Compare · Buyer’s checklist
How to choose salon software: what to look for
Every salon software demo looks good on a quiet morning. This checklist of what to look for in salon software covers the questions demos skip: what it really costs, whether it gets GST right, what happens when the internet drops, and whether you can leave with your data. At the end, where Frizzi stands on each, honestly.
- Eight questions to ask any vendor
- Where Frizzi stands on each, plainly
- What Frizzi doesn’t have yet
Ask every vendor
A checklist, not a score
Start here
Start with your day, not the feature list
Before you look at any software, write down a normal Saturday: how many bills, how many walk-ins, how many staff on commission, who handles cash, what your accountant asks for each month. The right salon software makes that day easier. A long feature list you will never switch on only makes the screens harder for your reception.
Then ask the questions below. Ask them in writing, and ask to see the answer working on screen, not on a slide. If you are still on a register, read salon software vs register and Excel first; if you are on a general billing app, this comparison.
What to look for in salon software
What to look for in salon software: eight checks
Prices in the open
Is the price on the website, per branch, with GST shown? Are there setup fees, “per user” charges, or a share of each bill? Ask what the second year costs.
GST handled right
Salon services are 5% GST since 22 September 2025 (2.5% CGST + 2.5% SGST, without input tax credit). Products can be 5% or 18%. Invoice numbers must run in order per financial year, up to 16 characters, and refunds need credit notes. Check with your CA too.
Offline billing
Turn off the Wi-Fi in the demo and make a bill. What works, what waits, and does the bill keep its real time when it syncs?
Data export
Can you download all your data yourself, in a format Excel opens, without writing to support? What happens to it if you stop paying?
Staff and client limits
Is there a cap on staff logins, clients or bills? A salon that adds a stylist shouldn’t jump a price band.
WhatsApp costs
How many messages are free, and are those reminders or offers? Who pays Meta? Can you use your own WhatsApp Business number?
Lock-in
Monthly or only yearly? Refunds? Notice period? Is your data held hostage until a contract ends?
Support
How do you reach a person, on what channel, and how fast? Who helps you set up the menu and the printer?
Where Frizzi stands
The same checklist, answered for Frizzi
| Question | Frizzi’s answer |
|---|---|
| Prices in the open | ₹99, ₹799 or ₹1,499 a branch a month, plus 18% GST. Yearly is two months free. No setup fee, no share of bills. Over 15 branches, a price agreed with you. |
| GST | Services at 5% only, CGST + SGST; products at 5% or 18% from the HSN. Numbers per financial year, never skipped, at most 16 characters. Credit notes on refunds. No IGST and no B2B invoices with the client’s GSTIN. |
| Offline | Cash, UPI and card bills save on the device and sync with their real date. Wallet, packages, vouchers and dues wait for the internet. The till must have opened online once that day. |
| Data export | “Download all my data” for owners, on any plan, even when the account is view-only: one ZIP of CSV files. Every report exports to Excel and PDF. |
| Staff and clients | Unlimited on every plan. |
| 100, 300 or 1,000 free reminders and updates a branch a month (Basic, Plus, Pro). Offers need the ₹599 pack of 500. Automatic WhatsApp needs your own WhatsApp Business number; messages from it are paid to Meta by you and don’t count. | |
| Lock-in | Pay monthly and stop any time, or yearly with no refunds. If an invoice goes unpaid, 7 more days, then view-only: you can still see and download everything. |
| Support | Write to hello@frizzi.app or use the contact page. Tell us your printer model and we’ll check it with you before you buy. |
Data is kept in India (AWS, Mumbai), with nightly encrypted backups copied off the server.
Not yet
What Frizzi doesn’t have
Better you hear it from us now. If one of these is a must for you, Frizzi isn’t the right fit today.
No online payments
Clients pay at the salon: UPI QR, cash or card. No payment link, no gateway, no online deposits.
No card-machine link
Card payments are recorded with a tap; the machine runs on its own.
No client import
Only the service menu imports from Excel or CSV. Clients are added as they come in.
Apps coming soon
The browser version works today. The Android, iPhone and client apps are ready but not in the stores yet; the iPhone app is still untested on a real iPhone.
English only
No Hindi or other app languages yet. Prices, dates and GST follow Indian formats.
Payroll and Tally limits
No PF, ESI, professional tax or TDS in payroll. The Tally export hasn’t been tried in a real TallyPrime yet: do the first month with your accountant on a copy.
Frizzi is new. It is made only for salons, and built and tested carefully. Whoever you choose, use the free trial on a real week, not a quiet morning. Frizzi’s is 35 days of Pro, with no card.
How it works
How to test salon software in a free trial
A week of real work tells you more than any demo. Do these five things.
Bill a busy evening
Real clients, two stylists on one bill, a split payment, a tip.
Pull the plug
Switch the internet off and bill. Switch it on and check the numbers.
Refund something
Cancel or refund a bill. Is there a reason, a credit note, an alert?
Close the day
Count the drawer against what the software says should be there.
Leave
Export all your data. Open it in Excel. If you can’t, think twice.
FAQ
Questions
What should salon software cost in India?
It depends on what you need and how many branches you have. Look for a price per branch per month on the website, with GST shown, and no share of your bills. Frizzi is ₹99, ₹799 or ₹1,499 a branch a month plus GST.
What is the most important thing to look for?
That it handles your busiest day without slowing the counter. After that: correct GST bills, commission from the bills, and being able to take your data with you.
Does salon software need to work offline?
The till does. Internet drops in the middle of a rush are common. Check that bills save on the device and get their proper number when the connection returns.
Are WhatsApp reminders free?
It varies. In Frizzi, each plan has free reminders and updates per branch per month; offers need a paid pack. Automatic WhatsApp needs your own WhatsApp Business number, and what Meta charges for that number is paid by you.
Should I pay monthly or yearly?
Monthly while you are trying it out, so you can stop. Yearly once you are sure: Frizzi’s yearly price is ten months for twelve, but it has no refunds.
What if I don’t like it after a month?
With Frizzi, stop paying and download your data. Owners can export everything as CSV files at any time, even when the account is view-only.
Should I pick software with the most features?
No. Pick the one your reception can use on a Saturday. In Frizzi every extra stays off until you switch it on, so the screens stay short.
From the Frizzi guides
Guides on this
Choosing a salon POS: 12 questions to ask before you pay
Choosing a salon POS in India? Ask these 12 questions about stylists, 5% GST, UPI QR, offline bills, printers, data export and the real cost per branch.
6 min read
Running a salonMoving from a register or Excel to salon software in one afternoon
Moving from a register or Excel to salon software in an afternoon: import the menu, add staff, carry over wallet balances and dues, then a calm first week.
5 min read
Clients & loyaltyWhatsApp for salons: what to send, what not to, and what it costs
WhatsApp for salons: which messages to send, consent and quiet hours, the Business app vs the API, Meta’s per-message charges and templates that need approval.
5 min read
Run your salon on Frizzi, free for 35 days
Every feature of Pro for 35 days. No card needed. Your data stays yours, and you can export it any time.
Plans from ₹99 a branch a month, plus GST. Monthly or yearly.