The best Booksy alternatives in the UK (2026)

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There is no single best answer here, because the right tool depends on what you want from it. Some owners want a busy app putting them in front of new clients. Others would rather own their own website and keep every booking commission-free. Both are valid, and we will be honest about where each option shines.

A quick word on who we are

We make Solovi, so please treat this as our own pitch rather than a neutral verdict. We have tried hard to be fair to every tool here, but you should know our bias up front. We are also being completely open about our stage: Solovi is pre-launch with no paying customers yet. Our Founding 100 programme is open, and Bloom Studio is a labelled demo, not a real salon. Judge us on the offer, not on a track record we do not yet have, and always check each provider's own current pricing page before you decide. Prices below are correct at the time of writing and several tools advertise in US dollars, so UK figures and card rates may differ.

What people really want from a Booksy alternative

When owners go looking for a Booksy alternative, the conversation almost always comes down to three things. Cost, because the monthly bill plus any commission adds up and you want to know the real number. Control, because there is a big difference between owning your client list and renting space on someone else's app. And simplicity, because you would rather be cutting hair or treating clients than wrestling with software.

• What does it genuinely cost once card processing and any commission are included?
• Do I own my clients and my online presence, or am I a listing on a shared platform?
• Does it suit my size, whether I am solo, a small team, or a trades business?
• Can I switch over without losing my bookings or my client list?

What Booksy actually costs, and what it is good at

To compare fairly, it helps to be clear on Booksy itself. At the time of writing, the business plan (Booksy Biz) is about £40 per month, plus roughly £5 per month per extra staff member, with card processing on top. Booksy also offers an optional marketplace promotion called Boost, which charges a one-off 30% commission (minimum £5, plus VAT) on a new client's first visit when they come to you through the Booksy marketplace. After that first visit you keep 100%, and Boost is entirely optional. Please check Booksy's current pricing as these figures change.

Booksy's genuine strength is its marketplace. It is a busy consumer app, and for barbers and beauty businesses in busy areas it really can put you in front of people who are actively searching to book nearby. A standalone website cannot do that discovery on its own. The honest trade-off is simply that you are listed alongside your competitors, and the marketplace audience belongs to Booksy, not to you.

The big choice: rent a marketplace listing or own your own site

This is the real spine of the decision. Marketplace tools like Booksy, Fresha and Treatwell can bring you new clients through their consumer apps, which is genuinely valuable. The trade-off is that you appear next to rival businesses, and the relationship with that new client starts on their platform. Own-your-site tools like Vagaro, Square Appointments, Setmore, Acuity, SimplyBook.me, Wix and Solovi do not have a marketplace, so you bring the clients yourself, but everything you build is your own asset. Neither approach is right or wrong. It comes down to whether you value reach you pay for, or ownership you keep.

The best Booksy alternatives in the UK

Here are the genuine options, each with what it is, roughly what it costs, and the honest trade-off. Remember to confirm current pricing on each provider's own page, and treat any dollar prices as needing UK confirmation.

Fresha. A salon and spa platform with a marketplace that is free to start, with no compulsory subscription. You pay card processing, plus a one-off 20% new-client fee on clients who book through the Fresha marketplace (not on your own existing clients), and there are paid add-ons such as marketing. Its genuine strength is a very low cost of entry combined with a marketplace, which is appealing when cashflow is tight. It suits a newer or budget-conscious business happy to monetise extras and marketplace leads. See our note on what Fresha costs in the UK.

Vagaro. An all-in-one salon, spa and fitness platform. Subscription is roughly £20 to £30 per month at the time of writing, scaling with add-ons and staff, with no marketplace commission. Card-processing rates tend to run a little higher than the standard rate, so confirm the current UK figures on their pricing page. Its strength is a deep, all-in-one feature set covering point of sale, marketing and memberships, so it suits an established multi-service business that will genuinely use the breadth. More detail in our Vagaro cost guide.

Treatwell. A large UK and European beauty marketplace with salon software. It is commission-based, charging a new-client commission on first bookings that come through the marketplace, with repeat clients and your own direct bookings not charged that commission. A monthly software fee may also apply. Commission figures move, so please confirm them on Treatwell's partner pricing page. Its strength is a big consumer beauty marketplace with strong UK reach, so it suits beauty salons that specifically want marketplace exposure and accept commission on new clients as a marketing cost.

Square Appointments. Booking software tied to Square's payments ecosystem. It is free for a single location, so the subscription is £0, and you pay Square's card-processing fees per transaction (confirm current UK rates on Square's pricing page). Paid Plus and Premium tiers add features, and there is no marketplace. Its strength is tight, reliable payments and hardware, so it suits a business already using or wanting Square's till and card reader, with booking bundled in.

Setmore. General-purpose appointment scheduling with a genuine free tier (with caps and branding kept, so check Setmore's current limits). The paid Pro plan is priced per user and advertised in US dollars, so confirm UK pricing, and remember a multi-staff team multiplies the cost. Its strength is a real free tier and simple, broad-industry scheduling, so it suits a solo or very small operator who wants free or cheap scheduling and does not need a marketplace.

Acuity Scheduling (by Squarespace). Flexible appointment scheduling, strong for consultations, classes and service businesses. It is subscription only with no permanent free plan (a free trial is usually offered, so check current terms), advertised in US dollars and scaling with the number of calendars or staff, so check the UK figures. There is no marketplace. Its strength is very flexible scheduling logic such as intake forms, packages and classes, and it pairs neatly with a Squarespace website, so it suits consultants, coaches, tutors and class-based businesses.

SimplyBook.me. A highly configurable booking system with a free tier (with limits on bookings and providers, so confirm the current caps on SimplyBook.me). Paid tiers are advertised in US dollars and scale by monthly bookings, staff and custom features, so confirm UK pricing. There is no marketplace. Its strength is deep customisation and a large library of add-on features, so it suits a business with specific or complex booking needs that is happy to configure things feature by feature.

Wix Bookings. A booking add-on inside the Wix website builder. You need a qualifying paid Wix plan (advertised in US dollars, so check Wix's current plans and UK pricing) plus your payment gateway's transaction fees. Its strength is a full website builder and bookings under one roof, so it suits someone who is happy to build their own site themselves.

Goldie (formerly Appointfix). A mobile-first booking app aimed at independent beauty and hair professionals, with a free starter tier and paid plans (check current pricing). Its strength is a phone-first, simple workflow, so it is ideal for a solo professional who runs everything from their mobile and does not need a marketplace.

Timely. A mature, salon-focused subscription platform with a deep feature set built around hair and beauty businesses. Pricing scales with your team, so confirm the current figures on Timely's own page. Its strength is depth and salon-specific tooling, so it suits an established salon that values that breadth and is happy to pay a subscription for it.

Solovi (us). This is our option, so read it with that in mind. Solovi is a UK done-for-you website plus online booking plus Stripe payments plus local SEO for single-location service businesses, with one shared calendar for up to around five staff. The pricing is a flat monthly fee with 0% platform commission on everything: Solo at £19 a month (with a 30-day free trial and no card needed), Local at £39 a month, and Bespoke at £79 a month. Our Founding 100 programme locks Local at £29 and Bespoke at £49 for life for the first 100 customers, there is no setup fee, and the only payment fee is Stripe's standard card-processing rate, which every business pays and on which we add nothing. We also promise live in 7 days or your money back, with a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans. The honest caveat, again, is that we are pre-launch with no paying customers yet.

Quick comparison table

Which one is right for you?

Here is a simple way to narrow it down based on what matters most to you.

• You want a marketplace to find you new clients: Booksy, Fresha or Treatwell earn their place, because discovery through a busy consumer app is something a standalone site cannot do alone.
• You want a deep, all-in-one platform and will use the breadth: Vagaro is built for that, and Timely is a strong salon-focused option.
• You already use Square or want its card reader: Square Appointments bundles booking in neatly.
• You are solo and want free or very cheap scheduling: Setmore, SimplyBook.me or Goldie are worth a look.
• You need flexible booking rules for classes, coaching or consultations: Acuity is the most flexible here.
• You want your own branded website with booking built in, a flat bill and 0% commission, done for you: that is where Solovi fits, with the honest caveat that we are still pre-launch.

Where Solovi fits, honestly

The one honest sentence is this: Solovi is the option for an owner who wants their own branded website with booking and payments built in, rather than a profile inside a shared booking marketplace. It suits owners who already get most of their clients from word of mouth, Instagram or local search and mainly need a professional site and a booking system that is theirs. It suits people who want a flat, predictable monthly bill with no platform commission, and anyone who wants to be set up quickly without building the site themselves.

To be completely fair, Booksy is a genuinely strong, well-established choice, and its busy marketplace can put you in front of people actively looking to book, which a website cannot do on its own. The honest trade-off is about what you want. If discovery through a marketplace matters most, Booksy earns its place. If owning your own site and keeping your bookings commission-free matters more, that is where Solovi fits. You can see a fuller Solovi and Booksy comparison, look over our pricing, or browse businesses in our directory to get a feel for it.

How to switch without losing your clients

Switching sounds daunting, but it is usually straightforward if you take it in order. The key thing to know is that your client list is yours, and most platforms let you export it.

• Export your client list and upcoming bookings from your current tool, usually as a CSV file from the settings or clients area.
• Set up your new system in parallel, adding your services, prices, opening hours and staff before you go live.
• Import your client list and re-create any future bookings so nothing is lost on the day you move.
• Tell your clients with a friendly message, sharing your new booking link so they know where to go.
• Run both side by side for a short while if you can, then close the old account once everything has settled.

Frequently asked

Is there a free alternative to Booksy in the UK? Yes. Fresha is free to start with no compulsory subscription, Square Appointments is free for a single location, and Setmore and SimplyBook.me both offer genuine free tiers with caps on features. With the free options you typically still pay card-processing fees, and marketplace tools may charge a one-off new-client fee. Always check each provider's current pricing page, as the details change.

Does Booksy charge commission, and do the alternatives? Booksy itself does not take a per-booking percentage. Its optional Boost promotion charges a one-off 30% on a new client's first visit through the marketplace, then you keep 100%, and Boost is optional. Fresha charges a one-off 20% on new clients who book via its marketplace, and Treatwell is commission-based on new marketplace clients. Vagaro, Square, Setmore, Acuity, SimplyBook.me, Wix, Goldie, Timely and Solovi do not charge a marketplace commission. Solovi is 0% platform commission on everything.

What is the cheapest booking app for a small salon or barber? For a true zero-monthly start, Fresha and Square Appointments are the obvious picks, since you mainly pay card-processing fees. Setmore and SimplyBook.me free tiers also work for a solo operator. If you want your own website with booking and 0% commission for a flat fee, Solovi's Solo plan is £19 a month with a 30-day free trial and no card needed. Confirm current pricing on each provider's page before deciding.

Can I keep my own clients if I leave Booksy? Yes. Your client list belongs to you, and you can usually export it from your current platform as a CSV file. The new client relationship you formed is yours to keep, so moving tools does not mean starting from scratch. The main thing is to export your data before you close any account, and to let clients know your new booking link.

Do I need a website as well as a booking system? A booking link alone can work, but a proper website helps people find you in local search, builds trust and gives you somewhere to show your work and prices. Marketplace tools give you a profile on their platform rather than a site that is fully yours. Solovi is built around this idea, giving you your own branded website plus booking plus local SEO together, so the two work as one.

How do I move my bookings and client list off Booksy? Export your client list and any future bookings from your current tool, usually as a CSV file from the settings or clients section. Set up your new system with your services, prices and hours, then import the client list and re-create upcoming bookings. Tell your clients with a friendly note and your new booking link, and keep the old account open briefly until everything has moved across smoothly.

Related reading: How much does Booksy cost in the UK?, How much does Fresha cost in the UK?, How much does Vagaro cost in the UK?, Solovi vs Booksy: an honest comparison.