Gloss vs BackBar Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gloss
This app helps hair colorists and stylists manage client information and save hair color formulas. It allows for easy client import, photo capture, and communication, streamlining salon operations for professionals.
- Save color formulas
- Manage client details
- Import/add clients
- Snap appointment photos
- Track client charges
- Contact clients
- Set birthday reminders
Read full descriptionHide full description
For hair colorists and stylists who are tired of index cards and makeshift salon appointment solutions, Gloss is the simple way to save hair color formulas and client info. Unlike other apps, it is easy-to-use and designed specifically for the hair industry. Gloss is the essential app for the modern hair colorist. “Exactly what I was looking for.” - Colorist, Serge Normant at John Frieda “My favorite new app.” – Harry Josh Here's the deal: -Save color formulas and client details -Import existing clients or add new ones -Snap photos for each appointment -Keep track of what you charge each client -Contact clients via email or phone -Send mass emails to multiple clients -Share photos via social media -Set birthday reminders -Get a daily reminder to enter formulas -Keep supplies lists -Use the app on multiple devices Got feedback? We’re all ears. Hit us up at: info@glossapp.club --- Join free for a month. Then, it's only $2.99/month* when you purchase an annual subscription ($35.99/year) or $3.99/month with a monthly subscription. If you enjoy your Gloss trial, your membership will automatically continue for as long as you choose to remain a member. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. View our Terms of Use here: https://glossapp.club/terms-of-use *Price may vary in countries outside the US including Canada and Australia due to Apple’s tax treatment policy.
BackBar Pro
Manage client information, hair formulas, and appointments for your salon business. Streamline booking, payments, and track expenses and income to understand your business's financial health.
- Unlimited client profiles with history
- Digital intake forms and waivers
- Formula vault for color mixing
- Online booking page
- Integrated payment processing
- Expense and income tracking
- Appointment reminders
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your chair, your clients, your color, your money. One app that remembers all of it. BackBar Pro is built for the stylist who is also the front desk, the bookkeeper, and the only person who remembers that Sarah went brassy last July. Everything about a client lives in one place, and it is still there a year later. CLIENTS YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBER Unlimited client profiles with hair history, allergies and sensitivities, before and after photos, and notes from every visit. Digital intake forms and waivers you send by text or email and they fill out on their phone. Moving from another app? Import your whole book from a CSV. A FORMULA VAULT, NOT A NOTEBOOK Build a formula the way you actually mix it: color, lightener, developer, timing, and weights. Attach the finish photo. Save it to your vault, search it, and pull it back up at the next appointment. Every visit keeps its own exact formula, so you can see what you changed and why. BOOKING THAT PROTECTS YOUR TIME Your own online booking page with your services, your hours, and your rules. Take deposits at booking. Let clients reschedule or cancel from a link, inside the window you set. Keep a waitlist and fill a cancellation with one tap. Charge no-show and late-cancel fees when you need to. GET PAID, HOWEVER THEY PAY Card payments and card on file through Stripe. Payment QR codes for Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App. Cash. Gift cards you sell and redeem right in the app. Receipts sent by text or email the moment you close out. KNOW WHAT COLOR COSTS YOU The Color Bar turns your back bar shelf into real numbers. Scan a bottle or an invoice to add products, watch the cost of the bowl while you mix, and push that cost onto the appointment. Get a nudge when something is running low, before you are standing there without it. The Color Bar is part of Premium. MONEY AND TAXES, HANDLED Track expenses by deduction category and see income, expenses, and profit by month. Every plan helps you set money aside for taxes. Premium adds receipt scanning from a photo, a full federal and state estimate, reminders before quarterly deadlines, and a year-end package your accountant can drop straight onto a Schedule C. REMINDERS THAT CUT NO-SHOWS Automatic appointment reminders by email on every plan, and by text message on Premium. Booking confirmations, reschedule notices, and alerts on your phone when something changes on your day. REPORTS WORTH READING Revenue, average ticket, and rebook rate on every plan. Premium adds profit, chair utilization, top services, and top clients. Set a monthly goal and watch the pace against it. BUILT FOR HOW YOU WORK iPhone and iPad, plus a full web app at backbarhq.com, all on the same account. Start a note on your phone between clients and finish it on a big screen at the end of the night. WHO IT IS FOR Independent hairstylists, colorists, booth renters, and small studio owners who want one calm system instead of five apps, a group text, and a notes file. Privacy policy: https://backbarhq.com/privacy Terms of service: https://backbarhq.com/terms Questions: support@backbarhq.com BackBar Pro is made by Backbar HQ LLC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BackBar Pro at 100% against Gloss's 53%. BackBar Pro also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Gloss's advantage is ratings volume (624 vs 5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Gloss sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. BackBar Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
BackBar Pro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gloss has 624 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Gloss's written reviews are positive against 100% of BackBar Pro's.
Gloss ships an update every 10 days, BackBar Pro every 6 days. Both last shipped on September 19, 2026.
| Parameter | Gloss | BackBar Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (624 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 624 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 115 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rentroom Inc. | Backbar HQ LLC |
Customer experience
Gloss
BackBar Pro
Bugs and requests
Gloss
Reported bugs
4 issues- Incorrect date and time stamps after updates
- Inability to access client data and formulas after updates
- Login and account access issues
- Syncing and data loss problems
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to edit client names and delete clients
- Improved note formatting and display
- Ability to print or export formulas
- Support for multiple currencies
- Android app version
BackBar Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Gloss
- Gloss1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- Gloss1 Month trial$35.991 Year
BackBar Pro
No in-app purchases









