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Best of · 2026

The best bookkeeping apps for hairstylists and barbers in 2026

Updated · prices checked against each tool's plans as of 2026

Are you a booth renter, a salon suite owner, or a barber who takes cash and card? Then the best bookkeeping app is the one that catches booth rent, product, tips and mileage without you sitting at a laptop. For most stylists and barbers that is Toozi: you text "cash cut $40, $10 tip" between clients, and it keeps your books and files your taxes. Here is how five apps compare, then what to track in your situation.

Want the tax side first? See barber taxes and write-offs, or the hairstylist page under For you.

ToolBest forPriceStandout
TooziBooth renters and barbers who live on their phone$49/mo flat (or $399/yr), 14-day free trialText a cash cut in 5 seconds; books, quarterly estimates and the e-filed return included
QuickBooks SolopreneurStylists who want QuickBooksFree tier (limited); Lite plan ~$20/mo as of 2026Familiar QuickBooks reports that hand numbers to TurboTax
WaveFree accounting on a laptopFree Starter; Pro roughly $19/mo as of 2026$0 for unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping
FoundA new bank account with books built inFree core; Found Plus roughly $35/mo as of 2026$0 business checking with tax estimates that update on every card swipe
LiliBanking plus tax bucketsFree core; paid tiers roughly $15–$55/mo as of 2026Tax savings buckets built into checking, paid tiers from about $15/mo

How we judged

  • Can you log a cash cut or a cash tip in a few seconds, from your phone, between clients?
  • Does it catch booth or suite rent, product and card-reader fees from your bank on its own?
  • Does it get you to taxes: a set-aside number, quarterly estimates and the return?
  • Price for one stylist or barber, not a whole salon.

The picks

  1. Toozi

    $49/mo flat (or $399/yr), 14-day free trial
    Best forBooth renters and barbers who live on their phone
    Not forSalon owners running payroll for W-2 staff

    You text income and expenses to a phone number. Your bank feed catches booth rent, product runs and card payouts and sorts them for Schedule C. Cash cuts and cash tips go in by text. The same books feed your quarterly estimate and your e-filed return.

  2. QuickBooks Solopreneur

    Free tier (limited); Lite plan ~$20/mo as of 2026
    Best forStylists who want QuickBooks
    Not forAnyone who won't open an app every week to sort transactions

    The replacement for QuickBooks Self-Employed. It sorts a bank feed and gives you reports. You do the sorting in the app, and cash still has to be typed in. Filing is a separate TurboTax purchase. How it compares to Toozi →

  3. Wave

    Free Starter; Pro roughly $19/mo as of 2026
    Best forFree accounting on a laptop
    Not forStylists who won't categorize transactions themselves; it doesn't do taxes

    Real accounting software for free. Good if you like spreadsheets and will sit down each week. It does not track cash tips for you and does not touch taxes. How it compares to Toozi →

  4. Found

    Free core; Found Plus roughly $35/mo as of 2026
    Best forA new bank account with books built in
    Not forMoney that runs through Square or another bank; it doesn't file your return

    Open a Found account and the card spending in it is sorted as it happens. It works best if all your booth rent and product go through that one account. It does not file. How it compares to Toozi →

  5. Lili

    Free core; paid tiers roughly $15–$55/mo as of 2026
    Best forBanking plus tax buckets
    Not forFull bookkeeping or filing

    A checking account that moves a slice of each deposit into a tax bucket. Nice for saving. The bookkeeping is lighter than a tool made just for books, and filing is not included. How it compares to Toozi →

Which one fits your situation

Booth renter

What to track

  • Booth rent, every week. It is your biggest write-off. Pay it in a way that leaves a record.
  • Product and back-bar supplies, plus card-reader fees.
  • Tips, cash and card. They are income.
  • Miles to the beauty supply store or a house call. The drive from home to your booth does not count.

Best fit: Toozi, because rent comes in from the bank and cash goes in by text. Pair it with the booth renter take-home post to see what you keep.

Salon suite owner

What to track

  • Monthly suite rent, insurance and your license renewal.
  • Retail product you buy to resell. What you paid is cost of goods; what clients pay is income, and most states charge sales tax on it.
  • Big gear like chairs, dryers and a shampoo bowl. Items under $2,500 each can usually come off in year one.
  • Booking app and card fees.

Best fit: Toozi or QuickBooks Solopreneur. Toozi keeps product sales separate from services and files the return. QuickBooks fits if you already know it.

Barber taking cash plus card

What to track

  • Every cash cut and cash tip, the same day. The IRS compares what you report with your deposits and any 1099-K from your card reader.
  • Card payouts from Square or your booking app, and the fees taken out of them.
  • Clippers, blades, sharpening, Barbicide and capes.
  • Chair rent or commission, and any 1099-NEC from the shop.

Best fit: Toozi. Texting "cash cut $35, $10 tip" takes five seconds, and card payouts match up with your Square sales so nothing is counted twice.

Using Square, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Booksy or Fresha? Here's how your bookings turn into tax records.

Your booking app takes the payment, keeps a fee and pays out the rest to your bank. For taxes you need three numbers: what clients paid (including tips), what the app kept, and what landed in your account. Here is how each one gets into your books.

Square
Connect Square to Toozi once in the web app. Every sale comes in with its tip, the fee Square kept, and any sales tax collected. Payouts to your bank are matched to those sales, so nothing is counted twice.
Vagaro
Payouts land in your linked bank and are booked as service income. Vagaro's fees are a write-off: pull the monthly payout report from Vagaro and text Toozi the fee total, or snap a photo of it.
GlossGenius
GlossGenius has no open connection for outside apps. Your payouts come in through your linked bank. If your appointments sync to Google Calendar, Toozi can match busy days to payouts and flag a missing deposit.
Booksy
Booksy has no open connection for outside apps either. Payouts come in through your bank. Booksy can sync appointments to Google Calendar; connect that calendar to Toozi and it can match appointments to payouts by date.
Fresha
Payouts land in your linked bank and are booked as income. Fresha's processing fees and any paid features are write-offs; keep the monthly statement, or text Toozi the totals.

Try the one that works by text.

Have Toozi text you first. Log one expense and you'll know in a minute whether this is your kind of tool.

  • 14 days free
  • No card to start
  • Cancel by text
  • IRS e-file authorized

Keep reading

Questions

What is the best bookkeeping app for a booth renter?

One that catches booth rent from your bank and lets you log cash fast. Toozi does both by text and files your taxes for $49 a month. Wave is the free choice if you will sort transactions at a laptop.

Do I have to report cash tips?

Yes. Cash cuts and cash tips are income, the same as card payments. Log them the day you get them. Under the tips deduction for 2025 to 2028 you may be able to deduct qualified tips, but they still have to be reported first.

Is my booking app enough for bookkeeping?

No. Square, Vagaro, GlossGenius, Booksy and Fresha track sales and appointments. They don't see your booth rent, product runs, mileage or cash, and they don't figure your taxes. Use the app's reports as one input to your books.

QuickBooks Self-Employed is gone. What should a stylist or barber use?

Intuit replaced QuickBooks Self-Employed with QuickBooks Solopreneur. It has a limited free tier and a Lite plan around $20 a month as of 2026, and filing is a separate TurboTax purchase. Want your bank feed sorted for Schedule C without learning a new app? Toozi does it by text and files the return too. Wave is the free choice if you will sort at a laptop.

Can I move my QuickBooks data?

Yes. Export your transactions from QuickBooks and upload the file in the Toozi web app. Wave also takes a CSV export. Export your mileage log too before you close your old account.

Which app is cheapest?

Wave Starter and the free tiers of Found and Lili cost nothing, but none of them files your return. Toozi is $49 a month with books, quarterly estimates and the e-filed return included.

Should I open a separate bank account for my chair?

Yes, if you can. Rent, product and payouts in one account make your books close to automatic, and keep personal spending out of your Schedule C.

More lists

Tax is a doozy.
Toozi isn't.

Text (844) 482-4881 and your first expense is logged in 10 seconds.

or text(844) 482-4881