17 years helping Australian businesses
choose better software
What Is Ovatu?
*30 DAY FREE TRIAL* Ovatu is a world-class salon & spa booking software provider with full point of sale, reminders, online booking options, marketing tools, and more. Ovatu customises the entire booking experience to your brand and helps convert more people into long-term customers.
Ovatu helps 7 million people every month book appointments around the globe.
Widely used in the hair and beauty industry as well as the fitness, well-being, medical and education industries.
Who Uses Ovatu?
From solo operators up to large businesses in the Beauty, Spa, Massage, Tattoo, Fitness & Alternative Health industries.
Not sure about Ovatu?
Compare with a popular alternative
Ovatu
Reviews of Ovatu
An amazing asset to any size salon.
Comments: Amazing and life changing for the business model we have.
Pros:
We run a very busy salon with all Self Employed staff. This tool allows us to manage other stylists diary’s for when enquires come to ourselves rather than the individual.
Cons:
That stylists can’t have their separate card capture
What an Awesome Product
Comments: The support team have been totally awesome, they imported all my old appointments from my old system, so i have full client history. Always responded sometimes within minuets. Amazing team. Well done.
Pros:
This software makes my life bliss. It has such advanced rules I can set for appointments, e.g. I can allow a a service type to be booked only at given times frames, that can be different each day, then on top of that, it works out what digital forms to send at a set time prior, and then goes a step further to pop up a form on the time of the appointment for staff to fill in. Customer love the booking site, the ease of use, the slick interface.
Cons:
The form designer is a bit clunky, and needs to support pictures, and some better layout options, but I did find it responds to HTML tags so made the best I can.
Would be so much better if reports didn't show everything booked in. Just cashed off sales.
Comments: It's easier than paper. But I would consider changing if a better one was available.
Pros:
SMS and email confirmations Storage function for client details and notes. Email sent to clients confirming booking date and time.
Cons:
Mobile app not scrolling up when you book. Lack of ability to use it to input outgoings, not simple for clients to book, wait list doesn't work on app and the last minute appointments section is very poor.
Alternatives Considered:
5 start booking system with outstanding customer service
Comments: My experience since using ovatu has been great they answer any questions I have in a timely manner and most recently I accidentally synced lots of customers accounts together. I emailed and asked for help to sort these synced profiles out and within a few hours [sensitive content hidden] had fixed the main issues I had caused. Then [sensitive content hidden] worked his magic and sorted the rest . I’m so grateful that ovatu have such a caring and hard working team
Pros:
I like how I have been able to build the system to suit my business needs it’s not a case if one software suits all.
Cons:
I would like to be able to customise the book now platform more and I don’t like how you get charged 5 credits for a txt message.
My Patients love it!
Comments: i don't have so many missed appointments, my patients love how easy the online booking is.
Pros:
ease of use for my patients, simple for me. i don't have reception so it helps me with my time. i don't book many appointments by phone anymore.
Cons:
making the forms was a bit of a chore, i don't understand all the terminology so I'm not sure what some of the stuff is for. But that's a me issue i think.
Ovatu is the reason my company functions so easily in a paperless system! I absolutely love Ovatu!
Comments: Ovatu literally allows me to run my company. It is an affordable price for a small business like my own and I cannot recommend it highly enough! Even though there are a few little tweaks I'd like to see in the future, they are small when compared to all of the benefits I receive from the product in general. I am a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and run my own company solo. Many NTP students are working to get their private practices off the ground and I always, always recommend using Ovatu for their schedule and invoicing needs. It's great! I had spent months searching for a program like this and when I found Ovatu, I never looked back! Thanks for a great program!!
Pros:
I absolutely love how all of my most used items are contained in one place! Extremely flexible schedule, invoicing, appointment reminders, client reviews, online scheduling - it's fantastic. I spent so much less time going back-and-forth for scheduling with most of my clients because they can very easily add themselves to my schedule through my website. I can open up the Ovatu app on my smart phone and easily check my schedule for updates. Fantastic! I recommend Ovatu to everyone and couldn't be happier with customer service as they are always polite and prompt returning my questions.
Cons:
There are only 2 areas in which I think Ovatu could be tweaked: 1) adding in some way to track a few more types of expenses to reflect on the bottom line for revenue (items such as rent, insurance, payroll cost, etc. which is a little bit more of a job for accounting software) to give a more accurate overall picture in the Reports section. 2) An improved note-taking system to allow for a little bit more flexibility. I'd love to have a way to store private SOAP notes after each consultation that can include PDF attachments or diagrams, and, at the same time, another section of semi-public notes (between me and that particular client only - through their log-in) that clients can log-in and see through the mini-site which would contain recommendations for them to complete between appointments.
My Virtual Assistant!
Comments: My overall experience has been really positive. The support staff are quite simply excellent, nothing seems too much trouble, they are always quick to respond and very polite.[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] all deserve a special mention for all of the above. It really does make a difference as a lot of companies have good products but are let down by their aftercare service which sadly is all we then associate them with. Ovatu are different their passion and knowledge of their product is excellent.
Pros:
This software is super easy to use and manage. Once it has been setup it pretty much runs itself which gives me time to get on with my business. The online booking feature leaves me free to treat clients without having to spend time taking calls or replying to emails. My clients love the reminder service and ease of use. I integrate with Stripe and Paypal so my booking and checking out process is seamless. I love the fact that everything is digital and I am 100% paperless and compliant for GDPR.
Cons:
There isn't anything I dislike about the software. I would like to see some integration of accounting software to make tax and end of year a little easier. It would be ideal if this could be an all in one package. I would also like to see an option to sell products as well as services through the booking process. The software already holds my stock data so this would certainly be a benefit as all sales would be handled in one area.
Alternatives Considered:
My business is able to be hugely successful because of this product but my review is on the support
Comments: I have two different businesses running on this software and it gives me all the information I need, there is so much this software can do and I often need help, the customer Service from the team is excellent and why I am writing a review, they are fast at responding and know exactly what I need every time
Pros:
It's quite a daunting thing having your whole business on a bit of software but the team at Ovatu have been incredible support and know the product inside out so when I call for guidance they give step by step advice and email through a video to refer to afterwards.
Cons:
I don't dislike anything, it does everything I need
Ovatu's stellar customer service is the cherry on top of a wonderful online scheduling program.
Pros:
Love, love, LOVE Ovatu's customer service! I've received responses back as quickly as within a few minutes, but always within a day, even given our 14 hour time zone difference. I was born before personal computers existed (!), and I don't find these programs intuitive, but cust support rep and his crew have been nothing but welcoming and patient with each of my many questions. They are also very open to requests for improvements, and have made small program tweaks for me right away on a couple of occasions. Once I got the scheduler integrated into my website, I rarely need to interact with my clients before they come in for their appointments! I've had more than a few clients mention that they selected my business precisely because they COULD schedule online, without any phone tag delays. Clients really appreciate the email and text message appointment reminders, too (and I appreciate the lack of no-shows), and I love the automatic birthday reminder and review solicitation email follow-ups. The pricing is very affordable and, for everything that is included, is a bargain. I cannot recommend Ovatu enough. I am an extremely satisfied and very happy customer!
Cons:
If I knew more about computers/coding, I think there are more features I could take advantage of. It took me a while to understand that there are some things that can't be done on the app and need to be done on the pc, although this is gradually changing. I'll sometimes see verbage on a form that doesn't make any sense to the layperson in me, but if I send in an inquiry to Customer Service, I get a clear answer.
Wonders with this Software
Pros:
It has been wonderful throughout my work, making necessary updates to help us stay up to date on everything. Thanks to this software we can satisfy our customers
Cons:
The storage system is not very efficient, as are some applications that are not so easy to use. It is something of minimum seriousness that I am sure that they could solve it
Far and away the best booking software for a hairdresser and their clients,
Comments: Ovatu has provided the means for my independent small business to flourish above and beyond expectations.
Pros:
The best thing about Ovatu is that clients actually use it. They speak of how easy , simple, and straightforward it is to engage with. These are individuals aged 17 to 71 from all different technological eras. This says something about the design and implementation. The biggest compliment to it's interface is that throughout the booking process, a client doesn't have to leave the experience to verify their email (and then re-log in). They see a booking, enter their details, and they are done. Customer support has always been stellar. High marks all around.
Cons:
Would like to have certain elements (specifically on screen instructions during the booking process) be personalised. Would like to see the review system was better integrated with Google review guidelines.
Extremely happy I found this APP for my business
Comments: I am able to run my business on my phone! Even when I bump into a client at the gym, I am able to book their appointment using my phone. Great App. Great product. Thank you!
Pros:
Ease of use : Very easy to navigate the app. I love the reporting. Easy to see my profit for the day. I also get a quick response from customer support. My client enjoy receiving their reminders.
Cons:
I find it easier booking clients using the app on my phone than on my computer. Too many boxes to click through before I can place the booking. I don't like the way the date is set out that I need to confirm a booking next to each time. Sometime it pushes times out to eg: 2:05pm instead of 2pm. It would be easier to put in a time at the top of the booking instead of scrolling down to find the time. Hope this makes sense!
I have been using Ovatu for a few years now and would be lost without it.
Pros:
It is extremely easy to set up. Even if you are not good with computers the step by step guides are really easy to follow and the support online and over the phone is amazing!! It makes life so much easier as customers can book their own appointments online rather than messaging back and forward trying to organise a time that suits both of us. Customers are never waiting for me to get back to them as they can see everything they need to online and I can enjoy my days off. Also the new app is brilliant!!
Cons:
Only bad thing about it is that it charges for sending texts to customers. If there was a way for it to link up to my own network provider and use my own allowance then it would be perfect.
Ovatu
Pros:
I have been with Ovatu for years. I am very impressed with the software and all the features that make running a salon much easier. The Ovatu team goes above and beyond to make the Ovatu experience easy and effective. Any assistance that is needed, not only are they more than happy to help but the speed in which they do this always amazes me. You won’t be disappointed in Ovatu!
Cons:
So far Ovatu has addressed all my needs.
Great! Only one wish, though.
Comments: So far, it’s superior. Minus one or two snags.
Pros:
It has only been a couple hours of use and after numerous trials and use of other booking software, I am very pleased with Ovatus setup! Best in comparison, in my opinion.
Cons:
It’s a huge bummer there is limited integrations/no fields for client reference photos in the intake forms. That’s a huge ding for me, but I will settle for using Jotform as another service in addition to Ovatu. Would be awesome to have it all in one place though.
Alternatives Considered:
Great System
Comments: Loved the system, I have only stopped now due to a Pivot in my business due to the closures over the past 12 months.
Pros:
The fact I could keep everything in one place. I could link a payment method and email customers direct.
Cons:
Took me a little getting used to when I changed over but I enjoyed using it.
Experience with Ovatu has been overwhelmingly positive. An excellent choice for my small business.
Pros:
I like that I can manage all appointment scheduling and products for all aspects of my business. I like that the app is available on my phone as well as iPad. I love the automatic sms confirmations sent to my clients.
Cons:
I would like to see a way to integrate my products with my webpage, so that I did not have to manage 2 product systems. I also would like to see Ovatu integrate the Square payment system. It would make the system even better if the web-based version and the app had the same functionalities.
This is a super program for hairdressers!!
Pros:
easy to use and set up to your needs. well done A++++++ Particularly, for hairdressers I think, when it comes to colour services, being able to set it up so you can automatically have your colour application time and processing time and finishing time all automatic once you have easily set it up Super!!
Cons:
That its not linked directly to square. Square is great and easy to use without the monthly fees!! It would be amazing if Ova2u could link up with square to we didn't have to jump out of one program and into another, as all our prices are set up in ova2u it would totally top it off if it was supported by square.
Ovatu Response
6 years ago
Hi Rachel, Thanks so much for the amazing review! It means a lot!! Just to let you know, Ovatu does now offer Square integration, you can find out more about it here: https://ovatu.com/updates/square-integration :)
Excellent system
Comments:
More bookings from online customers
Less no shows as it has a great reminders system
Great to capture deposits
Easy to track employee performance
Pros:
Easy to use Great reporting Ovatu You app So many great features and functions at a great price for small businessess
Cons:
Only set to weekly roster , fortnightly would help us greatly Waitlist feature is great but if it had an automated reply feature to the customers when appointments became available that they requested it would be a great help
I was looking for a fully computerised system to rival the ones I used in NHS for a long time
Comments: This software revolutionised how I run my clinic- saves me time-its very professional-it sends emails and text reminders which are all customiseable and much more.... I recommend this system to all my clients in business.
Pros:
It's like a member of staff at the fraction of the cost. I love that the team will develop areas of the system to work for your clinic and I've been with OVatu almost from the start
Cons:
I love it cant think of any cons- except when there's an apply upgrade sometimes bugs appear on system.
Very easy to use!
Comments: Makes my job easier and more efficient
Pros:
I think I have been using Ovatu for approximately 10 years, I had a couple of problems and contacted them they got back with me and fix my problem with in 24 hours. It was very easy to contact them and very easy to work with him.
Cons:
The thing that I do not like is when my customers respond to a text it does not come to me in the form of a text it comes to me in the form of an email.
Excellent, reliable faultless easy to use system,
Comments: It has saved our company many hours and cut down our missed appointments by around 90% Again saving on costs. It has also made us look much more professional and slick.
Pros:
Reliability!!!!hardly ever had a problem and when we have it's been sorted out very quickly. We would not change to another product because this is 100% the one for ourselves.
Cons:
Nothing at all love it, so easy to use and all my staff would not want me to change to any thing else.
I have been using Ovatu for 4 years now and love the ease and value of your service.
Comments: I can reach more clients with the ease of booking on-line. I use this software as my website as well.
Pros:
Easy to use, and user friendly. A app for my iphone! I can book appointments anywhere. Happy clients, happy me!
Cons:
Would like more options like paying for services and gif certificates on-line. My clients find if they don't save there reservations emails they can't rebook or review my service.
Fantastic, Revolutionised my booking system. Highly recommend.
Comments:
Time saving
Reports on sales, bookings, performance
Less no shows, due to reminders
Customisable client notifications
Great value for money
Pros:
The support from Ovatu is world class. Questions are prompltly responded to, training is great. The sotware is easy to use for salon and clients. Ovatu generates detailed information which has literally have my admin time. The reminder and follow up emails are invaluable to my business.
Cons:
Android app takes a bit of getting used to and is less user friendly than iOS or desktop versions. Some procedures in android app require several steps which can be a little time consuming. However Ovatu are very responsive and are working towards shortcuts.
Ovatu has been a wonderful asset to my business. It's easy to use for me and for my clients.
Comments: It helps me schedule my clients and keep track of lessons and payments.
Pros:
I like that it works consistently well. I have had no real problems. When I have had a small problem or was unsure of how to do something, the customer service has been good and fast.
Cons:
I use it for scheduling golf lessons. I wish that it had some features that made scheduling groups easier.