Run your chair.
Keep your money.
Booking, deposits and Tap to Pay for barbers and hairstylists, in an app your clients see as yours: your name, your colors, your look. Our fee is 1.5% per card payment and stops at $19.99 a month. Card processing is separate: passed through at cost, and never above Booksy's rate while our 1.5% is running. No subscription. We never touch your tips or charge you for your own clients.
Your clients deserve your app. Not ours.
Other apps put you in a list next to the barber or salon down the block. On RunTheChair, your clients open your app and only see you.
- Your look, your wordsPick a style, then set your colors, logo, fonts and the order of everything on your home screen. Two pros on RunTheChair can look nothing alike.
- Your link and QR codePut it in your IG bio and on your mirror. Clients book in seconds, no download needed, then get your app for reminders.
- Your clients stay yoursNo marketplace, no "new client" fee on people you brought in. Export your whole client list any time.
Set up before your next client.
Sign up
Pick barbershop or hair salon, then add your services, prices and hours. Connect your bank through Stripe in about five minutes.
Make it yours
Start from a style (Street, Classic, Luxury, Minimal…), drop in your logo and colors, and preview it live.
Share and get paid
Clients book and pay deposits from your link. Take the rest with Tap to Pay on your phone. Money goes to your bank.
Do house calls? Get found on the map.
Clients nearby see who travels, request a visit and follow you to the door. You set your own area and prices and can decline any request. The fees are the same as any other job.
Real screens from a test shop. Barbers are independent and confirm their own license; we do not verify it. Who you see depends on who is online.
See who comes to youNo add-ons. No upgrades.
Every feature is in every account from day one.
Booking
- 24/7 booking from your app, link or IG
- Waitlist that fills cancellations for you
- Live walk-in line with wait times
- One-tap "running late" text to today's clients
- Family booking (parent + kids back-to-back)
- House calls with travel fees
Payments
- Tap to Pay on your phone, no reader
- Deposits and no-show fees, with clear warnings first
- Tips, 100% yours
- Memberships, packages and gift cards
- Instant payouts to your debit card
- Cash and Zelle logged free
Clients
- Client cards: guard numbers or color formulas, notes, before/after photos
- Clients send "what I want" photos when booking
- Rebook reminders on each client's own schedule
- Private reliability score for no-shows
- Reviews after every paid visit
- Export your client list any time
Growth
- Upload your portfolio photos (Instagram import pending approval)
- Client inbox messages (push delivery pending setup)
- Referral rewards you control
- Win-back messages for clients who drifted
- After-hours and VIP slots
Business
- Earnings dashboard and reports
- Tax helper: 1099-K, expenses, mileage
- Shops and salons: staff, commission or booth rent
- Booth rent collected automatically
- Product sales and inventory
- Works offline, syncs later
Your app
- Your colors, logo, fonts and layout
- Styles and a barbershop or salon starter menu
- Your own link and QR code
- English and Spanish throughout
- Stylist tools: color processing gaps, formulas, patch tests, consent forms
- Optional: your own App Store listing
No subscription. Ever.
You only pay when you get paid by card. Cash, Zelle and tips cost you nothing. While our 1.5% is running, card processing is never more than Booksy's rate: if Stripe costs more on a charge, the difference comes out of our 1.5%. Busy month? Our fee stops at $19.99 until the 1st. After that, each card payment covers only what it costs us: Stripe's processing plus its 0.25% payout fee.
| RunTheChair | Typical booking apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0 | $30 to $250 a month |
| Fee on a new client you brought in | $0 | Up to 30% of the first visit |
| Cut of your tips | $0 | Varies |
| Your own branded app | Included | Top plans only ($239–$250/mo) |
| Card payments | 1.5% (max $19.99/mo) + processing | Processing, plus the above |
"Typical" ranges come from published pricing of popular barber booking apps, checked October 2026.
Straight answers.
What is RunTheChair?
RunTheChair is a booking and payments app for barbers and hairstylists that gives each one their own branded app: their name, colors and logo. Clients book, pay deposits and get reminders in it, and the barber or stylist takes cards with Tap to Pay. It works for barbershops and hair salons alike, and launches first in New York City, North Jersey, Westchester and Long Island.
Do I need a card reader?
No. Tap to Pay works on your iPhone or Android phone. Clients tap their card or phone on yours.
What does the 1.5% cover?
Everything: the app, your branding, booking, reminders, support. Our 1.5% stops at $19.99 a month per chair, however busy the month. Card processing is separate: it's charged on every card payment, at cost, and never above Booksy's rate while our 1.5% is running. Past the cap, each card payment covers only what it costs us: Stripe's processing rate plus its 0.25% payout fee. The only other fee is opt-in: if you join the directory, a flat $5 (never more than 20% of the visit) on a new client it sends you. There's no subscription and no setup fee.
Do you take anything from tips?
No. The platform fee is only on the service amount. Tips go to you.
Who owns my client list?
You do. We never market other barbers or stylists to your clients, and you can export your list any time.
My clients pay cash. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Log cash and Zelle in the app for free, so your books and reports are complete.
Is it in Spanish?
Yes. Every screen, for you and your clients, in English and Spanish.
When can I start?
We're opening to barbers and stylists in NYC, North Jersey, Westchester and Long Island first. Join the waitlist and we'll reach out when your spot opens.
How is RunTheChair different from Booksy?
Booksy charges a monthly subscription ($29.99 for its base plan) and lists you in a marketplace next to other barbers and salons. RunTheChair has no subscription, our fee stops at $19.99 a month, card processing is never above Booksy's rate while our fee is running (past the cap, it's only what it costs us), and clients book in an app with your name on it.
Do my clients need to download an app?
No. Clients book from your link or QR code in any phone browser. They can add your app afterwards for reminders and quick rebooking.
Is RunTheChair free?
There's no subscription and no setup fee. You pay 1.5% of each card payment for a service, never more than $19.99 a month in our fee, plus card processing at cost. Cash, Zelle and tips are free.
Get your chair on the list.
Early barbers and stylists get set up by us personally, and help shape what we build next.