# Questions about branded booking apps, answered. Source: https://meetscarlet.com/faq/ Updated: 2026-11-10 Short answers to 37 common questions businesses ask before choosing a branded booking app such as MeetScarlet (from $349 a month): what it is, how the app stores work, cost, switching and features. Each answer links to the page that covers it in full. ## About MeetScarlet ### What is MeetScarlet? MeetScarlet is a ready-made booking app that a business publishes under its own name in the App Store and Google Play, from $349 a month, with setup done by our team. Full answer: [About MeetScarlet](https://meetscarlet.com/about/#what-is-meetscarlet) ### Who makes MeetScarlet? The MeetScarlet team, at meetscarlet.com. We build the platform, set up each business, and publish its app under the business's own developer accounts. Full answer: [About MeetScarlet](https://meetscarlet.com/about/#who-makes-meetscarlet) ### Which businesses is MeetScarlet built for? Businesses where clients book again and again: barbershops, salons, nail bars, tanning, spas, massage, med spas, studios, gyms, padel and courts. Full answer: [All industries](https://meetscarlet.com/industries/#which-businesses-is-meetscarlet-built-for) ### Is it the same app for every kind of business? It is the same product, set up differently. A barbershop gets a walk-in line and cut memberships, a pilates studio gets spot maps and a waitlist, and a padel club gets court booking, split payments and open matches. Full answer: [All industries](https://meetscarlet.com/industries/#is-it-the-same-app-for-every-kind-of-business) ### Is MeetScarlet a marketplace like Fresha or Booksy? No. Each business gets its own app and booking page; there is no shared directory. Full answer: [About MeetScarlet](https://meetscarlet.com/about/#is-meetscarlet-a-marketplace-like-fresha-or-booksy) ## Your app and the app stores ### What is a white-label booking app? A booking app built on a vendor's platform and published under your business's own name, logo and colors, so clients download your app, not the vendor's. Full answer: [Booking app glossary](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/booking-app-glossary/#what-is-a-white-label-booking-app) ### Is MeetScarlet an App Store app or a web app? Both. We set up an iPhone and Android app under your own name in the App Store and Google Play, published from your own Apple and Google developer accounts, and a web app for clients who would rather not download one. Full answer: [Home-screen web app vs store app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/home-screen-web-app-vs-store-app/#is-meetscarlet-an-app-store-app-or-a-web-app) ### Is a home-screen web app a real app? It can be: if the site is built as a web app, it opens like any other app and, on iPhone since iOS 16.4, can send notifications once added and allowed. It is not in the App Store or Google Play, though, so clients can't find it by searching the stores. Full answer: [Home-screen web app vs store app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/home-screen-web-app-vs-store-app/#is-a-home-screen-web-app-a-real-app) ### Do I need my own Apple developer account for a branded booking app? Yes. Apple's guideline 4.2.6 asks that apps built from a template are submitted by the provider of the app's content, which is your business, so the app goes out from your own developer account. Full answer: [Publish under your own Apple account](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/publish-booking-app-own-apple-account/#do-i-need-my-own-apple-developer-account-for-a-branded-booking-app) ### Can my app provider publish the app under its own account? Not as an app with your branding. Apple's guideline 4.2.6 says such apps will be rejected unless submitted by the provider of the app's content. The one other route it allows is a single picker app holding many clients, which carries the provider's name, not yours. Full answer: [Publish under your own Apple account](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/publish-booking-app-own-apple-account/#can-my-app-provider-publish-the-app-under-its-own-account) ### Is a D-U-N-S number free? Yes. Apple's help page says you can get a free D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet, and your business may already have one. Full answer: [Publish under your own Apple account](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/publish-booking-app-own-apple-account/#is-a-d-u-n-s-number-free) ### Can I change my app's colors after it is live? Yes. Change the color, or switch between light and dark, in the admin and clients see it without a store update. A new app name or icon goes out with the next store build. Full answer: [Branded app look, tabs and web address](https://meetscarlet.com/features/branded-app/#can-i-change-my-app-s-colors-after-it-is-live) ### Does my app have a dark mode? Yes. Your app can follow each client's phone, stay light or dark for everyone, or let each client pick Light, Dark or Match phone in the Me tab. You choose in the admin, and clients see it the next time they open the app, with no store update. Full answer: [Branded app look, tabs and web address](https://meetscarlet.com/features/branded-app/#does-my-app-have-a-dark-mode) ### What happens if Apple or Google rejects a build? You record the store's message and the guideline it names in the admin, and request a new build once it is fixed. Every build is kept in the build history. Full answer: [Branded app look, tabs and web address](https://meetscarlet.com/features/branded-app/#what-happens-if-apple-or-google-rejects-a-build) ## Cost and ownership ### How much does my own booking app cost? It depends on the vendor; some include it in a plan and others sell it as an add-on. MeetScarlet includes it from $349 a month. Full answer: [Marketplace app vs your own app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/marketplace-vs-own-booking-app/#how-much-does-my-own-booking-app-cost) ### Is a white-label app cheaper than a custom-built one? In the first years, usually. Clutch says most app projects it reviews usually cost between $10,000 and $49,999 to build, before upkeep; MeetScarlet is $349 a month, with a $999 setup fee on monthly billing that is waived on yearly. Full answer: [White-label vs custom-built app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/white-label-vs-custom-booking-app/#is-a-white-label-app-cheaper-than-a-custom-built-one) ### How long does a custom booking app take to build? Clutch puts mobile app projects at about 11 months. A white-label app often launches in weeks, because the booking features already exist; MeetScarlet takes about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps. Full answer: [White-label vs custom-built app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/white-label-vs-custom-booking-app/#how-long-does-a-custom-booking-app-take-to-build) ### Do I own a white-label app? When the app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, the store listing is in your name, but the platform's code is the vendor's. With a custom build you can own the code too, if your contract says so. Full answer: [White-label vs custom-built app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/white-label-vs-custom-booking-app/#do-i-own-a-white-label-app) ## Switching from another system ### How long does it take to switch to MeetScarlet? About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's developer enrollment. Your web app is live sooner, and you keep your current software until the new app is ready. Full answer: [Switching booking software](https://meetscarlet.com/features/switching/#how-long-does-it-take-to-switch-to-meetscarlet) ### Do my clients need to sign up again? They download your new app and sign in with their email. If it matches the email you imported, they land on their existing profile. Full answer: [Switching booking software](https://meetscarlet.com/features/switching/#do-my-clients-need-to-sign-up-again) ### Can I get my data out of Mindbody? Yes. Mindbody's Terms say you own your data and that it is available through its standard web services for up to 30 days after a notice of termination, except card data and content. Its data export service needs an agreed statement of work. Full answer: [Mindbody alternatives (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/mindbody-alternatives/#can-i-get-my-data-out-of-mindbody) ## Booking, memberships and check-in ### Can clients pick their spot in a class? Yes. You draw the room as rows of spots, and clients pick theirs when they book in your app. They can change it later if another spot is free. Full answer: [Class booking with spots and a waitlist](https://meetscarlet.com/features/class-booking/#can-clients-pick-their-spot-in-a-class) ### How does the class waitlist work? When a class is full, clients join the waitlist. When a spot opens, the next person is booked in and notified, and has 15 minutes to say no without a late-cancel penalty. Full answer: [Class booking with spots and a waitlist](https://meetscarlet.com/features/class-booking/#how-does-the-class-waitlist-work) ### Can clients join a barbershop walk-in line from their phone? Yes. Clients join from your branded app, pick a service and a barber or anyone, and see their place in line and a wait range. Full answer: [Walk-in line for barbershops](https://meetscarlet.com/features/walk-in-line/#can-clients-join-a-barbershop-walk-in-line-from-their-phone) ### Can I sell cut memberships? Yes. Sell a monthly plan that includes a set number of cuts, or packs of visits, and clients see what they have left in the app. Full answer: [Barbershops](https://meetscarlet.com/industries/barbershops/#can-i-sell-cut-memberships) ### Does the app prompt clients to rebook? After a visit, the app offers the client open times a set number of weeks later, with the same stylist when they are free. You choose the interval for each service. Full answer: [Hair and beauty salons](https://meetscarlet.com/industries/salons/#does-the-app-prompt-clients-to-rebook) ### How do members check in? They open the pass in your app and show the QR code at the desk. Your desk scans it, or types their name or backup code. Full answer: [Member check-in pass](https://meetscarlet.com/features/check-in/#how-do-members-check-in) ### Can MeetScarlet send appointment reminders by text? Not yet: text reminders are coming soon, on MeetScarlet Pro. Clients who opt in will get text reminders before their appointments, from your studio's own number. Full answer: [Text reminders (coming soon)](https://meetscarlet.com/features/text-reminders/#can-meetscarlet-send-appointment-reminders-by-text) ## Choosing software for your industry ### Which tanning salon software controls the beds? Tan-Link's pricing page lists direct T-Max bed and timer control, and SunLync's features page lists automated session control. SunLync's page does not say which equipment it connects to. We did not find bed-timer control on the Fresha, GlossGenius or Vagaro pages listed in this guide, and MeetScarlet does not have it. Full answer: [Best tanning salon software (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-tanning-salon-software/#which-tanning-salon-software-controls-the-beds) ### Can I sell unlimited tanning and minute packages? MeetScarlet has unlimited plans and minute packs built in, and Fresha's tanning page lists unlimited memberships and timed packages. Tan-Link, SunLync, GlossGenius and Vagaro list memberships and packages; we did not find minute packs on the pages listed in this guide. Full answer: [Best tanning salon software (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-tanning-salon-software/#can-i-sell-unlimited-tanning-and-minute-packages) ### Can I run an unlimited wash club without gates or plate cameras? Yes. MeetScarlet is built for an attendant who checks each member's plate or app pass, and AMP says you can run your site with or without gates. Micrologic notes that gateless lanes with an attendant trade hardware cost for labor and revenue risk. Full answer: [Best car wash membership apps (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-car-wash-membership-apps/#can-i-run-an-unlimited-wash-club-without-gates-or-plate-cameras) ### Which car wash software opens the gate for members automatically? DRB and Washify say their RFID tag readers let members through the gate, and Micrologic says the gate opens as a plate or tag is matched. We could not read Sonny's gate pages. MeetScarlet does not open gates: the attendant gets a green or red answer. Full answer: [Best car wash membership apps (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-car-wash-membership-apps/#which-car-wash-software-opens-the-gate-for-members-automatically) ### How much does a gym app with my gym's name cost? MeetScarlet includes it in $349 a month, plus $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly. Of the other published prices here, Zen Planner's branded app is a $39-a-month add-on, PushPress's $97 a month, Gymdesk's $100 a month and GymMaster's $150 a month plus $450 setup, each on top of the software. ABC Ignite, Exercise.com and Virtuagym describe a branded app but don't show a price or say it carries your gym's name on the pages we read. Full answer: [Best gym booking apps (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-gym-booking-apps/#how-much-does-a-gym-app-with-my-gym-s-name-cost) ### Which gym software has door access? Gymdesk has its own fob and phone entry in Beta, GymMaster sells its own door access control with readers and key fobs, Virtuagym works with scanners, turnstiles and door entry, ABC Ignite integrates with access control hardware, Exercise.com integrates with Kisi and Gantner, and Zen Planner offers keyless 24/7 entry through HybridAF. PushPress lists HybridAF (door access) on its pricing page without details. MeetScarlet has no door access; members check in at the desk. Full answer: [Best gym booking apps (2026)](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/best-gym-booking-apps/#which-gym-software-has-door-access) ## Marketplace app or your own ### Should I use Fresha or Booksy or my own app? Use your own app if most of your bookings come from regulars and you want them booking under your name; MeetScarlet sets one up for you. Use a marketplace like Fresha or Booksy if you need new clients to find you. You can use both. Full answer: [Marketplace app vs your own app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/marketplace-vs-own-booking-app/#should-i-use-fresha-or-booksy-or-my-own-app) ### Does my own app bring me new clients? Not by itself. People don't browse a single business's app to find a new one, so new clients still come from your website, social media, Google, referrals or a marketplace listing. Full answer: [Marketplace app vs your own app](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/marketplace-vs-own-booking-app/#does-my-own-app-bring-me-new-clients) ### Is my club listed next to other clubs? No. Your app shows only your club. Players download it under your club's name. Full answer: [Padel and court clubs](https://meetscarlet.com/industries/padel-clubs/#is-my-club-listed-next-to-other-clubs) ## Keep reading - [About MeetScarlet MeetScarlet is a ready-made booking app that businesses publish under their own name in the App Store and Google Play, from $349 a month, set up by our team.](https://meetscarlet.com/about/) - [White-label booking app A white-label booking app puts your own name on the App Store and Google Play. MeetScarlet builds and brands yours, with booking and memberships, from $349 a month.](https://meetscarlet.com/white-label-booking-app/) - [Booking app glossary Plain definitions of the words you meet when choosing a booking app: white-label app, D-U-N-S number, guideline 4.2.6, deposit, no-show fee, spot map and more.](https://meetscarlet.com/guides/booking-app-glossary/)