The best Booksy alternative depends on what you want to change. For marketplace clients, look at Fresha or Treatwell. For card payments and no-show fees, look at Square Appointments. And for a flat fee with no commission, look at Aasure. Booksy itself costs £40 a month plus £5 per extra person, before VAT.
We are one of the seven. Aasure appears below next to six other tools, so read this knowing who wrote it. We say plainly where the others beat us. Also, every price links to the page it came from. Where a company hides its price, we say so rather than guess.
What Booksy costs before you choose a Booksy alternative
Booksy is not the villain in this story, so start with what it actually charges. Booksy's UK pricing page lists £40 a month for one person. Each extra team member then adds £5 a month. On top of that, Booksy adds VAT to the final price. So a three-chair barbershop pays £50, or £60 with VAT.
The same page lists the smaller fees too. Card payments in the app cost 1.29% plus 20p plus VAT. Tap to Pay costs 0.99% plus 20p plus VAT. In addition, fast payouts carry a 1.5% fee. Plans include 500 marketing texts a month, and each extra text costs 5p.
Two things count in Booksy's favour. First, the trial runs for seven days with no card needed. Second, the page says there is no commitment and you can cancel any time. So you are not locked in, which makes any Booksy alternative easy to test side by side.
Because of this, most people searching for a Booksy alternative are not angry about the software. Instead, they want a lower bill, less commission, or a booking page with their own name on it. Knowing which of those you want makes the choice much easier.
Boost is the commission you can switch off
Booksy calls its marketplace fee Boost, and it is optional. Booksy's Boost page says it takes 30% of a new client's first visit, with a £5 minimum. After that first visit, the client is yours, with no further commission.
If the client finds you through your own marketing or social media, you pay £0 commission.
That said, the £5 minimum bites hardest on cheap services. On a £15 skin fade, £5 is a third of the price. So for barbers with low prices, Boost costs more than the 30% headline suggests.
What Booksy does well
Booksy handles no-shows better than most tools here. Its no-show protection page covers deposits, cancellation fees and a card on file. According to Booksy's own guide to deposits, businesses can charge 1–100% upfront, with a £5 minimum.
That matters, because no-shows are expensive. Treatwell research reported by Scratch magazine put the average missed appointment at £39. The same research found 17% of salons now ask for payment upfront. So if deposits keep your diary honest, weigh that before you leave.
Seven Booksy alternative options for barbers and salons
Below you will find seven apps like Booksy, each with the price it publishes. We checked every figure on 28 September 2026. We left Timely out, because its pricing page showed us no prices on that date.
1. Fresha: the closest like-for-like marketplace
As a Booksy alternative, Fresha is the nearest swap if you want to stay on a marketplace. Fresha's pricing page changes its prices by the visitor's country, though. When we checked, it showed us another country's prices. So we could not confirm Fresha's subscription in pounds, and you should ask for it in writing.
The same page does confirm how the marketplace fee works. It is a one-time fee on brand-new clients who find you through Fresha. The page also says: "No fee ever applies to your returning clients." Our Booksy vs Fresha comparison sets the two side by side.
Who it suits: salons and barbers who still need new faces from a marketplace.
2. Treatwell: big reach, and the highest first-visit fee
Treatwell's partner pricing lists 35% commission on first bookings from new marketplace clients. Repeat bookings carry 0%. However, all commission and fees are subject to VAT. Online prepayments add a 2.5% processing fee, plus VAT. Treatwell does not publish its monthly plan prices on that page.
So as a Booksy alternative, Treatwell costs more per new client than Boost does. Even so, the fee stops after the first visit. See our Treatwell alternative page for the full picture.
Who it suits: beauty salons in busy cities with empty midweek slots to fill.
3. Square Appointments: the free Booksy alternative with card payments
Square's appointments pricing lists a free plan for a single location. Plus costs £29 a month per location, and Premium costs £69. In-person card payments cost 1.75% on Free and 1.6% on Plus or Premium. Online payments with UK cards cost 1.4% plus 25p.
Crucially, Square's paid plans can hold a card when a client books. You can then charge a fee for a no-show or a late cancel. That makes Square Appointments the closest Booksy alternative for no-show protection. There is no marketplace, though. Our Square Appointments comparison goes deeper.
Who it suits: barbers and solo stylists who take cards at the chair.
4. Setmore: free for small teams
Setmore's pricing page lists a free plan for up to four users. Pro then costs $12 per user a month, or $5 per user on annual billing. Note that Setmore prices in US dollars. So your sterling bill moves with the exchange rate.
In practice, Setmore is a general booking tool rather than salon software. Still, for a mobile nail tech or a home-based brow artist, it is a Booksy alternative that costs nothing.
Who it suits: mobile and home-based beauty pros on a tight budget.
5. SalonIQ: the move done for you
SalonIQ's pricing page lists £47 a month for a solo stylist. Setup fees may apply, starting from £175 plus VAT. Helpfully, setup includes installation, unlimited online training and data migration. There is no long-term contract, but you give 60 days' notice to cancel.
That data migration is the real draw of this Booksy alternative. Moving a busy diary by hand is the hardest part of any switch. So paying someone to do it can be worth the setup fee.
Who it suits: established salons with several stylists and a long client history.
6. Phorest: quote only, built for bigger salons
Phorest's pricing page names four tiers: Starter, Grow, Ultimate and Elite. However, it publishes no prices, only a "Request a quote" button. The page does say every plan includes unlimited staff. It also says plainly: "We know you're busy, so we don't offer a free trial."
Without a public price, though, you cannot compare this Booksy alternative until you ask for a quote.
Who it suits: multi-chair salons that are happy to talk to a sales team first.
7. Aasure: a flat fee and your own booking page
We make Aasure, so read this Booksy alternative entry with that in mind. Aasure's pricing is £29 a month for up to two staff. Growth costs £59 for up to seven staff, and Scale costs £89 for up to 20. Prices include VAT, and every plan includes every feature. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial, with no card.
There is no commission on any booking, because there is no marketplace. Instead, you get your own booking page, with a link and a QR code for the counter. Our guide to sharing your booking page shows where to find both. You also get a free five-page website and email campaigns to subscribers.
Where Aasure is not the right Booksy alternative yet. Aasure does not take card payments, deposits or a card on file yet, though they are on the way. You can record a cash payment by hand, but nothing is charged online. It also sends no texts. On the plus side, clients can cancel or reschedule online, and your client list imports from a spreadsheet. Still, if deposits run your business, Booksy or Square is the better choice today.
Who it suits: established solo pros and small teams whose regulars already book direct.
Booksy alternative costs side by side
This table compares each Booksy alternative on its own published price. Prices exclude VAT unless the company says otherwise. Our real bill calculator adds card fees back in.
| Tool | One person, a month | Three people, a month | Commission on new clients | Deposits or card on file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booksy | £40 | £50 | Optional Boost: 30%, min £5 | Yes |
| Fresha | Pound price not confirmed | Pound price not confirmed | One-time fee, marketplace only | Not checked |
| Treatwell | Not published | Not published | 35% on first booking | Not checked |
| Square Appointments | £0 (Free) | £0, or £29 Plus per location | None | Plus and Premium |
| Setmore | $0 | $0 (up to four users) | None | Not checked |
| SalonIQ | £47 | Not shown | None | Not checked |
| Phorest | Quote only | Quote only | None | Not checked |
| Aasure | £29 | £59 | None | No, not yet |
Two costs hide outside this table. First, card processing. Say you take £3,000 a month in £30 visits. At 1.29% plus 20p, Booksy's fees come to about £59, before VAT. Second, texts: Booksy includes 500 a month, but many tools charge per message.
Also watch the VAT line. Booksy adds VAT on top of its price. Once your turnover passes £90,000, the UK VAT threshold, you can usually reclaim it. Below that, VAT is simply a fifth more on the bill.
The best Booksy alternative for barbers, beauty pros and solo workers
Barbers
If your prices are low, Booksy's £5 Boost minimum hurts more. If your chairs are already full, turn Boost off first and see what changes. Next, if you take cards at the chair, the closest Booksy alternative is Square Appointments. Its paid plans also charge no-show fees to a card on file.
Beauty and nail salons
If you book long treatments, a no-show costs you more. So a tool without deposits can be a real step backwards. For a busy city salon, Fresha or Treatwell may be the best Booksy alternative, because they keep the marketplace. Meanwhile, SalonIQ and Phorest suit bigger teams that want someone to run the move.
Solo and mobile pros
Solo workers feel per-person pricing least, since there is only one person. Instead, the question is whether you need to pay anything at all. Setmore and Square both start free. Alternatively, if you want your own page and website on a flat fee, Aasure is the Booksy alternative that fits. Just remember it takes no card payments yet.
Whichever route you take, run your numbers through our no-show cost calculator first. Deposits often matter more than the monthly fee.
What switching to a Booksy alternative involves
Switching to any Booksy alternative is mostly about people, not data. After all, keeping a client costs far less than finding one. Harvard Business Review puts a new customer at five to 25 times the cost of keeping one. So plan the move around your regulars.
First, get your client list. Ask Booksy for a full copy before you cancel. Check it includes names, emails and phone numbers. Under UK GDPR, you are usually the controller of your clients' details. That means the list is your responsibility, so store it safely.
Second, change every booking link. That includes Instagram, your website and your Google Business Profile. Google's help page shows how to change a booking link. It also covers removing a third-party booking provider.
Third, tell clients once, clearly. A message about how to book is service information. In fact, the ICO says the law does not stop you telling customers what they need to know. However, add an offer and it becomes marketing.
Finally, run both until the old diary empties. Keep Booksy open until the last booked appointment has happened. Then cancel.
Our guide to switching booking software turns this into a three-week plan. For a one-to-one view, see our Booksy alternative comparison page. And if commission is the real worry, our breakdown of booking commission fees runs the maths across every marketplace.
Common questions
What is the best Booksy alternative?
It depends on what you want to change. For marketplace clients, look at Fresha or Treatwell. For card payments and no-show fees, Square Appointments Plus is the closest match. And for a flat fee with no commission and no per-chair pricing, look at Aasure.
How much does Booksy cost?
Booksy's UK pricing page lists £40 a month for one person, plus £5 for each extra team member. Booksy adds VAT on top. Card payments cost 1.29% plus 20p plus VAT. Boost is optional and takes 30% of a new client's first visit, with a £5 minimum.
Does Booksy take commission on every booking?
No. Booksy only takes commission through Boost, which you can switch off. Even then, it applies only to a new client's first visit. Booksy says that if a client finds you through your own marketing, you pay no commission.
Is there a free Booksy alternative?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free plan for a single location. Setmore is free for up to four users. Both are real free plans, not trials. However, Square's no-show fees need the paid Plus or Premium plan.
Can I take my clients with me when I leave Booksy?
Yes, but ask for your client list before you cancel. Check that it includes names, emails and phone numbers. Keep your Booksy account open until your last booked appointment has happened, so nobody falls through the gap.
Your own booking page, one flat fee.
Aasure gives you a booking page, a client list and a free five-page website. There is no commission on any booking and no charge per chair. It does not take card payments yet. Try it free for 30 days, with no card needed.
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