Last updated 20 October 2026
Booking system for salons.
Short version: a salon booking system is two products sold as one. There is the software, the diary, reminders and deposits, which every system does well. And on some of them there is a marketplace that finds you clients and takes a cut. Choose on the first; be very sure you want the second.
On published UK prices, the software costs anything from £0 to about £65 a month for a team of six, before VAT. What really separates them is whether bookings through your own link stay commission-free, which plan you need for the Google button and no-show fees, and how hard it is to leave.
Everything here about Phorest's contract comes from its own published terms and conditions, last read on 20 October 2026. Every other system's pricing page and terms were read the same day. Terms get revised, so check yours against the current version before you act on anything.
The number nobody works out
What it costs as your team grows.
Each system charges differently: per person, per location, by how many bookings you take. So the cheapest for one stylist is not the cheapest for six. Monthly, before VAT, from each company's own UK pricing page:
| System | 1 person | 3 people | 6 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments Free | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Fresha | £14.95 | £29.85 | £59.70 |
| Ovatu Neat | £20 | £32 | £50 |
| Salonized Appointments | £25 | £33 | £45 |
| Booksy | £40 | £50 | £65 |
Three more that do not fit a simple row. Timely starts at £4 a week, about £17 a month, with unlimited team members, and the bill moves up and down with how many bookings you take. SimplyBook.me is priced on bookings, not people: £12.90 a month covers up to five staff and 100 bookings. Phorest and Treatwell do not publish prices at all, so you only find out on a sales call.
Every figure here excludes VAT. If your salon is under the VAT threshold, that 20% is a real cost you cannot claim back, so add it on before you compare.
Read this before you sign
Which ones take a cut.
Some booking systems come with a marketplace attached, and the marketplace charges commission on the new clients it sends you. That cut is on top of the monthly fee, so it belongs in the comparison.
| System | Marketplace commission | Can you avoid it? |
|---|---|---|
| Fresha | 20% of a new client's first visit, min £4 | Not without turning off online booking |
| Booksy | 30% of the first visit, min £5, with Boost on | Yes, leave Boost off |
| Treatwell | 35% of first bookings, plus VAT | Only bookings through your own channels are free |
| Salonized | 35% on new Treatwell bookings, as an add-on | Yes, it is optional |
| SimplyBook.me | None, the listing is free | Nothing to avoid |
| Timely | "No new client fees" | Nothing to avoid |
| Square Appointments | None, it is not a marketplace | Nothing to avoid |
Two things stand out. Salonized is owned by Treatwell, and its marketplace add-on charges the same 35%. And Fresha is the only one where the marketplace and its fee come with online booking whether you want them or not. We take the three marketplaces apart in Fresha vs Booksy vs Treatwell.
Check the plan, not the brochure
The features hiding on dearer plans.
Two features earn a salon the most money: a Book button on Google, so people who search your name can book without calling, and a fee you can charge when somebody does not turn up. They are not on every plan.
| System | Book button on Google | No-show or late cancellation fee |
|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments | Free plan | Plus plan, £29 a month |
| Timely | Boost plan and above, not Run | Boost plan and above |
| Phorest | Ultimate plan and above | Deposits from Starter |
| Ovatu | Both plans | Deposits on both plans |
Before you choose a plan on price, check it has both. How the Google button works, and what each provider charges when a client books through it, is in Reserve with Google.
What you sign up to
Getting out, and taking your clients.
None of the ranking comparisons reads a contract. Here is what each one's own terms say about leaving.
| System | Notice | Your client data |
|---|---|---|
| Phorest | A one-year term that renews itself unless you give two months' written notice; leave early and you owe the rest of the year | Pull contacts yourself, or a full export by an engineer in up to 15 business days, at your cost; data may be destroyed after 60 days |
| Fresha | 30 days in writing | Excel or CSV export, up to 30 days after you leave |
| Timely | 14 days, billed during the notice | Account may be deleted after you leave |
| Booksy | 7 days before the billing cycle ends | Ask support; deleted 3 months after you leave |
| Square, Salonized, Ovatu, SimplyBook.me | Cancel any time | Ovatu may lock and delete data five days after a missed payment |
Phorest is the one to read twice. It is the only system here on an annual contract that renews itself, and it is priced by quote, so you sign a year without a published price to compare against. Export your client list before you give notice on any of them.
The other bill
Card fees, side by side.
Deposits and card-on-file no-show fees run through the system's own payments, so the card rate is part of the price.
| System | In the salon | Online or deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments | 1.75% (Free), 1.6% (Plus) | 1.4% + 25p |
| Fresha | 1.19% + 20p | 1.40% + 25p |
| Timely | 1.59% + 5p | 1.85% + 30p |
| Booksy | 0.99% + 20p (Tap to Pay), plus VAT | 1.29% + 20p, plus VAT |
The honest verdict
So which one should you pick?
| If you are… | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, money tight | Square Free or Fresha | £0, or £14.95, and both give you a Book button |
| Renting a chair | Fresha, Ovatu or Square Free | Per person or free, no contract to get stuck in |
| A team of three to six | Square Free, Salonized or Ovatu | Square is free per location; Salonized and Ovatu are the cheapest per head |
| Busy and fully booked | Anything without a forced marketplace | You do not need finding, so do not pay a finder's fee |
| Wanting new faces fast | Booksy with Boost on | The marketplace you can switch off again when the diary fills |
And whichever you choose, put its booking link everywhere you own: your website, your Instagram bio and your Google listing. That is where bookings cost you nothing on every system above.
The bigger picture
The diary is cheap. The clients are not.
The software is the easy part, and the difference between the cheapest and the dearest is a few pounds a week. The expensive part is where your new clients come from. If they arrive through a marketplace, you pay a cut and the profile they found stays with the platform. If they arrive through your own website and your own Google listing, the booking is free and the client was always yours.
We think a client should be yours alone, the same argument we make to trades about the shared-lead trap. Pick the cheapest diary that does the job, then spend your effort on the front door.
Why us
Why take our word for it?
We build websites and run ads that send bookings to a business's own booking link, so we have a view. But we do not sell booking software and make nothing from which of these you pick. Every price and clause on this page comes from each company's own UK pricing page and terms, not from a reseller's blog.
Straight answers
Questions owners actually ask.
- What is the best online booking system for a salon?
- The one whose bill still makes sense when your team grows and whose bookings through your own website, Instagram and Google cost nothing. For a solo stylist that is usually Fresha at £14.95 a month or Square Appointments' free plan. For a team, Salonized and Ovatu stay cheaper per head than Booksy, and Square charges per location rather than per person. Avoid any system that ties you into a year you cannot get out of without reading the terms first.
- How much does salon software cost?
- From nothing to about £65 a month before VAT for a team of six, on published UK prices. Square Appointments Free is £0 for one location with unlimited staff. Fresha is £14.95 solo or £9.95 per team member. Ovatu Neat is £20 plus £6 per extra person, Salonized from £25 plus £4, Booksy £40 plus £5. Timely starts at £4 a week and moves with your bookings. Phorest and Treatwell do not publish prices. Every one of these figures excludes VAT.
- Is there a free salon booking system?
- Yes. Square Appointments Free costs £0 for a single location with no limit on staff, and includes online booking, text and email reminders, prepayments and a Book Now button for Instagram, Facebook and Google. To charge a no-show fee to the card on file you need its £29 Plus plan. SimplyBook.me has a free plan too, capped at 50 bookings a month and one provider. You pay card fees on both.
- Is Fresha free for salons?
- No. Fresha charges £14.95 a month for one person or £9.95 per team member, before VAT, and takes 20% of a new client's first visit, minimum £4, when it decides they found you through its marketplace.
- What is the best booking system for hairdressers who rent a chair?
- One priced per person with no contract, because a chair renter can move on at short notice. Fresha's £14.95 solo plan, Ovatu's £20 plan and Square's free plan all fit. One thing to know: Google's Book button through a booking partner is not open to booth renters, so a chair renter's route onto Google is their own booking link on their own Business Profile.
- Can I take my clients with me if I change booking system?
- Usually, but how easily varies. Fresha lets you export your list as Excel or CSV for up to 30 days after you leave. Phorest says you can pull client contacts yourself, but a full export from Phorest needs an engineer, takes up to 15 business days and is at your expense. Export before you give notice, and check whether reviews come with you: on Treatwell they do not.
Keep reading
More straight answers for trades.
Want bookings that come straight to you?
See what it costs, then tell us about your business and we'll show you what a website that fills the diary on your own link looks like. Got a question first? Just message us.