# theCut or MeetScarlet: the barber marketplace or your shop's own app.

Source: https://meetscarlet.com/compare/thecut/
Updated: 2026-11-10

For a barbershop that wants clients in an app with its own name rather than a marketplace, MeetScarlet is the better pick: it adds a walk-in line clients join from their phone and client memberships. Owner accounts on theCut are free and PRO is $25 a month per barber, but clients book in the theCut app or on its web page; MeetScarlet is $349 a month, plus $999 setup on monthly billing (free on yearly). We make MeetScarlet; every theCut fact here comes from theCut's own pages.

- Our pick: MeetScarlet, for a shop that wants clients booking in an app with its own name, with a walk-in line they join from their phone

- theCut: Owner accounts free; each barber on Free ($0) or PRO ($25 a month, 30-day free trial); clients book in the theCut app or on its web page

- An app with your shop's name: Not found on theCut's home, pricing, barber or owner pages

- MeetScarlet: $349 a month for one location with your own app, plus $999 setup on monthly billing, or $3,490 a year with no setup fee

- Written by: The MeetScarlet team, from each vendor's own pages, November 1, 2026

## Which should you pick?

**Who wrote this:** the team that makes MeetScarlet. We compare from each vendor's own public pages, read on November 1, 2026, not from a hands-on test of the rival. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.

**Pick MeetScarlet** if you want clients booking in an app with your shop's name rather than in a marketplace app where clients also see other barbers. Clients join your walk-in line from their phone and see a wait estimate, you can sell client memberships, and our team sets the app up under your own Apple and Google developer accounts and imports your client list. We found no app with a shop's own name, walk-in line or client memberships on theCut's home, pricing, barber or owner pages.

**theCut may suit you** if you want the lowest cost and new clients from a marketplace: owner accounts are free and each barber pays $0 or $25 a month.

## Why barbershops pick MeetScarlet over theCut

- An app with your shop's name, where clients see only your shop; on theCut, clients book in the theCut app, a marketplace where they also see other barbers
- Your app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts
- A walk-in line clients join from their phone, with a wait estimate; we found no walk-ins on the theCut pages we read
- Client memberships, which we didn't find on theCut's home, pricing, barber or owner pages

## Side by side

| | theCut | MeetScarlet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Owner accounts free; each barber has their own account, Free ($0) or PRO ($25 a month, 30 days free) | $349 a month for one location and 5 staff logins, or $499 on MeetScarlet Pro with 20; $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly |
| Where clients book | The theCut app (iOS and Android) or theCut's web booking page, at a link such as theCut.co/book/yourname | An app with your shop's name, plus a web app |
| Developer accounts | Not stated; clients use theCut's own app | Your own Apple and Google accounts ($99 a year to Apple, $25 once to Google) |
| New clients | A marketplace: clients search by location, price and reviews; on Free, $10 per new client from it, included on PRO; owners get ranked at the top of Barber Search | None; clients come through your own marketing |
| Barbers and locations | Unlimited barbers; its owner page lists unlimited locations, while its barber FAQ says multi-location management is not available yet and the Shop platform is in beta | 5 staff logins (20 on MeetScarlet Pro); MeetScarlet runs one location; MeetScarlet Pro up to 3 |
| Walk-ins | Not found on the pages we read | A walk-in line clients join from their phone, with a wait estimate |
| Reminders | Automatic reminders 24 hours and 2 hours before (the channel and plan are not stated); its pricing table lists push and email appointment updates on both plans and SMS on PRO | Text reminders (coming soon) on MeetScarlet Pro |
| No-shows | Cancellation and no-show policies with automatic fees, which need its Mobile Pay on | A deposit or full payment at booking; a no-show fee on the client's saved card (you switch it on) |
| Keeping clients | Loyalty and referral programs on PRO, recurring appointments, client blasts, in-app tipping | Client memberships, gift cards, referral rewards, a prompt to rebook, and messages with clients in the app |
| Shop owner tools | Booth rent tracking and booth vacancy listings; per-barber revenue, appointment and chair-utilization reports on PRO, and annual income and transaction reports; owner analytics coming soon | A Reports tab: bookings, attendance and no-shows, revenue, and top services and staff, exported to CSV; no booth rent or chair-utilization reports |

From thecut.co: its home, pricing, barber features and owner features pages, read November 1, 2026; in US dollars.

## Where theCut may fit better

- Free for shop owners, and free or $25 a month per barber
- A marketplace where clients near you find your barbers
- Booth rent tracking and booth vacancy listings
- Revenue, appointment and chair-utilization reports for each barber (PRO)

## Questions to ask on a theCut demo

theCut's public pages leave these open, so ask before you sign:

- Can my shop have an app with its own name, or do clients always book in theCut's app?
- Do clients booking my shop see other barbers and shops in the app?
- Is multi-location management available now, and what does the Shop platform (in beta) cover?
- Can clients join a walk-in line from their phone?
- If you leave, can you export your client list, and what comes with it?

Ask us the same questions about MeetScarlet; our prices are on the [homepage](https://meetscarlet.com/#pricing).

## Moving to MeetScarlet

We import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV export, then set up your services, barbers, hours and memberships as part of setup. About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch.

## Questions

Straight answers. Anything else, ask us on a demo.

### Is theCut free?

For shop owners, yes: theCut's pricing page says owner accounts are free. Each barber runs their own account, Free at $0 or PRO at $25 a month with a 30-day free trial; on Free, a new client from theCut's marketplace costs $10 (read November 1, 2026).

### Is theCut cheaper than MeetScarlet?

Yes. Five barbers on PRO pay theCut $125 a month in total, each on their own account, and the owner account is free; MeetScarlet is $349 a month for one location, plus $999 setup on monthly billing. What MeetScarlet's price buys is where clients book: in an app with your shop's name, with a walk-in line and client memberships, rather than in theCut's app and marketplace.

### Does theCut give my shop its own app?

We did not find one. theCut's home, pricing, barber and owner pages, read in full November 1, 2026, describe the theCut app on iOS and Android and a web booking page; none mention an app with a shop's own name. Its pricing table lists a “Brand Studio” feature without a description; we don't read it as an app. MeetScarlet gives every shop an app with its own name, in every plan.

### Is this comparison independent?

No. We make MeetScarlet, and we recommend it to barbershops that want clients in an app with the shop's own name. Every theCut fact comes from theCut's own pages, dated, and we say where theCut may fit better.

## Keep reading

- [Best barbershop booking apps (2026) Seven barbershop booking apps compared on price, an app with your shop's name, walk-ins and memberships, with MeetScarlet as our pick for shops with regulars.](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-barbershop-booking-apps/)
- [Barbershops A booking app for barbershops under your shop's own name: book by barber, a walk-in line with wait times, tips and cut memberships. Set up for you.](https://meetscarlet.com/industries/barbershops/)
- [MeetScarlet vs Squire MeetScarlet gives your barbershop its own app in every plan, plus a walk-in line and memberships; Squire lists its branded app on Titan, $250 a month per shop.](https://meetscarlet.com/compare/squire/)