Bookster – WordPress Appointment Booking Plugin vs Salon Booking & Appointments – Yatoon

Managing appointments through phone calls, texts, and emails is chaotic. You lose track of bookings, double-book appointments, and spend hours on scheduling instead of serving customers. Bookster turns your WordPress site into a 24/7 booking system. 🌐 View All Demos Customers book appointments themselves, see real-time availability, and receive automatic confirmations. You manage everything from one dashboard. 📌 Documentation | Core Pro vs All Access 💫 Perfect For Hair salons and barbershops Spas and beauty clinics Massage therapists and wellness centers Personal trainers and fitness coaches Consultants and coaches Tutors and education services Medical and dental practices Any service business that takes appointments 💙 How It Works Customers visit your booking page, choose a service, pick their preferred staff member, select an available time slot, and book instantly. You receive an email notification and can view all appointments in your calendar dashboard. No more back-and-forth scheduling. 🔥 Key Features (100% Free) Unlimited Bookings & Services Create unlimited services with custom names, descriptions, and photos Set individual duration and pricing for each service Add taxes, fees and discounts to bookings No limits on number of appointments per month Offer service add-ons and upsell options Smart Scheduling Set your working hours for each day of the week Configure different availability for different services Add buffer time between appointments (e.g., 15-minute cleanup) Block off days for vacations or holidays Set minimum advance notice for bookings (e.g., require 24-hour notice) Customer Booking Experience Clean, mobile-friendly booking form that works on all devices Multi-step process: choose service → select staff → pick time → enter details → confirm Customers see only available time slots (no double-booking) Optional customer account dashboard to view and manage their bookings Customers can cancel or reschedule appointments themselves Payment Options Accept cash/check for in-person payment Accept PayPal payments online (customers pay when booking) Stripe integration available via premium addon for credit card payments Mark bookings as paid or unpaid manually Track revenue in the analytics dashboard Automatic Notifications Email confirmation sent to customers immediately after booking Reminder emails sent before appointment Email notifications sent to admin when new bookings arrive Customize email templates with your branding All emails sent automatically – no manual work required Admin Dashboard View all appointments in Bookster → Calendar menu Switch between day, week, and month calendar views Click any appointment to view or edit details instantly Filter appointments by status (confirmed, pending, cancelled) Search for specific customers or appointments Drag appointments to different dates to reschedule Color-coded by service or staff member for quick overview Analytics & Reports Track total bookings and revenue right from dashboard View performance by service (which services are most popular) Monitor individual agent performance Make data-driven decisions about staffing and services Premium Addons (Optional) Upgrade your booking system with these customizable options: Staff Management Add unlimited team members from Bookster → Agents menu Set individual working hours for each staff member Assign specific services to specific team members Let customers choose their preferred agent or assign automatically Track performance and bookings per agent Booking Form Customize booking form steps (reorder, add, or remove steps) Add custom fields to collect specific information Enable recaptcha, brand logo, timezone selector, and more for your booking system. Advanced Features (coming in future addons) Group bookings and classes Recurring appointments Multiple locations management SMS notifications via Twilio Design Toolkit for Block Editor and Elementor Getting Started Adding the Booking Calendar to Your Site Method 1: Shortcode (Works Anywhere) Add [bookster_booking_form] to any page, post, or widget area. Method 2: Block Editor 1. Edit the page where you want the booking form 2. Click the + button to add a block 3. Search for “Bookster” 4. Select the Bookster Booking Form block 5. Publish the page Method 3: Classic Editor Paste [bookster_booking_form] directly into your content. Viewing and Managing Appointments Go to Bookster → Calendar in your WordPress dashboard You’ll see all appointments in calendar format Click any appointment to view details or make changes Use the view buttons at top to switch between day/week/month views Use filters to show appointments based on agents or booking status Creating a Manual Booking (For Walk-Ins or Phone Bookings) Go to Bookster → Calendar Click the + New Appointment button (or click an empty time slot) Select the service and staff member Choose date and time Enter customer information (name, email, phone) Select payment method Click Create Appointment Customer automatically receives confirmation email Troubleshooting Booking calendar not showing on my page Check 1: Verify the shortcode Make sure you added [bookster_booking_form] exactly (with square brackets). Check 2: Clear cache If using a caching plugin, clear your cache: WP Rocket → Clear Cache or similar. Check 3: Theme conflict Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (Twenty Twenty-Five) to test. If it works, there’s a theme conflict. Customers not receiving email confirmations Check 1: Email settings Go to Bookster → Integrations → Email tab and confirm email notifications are enabled. Check 2: Check spam folders Ask customers to check spam/junk folders. Add your domain to their contacts. Check 3: WordPress email issues WordPress email can be unreliable. Install an SMTP plugin like YaySMTP to improve email delivery: 1. Install YaySMTP plugin 2. Connect it to Gmail, SendGrid, or Mailgun 3. Send a test email to verify Check 4: Test with yourself Create a test booking using your own email to confirm emails are sending. Time slots not showing as available Check 1: Working hours configured Go to Bookster → Settings → Schedule and verify hours are set for the day in question. Check 2: Agent availability If using staff members, check Bookster → Agents and verify the agent works on that day. Check 3: Minimum advance notice Check Bookster → Settings → General → Restrictions, if you require 24-hour notice, today’s appointments won’t show. Check 4: Service duration If your service is 2 hours but only 1 hour remains before closing time, that slot won’t appear. Double bookings happening This shouldn’t happen with Bookster. If it does: Check 1: Multiple admin users If multiple people manage bookings, ensure everyone refreshes the calendar before creating appointments. Check 2: Contact support If this persists, contact Bookster support with specific examples. PayPal payments not working Go to Bookster → Settings → Payments tab Verify your PayPal email address is correct Confirm PayPal is enabled (toggle should be blue/on) Test in PayPal sandbox mode first Check if PayPal account is verified and can accept payments Review PayPal transaction logs for error messages Calendar showing wrong timezone Go to Settings → General in WordPress Set your city timezone correctly (e.g., “New York” or “Berlin”) Save changes Go to Bookster → Settings and verify timezone matches Clear browser cache and reload Third-Party Services Bookster uses these external services to provide full functionality: FullCalendar.io Purpose: Renders the interactive booking calendar Privacy: No personal data sent to FullCalendar Terms: https://fullcalendar.io/license Stripe.com (Optional – only if using Stripe addon) Purpose: Process credit card payments Data shared: Customer name, email, payment amount Privacy: https://stripe.com/privacy PayPal.com Purpose: Process PayPal payments Data shared: Customer name, email, payment amount Privacy: https://www.paypal.com/privacy When customers make payments, they’re redirected to Stripe or PayPal’s secure servers. Bookster does not store credit card numbers. Support Need help? We’re here for you: Documentation: Visit Bookster’s detailed guides Support Forum: Post questions in the WordPress.org support forum Email & Live Chat Support: Contact us through the Bookster website Video Tutorials: Watch setup videos on our YouTube channel Response time: We typically respond within 4 hours on business days and 12 hours on weekends. We’d Love Your Feedback ❣️ If Bookster helps your business, please leave us a review on WordPress.org! It takes 60 seconds and brightens our day. Click here ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to share your experience. Have a feature request? We’re actively developing new features based on user feedback. Submit your ideas here. Compatibility Works With All Major WordPress Themes: Brandy WP Shadcn GeneratePress OceanWP Divi Avada And thousands more Page Builders: Elementor Gutenberg (Block Editor) Classic Editor Beaver Builder WPBakery What’s Next? After installing Bookster: Run the setup wizard Add the booking calendar to a page Create a test booking to see the customer experience Customize email templates with your branding Share your booking page link with customers Start accepting appointments 24/7! Your new booking system is ready to help you grow your business. Welcome to Bookster! 🚀

Start accepting salon appointments from your own website Yatoon gives salons, nail studios, spas, and beauty professionals a fast mobile booking flow without forcing customers into a separate marketplace. Clients can choose multiple services, book for a group, select staff, find a real available time, and manage their appointment after booking. The free version runs locally in WordPress. Your service, staff, customer, and booking data remain in your WordPress database. No Square, Vagaro, or AI account is required. Built by a salon owner, for salon owners. Guided setup with optional demo content – nothing is added unless you choose it Automatic booking, appointment-management, and customer-portal page creation Mobile-first booking for individual and group appointments Multiple services in one visit with combined duration and pricing Local staff schedules, availability, confirmations, reminders, and waitlist capture Customer self-service for viewing, rescheduling, and cancelling appointments Service photos, category navigation, gallery, staff profiles, and ratings Live demo: https://yatoon.com/bookingdemo/ Launch in four guided steps Add your business details. Start blank or explicitly choose sample services for testing. Set opening hours and email notifications. Let Yatoon create the required pages and open the customer view for a test booking. Free always uses local WordPress booking. Square and Vagaro credentials are requested only by the separate Pro package. Optional AI, never a requirement On a compatible WordPress installation with an AI provider connected, Yatoon can help customers choose a service and help owners improve service descriptions. Without AI, the complete normal booking flow continues to work. Yatoon does not sell AI credits or store provider API keys. Official source and support Yatoon is distributed under GPLv2 or later. Official downloads, updates, demos, and support are available from https://yatoon.com and the WordPress.org support forum. What makes Yatoon different Most booking plugins were built for generic businesses. Yatoon was built for beauty. That means: Clients can book multiple services in one visit – nails + pedicure + eyebrows, all in one checkout AI-guided service selection helps unsure clients understand which service fits their needs Group appointments – your client books for herself and her friend, with separate services and staff for each person, in one go A restaurant-style service menu with photos, pricing, and a Book button right on the page – not a separate popup or redirect Staff profiles with real star ratings from verified clients – clients pick who they trust A photo gallery that auto-scrolls your nail art – because your work sells itself Tip / gratuity at checkout – preset percentages or custom amount, right in the booking flow This is the stuff that actually matters in a salon. Everything else is just noise. Booking experience your clients will love Mobile-first – the entire booking flow is designed for phones first. Your clients book from the nail salon parking lot or their couch. Multi-step flow with animated progress bar – clients always know where they are and what’s next Real-time availability – live calendar that loads actual open slots from your schedule “Any staff” option – clients who don’t have a preference get the first available technician automatically Waitlist capture – when a time is fully booked, clients can join a list so you can follow up manually “Text Us” button – if nothing is available, clients can reach you directly with one tap Add to Calendar – Google, Apple, and Outlook with one click after booking Self-service portal – clients reschedule or cancel on their own, without calling you Everything you need to run your salon For your clients: * Beautiful booking form that matches your website * Instant confirmation email with full appointment details * Automated reminder email before their appointment * One-tap star rating after their visit – no login required * Secure link to reschedule or cancel anytime For your team: * Staff portal – technicians view their own schedule on their phone, no logins needed * Staff profiles with photos, bios, and real star ratings * Each staff member linked to only their services For you: * Dashboard with today’s bookings, monthly revenue, and no-show rate at a glance * Client list with visit history, notes, and allergy information * Closed dates manager – block holidays for everyone with one click * Custom booking form fields – add questions like nail shape preference, allergy notes, or reference photos * Fully customizable confirmation email template Service display shortcodes [yatoon_booking] – the full booking form. Put it on any page. [yatoon_service_menu] – restaurant-style menu with photos, prices, and Book buttons. Clients browse and book without leaving the page. [yatoon_catalog] – image card grid with category filters. [yatoon_gallery] – auto-scrolling photo carousel of your work. Supports mobile swipe, lightbox, and infinite loop. [yatoon_customer_portal] – client self-service: view upcoming bookings, reschedule, cancel. [yatoon_staff_portal] – technician schedule viewer. Installable as a home screen app on iPhone and Android. Optional Pro upgrade – for salons that are growing The WordPress.org version runs in local WordPress booking mode. A separate Pro package is available outside WordPress.org for salons that need live third-party integrations and higher-volume workflows: Square & Vagaro live sync – your Square Appointments or Vagaro availability syncs in real time. No double bookings, ever. Clients see exactly what’s open. AI reply drafts – turn Text Us messages into warm, staff-reviewed response drafts SMS reminders via Twilio – automated text messages before every appointment cut no-shows dramatically Google Calendar two-way sync – your bookings appear in your personal calendar automatically Unlimited staff members – no cap on technicians Deposits & prepay – require a credit card or partial payment upfront for clients with a no-show history, or for high-value services Waitlist auto-notify – email clients automatically when a matching slot opens No-show tracking – automatically flag clients who miss appointments Recurring bookings – clients set up weekly or bi-weekly repeats from the confirmation page Service packages, memberships, coupon codes & gift cards – sell and redeem prepaid value from your site Priority support – direct access to the team that built and runs this in a real salon Get started in 5 minutes Install and activate the plugin The Setup Wizard launches automatically – follow 5 simple steps to configure your business info, hours, and booking page Add [yatoon_booking] to your booking page Add [yatoon_service_menu] to your services page Upload photos to your services and add [yatoon_gallery] to your homepage Preview the client booking experience at https://yatoon.com/bookingdemo/ That’s it. Your clients can start booking. External Services and Privacy The free booking flow runs locally in WordPress and does not require Square, Vagaro, Stripe, Twilio, or Google Calendar. AI features use the WordPress 7.0 AI Client when a site administrator connects an AI provider in WordPress Settings > Connectors. Yatoon does not store AI provider API keys and does not charge for AI usage. Any AI usage cost depends on the site owner’s selected AI provider. On WordPress 6.9 and older, AI features stay hidden and the booking system continues to work normally. The plugin bundles the Freemius SDK to provide optional account, upgrade, licensing, and software analytics screens. Freemius is only used when a site administrator chooses to connect or opt in. On opted-in sites, Yatoon sends one-time setup funnel event names together with the plugin version, Free/Pro tier, booking mode, and event time. It does not include customer names, contact details, appointment content, or payment information. Sites that do not opt in keep these milestones only in their own WordPress database. Freemius: https://freemius.com – Terms: https://freemius.com/terms/ Freemius Privacy Policy: https://freemius.com/privacy/