Side by side
Idle vs Saloning
Both stand on salon payroll software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free trial Web
Idle combines customer booking with scheduling, POS, CRM and business analytics for beauty and wellness operators. Its WhatsApp agent and resource scheduling are useful where appointments involve multiple staff or rooms.
Visit Idle Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+1
Choose Saloning if your salon needs bookings and operational tools for billing, staff, inventory, customer management, and reporting in one product. Compare the plan limits and monthly price plus GST against your branch, staff, customer, and appointment needs before choosing a tier.
Visit SaloningThe facts
| Idle | Saloning | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Web | Android, API, iPhone, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Basic: ₹999 a month |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | idlebooking.com | saloning.in |
| On salon payroll software | #20 of 42 | #16 of 42 |
Idle: what it does well
- WhatsApp agent handles booking changes
- Scheduling assigns rooms and equipment
- Stripe supports several payment methods
- Google Calendar synchronization
- Supports up to twenty locations
What to know first
- Meta bills WhatsApp message charges separately
- Some integrations are scoped add-ons
- Custom plan has no listed price
- Web platform only
Saloning: what it does well
- Public booking pages let customers select services, stylists, and time slots.
- Invoices include GSTIN, HSN/SAC codes, and CGST/SGST splits.
- Attendance uses selfie verification and a branch geofence.
- Inventory supports central and branch stock with lot-level tracking.
- Weekly reports include plain-language AI summaries.
What to know first
- There is no free plan.
- Prices are billed monthly plus 18% GST.
- Basic is limited to one branch, three staff, and 1,000 customers.
- Pro is limited to 30 appointments per month.
Alternatives to Idle Alternatives to Saloning The whole list