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
WESS is the established local name. 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. If you want a regional incumbent that understands the market, it is the obvious one to look at.
Zenoti sits at the enterprise end, aimed at larger multi-location chains rather than a single studio or a small group.
Global tools (Fresha, Vagaro, Square, GlossGenius) range from usable to awkward here. The thing to check first is payments and availability: some are built tightly around their home market (GlossGenius, for instance, is built for the US), and others may 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 bills in SGD, 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, 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 your numbers and your GST position stay current instead of becoming 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 bills in SGD, costs your imported product properly, and keeps your books and GST in order, see how Flowesce works or join the waitlist for founding-member pricing.
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. Zenoti targets larger chains. Newer options like Flowesce bill in SGD 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, on top of the sticker price. If a tool bills in USD, factor that in, or choose one that bills in SGD.