Most "best salon software" lists are written for the US market. If you run a salon in Singapore, a few things on the ground are different enough that the generic advice misses: GST, the currencies your suppliers invoice in, how your clients pay, and whether a tool even bills in SGD. Here is what actually matters when you are choosing salon software in Singapore, and the options worth knowing.
What is different about running a salon in Singapore
- GST at 9%. If your annual taxable turnover crosses S$1 million you have to register for GST and charge 9% on your services and retail. Your software should track the GST you collect as a liability, separate from your revenue, so it is ready at filing time and you are not unpicking it by hand.
- You buy in more than one currency. Singapore salons import a lot: colour and treatments from Korea, tools from Japan, skincare from Europe. Your sales are in SGD but your costs are not, and most software quietly assumes everything is one currency.
- How clients pay. Card and PayNow are everywhere, cash is still around. The booking side matters less here than the back office, because online card-on-file is not the default the way it is in the US.
- What you are billed in. Plenty of global tools price in USD. That means an FX spread and a foreign-card fee on your own subscription every month, on top of the sticker price.
A tool can be excellent and still be a poor fit for Singapore if it ignores these.
The options
Tunai is the biggest regional name. Malaysian-built with a Singapore presence and more than 7,000 salons across both markets, it is a transparent, fairly-priced all-in-one (roughly RM70 to RM108 a month) with direct LHDN e-invoice integration and Chinese-English bilingual support. It is genuinely strong and the most serious regional competitor. It is also built Malaysia-first and Chinese-bilingual, so if what you want is a modern English-first tool, it can feel close but not quite yours.
WESS is the established Singapore incumbent. Built for Singapore and Malaysia since 2012 and used by over 1,100 salons, it is a genuine all-in-one: appointments, POS, inventory, packages and credit, staff scheduling and commissions. The trade-offs are an aging interface and pricing you have to ask for, and it leans toward larger salons, which leaves a real gap below it for a smaller, modern shop.
Qashier is a Singapore point-of-sale and payments system that covers beauty alongside retail and food and beverage. It is strong on payments and loyalty, but it is a general multi-vertical tool rather than salon-specific, priced around SG$69 to SG$129 a month plus hardware, so it suits a different buyer.
Aoikumo and BeautSoft round out the regional field: Aoikumo at the enterprise medical-aesthetic end (opaque pricing, built for chains and clinics), BeautSoft as an older long-tail option. Zenoti also sits at the enterprise, multi-location-chain end.
Global tools (Fresha, Vagaro, Square, GlossGenius) range from usable to awkward here. Check payments and availability first: some are built tightly around their home market (GlossGenius, for instance, is built for the US), and others bill you in USD or have limited local payment support. Strong software, but confirm it actually fits Singapore before you commit.
Flowesce is newer and built with this in mind: it prices in SGD (from SG$25 a month) at a deliberately local rate, well below the USD-converted equivalent, tracks expenses in multiple currencies with an FX-aware net column (for the product you import), and lets you set your GST rate so the tax you collect is recorded as a liability, not mixed into revenue. It is built by a Singapore-registered company. It is new, so it does not have a decade in the local market the way WESS does. What it offers is a flat, predictable price and the full operations surface (bookings, inventory, and the books) in one place.
A quick checklist for Singapore
Before you sign up, check the tool:
- Tracks GST at 9% and reports the tax you have collected.
- Handles more than one currency for expenses, so imported product is costed correctly.
- Bills in SGD, or be clear-eyed about the FX and card fees if it does not.
- Tracks inventory used during services, not just retail.
- Gives you a real P&L, so month-end and GST filing are not a spreadsheet exercise.
Where Flowesce fits
Full disclosure: this is our tool. For a solo or growing Singapore salon, the pitch is simple: one place for bookings, inventory, and the books, priced in SGD (SG$25/mo Solo, SG$65/mo Growth, lower on annual) at a deliberately local rate, with multi-currency expenses for the product you import and GST tracking built in. The books are sized for an owner without an accountant, so you can see whether you actually made money and your GST position stays current, instead of a year-end scramble.
If you are weighing the wider field, our guide to what salon software really costs breaks down the fees the sticker price hides, and the Fresha alternatives guide covers the global options in more detail.
WESS is the established local choice and worth a look. If you want a newer all-in-one that prices in SGD at a local rate, costs your imported product properly, and keeps your books and GST in order, see how Flowesce works or start a free trial, no card required.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need GST-registered software for my salon in Singapore?
You must register for GST once your annual taxable turnover crosses S$1 million, and then charge 9%. The software itself does not need to be "certified," but it should track the GST you collect as a separate liability so filing is not a manual exercise. Below the threshold you can register voluntarily, but most small salons wait until they have to.
What is the best salon software in Singapore?
It depends on your stage. WESS is the established local all-in-one with over a decade in the market, and Tunai is the biggest transparent regional player. Zenoti targets larger chains. Newer options like Flowesce price in SGD (from SG$25/mo) and handle multi-currency expenses and GST for a solo or growing studio. Match it to your size, and confirm it actually supports local billing and tax.
Does salon software handle multiple currencies?
Most assume a single currency, which is a problem in Singapore where you sell in SGD but import product from Korea, Japan, or Europe. Look specifically for multi-currency expense tracking, so imported stock is costed at what you actually paid rather than a rough conversion.
Will I be billed in SGD?
Not always. Many global tools price in USD, which adds an FX spread and a foreign-card fee to your own subscription every month. Some tools do bill locally: Flowesce prices in SGD (from SG$25/mo) and Tunai in ringgit. If a tool bills in USD, factor the FX in, or choose one that bills locally.