How much does a salon POS cost in the UK?
Last reviewed 2026-08-05 · by the RetailPOS team
Salon software pricing is confusing because two different products compete: point-of-sale and appointment booking. This guide totals the POS cost for a single salon and flags where a booking-first tool prices differently.
The three cost parts (POS)
1. Software (monthly, in GBP). RetailPOS Starter is about £23/shop/month with per-stylist commission and tips, services + retail on one bill, and product depletion — no per-transaction fee.
2. Hardware (one-off). A tablet, a receipt printer and a card reader — bought once.
3. Processing. A percentage on card payments to your own provider; bring-your-own lets you negotiate.
Worked example — one salon, first year
| One-off | Per month | First year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software (RetailPOS Starter) | — | ≈ £23 | ≈ £276 |
| Tablet | ≈ £300 | — | ≈ £300 |
| Receipt printer | ≈ £150 | — | ≈ £150 |
| Card reader (your processor) | ≈ £50 | — | ≈ £50 |
| Card processing | — | a % of card sales | varies with volume |
| Estimated total (ex-processing) | ≈ £500 | ≈ £23 | ≈ £776 |
Indicative 2026 UK prices. A key difference from booking-first salon apps: those often price per stylist per month, so cost scales with your team size, whereas RetailPOS is flat per shop.
POS vs booking-first pricing
Booking-first salon platforms typically charge per stylist per month and lead with online scheduling and reminders; the POS is secondary. A point-of-sale like RetailPOS charges flat per shop and leads with sales, commission and product/retail stock. If your bottleneck is filling the diary, a booking tool may earn its per-seat fee; if it's running the counter, commission and stock, flat per-shop POS is usually cheaper as your team grows.
Frequently asked
- Does salon software charge per stylist?
- Booking-first salon platforms often do — cost scales with team size. RetailPOS is flat per shop, so adding stylists doesn't raise the software fee; commission is still tracked per stylist.
- What VAT applies to a UK salon?
- Salon services and retail carry the standard 20% UK VAT once you are VAT-registered. Check figures with the VAT calculator (select United Kingdom).
- Does RetailPOS do online booking?
- RetailPOS focuses on the sale, commission and product stock. If online booking, reminders and a calendar are your primary need, a booking-first platform may fit better; RetailPOS handles the point-of-sale and service-attribution side.
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