Nail salon booking software — tilkbook

tilkbook is free booking software for nail salons. Clients open the salon’s booking page, pick their nail tech, choose a service — gel manicure, acrylic nails, dip powder, gel-x, pedicure, nail art, French manicure, builder gel, ombre nails — and lock in a slot at any hour without calling or walking in to check availability. Each tech’s schedule, service menu, and pricing live independently. The system calculates available slots correctly for every service combination: a full acrylic set takes longer than a fill; a nail art session is longer than a basic gel manicure; a soak-off and removal takes the slot it needs. Booking confirmations land in the client’s inbox immediately, and automated email reminders go out before every appointment on every plan, free. SMS reminders are available as a paid upgrade. Deposits and no-show fees require the optional Stripe payments add-on. Setup takes most salons under 20 minutes. No credit card required to go live. Competitors like Vagaro, Booksy, Fresha, Acuity Scheduling, and Setmore all charge monthly fees; tilkbook’s core scheduling is free.

How does tilkbook handle multiple nail techs with different specialties?

Each nail tech on tilkbook has their own profile, service menu, and availability calendar. When a client opens the salon’s booking page, they choose the tech first. After that, they only see the services that specific tech offers — with that tech’s prices and booking slots.

This matters because not every tech does every service. One tech might specialise in gel manicures, acrylic nails, and chrome nails. Another focuses on dip powder, gel-x, and nail art. A third might do pedicures and basic manicures but not extensions. One flat service list does not reflect those differences. tilkbook’s per-tech model does.

The owner builds the master service list — gel manicure, acrylic full set, dip powder, gel-x, pedicure, spa pedicure, nail art, French manicure, ombre nails, builder gel, fill/infill, removal, press-on — and assigns the relevant services to each tech. When a tech adds a new specialty or stops offering a service, they update their own profile without affecting the rest of the team’s calendars.

Walk-in flow and appointment flow coexist. The booking page handles scheduled appointments; walk-ins are handled at the desk as normal. For a salon where some techs take appointments and others stay open for walk-ins, each person’s calendar reflects their actual working style.

Can I charge a deposit for nail art and longer appointments?

Yes. Deposits are available on any service through the optional Stripe-powered payments add-on. For nail salons, the most common use case is nail art sessions and full acrylic or gel-x sets — appointments that run 60-90 minutes and are time-intensive to fill if a client cancels at the last minute.

Deposits are configured per service. A salon might require a deposit on any appointment over 45 minutes and skip it for a basic gel manicure or standard pedicure. The deposit amount is flexible. When a client books, they enter a card at checkout; the deposit captures immediately and the remaining balance is settled in the salon.

If the client cancels outside the cancellation window, the deposit refunds. If they cancel inside the window or no-show, the deposit can be retained, or an additional no-show fee can charge off-session. The salon owner can excuse a no-show for a regular client with one click.

For salons not yet on the payments add-on, the booking flow defaults to pay-on-site. No code changes — the booking works, money just does not move online until Stripe is connected.

How do the waitlist and cancellations work for nail salons?

When a tech’s schedule fills up, clients can join the waitlist for a specific service and time. tilkbook monitors that tech’s calendar automatically. When a cancellation opens a gap, the system sends a claim link to the next matching person on the waitlist — first in, first offered.

The claim link is time-limited and atomically holds the slot. If the first person does not claim it in time, the next person in line receives an offer. The tech does not need to call anyone; the gap fills itself.

This is especially useful for popular nail techs who run booked-out schedules weeks in advance. Clients who could not get in originally have a real path to a cancellation slot rather than having to call and ask repeatedly.

On the admin side, cancellations and reschedules appear in the calendar immediately. Staff receive a notification when a booking is cancelled. The bulk-reschedule tool handles the case where a tech calls in sick or the salon closes unexpectedly — move all affected bookings at once, with substitute-tech suggestions and a preview before committing.

Does tilkbook send reminders to reduce no-shows at nail salons?

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

For salons with a no-show problem on nail art or longer appointments, SMS text reminders are available as a paid upgrade. Text messages are harder to ignore than email — open rates run around 98% — and a reminder the morning of a 90-minute nail art session makes a measurable difference in show rates. SMS opt-out compliance is handled automatically.

Reminder timing is configurable per service or globally. A salon might send an email 48 hours before and an SMS reminder the morning of the appointment. Notification settings live in the admin dashboard under Settings → Notifications.

For salons on competitors like Fresha, Vagaro, or Booksy, SMS reminders are typically included but bundled with monthly subscription costs. On tilkbook, email reminders are free on every plan; SMS is the paid add-on if the salon needs it.

What is the difference between a fill appointment and a full set in tilkbook?

Fills/infills and full acrylic or gel sets have different durations. In tilkbook, each is set up as a separate service with the accurate duration and its own price. Clients choose the right service at booking rather than selecting a generic “acrylic appointment.”

This prevents one of the most common nail salon schedule problems: a client books an infill but actually needs a full replacement, or arrives for a removal on top of a full set. The tech runs long, the next client is delayed, and the rest of the day backs up.

With separate services — acrylic full set, acrylic infill, gel-x full set, gel-x infill, soak-off/removal — clients see the correct duration and price for what they actually need. The tech’s day runs to plan.

The same logic applies to pedicures: a standard pedicure has a different duration from a spa pedicure. Set them up as separate services with accurate times and the schedule stays accurate.

What booking features are free for nail salons on tilkbook?

The complete booking foundation is free — no per-booking fees and no monthly subscription:

• Unlimited bookings received
• Per-tech 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 salon and one for each tech, with NFC and Apple/Google Wallet
• Google Calendar sync (two-way) and iCal feed import
• Bulk-reschedule for closures and staff 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 nail salons, the free tier handles the full booking workflow. SMS and payments are there when the salon is ready to add them. See how tilkbook handles pricing compared to Vagaro, Booksy, and Fresha.