What STX Beacon does

STX Software, LLC (operating as Inspire by STX) is a privately held Florida-incorporated software company that has served the salon, spa, and fitness industry since 1984. The company sells an all-in-one cloud-based business management platform — Inspire by STX — that unifies appointment scheduling, client management, point-of-sale checkout, marketing automation, inventory, employee/timeclock management, and reporting across eight SMB sub-verticals: hair salons, nail salons, day/med spas, gyms and fitness studios, waxing salons, tanning studios, barbershops, and massage studios. The platform is delivered as cloud SaaS with companion iOS and Android applications (STX Worker App for staff; STX Welcome App for clients). The company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, operates in the United States and Canada, and is COPPA-compliant.

The product ecosystem extends beyond core scheduling into integrated payments (STX Payments, powered by Clover POS hardware with a meet-or-beat pricing guarantee) and a custom-branded client app add-on available on the Advanced subscription tier. Inspire is offered in five tiered subscriptions (Solo, Lite, Basic, Enhanced, Advanced), with the STX Welcome App available as a +$20/month add-on across all tiers. The business model combines recurring SaaS subscription revenue, Clover hardware sales, and transaction-fee economics from integrated payment processing. Go-to-market mixes self-serve 30-day free trial (no credit card required) with assisted live demos and free data migration from competing systems, targeting both single-location and multi-location SMB operators.

Strategic positioning centers on being an integrated alternative to fragmented point solutions for beauty and wellness SMBs, leveraging four decades of category presence, eight vertical-specific landing pages for SEO, an education platform (Inspire University), and named integrations with Tippy, Textel, Finova Capital, and several salon-industry partners. STX Beacon is referenced as the legacy desktop product line being phased out in favor of the cloud Inspire platform. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or executive team in the input data.

Name

STX Beacon

Legal name

STX Software, LLC

Website

https://stxsoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STX Software (Inspire by STX) provides cloud-based salon, spa, and fitness business management software — combining scheduling, POS, payments, marketing, and inventory — for SMB operators in eight beauty and wellness verticals across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hoffman Estates

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription (Inspire by STX): Tiered subscription model with five levels (Solo, Lite, Basic, Enhanced, Advanced) providing graduated access to features. Higher tiers unlock advanced reporting, email marketing automation, reviews, surveys, and unlimited user logins. STX Welcome App available as +$20/month add-on across all tiers.
2. Payment Processing (STX Payments): Integrated credit card processing via Clover POS with competitive transaction rates. Revenue generated through transaction fees on processed payments. Company emphasizes 'meet-or-beat pricing' to win merchants from competing processors.
3. Custom Client App Add-On: Premium white-label or custom-branded client application available as an add-on to Advanced tier subscribers for additional monthly revenue.
4. Hardware Sales: Clover POS hardware devices sold to merchants for in-store payment acceptance, bundled with STX Payments integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

STX Software provides Inspire by STX, a cloud-based all-in-one business management and scheduling SaaS platform for small service-based businesses such as hair salons, nail salons, spas, and gyms/fitness studios. The platform combines appointment scheduling, client management, point-of-sale checkout, integrated credit card payment processing (STX Payments via Clover POS), marketing automation, inventory management, employee management, memberships, classes, rewards, and reporting/analytics. Companion mobile apps (STX Worker App for staff, STX Welcome App for clients) extend the platform to iOS and Android devices.

Product overview

STX Software offers Inspire by STX as its flagship all-in-one cloud-based business management platform for salons, spas, and fitness businesses. The core Inspire product is available in five pricing tiers (Solo, Lite, Basic, Enhanced, Advanced) and includes essential features like appointment scheduling, client management, point-of-sale checkout, marketing tools, inventory management, reporting, and employee management. The product ecosystem extends through add-on modules including STX Payments (integrated credit card processing via Clover), the STX Worker App (mobile employee companion), the STX Welcome App (client-facing mobile experience), and STX University (training resources). STX Beacon appears to be a legacy desktop product. The company has 40+ years of industry experience serving thousands of businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inspire by STX All-in-one cloud-based business management and scheduling SaaS platform for salons, spas, and fitness businesses. Combines appointment scheduling with Appointment Finder optimization, 24/7 online booking, client management, point-of-sale checkout, integrated credit card processing, marketing automation, inventory management with real-time sync, employee timeclock and payroll reporting, memberships, classes, rewards, and check-in kiosk. Available in five subscription tiers (Solo, Lite, Basic, Enhanced, Advanced).
• STX Payments Integrated credit card processing service for Inspire by STX merchants. Offers meet-or-beat pricing guarantees with no hidden fees, rapid direct deposits, and seamless transaction syncing across Inspire modules. Powered by Clover POS hardware.
• STX Worker App Mobile companion application for Inspire by STX employees available on iOS and Android. Enables staff to book and manage appointments, create service notes, manage client cards, check in guests and check out tickets, scan product barcodes, view the dashboard, and track goals.
• STX Welcome App Client-facing mobile application for Inspire by STX merchants, available on iOS and Android. Enables 24/7 online booking, contactless mobile check-in, push notifications for appointment updates, profile management, rewards points viewing, and eGift Card purchases. Available as a +$20/month add-on across all Inspire subscription tiers.
• STX University Educational training platform for Inspire by STX users, providing learning resources, best practices, and business management tips to maximize software utilization and outcomes.
• STX Beacon (Legacy Desktop) Legacy desktop version of STX Software for salons, spas, and fitness businesses, originally launched in 1984 and now superseded by the cloud-based Inspire by STX platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 available reports for business analytics
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ClovercoreTechnology or IntegrationClover POS hardware integration enables STX Payments credit card processing. Clover devices are offered as the primary payment hardware solution, providing portable POS terminals for in-store transactions with online invoicing and extensive reporting capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mindbody: Mindbody is the largest cloud-based salon, spa, and fitness studio management platform serving both SMB and enterprise customers. Directly competes with Inspire by STX across scheduling, POS, marketing, and client management for the same beauty and wellness verticals.
• Vagaro: Vagaro offers an all-in-one salon, spa, and fitness business management platform with appointment booking, POS, and marketing tools. Closely comparable to STX in target verticals, feature scope, and SMB go-to-market motion with freemium trial.
• Fresha: Fresha is a beauty and wellness marketplace and software platform offering free salon and spa booking software with integrated payments. Competes with STX on integrated payments plus scheduling for the same SMB beauty customer base.
• Booksy: Booksy provides appointment booking and business management software for beauty and wellness professionals. Overlaps directly with STX across salons, barbers, and spas with mobile-first booking experience.
• Phorest Salon Software: Phorest is a salon and spa management platform with strong presence in North America and Europe. Direct competitor to STX in hair salons and spas with comparable features across scheduling, marketing, and client management.
• Boulevard: Boulevard provides salon and spa management software with a focus on premium client experience and self-check-in. Competes with STX in the same upscale salon and spa segment with comparable appointment and POS capabilities.
• Meevo by Harms Software: Meevo is a spa and salon management platform serving both single-location and multi-location operators. Directly competes with STX Inspire across scheduling, POS, inventory, and reporting for the same target verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Square Appointments: Square Appointments is the appointment-scheduling arm of Block's Square ecosystem, combining booking with Square's POS and payments infrastructure. Broadly comparable payment + scheduling bundle offered by a much larger incumbent serving many verticals beyond beauty.
• Acuity Scheduling: Acuity Scheduling (owned by Squarespace) provides appointment scheduling software across many service verticals including salons, spas, and fitness. Overlaps with STX on online booking and reminders but lacks the deep vertical POS and inventory specialization.

Emerging players

• GlossGenius: GlossGenius is a beauty and wellness booking and payments platform targeting independent beauty professionals. Overlaps with STX's Solo-tier offering for individual operators with modern mobile-first booking and integrated payments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stxsoftware
• Facebookfacebook.com/stxsoftware
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stx-software

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STX Beacon