Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Picktime vs SalonRunner

Picktime logo

Picktime

Scheduling

Appointment, class and resource booking with an unusually capable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

SalonRunner

Beauty

Run your salon like a pro

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Picktime has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Picktime the Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.; SalonRunner salonRunner is the underlying platform behind the flagship Rosy Salon Software brand, offered white-label through a VAR program (Internet Archive capture, 29 December 2021); no pricing figures were published
  • They diverge on capability: Picktime covers Free tier with three staff, SalonRunner covers Online booking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Picktime and SalonRunner actually diverge.

Attributes where Picktime and SalonRunner differ
AttributePicktimeSalonRunner
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
Free tierYesNo
CategorySchedulingBeauty
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Picktime

  • Free tier with three staff
  • Resource booking
  • Class and course booking
  • Two way calendar sync
  • Payments
  • Multilingual booking pages
  • Booking approval

Only in SalonRunner

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Staff scheduling
  • POS system
  • Commission tracking
  • Mobile apps
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Stripe

Both cover

  • SMS reminders

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Picktime

  • A public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at allnot SalonRunner
  • A two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a monthnot SalonRunner
  • A community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venuesnot SalonRunner
  • A small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a stationnot SalonRunner

SalonRunner

  • Mobile salon managementnot Picktime
  • Client bookingnot Picktime
  • Staff coordinationnot Picktime
  • Payment processingnot Picktime

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Picktime

  • The Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.
  • SMS is only on paid plans and the free tier is email only, so the no cost option loses the single feature that most reduces no shows.
  • Reporting is limited to basic booking counts and revenue totals, so any business that wants utilisation by resource, staff productivity or cohort retention will be exporting data and analysing it elsewhere.
  • Integrations beyond calendar, payments and Zapier are sparse, with no native connection to mainstream CRM or practice management systems, meaning customer data lives in a second silo that someone reconciles manually.
  • Support is email only with no phone or guaranteed response time, which is acceptable at three dollars a user but a genuine risk if the booking page goes down on a trading day.

SalonRunner

  • SalonRunner is the underlying platform behind the flagship Rosy Salon Software brand, offered white-label through a VAR program (Internet Archive capture, 29 December 2021); no pricing figures were published

Pricing, plan by plan

Picktime

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Three staff members
    • Two locations and three resources
    • Unlimited appointments
  • Starter$3/month
    • Per user, billed annually
    • Three staff and two locations
    • SMS notifications and reminders
  • Pro$2.25/month
    • Per user, billed annually, minimum ten users
    • Unlimited locations
    • Customisable emails

SalonRunner

$19/month
  • Solo$19/month
    • 1 user
    • Online booking
    • Client management
  • Team$49/month
    • Up to 5 users
    • All Solo features
    • Staff scheduling

Which should you pick?

Choose Picktime if

  • You need free tier with three staff.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want resource booking.
Picktime review

Choose SalonRunner if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
SalonRunner review

Questions people ask

Is Picktime or SalonRunner better?
Neither clearly leads. Picktime starts at Free and SalonRunner at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Picktime or SalonRunner?
Picktime has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Picktime and $19/month for SalonRunner.
Does Picktime or SalonRunner run on more platforms?
Picktime runs on Web, iOS, Android. SalonRunner runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Picktime for free?
Yes. Picktime has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SalonRunner starts at $19/month.
What is Picktime best used for?
Picktime is most often used for a public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at all, a two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a month, a community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venues, a small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a station. Of those, a public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at all and a two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a month are not what SalonRunner is typically brought in for.
What can Picktime do that SalonRunner cannot?
Picktime covers Free tier with three staff, Resource booking, Class and course booking, Two way calendar sync. SalonRunner covers Online booking, Client management, Staff scheduling, POS system. Both handle SMS reminders.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Picktime: Is the free plan actually usable long term?

Yes. It allows three staff, two locations and unlimited appointments permanently. The main limits are no SMS and PayPal only for payments.

Picktime: Can it book rooms and equipment?

Yes. Resources are first class objects and can be booked alongside or independently of staff.

Picktime: Why does Pro cost less per user than Starter?

Pro is priced for a block of ten users. Below that headcount the per user rate on Starter is what you pay.

Picktime: Does it take card payments?

Stripe and Square on paid plans; the free plan supports PayPal only.

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