A reservation app lets customers book a table, an appointment or a class without calling you. For a small business, the right one fills your calendar, cuts no-shows and stops you answering the same "do you have anything Thursday?" message all day. The wrong one quietly takes a cut of every booking or charges per staff member as you grow.
The best reservation app depends on what you're booking. This guide splits the options by business type, compares what they cost in 2026, and explains what to look for.
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What to look for in a reservation app
- How you're charged. Flat monthly fee, per staff member, per location, per cover or a commission on new customers. This matters more than the headline price.
- Whose brand customers see. Booking on your own website keeps customers yours. Booking through a marketplace puts competitors one tap away.
- No-show protection. Deposits, card holds and cancellation rules.
- Reminders and rebooking. Automatic texts or emails, ideally prompting the next booking too.
- A reason to come back. Loyalty and rewards turn a one-off booking into a regular.
- Works with Google. Your booking link on Google Business Profile and readable by AI assistants.
Best reservation apps for restaurants, cafés and bars
| App | Pricing | Per-cover fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loop | Free to start | None | Independents that want bookings plus loyalty, reviews and referrals |
| OpenTable | Monthly plan | Yes, on network bookings | Reaching the biggest diner network |
| Resy | From $289/month | No | Busy city restaurants and ticketed dinners |
| Eat App | Free tier; month-to-month plans | No | Simple bookings and guest profiles |
| Tablein | Listed from $99/month | No | Small restaurants that want basic bookings |
| SevenRooms | Quote only | No | Multi-venue groups |
For most independent restaurants, the biggest cost isn't the subscription but per-cover fees on network bookings. Taking bookings on your own website avoids them. Go deeper in our restaurant reservation systems guide, or compare OpenTable pricing, SevenRooms alternatives and Tock alternatives.
Best booking apps for salons, spas and barbers
| App | Pricing (US) | New-client fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loop | Free to start | 0% commission | Your own booking site with deposits, rebooking reminders and loyalty |
| Square Appointments | Free for individuals; $49 or $149/month per location | None | Businesses already on Square |
| GlossGenius | From $24/month billed yearly | None | Solo artists |
| Fresha | $19.95/month solo; $14.95 per team member | 20% on marketplace clients | Salons wanting marketplace clients |
| Booksy | $29.99/month + $20 per team member | 30% on Boost clients, capped at $100 | Barbers and stylists |
Our detailed guides: Booksy alternatives, Fresha alternatives, GlossGenius alternatives, Square Appointments alternatives and salon booking software for small salons.
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Build my free booking siteBest booking apps for gyms, yoga and pilates studios
Studios need class timetables, capacity limits, waitlists, class packs and memberships, which general appointment apps don't always handle.
- Loop: a free studio website with class and PT bookings, class packs, intro offers, and points for every class plus streak rewards. Members also earn rewards for posting their workouts.
- Square Appointments Plus: adds class bookings and a waitlist for $49 a month per location.
- Mindbody and similar studio suites: full management for established studios, priced by quote. See our Mindbody alternatives guide.
- ClassPass: a marketplace that fills spare spots, at the cost of lower per-visit revenue. See ClassPass alternatives.
More on this: pilates studio software, yoga studio software and boutique fitness studio software.
Running a gym or studio?
Class bookings, packs, intro offers and rewards for members who show up, on your own free website.
Build my free studio siteMarketplace or your own booking site?
Most reservation apps fall into two camps:
- Marketplaces (OpenTable, Booksy, Fresha, ClassPass) list you alongside competitors and send you new customers, usually for a fee per booking or per new client.
- Direct booking sites (Loop, Square Appointments, GlossGenius) put the booking on your own page. You keep the customer relationship and avoid commission, but you bring the traffic yourself, from Instagram, Google and word of mouth.
Plenty of businesses use both: a marketplace for discovery, and their own booking site and loyalty program to make sure the second visit is booked direct.
How to set up online bookings in an afternoon
- Pick an app based on how you're charged and what you're booking.
- Add your services, prices, opening hours and cancellation policy.
- Put the booking link in your Instagram bio and on your Google Business Profile. Our Google booking links guide shows how.
- Turn on reminders and, if no-shows hurt, deposits.
- Give customers a reason to come back, like a loyalty card or a reward for their next booking.
Want the full picture? Read our guide to adding a booking system to your website.