Feature comparison
Which Booking Software Has Built-In AI Features?
5 of 15 platforms offer AI features. 10 do not.
Bella Booking is one of the few salon software platforms with built-in AI features — and it is the breadth that sets it apart. The Bella AI assistant lets you ask questions about your schedule, clients, revenue, and team performance in natural language, on all plans including Solo. A weekly AI business digest analyses your data and emails you a personalised performance summary. On the marketing side, Bella drafts a campaign email from a one-sentence brief for you to edit, and checks every campaign before it sends — SMS against anti-spam rules, email for spam-triggers and deliverability — while client reviews are AI-moderated before they publish. Of the 15 platforms compared below, Zenoti offers a comparable AI assistant (Zeenie), Fresha has an AI Receptionist for phone calls, and Vagaro and Mindbody have emerging AI features — but no other platform offers an automated weekly AI digest, AI marketing-email drafting, or a pre-send deliverability check.
Bella Booking's AI features
AI Assistant and AI Digest on all plans; AI email drafting and pre-send check with Messages Plus; Reviews on Professional
- AI assistant — ask anything about your business in natural language (all plans)
- Weekly AI business digest with personalised performance summary
- AI drafts your marketing-campaign email from a one-sentence brief — a first draft you edit (Messages Plus)
- Pre-send deliverability check on every campaign — SMS against anti-spam rules, email for spam-triggers (Messages Plus)
- Actionable insights delivered to your email
- AI-moderated client reviews (Professional plan)
AI Features across 15 platforms
Based on publicly available feature documentation
| Platform | Available | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Bella Booking | Yes | AI Assistant and AI Digest on all plans; AI email drafting and pre-send check with Messages Plus; Reviews on Professional |
| Fresha | Partial | AI Receptionist for handling phone calls — no business digest |
| Timely | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Shortcuts | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Square Appointments | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Vagaro | Partial | AI Chatbot for after-hours client inquiries — no business digest |
| Phorest | Partial | FrontDesk AI (early access) — auto-responds to SMS for bookings, confirmations, and cancellations |
| Booksy | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Setmore | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| GlossGenius | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Mindbody | Partial | AI support assistant, predictive analytics, and AI-driven metrics — no conversational business AI |
| Mangomint | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Boulevard | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Kitomba | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
| Zenoti | Yes | Zeenie AI assistant for business insights and automation |
| Treatwell | No | No AI assistant or business digest |
Based on publicly available feature documentation as of May 2026. Visit each provider's website for current information.
Frequently asked questions
- Which salon software has an AI assistant?
- Bella Booking and Zenoti both offer full AI assistants. Bella AI is included on all plans (Solo, Starter, Professional) and lets you ask natural-language questions about your schedule, clients, revenue, and team performance. Zenoti's Zeenie AI is available on enterprise plans. Fresha has an AI Receptionist for phone calls, Vagaro has an AI Chatbot for after-hours inquiries, Phorest has FrontDesk AI for SMS auto-responses, and Mindbody offers AI-driven analytics and a support assistant.
- What is an AI business digest?
- An AI business digest is a weekly automated email that analyses your business performance data and delivers a personalised summary with actionable insights. Bella Booking is currently the only salon software offering this feature. The digest covers appointment trends, revenue patterns, and specific recommendations based on your data.
- Does any salon software use AI to write and check marketing emails?
- Bella Booking does, within Messages Plus. Describe a campaign in a sentence and Bella drafts a subject and body grounded in your salon's own description — a first draft you edit, never auto-sent. Before any campaign sends, Bella also runs a pre-send check: SMS against anti-spam rules and email for spam-trigger words and deliverability, with serious problems blocked and softer issues flagged as warnings. Most platforms offer no AI writing for campaigns and no automated deliverability check.
- Do I need AI features in my salon software?
- AI features save time on data analysis and help identify trends you might miss. Instead of manually reviewing reports, you can ask questions like "how many cancellations did I have last week?" or "which team member has the highest rebooking rate?" and get instant answers. The weekly digest surfaces insights without you having to look for them, and AI can draft and vet your marketing campaigns so a blank page or a spam-folder bounce never holds you up.
- Is Bella AI included at no extra cost?
- Yes. Bella AI is included on all plans — Solo ($25/mo), Starter ($47/mo), and Professional ($79/mo). There is no add-on fee. The weekly AI business digest is also included on all plans and sent automatically to your email.
- How does AI-moderated client reviews work?
- On the Professional plan, clients who completed an appointment can leave a verified review with star ratings and optional written feedback. AI moderation checks reviews before publishing to filter inappropriate content. You can respond publicly, and reviews appear on your online booking page.
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Important Notice
The information about the platforms listed on this page is based on publicly available data as of May 2026 and is provided for general comparison purposes only. Pricing, features, and policies may change at any time without notice. We make reasonable efforts to keep this information accurate, but we cannot guarantee its completeness or current accuracy.
Always verify directly with the platforms listed before making any business decisions. This comparison reflects our understanding and may not capture all nuances of their offerings.