StudioSlot vs. Amelia: which booking plugin fits your salon?

StudioSlot Free is live. Pro and any migration path come later. Pro is a waitlist, not a checkout. StudioSlot 1.0.0 has no Amelia importer, no free migration audit, and no one-click switch.

At a glance

The Amelia Lite wall

Amelia Lite is a real booking plugin, but it is a one-employee plugin. Its Employees menu is not included in Lite; a single provider is configured in settings. That works for a solo chair. It stops working as a free solution when you add a second stylist, booth renter, nail tech, or massage therapist.

StudioSlot Free does not put that feature behind Pro. Add your whole team under StudioSlot → Staff, choose which services each person performs, and clients can choose a professional on the booking form. Unlimited staff, services, and appointments are part of the live free plugin.

The paid ladder, without a remembered price grid

Amelia's paid catalog is broad. It is also sold in tiers, and the live pricing page uses changing promotions. Rather than publish stale or conflicting numbers, we link directly to wpamelia.com/pricing.

The practical question is what you need to unlock: additional employees, payment choices, calendar and meeting integrations, packages, recurring appointments, event tools, and other advanced features live somewhere on Amelia's paid ladder. Confirm the current plan and price on Amelia's site before buying.

When to stay on Amelia

• You take payment during booking today. Amelia Lite includes Square, and its paid plans add payment capabilities. StudioSlot 1.0.0 takes no payments.
• You need Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Meet, or Apple Calendar sync today. StudioSlot does not sync calendars yet.
• You run events, tickets, packages, or recurring series. Amelia is built for those jobs; StudioSlot is deliberately appointment-shaped.
• You value an established product. Amelia has 90,000+ active installs and a 4.6-star rating. StudioSlot is new.
• Your current Amelia setup already works. Switching for its own sake is not worth risking a working booking flow.

When to try a fresh StudioSlot setup

• You hit Amelia Lite's one-employee wall and do not want a paid plan just to add a second bookable person.
• You want a form that starts with service → professional → time and beauty-shaped defaults.
• You can take payment at the chair or separately for now.
• You do not need calendar sync this month.
• You are willing to re-enter services and staff manually.

Honest install path

This is a parallel setup, not a migration wizard. Leave Amelia installed while you test.

1. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New, search for StudioSlot, then install and activate it.
2. Open StudioSlot → Services and add the services you sell, with duration and price.
3. Open StudioSlot → Staff, add yourself and your team, and choose who performs each service.
4. Set business hours, minimum notice, and how far ahead clients can book.
5. Put [studioslot] on a test page. When you are satisfied, change the shortcode on your public Book Now page.

What StudioSlot cannot do yet

• No Stripe, Square, deposits, or card checkout in StudioSlot 1.0.0.
• No Google, Apple, Outlook, Zoom, or Meet sync.
• No SMS in 1.0.0.
• No events, tickets, packages, or recurring series.
• No live Pro product. Planned Pro is waitlist-only.
• No Amelia importer, audit, or one-click switch.

Facts checked against StudioSlot and Amelia's public pages on August 27, 2026. Competitor plans and promotions change; verify Amelia's current pricing and feature grid before purchasing.