Mobile nail technician

Mobile Nail Tech Booking and Deposit App (2026)

Short answer

Mobile nail work runs on the deposit and getting paid before you pack up — a booked full set lost to a no-show is a blocked-out afternoon and the drive. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) holds a deposit at booking with a stated cancellation window, prices full sets separately from fills, charges nail art per nail, adds a travel fee, and takes a card or payment link on site.

How we picked

Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the solo mobile nail tech's workflow — deposits, full-set vs fill pricing, per-nail art add-ons, travel fees, and getting paid on site — not on multi-chair salon floor management, staff commission splits, or retail inventory built for a salon with employees.

Prices as published by each vendor, 2026. Entry-level plans shown.
Software Starting price Best for
ShowTheReceipts That's us $15/mo Solo mobile nail techs: deposits, full-set vs fill pricing, per-nail art, travel fees, card on site
Square Appointments Free / $29/mo+ Simple booking tied to Square card processing
Vagaro $23.99/mo+ Salon-style booking with a consumer marketplace
GlossGenius $24/mo+ Beauty-specific booking with a branded client app
Boulevard $158/mo+ Multi-chair salons running a front desk

The afternoon is the inventory

A full set is a couple of hours. Lose it to a no-show and no walk-in fills the hole — and you may have driven out for it. The deposit is what makes the booking worth the trip.

1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo

Deposit held at booking, applied to service, full sets priced apart from fills, nail art per nail, travel fee on its own line, card or payment link on site.

2. Square Appointments — Free / $29/mo+

Simple booking tied to Square’s card processing.

3. Vagaro — $23.99/mo+

Salon-style booking with a consumer marketplace attached.

4. GlossGenius — $24/mo+

Beauty-specific booking with a branded client-facing app.

5. Boulevard — $158/mo+

Built for multi-chair salons running a front desk and a staffed floor.

The lines a mobile nail invoice needs

  1. Full set — priced apart from a fill
  2. Fill — by how grown-out
  3. Manicure / pedicure
  4. Nail art — per nail, add-on
  5. Soak-off / removal, repairs
  6. Travel fee — flat or by distance
  7. Deposit applied / cancellation fee

Mobile pricing, not shop pricing

You’re saving the client the trip — that’s a premium, not a discount. Replace shop overhead with a travel fee on its own line, take a real deposit, and get paid before you leave.

Frequently asked questions

How much deposit should I take?

Enough to cover the time a no-show costs — a common rule is up to your hourly value for the booked service, e.g. up to $60 for a two-hour full set. Held at booking and applied to the final invoice, so a no-show still pays for your blocked-out afternoon.

Can it price full sets and fills differently?

It should — they're different services. A full set builds from bare nails; a fill maintains existing work and is priced by how grown-out it is. One price for both means doing near-full-set work at fill rates.

How does it handle nail art?

As a per-nail add-on, separate from the base service and quoted before you start — so 'just a few designs' doesn't become unpaid time you can't put back on the invoice.

Do I need salon software as a solo tech?

Not the multi-chair kind. A solo mobile tech needs deposits, service pricing that reflects full sets vs fills, travel fees, and payment in the room — front-desk workflows and commission splits are built for a team you don't have.