Two tools for the same job.
Different bets.
Zalvo and SalonBooking both want to run your salon's calendar. Zalvo bundles a salon management suite (inventory, staff, accounts). SalonBooking bets that the booking moment is what matters most — and that it should happen in WhatsApp.
- · Zalvo is a full salon management suite — booking, inventory, staff payroll, expenses.
- · SalonBooking is focused: a booking calendar your clients reach via WhatsApp or a single web link.
- · Zalvo's strength is the back-office. SalonBooking's strength is the customer-facing moment.
- · SalonBooking is free during early access. We don't take commissions. Each branch gets its own indexable page for local search.
- · If you need POS, inventory tracking, and payroll in one app — Zalvo. If you just need bookings to "happen" without a phone call — SalonBooking.
Side-by-side
Honest comparison based on each tool's positioning. Zalvo's exact pricing varies by region — check their site.
| SalonBooking | Zalvo | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Bookings via WhatsApp + web | Salon management suite |
| Base price | Free during early access | Paid plans |
| WhatsApp booking | ✓ Native — clients book inside chat | Notifications only |
| Customer-facing booking page | ✓ Tenant subdomain | ✓ |
| Self-service reschedule / cancel | ✓ Magic link | ✓ |
| Multi-location | ✓ Each branch indexable for local search | ✓ |
| Inventory tracking | Out of scope | ✓ |
| POS / payments | We don't process — keep your existing rate | ✓ Built in |
| Staff payroll | Out of scope | ✓ |
| Setup time | 10 minutes | Longer (more to configure) |
Pick by what you actually need
If your salon's biggest pain is the back-office — tracking which colour is running low, paying staff fairly, end-of-month accounts — Zalvo's suite earns its place. It's deeper there than we'd ever try to be.
If your biggest pain is the front-of-house — clients DM'ing at midnight, double-bookings, no-shows, missed Instagram messages — SalonBooking is built for exactly that. Clients book themselves on WhatsApp or a single link. Reminders and cancellations happen automatically. You only hear about the appointment when the client walks in.
You can use both. Many salons do — a booking-first tool for clients, a management-first tool for staff and inventory.