Avana Connect
Switch it on once for your Instagram. It answers clients with your own prices and free times and lets them book inside the conversation.
$12.99a month
Add Connect Booking system vs Google Calendar: what a salon actually needs
Google Calendar is a fine place to see your day. It cannot let a client choose a time, send a reminder or take a deposit. That is the part a booking system adds.
Keep Google CalendarClients book themselvesFree for 7 days
In shortChecked October 2026
Google Calendar records appointments; a booking system such as Avana, by Sweeber Technologies, lets clients book them. Avana gives a salon a booking page, automatic confirmations and reminders, deposits and client records, and connects to Google Calendar so private plans close those times. Avana Business costs $20.99 a month with sales tax included; Google Calendar is free.
| At a glance | Avana | Google Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Clients book themselves | Yes | No |
| Reminders to clients | Automatic | No |
| Cost | $20.99 a month, tax included | Free |
Side by side
Google Calendar next to a booking system
One keeps a record. The other does the arranging.
| Google Calendar | Avana | |
|---|---|---|
| Client chooses a free time | No | Yes, on your booking page |
| Correct length per treatment | You set it each time | Automatic |
| Confirmation and reminder to the client | No | Automatic |
| Deposit when booking | No | Optional, per treatment |
| Client history and notes | In event titles | On the client record |
| Your private plans block bookings | Not applicable | Yes, with Google Calendar connected |
| Cost | Free | From $20.99 a month, tax included |
Avana connects to Google Calendar, so your appointments show up there and your private plans close those times for online booking.
What a booking system adds
Three jobs your calendar cannot do
You can keep looking at Google Calendar every morning. These happen in the background.
Taking the booking
Clients see your real free times and pick one, at any hour. Nothing waits for your reply.
Making sure they come
A confirmation goes out at once and a reminder the day before. Long treatments can ask for a deposit.
Remembering the client
Formulas, allergies and notes sit on the client record, not in the title of an event.
Your own page
Clients book with you, even when your hands are full
Your booking page shows your treatments, your prices and your free times. You put the link in your Instagram bio, send it in a message and print a QR code for the front desk.
- Clients book without creating an account
- Open for bookings in the evening and at weekends
- Someone helps out on Saturdays? Add them with their own hours
Book · Studio Ivy
Balayage · 2.5 hours
9:00 AM10:00 AM1:30 PM
Reminders
Clients stop forgetting their appointment
A confirmation goes out the moment someone books, and a reminder the day before with the time and your address. If the time no longer works, the client moves it themselves.
- Confirmation and reminder go out on their own
- Clients reschedule themselves if they need to
- The freed-up slot opens for someone else
Reminder · Sophie W.Email and text
Studio Ivy · the day beforeSee you tomorrow at 10:00 AM for your balayage. 212 Main Street, Austin.
Confirmation after bookingSent
Reminder the day before...
Payments
Clients can still pay in the salon
Paying at the desk works the way it always has. For a long treatment you can ask for a deposit when they book, so the slot you keep free is paid for. You decide per treatment.
- Pay in the salon, as before
- Turn a deposit on for the treatments that need one
- Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay online
Checkout
Deposit balayage$25.00
CardApple PayGoogle Pay
Honest
When Google Calendar is enough
It is a real option for some people.
A booking system pays off when
- you get more booking requests than you can answer during work
- no-shows cost you money
- clients ask for times late at night
- you want reminders without typing them
Google Calendar is enough when
- you have a handful of fixed regulars
- everyone books their next visit in the chair
- you rarely have gaps or no-shows
What you get
Everything you need to open for bookings
Every Avana plan includes a booking page, a calendar, deposits, email reminders and client records from day one. Where something starts at Business Plus, it says so on the tile.
Your own booking pageTreatments, prices and free times on one link, with your photos. Clients book without making an account.Set up your page Your calendar on your phoneYour whole day at a glance, wherever you are. A new booking appears straight away, with who is coming and for what.Set your hours Pay in the salon or onlineClients pay at the desk as they always have. Online payment works too, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.Turn on online payments Deposits against empty slotsAsk for an amount upfront on a long treatment. The slot is then properly held, and if nobody turns up, you keep the deposit.Set a deposit Email remindersA confirmation right after booking and a reminder the day before with the time and your address. You do nothing.Switch reminders on Your client recordsColor formulas, your notes and everything done before, per client. After the visit you invite them back with one tap.Import your clients A waiting list when you are fullSaturday fully booked? A client can join the waiting list, and the moment someone cancels, the next person gets an email.From Business PlusSet up the waiting list Someone helps out?If someone works with you on Saturdays or a few days a week, add them with their own hours and treatments.Add a team member
Also included
- Reviews collected after each visit
- Invoices for your accountant
- Discount codes for your clients
- A questionnaire before the first visit
- Your own cancellation rules
- Gift cards and product sales, from Business Plus
- Holidays and days off in one go
- A QR code for your front desk
- Your own wording in every email
- A clear view of how full your week is
Questions
Google Calendar or a booking system: FAQ
Can I run my salon on Google Calendar alone?
For your own overview, yes, and plenty of salons start that way. What is missing is the client's side: they cannot see what is free, book it or get a reminder, so every appointment starts with a message to you.
Does Avana connect to Google Calendar?
Yes. Connect it once and your Avana appointments appear in a separate calendar in Google, usually within a minute. When you add something private in Google Calendar, that time closes on your booking page. See Google Calendar sync.
What is the difference between a calendar and a booking system?
A calendar records what has been arranged. A booking system does the arranging: the client picks a free time, the right length is reserved, and a confirmation, reminder and optional deposit follow automatically.
Is a booking system overkill if I work alone?
Working alone is when it helps most, because nobody else answers the phone for you. Avana Business is $20.99 a month with sales tax included, cancelable any month.
Does a booking system prevent double bookings?
Yes. A slot is gone the moment someone books it, and you can set a buffer between appointments so your day does not overrun.
Question not here? The help center walks through every part of Avana step by step.
What it costs
The price is right here on the page
Avana has three plans: Business at $20.99, Business Plus at $35.99 and Business Max at $70.99 a month, all with sales tax included. There is no commission on your takings and no contract, and every plan starts with 7 days free without card details.
MonthlyYearly save up to $142
Business
For the independent salon that takes bookings seriously.
/month
$0.70 a day, and no commission on your revenue.
Start free- Unlimited online bookings
- Your own booking page and QR code
- Online calendar and services
- Mobile app for iPhone and Android
- Intake questions when clients book
- Confirmation and reminder emails
- Online payments and deposits
- Automatic invoices and a monthly export
- Booking widget for your own website
- Add-ons, client records and discount codes
- Loyalty card for regular clients
Most popular
Business Plus
For the salon that wants every gap in the week filled.
/month
$1.20 a day. One extra appointment a month covers it.
Start free- Mobile app for iPhone and Android
- Waitlist that fills canceled slots
- Sell gift cards
- Sell products when clients book
- Cash book and end-of-day close
- Track expenses and stock
- Insights into how your salon is doing
- Discount campaigns with an end date
- Consent forms online
- Send documents with the confirmation
- Multiple locations
Business Max
For the salon that also teaches, with Avana Academy included.
/month
$2.37 a day, with Avana Academy included.
Start free- Mobile app for iPhone and Android
- 2 extra team members includedEach with their own calendar. After that, $7.99 a month per person.
- Avana Academy includedSell courses with certificates for your students.
- Treatment rooms in your calendarAdd the room or chair to each appointment, so two treatments never clash.
- 5 free SMS a month included
- Email campaigns
- Automatic birthday and win-back emails
- Use your own domain name
- Your own branding in campaigns
- Advanced settings
- Early access to new features
All prices include sales tax. If you change plan, you only pay the difference.
Add when you need it
Two extras, and room for your team
Avana Connect costs $12.99 a month and the Avana Academy $11.99 a month with a plan. Each extra team member is $7.99 a month. Everything goes on one bill, and you can stop any month.
Avana Academy
Sell your own courses to people who want to learn your craft. Lessons are set up once, the practice day sits in your calendar and certificates go out on their own.
$11.99a month with a plan
Add the Academy An extra team member
Business includes you, Business Plus you and one other, Business Max you and two others. Each person on top gets their own calendar and hours.
$7.99a month each
Add a team member Keep your calendar, add the booking
Set up Avana and connect Google Calendar in one afternoon. Free for 7 days.
Create your booking page