Best Booking Software for Massage Therapists: 12 Options for 2026

The best booking software for massage therapists depends on whether you need clinical records. Jane and ClinicSense suit therapists who write SOAP notes and bill insurance. MassageBook is built only for massage, with a low starting price. Square Appointments is the best free option for a simple practice, and startbuddi suits therapists in Nigeria and Africa who take deposits through Paystack. Prices checked 14 October 2026.

startbuddi is our product. It’s a weak fit for clinical massage, and we say so below.

Key takeaways

• Split the market in two: light booking apps (Square, Setmore, Acuity, startbuddi) and practice software with SOAP notes and intake (Jane, ClinicSense, Noterro, MassageBook).
• If you bill health insurance electronically in the US, HIPAA rules probably apply to you. Pick software that offers a signed business associate agreement (BAA), and check which plan includes it.
• Buffer time matters more in massage than most services: changing linen, washing up and, for mobile therapists, travel.
• Free plans exist (Square Appointments, Setmore, SimplyBook.me, startbuddi), but none of them includes SOAP notes.

Massage booking software compared

Tool	Best for	Starting price (checked 14 Oct 2026)	Free plan	SOAP notes	HIPAA BAA
Jane	Clinics and therapists who bill insurance, especially in Canada	CAD $59/month (Balance)	No (no trial; demo)	Yes	On request, per its terms
ClinicSense	Solo and small massage practices wanting notes and intake	$39/month (Lite)	No (14-day trial)	Yes, all plans	On request, per its terms
MassageBook	US massage therapists wanting massage-only software	$15/month (Launch)	No (30-day trial)	Basic on Launch	You request it
Noterro	Practices that want notes plus simple insurance	$33/month (Core)	No (14-day trial)	Yes	Not stated
Vagaro	US spas and multi-therapist studios	$23.99/month for 6 months, then $30	No (30-day trial)	Yes	HIPAA badge on massage page
Acuity Scheduling	Therapists who mostly need booking and intake	$16/month billed annually ($20 monthly)	No (7-day trial)	No	Premium plan only
Square Appointments	Simple practices in Square’s countries	$0 (Free); Plus $49/month per location	Yes	No	Not offered on page
Fresha	Spas wanting a marketplace and packages	NGN 6,800/month (as shown from Nigeria)	No (7-day trial)	Consultation forms	HIPAA listed, no BAA mention
Mindbody	Larger spas and wellness studios	From $79/month (entry plan, North America)	No	Not checked	Not checked
SimplyBook.me	Low-volume therapists anywhere	€0 (Free, 50 bookings a month)	Yes	No	HIPAA features from Standard
Setmore	Free start, with a separate health version	$0 for up to 4 users	Yes	No	Setmore Health (separate)
startbuddi	Therapists in Nigeria and Africa taking deposits via WhatsApp	See pricing	Yes	No	No

Prices are in each vendor’s own currency, before tax and card processing. Our checks ran from Nigeria; Fresha shows prices by location, so check yours.

How we chose

We read each vendor’s own pricing, feature and terms pages on 14 October 2026, and judged them on what a massage practice needs:

• Clinical records: intake forms, SOAP or treatment notes, and whether health data protections are offered.
• Booking rules: buffer time between clients, rooms, couples sessions and travel for mobile work.
• No-show protection: deposits, card on file and cancellation fees.
• Packages and memberships: many massage businesses sell bundles of sessions.
• True cost and country: subscription, extra practitioners, text messages and any marketplace fee.

We didn’t test the software hands-on or use review scores. Where a vendor’s page didn’t state something, we’ve said so rather than guessed. Schedulicity, once a common name in massage, now redirects to Vagaro, so it isn’t listed separately.

1. Jane

Jane is practice management software for health and wellness clinics, including massage, physiotherapy and chiropractic.

Best for: registered massage therapists and multi-practitioner clinics that write charts and bill insurance, especially in Canada.

Key features

• Online booking, charting, intake forms and payment policies for online booking.
• Free SMS reminders on Practice and Thrive “in select locations”.
• Insurance billing add-on for Canadian claims such as TELUS eClaims.

Pricing: Jane’s pricing page lists Balance at “CAD $59 / month” (one practitioner, up to 20 appointments a month), Practice at CAD $79 and Thrive at CAD $99. Add-ons include an AI Scribe at $15 a month per practitioner and Insurance Billing at $20 a month plus a charge per extra practitioner. Jane says “We do not have a free trial”, and offers a demo account instead.

Pros

• Full clinical charting alongside booking.
• Strong on Canadian insurance.

Cons

• No trial, and pricing in Canadian dollars.
• Balance caps you at 20 appointments a month.

Skip it if you don’t chart or bill insurance: you’d pay for a lot you don’t use.

2. ClinicSense

ClinicSense is practice software built for massage therapists and other manual therapists.

Best for: solo and small practices that want SOAP notes and intake forms on every plan.

Key features

• SOAP notes and intake forms on all plans.
• “No-Show Guard” (card required to book) and a block list from Standard.
• SMS reminders, packages, gift cards and TELUS eClaims from Standard.

Pricing: ClinicSense’s pricing page lists Lite at $39 a month (20 appointments a month), Standard at $69 (200 appointments) and Premium at $99 (unlimited), a little less on annual billing. Extra practitioners are $20 a month on Standard and Premium. There’s a 14-day trial with no card.

Pros

• Notes and intake included from the cheapest plan.
• Card-required booking for no-show protection.

Cons

• Lite sends email reminders only and caps appointments.
• No-show tools start on Standard.

Skip it if you see more than 20 clients a month and want to stay on the cheapest plan.

3. MassageBook

MassageBook is booking and practice software made only for massage therapists, mainly in the US.

Best for: US massage therapists who want massage-specific software at a low entry price.

Key features

• Launch includes basic SOAP notes and a directory listing, with a limit of three services.
• Practice adds intake forms, premium SOAP notes, text and email reminders, insurance billing receipts and gift certificates.
• Clinic adds unlimited staff seats, room assignment, couples massage bookings, a waitlist and outcall (mobile) support.

Pricing: MassageBook’s pricing page lists Launch at $15.00 a month and Practice at $59.00 a month; its multi-staff page lists Clinic at $99 a month. Members of AMTA get 25% off and ABMP members 10%. There’s a 30-day trial with no card. MassageBook’s help centre says a 15% fee (minimum $6) applies to first-time clients who book through its directory or Reserve with Google.

Pros

• Built around massage: rooms, couples sessions and outcall.
• Association discounts.

Cons

• Launch is very limited (three services, basic notes).
• New-client directory fee on first bookings.

Skip it if you’re outside the US.

4. Noterro

Noterro is practice software from Canada for massage and other therapy clinics.

Best for: practices that want clinical notes and simple insurance tools without a big bill.

Key features

• Clinical and SOAP notes and intake forms from Core.
• SMS reminders on Plus and Max.
• Insurance tools, including superbills and CMS-1500 in the US and TELUS eClaims in Canada, on higher tiers.

Pricing: Noterro’s pricing page lists Core at $33 a month (plus $13.20 per extra practitioner), Plus at $55 and Max at $77, with 15% off for annual billing. The page shows a dollar sign without naming the currency. There’s a 14-day trial with no card.

Pros

• Low price for clinical notes.
• Cheap extra practitioners.

Cons

• Text reminders aren’t on Core.
• Its pricing page doesn’t say which currency it uses.

Skip it if you need marketplace exposure.

5. Vagaro

Vagaro is salon, spa and wellness software with a free marketplace listing.

Best for: US day spas and studios with several therapists who want booking, SOAP notes and a marketplace in one bill.

Key features

• SOAP notes, “cleanup time” between appointments, add-ons such as hot stones, and “memberships, series, and packages”, per its massage software page.
• Unlimited reminders and 1,000 free emails a month.
• A Forms add-on, $10 a month, for custom forms such as SOAP note templates.

Pricing: Vagaro’s US pricing page shows “$23.99 / mo. Exclusive rate for the first 6 months”, normally $30, for one bookable calendar, plus $10 for each extra calendar up to seven. There’s a 30-day trial.

Pros

• Spa-friendly booking with packages and cleanup time.
• Marketplace listing included.

Cons

• Introductory price, and add-ons add up.
• US, Canada, UK and Australia only.

Skip it if you’re a solo therapist who only needs booking. See Vagaro alternatives.

6. Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling is a general scheduling tool from Squarespace, used by many massage therapists for its intake forms and payments.

Best for: therapists who want clean online booking, intake forms and deposits, but don’t chart in software.

Key features

• Intake forms and deposits on every plan (Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo).
• “Padding” before and after appointments for linen changes.
• Packages, memberships and gift certificates from Standard; text reminders from Standard.

Pricing: Acuity’s pricing page lists Starter at $16 a month billed annually or $20 monthly (one calendar), Standard at $27 or $34 (up to 6 calendars) and Premium at $49 or $61 (up to 36). There’s a 7-day trial; Acuity says it doesn’t offer a free plan. A signed BAA for HIPAA is on Premium only.

Pros

• Very flexible intake and booking rules.
• Several payment options for deposits.

Cons

• No SOAP notes.
• HIPAA needs the top plan.

Skip it if you want notes and booking in one place. The startbuddi vs Acuity page compares the two.

7. Square Appointments

Square Appointments is Square’s booking app, connected to its card readers.

Best for: simple massage practices in Square’s countries that want a free plan with deposits.

Key features

• Free plan with unlimited staff calendars, online booking, text and email reminders, deposits and prepayments.
• Plus adds cancellation and no-show fees, packages and a waitlist; Premium adds room booking.

Pricing: Square’s US pricing page lists Free at $0, Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 a month per location, with a 30-day trial of the paid plans. UK Plus is £29 and Premium £69.

Pros

• A free plan that takes deposits.
• Room management on Premium for multi-room spas.

Cons

• No intake forms or SOAP notes listed.
• Not available in Africa.

Skip it if you need clinical notes. See startbuddi vs Square Appointments.

8. Fresha

Fresha is booking and payments software for beauty and wellness, with a consumer marketplace.

Best for: spas and massage studios that sell packages and want marketplace bookings.

Key features

• Consultation forms, packages, memberships, gift cards and resource booking for rooms on all plans.
• Processing and finishing times on services.
• Its certifications list includes HIPAA compliance.

Pricing: Fresha’s pricing page shows local prices. From Nigeria on 14 October 2026 it listed Independent at NGN 6,800 a month and Team at NGN 4,500 per bookable team member, with a 7-day trial and no free plan. Deposits and no-show protection need Fresha’s own payments, which showed as unavailable when we loaded the page from Nigeria.

Pros

• Packages, rooms and forms on every plan.
• Low price per therapist.

Cons

• No SOAP notes as such.
• Marketplace fees on brand-new clients in many countries.

Skip it if you need clinical charting. See Fresha alternatives.

9. Mindbody

Mindbody is software for fitness studios, spas and wellness businesses, with a consumer app.

Best for: larger spas and wellness centres that also run classes.

Key features

• Booking, payments and marketing for multi-service businesses.
• Text reminders on Accelerate and above; Starter is email only.
• Late-cancel and no-show fees charged automatically with Mindbody Payments.

Pricing: Mindbody’s pricing page asks you to talk to sales, and its FAQ says the “entry-level plan starts at $79 USD/month” in North America and Asia. A 20% fee, capped at $30, applies to a new client’s first purchase through the Mindbody app.

Pros

• Handles classes, spa services and memberships together.

Cons

• No public price for most plans.
• More than a one-room therapist needs.

Skip it if you work alone.

10. SimplyBook.me

SimplyBook.me is general booking software priced by booking volume.

Best for: low-volume therapists, including outside North America and Europe.

Key features

• Free plan: 50 bookings a month, one provider, buffer times and email reminders.
• Deposits from Basic; HIPAA features from Standard.

Pricing: SimplyBook.me’s pricing page showed Free at €0, Basic at €11.9 a month billed annually (€13.9 monthly), Standard at €24.9 (€29.9) and Premium at €49.9 (€59.9). SMS credits are extra.

Pros

• Genuinely free for a light diary.
• HIPAA option on a mid-priced plan.

Cons

• No SOAP notes.
• Messaging costs extra.

Skip it if you chart treatments.

11. Setmore

Setmore is general appointment software with a free plan and a separate health version.

Best for: therapists who want a free start, or Setmore Health with a signed BAA.

Key features

• Free for up to 4 users with one email reminder.
• Pro: deposits, two reminders and 500 SMS credits a month per member, where SMS is available.
• Setmore Health with a “Signed BAA”, chosen at sign-up.

Pricing: Setmore’s pricing page lists Free at $0 and Pro at $5 per user a month on annual pricing.

Pros

• Free for a small team.

Cons

• No SOAP notes.
• Deposits need Pro.

Skip it if you want notes in the same tool.

12. startbuddi

startbuddi is an all-in-one workspace for service businesses, with Bookings next to a client list, an inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram and email, and invoices.

Best for: wellness and spa massage therapists in Nigeria and across Africa who book through WhatsApp and want deposits in naira. It isn’t built for clinical massage.

Key features

• Require payment to book: a deposit or full payment before the slot is confirmed, by card, bank transfer, USSD or mobile money through Paystack, or card through Stripe.
• Buffer time after each session for linen and clean-up, working hours, and Block time.
• Booking questions on each service (short or long answers, choices) for simple pre-visit questions such as pressure preference or areas to avoid. Answers can be saved to the client’s record.
• One automatic reminder at the time you choose, by email, or by WhatsApp or SMS once set up, and a follow-up email after a no-show.

Pricing: a free plan is available with one live service; see pricing.

Pros

• Deposits by methods Nigerian clients use.
• Client messages and bookings on one record.

Cons

• No SOAP or treatment notes, no HIPAA business associate agreement and no insurance billing.
• No packages, memberships, rooms or couples bookings.
• No recurring bookings for regular weekly clients.
• No travel time between addresses for mobile therapists, beyond a fixed buffer.

Skip it if you treat clinical conditions, write charts or are subject to HIPAA. More on startbuddi Bookings.

How to choose booking software for a massage practice

Clinical or relaxation?

If you write SOAP notes after every session, or a doctor refers clients to you, buy practice software (Jane, ClinicSense, Noterro, MassageBook). Keeping notes in a separate document while booking elsewhere is how records go missing. If your work is spa and relaxation massage with a short intake, a booking app is enough.

Does HIPAA apply to you?

In the US, HIPAA applies to health care providers who send health information electronically in connection with standard transactions such as insurance claims. The US Department of Health and Human Services explains this on its covered entities page. Many cash-only massage therapists aren’t covered entities, but if you bill insurance you probably are, and you’ll want software that signs a BAA. Outside the US, your own country’s data protection law applies: in Nigeria, that’s the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, explained by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Which features match how you work?

How you work	Must-haves	Tools to shortlist
Solo, cash-pay, relaxation massage	Online booking, deposits, buffers, reminders	Square Appointments, Acuity, Setmore, startbuddi
Solo, clinical, writes SOAP notes	Intake, SOAP notes, card-required booking	ClinicSense, MassageBook, Noterro
Multi-therapist clinic billing insurance	Charting, insurance, per-practitioner pricing, BAA	Jane, Noterro, ClinicSense
Day spa with rooms and packages	Room booking, packages, couples sessions	Vagaro, Fresha, MassageBook Clinic, Square Premium
Mobile therapist	Outcall support, travel buffers, deposits	MassageBook, Acuity, SimplyBook.me

A mobile therapist’s day: a worked example

Illustrative numbers. A mobile therapist in Nairobi books four 60-minute sessions a day across town, with 45 minutes of travel and 15 minutes to set up and pack down between each.

• Booked massage time: 4 × 60 = 240 minutes.
• Travel and setup between sessions: 3 gaps × (45 + 15) = 180 minutes.
• Working day from first session to last: 240 + 180 = 420 minutes, or 7 hours.

If your software only adds a 15-minute buffer, it will offer slots you can’t reach. Either set a long buffer for outcall services, or use software with outcall rules. And take a deposit: a cancelled home visit costs you the travel as well as the session. The booking deposit and no-show fee pages explain both, and the no-show policy template gives you the wording.

Is there free booking software for massage therapists?

Yes, for booking only. Square Appointments has a free plan with deposits in its countries, Setmore is free for up to four users, SimplyBook.me is free for 50 bookings a month, and startbuddi has a free plan with one live service. None of the free plans includes SOAP notes, and none of the practice suites (Jane, ClinicSense, Noterro, MassageBook) has a free plan.

Try startbuddi for a relaxation or spa practice

If you run a spa or relaxation massage practice in Lagos, Accra or Nairobi and clients book by WhatsApp, set up your sessions with a deposit and a buffer, and share one link. Start free, no card needed. Reminders are covered in how to automate appointment reminders, and the broader market in our best booking software list, salon appointment software, the best booking apps for nail salons and what booking software does. Our appointment scheduling software page shows how startbuddi handles bookings for other service businesses.

Frequently asked questions