How to Build a Hair Salon App Without Coding

Running a successful hair salon means juggling appointments, managing client preferences, and keeping your team organized—all while delivering exceptional service. Building a custom app to streamline these operations sounds like the perfect solution, but traditional app development requires months of work, expensive developers, and technical expertise most salon owners simply don't have.

That's where Adalo comes in. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms. AI-assisted building and streamlined publishing enable launch to the Apple App Store and Google Play in days rather than months. With its intuitive visual interface, you can create a fully functional hair salon app that handles bookings, client management, and more—no coding knowledge required.

Why Adalo Works for a Hair Salon App Without Coding

Running a hair salon means juggling appointments, managing staff schedules, tracking client preferences, and processing payments—all while delivering exceptional service. A dedicated mobile app can streamline these operations, but traditional app development costs tens of thousands of dollars and takes months to complete. Most salon owners don't have that kind of budget or timeline.

Adalo, an AI-powered app builder, solves this problem by letting you create professional native iOS and Android apps without writing code. One build publishes to the web, Apple App Store, and Google Play Store simultaneously. With features like Magic Start generating complete app foundations from simple descriptions, you can go from idea to published app in days rather than months.

This guide walks you through building a complete hair salon booking app step by step—from initial planning through app store publication.

Building Your Hair Salon App: How To Get Started

The first step is getting an Adalo membership. The platform's visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," making it accessible even if you've never built an app before. If you can create a presentation, you can build an app with Adalo.

What sets Adalo apart from many alternatives is its agnostic builder—you create one app that publishes natively to web, iOS, and Android without rebuilding for each platform. If your goal is reaching customers through the app stores' massive marketplaces, this approach saves significant time compared to building separate versions for each platform.

Adalo's intuitive drag-and-drop interface lets you build by placing elements onto a visual canvas that previews each screen. You have complete design freedom to customize every image, button, and text element. The platform also offers AI-assisted features like Magic Add, which lets you add new functionality simply by describing what you want in natural language.

Before diving into the builder, grab a pencil and paper to plan your app. Consider these questions:

• Where do you want to place your logo and branding elements?
• What colors, fonts, and images reflect your salon's brand?
• What services (cuts, coloring, styling, treatments) will clients book through the app?
• How many staff members will use the app, and what features do they need?
• What additional features—client forums, chatbots, payment processing—would enhance the experience?

Keep this list handy as your blueprint throughout the building process.

The 3 Parts of a Hair Salon App

Before building, understanding app architecture helps you make better design decisions. All apps share three fundamental parts:

• The Front End: This is what users see and interact with—your logo, signup forms, booking screens, and visual design. Also called the "user interface," the front end determines how clients experience your app. A clean, intuitive front end keeps clients coming back.

• The Backend: While invisible to users, the backend powers everything they do. Think of it as your app's central nervous system. It connects with external services like Stripe for payments, authenticates user logins, and executes requests like booking appointments or loading new screens. Adalo's backend infrastructure, completely overhauled in late 2025, now runs 3-4x faster than before and scales automatically with your app's needs.

• The Database: Functioning like your app's memory, the database stores all user information. Every appointment, client preference, and payment record lives here. With Adalo's paid plans offering unlimited database records, you won't hit storage walls as your client base grows.

Here's the user data a typical hair salon app stores:

• Service Types: Highlights, haircuts, treatments, styling sessions, and specialty services
• Customer Information: Names, contact details, visit history, preferred stylists, and style preferences
• Staff Profiles: Stylist names, backgrounds, specialties, availability, and photos
• Payment Records: Transaction amounts, dates, payment methods, and receipt information
• Appointment History: Booking dates, services provided, duration, and notes
• Additional Data: Chat history, loyalty points, special offers, and promotional codes

When you build with Adalo, you get a built-in database that's completely customizable. You don't need to create it from scratch or set it up before building—the database grows and adapts as you add features. Unlike platforms like FlutterFlow that require you to source, configure, and pay for a separate database service, Adalo includes everything in one package.

How to Make a Hair Salon App In 7 Steps

With your planning complete and app architecture understood, you're ready to build. First, familiarize yourself with these valuable Adalo resources:

1. The Adalo Forum: Post questions about features, elements, API connections, or anything else. Experienced community members typically respond quickly with helpful solutions.

2. The Adalo Academy: Free courses, guides, and tutorials covering every aspect of the platform. Whether you want to master advanced features or understand the basics, the Academy has you covered.

3. Adalo's Help Documents: Comprehensive documentation with embedded videos that troubleshoot specific problems and explain features in detail.

These resources ensure you're never stuck for long. Now, with your blueprint ready, let's build your hair salon app.

Step 1: Choose the Right Template

Starting with a pre-made template accelerates your build significantly. Adalo offers two templates particularly suited for hair salon apps.

The first option is the standard appointment template. Originally designed for class bookings, every element can be customized to fit your salon's brand with just a few clicks. The structure—scheduling, confirmations, reminders—translates perfectly to salon appointments.

The second option is the nail salon template. Since nail and hair salons share similar booking workflows, this template requires minimal modification. You can reconfigure screens and elements to match your specific services quickly.

Both templates offer different screen layouts and functionality. The nail salon template includes a dedicated services screen that you can easily adapt to showcase haircuts, coloring, and treatments. The appointment template spreads service types across multiple screens, providing more space for detailed descriptions of each offering.

Alternatively, you can use Magic Start to generate a complete app foundation from a description. Simply describe "a hair salon booking app with appointment scheduling, staff profiles, and payment processing," and the AI creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically—what traditionally takes days of planning happens in minutes.

Step 2: Customize Your Template to Fit Your Brand

With your template selected, it's time for the creative work. First, understand Adalo's app-building interface—your toolbox for assembling the app.

The interface has three main areas:

1. The menu bar at the top: Preview your app live, switch between projects, and share download links with testers or clients.

2. The building canvas in the center: This visual map displays all your app's screens with arrows showing navigation between them. Click any screen to edit it directly. Use "ctrl +/ctrl -" to zoom in and out—Adalo can display up to 400 screens at once on a single canvas, giving you a complete view of your app's structure.

3. The left-hand dashboard: Eight vertically-arranged icons control different aspects of your app. This is where most building happens.

Here's what each dashboard button does:

• Add Screen/Add Component ("+"): Create new elements, add buttons and text, insert images and logos. This is your primary building tool.

• Branding (colorful palette icon): Control your app's visual identity—screen colors, fonts, heading styles, and overall aesthetic.

• Select Screens: Navigate quickly between screens and add new blank screens when needed.

• Database: Access and manage all stored user information. We'll cover this in depth in Step 3.

• App Settings: Configure everything needed for app store approval—meta descriptions, icons, and submission requirements.

• Publish: Submit your app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or generate a Progressive Web App (PWA) link for direct mobile downloads.

• Analytics: Track daily users, geographic distribution, and screen popularity. Essential for understanding how clients use your app.

• Versions: Maintain up to 10 different versions of your app. Test new features, iterate on designs, and always have a stable version to fall back on.

Hover over any icon to see its title. As you build, you can also use Magic Add—describe a feature you want in natural language, and the AI adds it to your app automatically.

Step 3: Customize Your Data

Click the database icon to access your data structure. It's organized into two parts: Collections and Properties.

Collections are data groups—think of them as separate spreadsheets. Your hair salon app might have collections for Customers, Appointments, Services, Staff, and Payments.

Properties are the individual fields within each collection—like columns in a spreadsheet. Your Customers collection might include properties for Name, Email, Phone, Preferred Stylist, and Visit History.

Adding new collections and properties is straightforward. Click the database icon, then select "Add Property" or "Add Collection" at the bottom of each list. With no record limits on paid plans, you can store as much client data as your business generates without worrying about hitting caps.

For salon owners who already track clients in spreadsheets, Adalo's SheetBridge feature connects your existing Google Sheets directly to your app's database. This provides the easiest path to app-powered data management without learning database concepts from scratch.

Step 4: Add and Delete Screens

While templates include essential screens, you may want to customize the structure. Adding screens is simple: click the "Screens" button and select "Add Screen" at the bottom of your screens list.

Deleting screens is equally easy. Click the screen you want to remove, select the three-dot menu icon, and choose "Delete Screen."

Consider adding screens for:

• Loyalty program tracking
• Before/after photo galleries
• Product recommendations
• Staff bios and specialties
• Promotional offers and packages

Step 5: Preview Your App

After making progress, preview how your app appears to users. Click the green "View App" button on the top menu bar.

You can preview on specific devices like iPhone 15 or Samsung Galaxy S21 to ensure your design works across screen sizes. Click through every screen to verify functionality and appearance match your expectations.

Ready for external feedback? Click "View App" and select "Share Your App" to generate a link. Send it to trusted clients or friends for honest opinions before your public launch. This testing phase often reveals usability issues you might miss.

Adalo also includes X-Ray, an AI feature that identifies potential performance issues before they affect users. Run X-Ray to catch problems early and ensure your app performs smoothly at scale.

Step 6: Taking Payments

Let clients pay directly through your app by integrating Stripe. First, set up a Stripe account. Then return to Adalo, click "Add Components/Add Screen," scroll to the Stripe Payment form, and drag it onto your screen. Fill in your Stripe credentials, and you're ready to accept payments.

This integration handles:

• Credit and debit card processing
• Secure payment data handling
• Automatic receipt generation
• Payment history tracking

With payments built into your app, clients can book and pay in one seamless flow—no more chasing invoices or handling cash.

Step 7: How to Publish Your App in the App Stores

Ready to reach the billions of users on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store? First, prepare these four elements:

1. An App Name: Keep it concise—three words maximum—and clearly communicate what your app does. "StyleBook Salon" or "CutTime Booking" immediately tells users what to expect.

2. A Meta Description: Research similar apps and note their keywords. Phrases like "book appointments," "salon scheduling," and "hair styling" help your app appear in relevant searches. Blend these naturally into your description.

3. Professional Screenshots: Showcase your app's best features—the booking flow, service selection, staff profiles, and any unique functionality. Full-screen captures that highlight what makes your app valuable drive more downloads.

4. An App Icon: Create a custom icon using tools like Looka rather than settling for generic options. Your icon appears next to your app name in search results—an eye-catching design improves click-through rates significantly.

For comprehensive launch strategies, Adalo's app marketing guide covers positioning against competitors.

Publishing to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

Each app store has different requirements. Here's what you need for each.

Publishing to the Apple App Store

Visit the iOS Developer Page and create a developer account (requires a $99 annual fee). Follow Apple's enrollment instructions and provide all requested information.

Sign up for TestFlight to make your app available to beta testers. Thousands of iOS users actively test new apps and provide valuable feedback before your official launch.

Once your developer account is active, return to Adalo, click "Publish," and follow the guided submission process. Apple's review typically takes longer than Google's—anywhere from a few days to several weeks depending on their queue and any issues they identify.

Publishing to the Google Play Store

Create a developer account on Google Play Console. Complete the registration forms and enable the option for Android users to test your app.

Return to Adalo, click "Publish," enter the required information, and submit. Google typically approves apps faster—sometimes within hours, though it can take up to a few weeks.

Need detailed publishing guidance? Adalo's comprehensive help documentation walks through every step.

One significant advantage: Adalo handles the complex submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines—so you can focus on your app rather than wrestling with technical requirements. Updates to your published app are unlimited on all paid plans, so you can continuously improve without additional charges.

Next Steps: Getting Users, Tracking and Analytics, Maintenance

Publishing is just the beginning. Maintain your app with regular checkups and apply updates that improve functionality. Fresh features keep users engaged and demonstrate that your salon invests in client experience.

Address bugs immediately when they appear. A malfunctioning app frustrates clients and damages your salon's reputation. Adalo's modular infrastructure, which scales to serve apps with over 1 million monthly active users, ensures your app performs reliably even as your client base grows.

Check analytics daily. Understanding which screens clients use most, when they book appointments, and how they navigate your app reveals opportunities for improvement. These insights help you optimize the experience and identify features worth adding.

With no usage-based charges on any Adalo plan, you won't face unexpected bills as your app gains popularity. This predictable pricing lets you focus on growing your business rather than monitoring usage metrics.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?	Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With unlimited database records on paid plans, no usage-based charges, and AI features like Magic Start and Magic Add, Adalo handles the hardest parts of app development automatically.
What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?	Adalo's drag-and-drop interface combined with AI-assisted building lets you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from simple descriptions, and Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and guidelines—so you can focus on features and user experience.
Can I easily build a hair salon booking app without coding?	Yes, Adalo's visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint." You can start with pre-made templates designed for salon and appointment apps, then customize everything using drag-and-drop. AI features like Magic Add let you describe new features in plain language and have them added automatically.
How long does it take to build a hair salon app?	With Adalo's templates and AI-assisted building, you can create a functional hair salon app in a few days. Magic Start generates your database structure, screens, and user flows from a simple description—what traditionally takes days of planning happens in minutes. Publishing to app stores adds a few days to a few weeks depending on review times.
How much does it cost to build a hair salon app with Adalo?	Adalo's paid plans start at $36/month and include unlimited database records, unlimited usage, and app store publishing with unlimited updates. This is significantly more affordable than alternatives like Bubble ($59/month with usage limits and record caps) or AppyPie ($99/month for comparable iOS publishing features).
Do I need coding experience to use Adalo?	No coding experience is required. Adalo's visual drag-and-drop interface lets you build by placing elements on a canvas. The platform includes a built-in database, so you don't need to set up or manage external database services like you would with FlutterFlow or other technical platforms.
What features can I include in my hair salon app?	Adalo supports appointment booking, service menus, staff profiles, client management, payment processing through Stripe, push notifications, loyalty programs, photo galleries, and chat features. The built-in database stores customer information, appointment records, payment history, and any other data your salon needs.
Can I accept payments through my Adalo-built hair salon app?	Yes, Adalo integrates directly with Stripe for payment processing. Simply connect your Stripe account, add the payment component to your app, and clients can pay for services securely through the app. The integration handles credit cards, debit cards, receipts, and payment history automatically.
Will my hair salon app work on both iPhone and Android?	Yes, Adalo creates one app that publishes natively to iOS, Android, and web simultaneously. You don't need to build separate versions for each platform—changes you make update across all versions automatically.
Can my app handle growth as my salon expands?	Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to serve apps with over 1 million monthly active users with no upper ceiling. The platform runs 3-4x faster following its late 2025 infrastructure overhaul, and paid plans include unlimited database records, so you won't hit storage limits as your client base grows.