# ChairBook: an appointment app for independent stylists, built and run by ODEL

> How ODEL built ChairBook, an iPhone appointment calendar for independent hairdressers, barbers and beauty pros: day and week views, client records, shared reminders and subscriptions.

ChairBook is an iPhone appointment calendar for independent hairdressers, barbers and beauty professionals, designed, built and published by ODEL. It has day and week views, a service menu with prices and durations, client records with visit history and notes, reminder cards sent through the stylist's own messaging apps, and appointment history and revenue reports. It is built with Expo and React Native as a native shell around a React and Vite interface, keeps data on the device, and sells monthly, yearly and lifetime plans through StoreKit. The App Store listing covers 43 languages. It shows how ODEL scopes a focused tool for one kind of small business instead of copying a full booking suite.

## The problem

Independent stylists manage their own bookings from a phone, often with a paper book or a notes app. Booking suites like Square Appointments and Booksy add POS and marketplace features a solo professional may not need. ChairBook is a phone-first appointment book for one person.

## What ODEL built

- Day and week appointment calendar
- Service menu with prices and durations
- Client records with contact details, visit history and notes
- Reminder cards shared through the stylist's own messaging apps
- Appointment history and revenue reports
- Home Screen shortcuts to create an appointment or open today's schedule
- Paywall with store-loaded prices, restore and subscription management

## Technology

- **App shell**: Expo SDK 55 and React Native 0.83
- **Interface**: React 19 and Vite, hosted in react-native-webview
- **Data**: Local storage on the device, no backend
- **Purchases**: expo-iap (StoreKit)
- **Native features**: expo-notifications, expo-quick-actions, expo-store-review, expo-updates
- **Attribution**: Meta SDK with consent and App Tracking Transparency

## Launch and growth

- Live on the App Store for iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later)
- Store listing in 43 languages
- Version 1.1.0 released 2026-09-23 with Home Screen shortcuts and reworked paywalls
- Free download with Monthly Pro, Yearly Pro and Lifetime Unlock purchases

## What we learned

- Sending reminders through the stylist's own messaging apps avoids running an SMS backend. For a client project, this kind of choice can remove a server and a monthly bill from the scope.
- Paywalls should show prices loaded from the store and offer a close button right away; ChairBook 1.1.0 was updated to do both, which also keeps App Review simple.
- A web interface inside a native Expo shell can ship fast while still using native notifications, purchases and quick actions.

Product page: https://www.odel.dev/app/chairbook

Start a project: https://www.odel.dev/services#start (form) or info@odel.dev. ODEL quotes each project after a short discovery call; it does not publish fixed prices.

Page: https://www.odel.dev/work/chairbook