet Dependence
    Being a cloud-based service, Salonist requires a stable internet connection for optimal use, which could be a limitation in areas with unreliable internet access.
  • Support Availability
    Users have reported that customer support, while generally helpful, can sometimes be slow to respond, potentially delaying the resolution of urgent issues.

Merlua videos

No Merlua videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Salonist videos

#1 Salon & Spa Management Software

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Merlua and Salonist)
Salon Management
6 6%
94% 94
Booking Software
100 100%
0% 0
Appointments and Scheduling

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Merlua and Salonist.

What makes your product unique?

Merlua's answer

Merlua is unique because it strips away complex, bloated software overhead to focus purely on a streamlined, 3-tier platform setup: a Web Admin Dashboard for salon owners, a Customer Mobile App for client bookings, and a Staff Mobile App for daily schedule tracking. Instead of cluttering the system with complex reports or multi-location tools, Merlua offers an intentionally simple, fast UI built specifically for beauty specialists to manage real-time appointments, Stripe deposit payments, and automatic reminders smoothly.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Merlua's answer

A person should choose Merlua because it eliminates the steep learning curve and feature fatigue typical of traditional salon management software. Salon owners get everything they need to run appointments—such as automated time-slot logic, individual staff availability rules, direct online deposit processing, and automated client notifications—without paying for or setting up complicated POS, staff commissions, or complex configurations. It allows salons to go live and start taking bookings in minutes.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Merlua's answer

The primary audience for Merlua consists of independent beauty business owners and boutique salons, specifically focused on nail salons, lash studios, brow services, and waxing specialists. It is designed for solo beauty professionals and salon teams who want a clean, straightforward mobile-and-web booking setup to handle client scheduling and deposits without administrative bloat.

User comments

Share your experience with using Merlua and Salonist. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Merlua and Salonist

Merlua Reviews

We have no reviews of Merlua yet.
Be the first one to post

Salonist Reviews

  1. Cathenna Avery
    Amazing software for my salon management

    I am using salonist from the last 8 months. Now I manage my salon task easily as compare to before 8 months. I like its Easy Management of Salon Appointments feature. Salonist members are also helpful they support me in learning this software.

  2. The best Spa booking software

    This software is truly amazing and super affordable. With its user-friendly interface, 24/7 online bookings, and automated reminders, managing my salon and spa feels effortless. I highly recommend everyone to give it a try. It's a game-changer.

    Pros:    Very easy to use|24/7 online booking and automated reminders|Very affordable
    Cons:    Nothing to mention so far!
  3. Remma Grey
    · owner ·
    Best Salon & Spa management software

    For the past year, I've been using Salonist for my salon and spa and I'm happy to say that it's been a total game-changer for my business. Salonist has helped me streamline every aspect of my salon, from booking appointments to managing inventory and employees, allowing me to focus more on providing excellent services to my clients.I strongly advise everyone to try this.

    Pros:    This software is amazing, it's very easy to use.|It is simple to use, with online booking and automated reminders.
    Cons:    Nothing to mention so far!

10 Zenoti Alternatives 2020 | Salon & Spa Scheduling Software
On our list of Zenoti Alternatives, the first one is Salonist, a cloud management system to assist the salon owners in handling daily operations effortlessly. As an all-in-one solution, this salon software has all the scalable and powerful features that any salon needs to improve its business potential.
Top 10 Shedul Alternatives for Successful Salon Management
Salonist is the best Salon management Software so far. This cloud-based Software can handle several issues that are making it tough for you to manage your Salon business. Certainly, Salonist is the best salon software in Shedul alternatives.
Source: salonist.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Salonist seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Merlua mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Merlua yet. Tracking of Merlua recommendations started around Aug 2026.

Salonist mentions (1)

  • Salonist Salon Software
    Salonist is the most widely used cloud-based salon appointment scheduling and booking software, featuring a variety of features for businesses of all kinds. It serves industries such as barbershops, spas, hair salons, nail salons, and more. Salonist allows salons and spas to keep track of their customers' information, purchase history, perform remote appointments, manage invoicing and payrolls, and more. It has an... Source: almost 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Merlua and Salonist, you can also consider the following products

Booksy - Book appointments online. Find & book beauty services like hairdressing, manicure, spa or massage. Check prices & reviews!

Fresha Salon Software - Fresha Salon Software lets you handle your salon business from inventory management to client bookings and from marketing to payments.

Merchenta - Merchenta engages consumers with the right merchandise at the right time across social, affiliate and display networks.