Overview

Online booking, a staff calendar, payments, forms, treatment records, customer photos and reporting sit alongside inventory, memberships and packages. Multi-location support broadens its use beyond solo operators, though the value of those tools depends on choosing a plan that fits the size of the team and business.

Core and Pro include a bespoke multi-page website on the business’s own domain, with Orbis managing hosting, security and updates. Their customer portal lets clients manage accounts, appointments, forms and saved payment methods. That is a useful package for owners who need both a public-facing site and customer self-service; Lite’s stated limits are better suited to a small booking operation.

Key features

Payments can be processed through Orbis Pay, Stripe Connect or another supported provider. Orbis does not store raw card security codes. Its security measures include application-level encryption at rest for sensitive customer information, separately managed keys, HTTPS, tenant isolation, role permissions, password hashing, audit trails and backups. These are substantial safeguards, but Orbis cautions that its tools do not by themselves make a business GDPR compliant.

Orbis websites can connect with booking systems, Google Business Profile, Google Analytics, Search Console, WordPress, Wix and Squarespace. SMS reminders are pay-as-you-go, so businesses relying on text notifications should budget for that separately. Orbis does not run HMRC payroll, and Clover automatic integration or two-way sync is not promised.

UK-based support is available by email and phone, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm UK time; Orbis aims to reply to email enquiries within one working day. Most salons are live within 5–10 working days after approving the design, with Orbis handling domain, hosting, booking setup and Google profile. That onboarding can reduce setup work, though the design approval is part of the timeline.

Pricing

All four plans have a 7-day free trial on Lite and a 14-day free trial on Core, Pro and Clinic. There is no free plan.

Lite — £4.99/month: One staff member, one location, 30 bookings per month, five services and a 50p booking service fee per booking. The low monthly cost suits a solo operator with modest volume, but the booking cap and fee can make it a poor fit as appointments grow.
Core — £9.99/month: Three team members and one location, with no Orbis booking fee. Extra team members cost £1/month each and extra locations £3/month each. Core is the more practical starting point for a small team, particularly because it includes the bespoke website and customer portal.
Pro — £14.99/month: Ten team members and two locations, with no Orbis booking fee. Extra team members cost £1/month each and extra locations £3/month each. It suits businesses already operating across two sites or needing more team capacity than Core allows.
Clinic — £19.99/month: A 14-day free trial and no Orbis booking fee. It may suit clinics comparing the dedicated plan, but the stated plan terms do not establish its seat or location allowances.

Core and Pro have clear extra-seat and extra-location charges, while Lite’s 50p fee applies to each booking. Compare expected booking volume and team size, not just the monthly headline price.

Platforms

Orbis Salon Manager is available on Android, iOS, Windows through the Microsoft Store, and Mac by download; browser access is also available. The product therefore covers mobile, desktop and web use.

Who it's for

Orbis targets hair salons, barbershops, beauty and nail businesses, aesthetics clinics, podiatrists, massage businesses, personal trainers and recovery studios. Solo providers can start on Lite if 30 monthly bookings and five services are enough; small teams are better served by Core, while multi-site businesses should weigh Pro’s two-location allowance. It is less suitable for businesses that need HMRC payroll or assured Clover two-way syncing.

Pros and cons

Pro: Core and Pro combine a bespoke domain website with a customer portal, reducing the need to assemble a separate public site and client self-service experience.
Pro: No Orbis booking fee on Core, Pro and Clinic avoids the per-booking charge that applies to Lite.
Pro: Multi-location support, inventory, memberships and packages make the system relevant beyond a single-provider appointment diary.
Con: Lite is capped at 30 bookings and five services, with a 50p fee per booking; frequent-booking businesses can outgrow it quickly.
Con: SMS reminders cost extra, and Orbis does not provide HMRC payroll.
Con: Clover automatic integration or two-way sync is not assured, which matters to businesses depending on that workflow.

Alternatives

For a free salon appointment option, Salonist has a $0 plan with 50 appointments per month, online booking, calendar and scheduling, and staff shift management; choose it if those essentials matter more than Orbis’s integrated website and portal. Meevo is another paid option, with mobile, desktop, web and API platforms and listed plans that include user, email-contact and SMS-credit allowances; consider it if those platform and marketing-credit provisions suit your operation.

BOOTH offers a free plan for shop owners with unlimited shop listings and booth slots and a 5% platform fee; choose it if salon booth rental is the central need. NXRENT starts at $33 per month for one location, unlimited booth renters, a 1 GB document vault and 100 rent reminders; it is the more relevant option for managing rental operations rather than customer appointments.

Phorest is a paid alternative with Starter and Grow plans that include unlimited devices and staff. RentMerchant has a free plan for up to three properties and a Pro plan billed annually at $15.00 per month for unlimited properties and units, with no per-door fees and priority support; it is aimed at property management. Salon Suite Solutions is another paid option. Tilavon offers a $19/month Boutique plan for up to five employees with POS and appointment scheduling, making it worth comparing for a small team seeking those capabilities.

Browse Salon Booth Rental Software if rental management is the priority, or Salon App Builder Software if you are choosing an app-building tool. The Salon Software, Esthetician Software, Spa Management Software and Salon Commission Management Software categories offer broader comparisons for those respective needs.

Verdict

Orbis Salon is best for UK salons and clinics that want booking, client management and a branded website under one roof, with Core the clearest fit for a small team and Pro for businesses spanning two locations. Its main appeal is that joined-up toolkit; look elsewhere if you need free software, predictable SMS costs, payroll or dependable Clover syncing.

	Merlin	Orbis Salon
Free plan		No
Free trial		Yes
Paid from		£4.99/mo
Platforms	Web	Android, iOS, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	No	No
Multi-location support		Yes
Online booking		Yes
Multi-location inventory		Yes
Staff calendar		Yes
POS and payments		Yes
Client reminders		Yes
Inventory tracking		Yes
Memberships and packages		Yes

Merlin vs Orbis Salon

Merlin

Orbis Salon