# Shortcuts Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Shortcuts the right Salon solution for you? Explore 127 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/13284/Shortcuts-Software/reviews --- Shortcuts 4 (127) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/13284/Shortcuts-Software/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Shortcuts Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews SS Stephanie S. S OwnerEvents Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “It was easy to set up and cost-effective fro my needs.“ November 15, 2024 RA Rebecca A OwnerHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It is outrageous that your software stopped updating online, when we called the response was, 'we are working on it'.' When we called to cancel our service 1 year out of our contract you charged us for an extra 2 months.“ August 2, 2023 CR Christian R ManagerConsumer Services, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I enjoyed the ease of use as well as the different functionalities .“ November 13, 2022 PD Paco D DirectorConsumer Services, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Keep crashing“ December 9, 2024 RA Rebecca A OwnerHealth, Wellness and Fitness, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Lack of support.“ August 2, 2023 JS Jose S OwnerComputer Hardware, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “A year and a half later they are still charging me $185 and when I contacted customer support they told me that because I had switched the plan it will end until 2022.“ August 4, 2021 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 127 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Mickey H. President /owner Cosmetics Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My Personal experience with shortcut salon.." September 27, 2019 5.0 Over all betterment to operations and management ... Pros I started from the begin| ! Was a wise move on my side ... Cons None ...It wasn't so easy for me personally change in mind set and moved forward and learned a new and better wat 4 Reason for choosing Shortcuts Impressed me! The next move forward made wing in salon function smoother ... Review Source KD Katy D. owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "perfect for us" September 27, 2019 5.0 Pros Familiarity and ease of use. company is always trying to improve functionality and features Cons i wish I had remote access to all features at any time like mind/body Alternatives considered [Mindbody](https://www.capterra.com/p/40229/MINDBODY/) Reason for choosing Shortcuts Ease if use visually easier to follow customer service and accuracy in answering questions rather than trying to Sell the product falsely Review Source PD Paco D. Director Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Avoid contract they get you" December 9, 2024 2.0 Bad constant trying to get it to work after crash most weeks and always the same Acuse ( my computer haven’t been backup or whatever they find easy to say to avoid been their fault I would not be recommended to any of my friends in the future Pros Over twenty years ago They were the best now they are the worse Cons Too many bad things on this software. Keep crashing Expensive Over an hour to get to talk to someone Have used for many many years and now they are saying I have a contract for over 2 years left. Etc etc not a friendly used software Reason for choosing Shortcuts As they were one of the few available and they promised the world ( not) Review Source NS Nathan S. President Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Shortcuts" September 29, 2019 4.0 Pros The amount of things it can do for the cost. Cons Could have more robust reporting and customization of reporting. Reason for choosing Shortcuts It seemed like it did everything we needed, and for the money was a good value. Switched from [SalonBiz](https://www.capterra.com/p/9175/SalonBiz/) Frustrated with the functionality of Salonbiz at the time. Review Source BR Bernie R. Business Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "3 Year contract of frustration. " March 21, 2019 3.0 I am appalled that a customer can spend thousands of dollars to get a programme to work for me rather than the programme doing what it promises and that Shortcuts are willing to fob me off. After being a loyal customer for 6 years running and have put in so much effort to have a great Spa software, this is the thanks I get from Shortcuts. Do your research, there is other software out there that works in a much easier way and doesn't cost as much. Be careful of software that wants to lock you into a 3 year contract. Upgrades are also another 3 year contract added onto your current contract. Bizarre! Pros The technical support are quote knowable and mostly friendly. Cons There is no social media integration. Average wait time on the phone for tech support is at least 20 minutes, in a busy salon that loses money. Their system is very old school based, not very intuitive. The Gift voucher system is so counter intuitive, really hard to find old gift voucher numbers. They lock you into a 3 year contract and I believe that is the only way they keep customers. Their pricing for features that you can't use properly are extra costing. Overall I paid for the extra services so that I could use the software to it's best and after signing the contract there only some features available. The confirmation text messages are very short and their online marketing system to create marketing emails (when it works as it rarely does) looks like its from the 80's. I had a MAC pc and had to install other software with a technician that cost me over $1400 to get sorted out to be able to use Shortcuts on a MAC, it gave us so much trouble I eventually bought a Windows computer from Shortcuts that cost me $2500 plus. I have spent so much time and countless hours working "for" shortcuts instead of it working for me. I have asked to be released from my contract for Shortcuts and they would prefer to have a customer that will never return than lose 12 months of something that doesn't and has never worked for me. When I have asked for education to that on my part I know I am using it to it's fullest ability, I have been quoted a few hundred dollars each time. Review Source BR Billy R. Owner Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Avoid at all costs if you're looking for a modern salon software" February 27, 2020 1.0 The staff are always pleasant and helpful however they have a policy of trying to tie you in to long contracts without being clear about it. Pros Shortcuts is an out of date and overly expensive salon software which doesn't have the capabilities that it advertises. The reporting feature is useless and makes it impossible to know how your business is performing. They don't even have a good client retention report that is easily accessible, which we consider our most important KPI. There is no option to use the full features of the software remotely which is really hard if you run a business with multiple locations (I cant be in two places at once). They tie you into long contracts and conveniently don't mention that when you upgrade to a new feature the contract starts again. I believe that this is because they know that if they offered rolling contracts they wouldn't have any customers. If you read the google reviews you will notice I'm not the only person with this complaint. After years of being a customer of Shortcuts I feel that I've been treated appallingly. I don't want the hassle of moving I just want software that works for me, but after promise after promise of 'new features' which are always 'coming soon', I'm tied into paying for something that still doesn't suit my needs. So I'd really prefer to try something else. But they make it impossible for you to leave. Due to it's failure to adapt quick enough and improve the software so that it is suitable for a modern salon owners, you'll be better of choosing a different software that does. Avoid at all costs. Cons Lack of remote capabilities, poor reporting, poor online booking system & app. Not great for use on an iPad. It's just outdated and doesn't evolve quick enough. Review Source iH ivy H. Business director Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Shortcuts isn't a good choice for my salon" December 10, 2016 3.0 I wouldn't recommend shortcuts to any salon and Ive made this clearly obvious to shortcuts. this software is not right for any non basic salon business. After spending numerous hours/days/years on extra extra extra training, encountering daily and constant system errors and issues. I managed to get help from someone who was efficient and she spent over and hour reprogramming our software after it had been set up incorrectly (by shortcuts). Then everything she spent her time doing was wasted because the system that is shortcuts managed to not save any of her updates. So suffice to say our next 3 training sessions revolved around reprogramming it again. Please please please do your research before signing up to a shortcuts contract. Perhaps do a trial with them first. Because I am signed to a 3 year contract and would honestly have been better off using a paper and pen system. Shortcuts is awkward, cluncky and constantly times out. When id had it over a year i was told extra training would require payment and i even paid for my receptionist to do a course which didnt even touch on the system and turned out to be nothing related to shortcuts at all. The help desk is impossible to get through to. Their systems constantly goes offline. Its very sticky and cluncky. Its not user friendly and it duplicates clients contacts and if you ask shortcuts to fix most issue they will charge you unless you nearly have a nervous breakdown. The marketing tool requires a degree in software programming to be able to use as its completely random and not user friendly. Before i bought S/C I couldn't have been clearer about my needs before I agreed to this system and ive lived to regret it. It was supposed to make booking easier for me and my clients but its been a complete nightmare. Other software companies were honest about what their systems couldn't do but shortcuts promised theirs could do everything on my list and more. And the truth is its not right for some. But it's not even capable of managing my stock which is extensions and Ive given up. I hate leaving reviews like this but after they fasley used a feedback they asked me to do after a training session I feel its my duty to be honest about this system and prevent others from being duped. Pros It looks nice Cons Its useless, not user friendly, over priced and very basic Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SHORTCUTS SOFTWARE Disappointment" December 3, 2019 3.0 Shortcuts used to be innovative but that has gone to their heads. They are not competitive in the market place anymore and bundle services into their offering that is expensive but obsolete in today's market. Pros Well branded Desktop reliability Not much really Cons Archaic in terms of design and use. Very Expensive Being charged for training for what should be support Long contracts (3 years) with an autorenewal clause that made me feel like I am being held as a hostage. The arrogant attitude of the company Reason for choosing Shortcuts It was a legacy product in the business that I bought. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Operations Manager Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good software - Parent company is poor." May 15, 2019 3.0 Originally when independent they were a good company to work with. Jonas has changed this and they are not they same company. Disappointing. Pros It's a fairly easy to use appointment system with some good features, albeit a rather dated configuration. Reports are good and system is capable of handling multi sites, although additional licences are needed. Cons Since Shortcuts was bought out by Jonas, the support, software and general feel of the company has declined. They are very contract focused, with long contracts. Hardware is expensive to buy and it still requires the software to be loaded onto the computer, instead of cloud based like many newer systems. They have lots of 'bolt ons' to regular fees, ramping up the monthly costs. additional licences are needed for additional terminals or remote access, again increasing costs. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Business Owner Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to learn and use" June 5, 2018 3.0 It was simply to use and easier to get staff to use it quicker. Training was minimal. Pros Features are not as robust as other POS systems, so manuevering around is quite simple. It is easy to learn. Cons Features are limited, therefore we cannot get everything running the way we wanted. We had to do some workarounds to get the software where we wanted it to be. Some reports we wanted are not available. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner Events Services Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Great Appointment and Tracking Software" November 15, 2024 4.0 Shortcuts was great for my needs! I needed a way to set up appointments and track the hours of more than a dozen hairstylists and massage therapists. Pros It was easy to set up and cost-effective fro my needs. Cons I didn't have any problems with the application. Review Source RS Roderick S. Owner Used the software for: ### "Tries to be too smart" November 4, 2015 3.0 Pros: Sales staff and pre sales technical staff are amazing. They went above and beyond to get us up and running under very challenging timelines and circumstances. We have more than one location and the ability to share client information is great. Cons: Lack of flexibility in reporting, billing and data capture. We lost all our client history during conversion. Our Experience: When we expanded from a small boutique Spa to a second bigger location at a resort it was obvious that we needed a better application for our Spa and Salon. Shortcuts went above and beyond to work with our bank (not in US) to get CC billing working and get us up and running in a very short time. Because of the time restraints we might have dropped the ball on our end in testing that Shortcuts could handle some of our special reporting and data capture request. I wanted information like new client reports (three different categories of clients and consolidated) with our setup if a new client requested a special employee we have to choose if they are tagged as New or request.. Services in the resort have a Gratuity added but some guest also add an extra Tip.. This causes reporting challenges. They offer some amazing reports that are built around their experience and what owners/managers need. But try to get something like.. All treatments done by an employee with a breakdown of treatment cost, was any discount applied, Gratuity, additional tips All on one report.. Think Not.. Don't want to sound over critical, its a very good product but might not have been the best choice for us. Review Source Response from Shortcuts Software November 7, 2015 Hi Roderick! Thank you for taking the time to chat with your Shortcuts Account Manager Gabe this week. We look forward to the solutions we discussed being put into place to give you access to the reporting that you need. We really appreciate the feedback and thank you for being part of the Shortcuts family. EC Eugene C. Salon Owner Individual & Family Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Choosing Your Software " July 29, 2019 4.0 Pros It encompasses what other brands do alacart into one easy to use, comprehensive data and growth oriented software solutions. Cons Earlier years struggled with products being launched what seemed prematurely, and promises of technology to come which seemed forever to happen. However over the last several years what you provide in my opinion of over 6 years the best software solutions for salons. Review Source VM Verbena M. Cosmetologist/Owner Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Overall Satisfied" August 6, 2019 5.0 Shortcuts customer support is always available and very helpful Pros Shortcuts is very user friendly. I love how it keeps up with my client's histories Cons Sometimes the program license times out which is frustrating and takes unnecessary time I don't have. The pricing is a little high currently but I've used it for 12 years and don't want the hassle of switching Reason for choosing Shortcuts Customer support and pricing Review Source MD Melissa D. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Pros/cons" September 19, 2019 4.0 It does what we need it to do and easy to train new people. Customer service should be more knowledgeable and sales dept is no help at all. Pros I like it keep the history of clients for so long. It is easy to make appointments. Cons It is limited for marketing. With all the clients in our system we should have more marketing options. There are a lot of weird cliches that’s happen at end of day. Review Source PJ Phyllis J. General Manager Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for Beauty Salons and Barber Shops" October 29, 2019 5.0 Overall, I very like the software. We have had it in two businesses. Pros It is user friendly and there are a lot of reports that make it easy for you to access. It tracks working hours by just logging in. Cons It's not so much the software, it's is the fact that you have to pay for ever little feature to grow your business. Reason for choosing Shortcuts It what I know and like. Review Source NR NAOMI R. Business Manager Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "business manager" August 16, 2019 4.0 there are moment where its easy to access, but when the system reboots and a transaction is still showing pending in the system. it is pain trying to clear things up Pros its easy to search up customers name at some points Cons Its need a more creative board to allow front desk clerk to access more and key tips needs to pop u. Review Source AC ANITA C. Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Disappointed" February 1, 2018 1.0 Please listen to your clients I have just had my licence revoked on my remote access when i needed at the most but not only that they have taken my salon one as well how disgusting as it is paid for i am away visiting a very poorly friend overseas and will probably need to fly home to sort out this mess as my salon cant function properly Pros I have not really got a problem with this product. I rarely use in the old days they had an amazing team Cons I found it easy to use as a small salon I cant afford all the extra add ons but I have muddled through Review Source AW Adam W. Salon owner Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best so far" September 17, 2019 5.0 Handles ALSMOt everything I need in salon software Pros Best visually that is available and easy to use Cons Not open to certain custom options would like more custom reports and access to interact with 3rd parties Reason for choosing Shortcuts Less work and already new the system Review Source AZ Angela Z. Owner Packaging and Containers Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Detailed and easy to use!" July 11, 2017 5.0 Helps to organize my business Pros I love how easy this program is to use, and I love all of the reports available to help me keep my salon running smoothly Cons The thing I like least about shortcuts, and it's not really a problem at all is that if my main computer goes down it renders all of my computers useless. I wish there was a way that it could be run remotely without having an on-site main terminal needed Review Source JP Jeannie P. Owner Consumer Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Feedback" September 19, 2019 5.0 Overall I am satisfied with my experience with Shortcuts Software and staff Pros User friendly and great customer service/help desk Cons Access via phone or remote desktop. Difficulty navigating remotely Review Source TC Tey C. Owner of Sharkey's Cuts for Kids in seattle location Cosmetics Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Shortcuts new features" September 23, 2019 5.0 Easy to use and keep tracks of all reports Pros Cloud and new marketing campaigns sms and email Cons Slow if you try to checkout clients and look at the appointment sometimes crash. Review Source KC Karen C. Salon Owner Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Shortcuts Software Review" July 23, 2019 5.0 Pros How easy it is to use and the support from the Shortcuts team. Cons Trying to figure out the online booking. I was the issue not the software. Review Source DC Debbie C. Owner Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Highly recommend " October 18, 2017 5.0 Pros Easy to use, highly known so lots of new staff already know how to use. Online booking on Facebook and Instagram and marketing are great and I love the consultation forms on my tablet that my customers can sign. Report and manage staff from home and staff have access of their diaries on their phones. Cons I'd like more webinars weekly instead of monthly they are good but I would like more of them. It's good to go back over the things that I sometimes forget Review Source KH Kevin H. Owner Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great system!" July 11, 2017 5.0 Easy to customize appointments and services. Online booking is great and different log in securities are a plus. Pros Easy to maneuver and customize, the training sessions are great and super helpful, customer support is always quick to respond Cons Had issues with the second license that couldn't be worked out. Followed their instructions and spent money to have a direct line installed and it still didn't fix it. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Appointment Scheduling](https://www.capterra.com/appointment-scheduling-software/)[Salon](https://www.capterra.com/salon-software/)[Spa](https://www.capterra.com/spa-software/) ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.