The best salon booking system is one you own and one that brings you new clients, not just one that takes bookings. Most booking apps give you a calendar and a booking link, you pay for as long as you stay, and the marketplace apps take 20% to 35% of a new client's first booking. When you stop paying, you leave with nothing. A booking system built into your own website, linked to your Google Business Profile and backed by local SEO and reviews, takes the booking and helps people find you, and it stays yours.
Key takeaways
- Most salon booking apps are a rented calendar. Stop paying and your booking page goes with them.
- Fresha takes 20% of a new marketplace client's first booking, Booksy Boost 30% and Treatwell 35% plus VAT.
- A calendar can't rank on Google. Your own website, Google profile and reviews can.
- Owning your website and booking system means your clients, reviews and SEO progress stay with you.
- The same setup works for any business that takes appointments, not just salons.
What most salon booking apps actually give you
If you run a nail bar, lash studio, barbershop, brow business or aesthetics clinic, you've probably tried Fresha, Treatwell, Booksy or something like them. They're good at one thing: managing your diary.
But look at what you really get:
- A calendar your clients can pick a time from.
- A booking link for your Instagram bio.
- Reminders, often only on paid plans or charged per text.
- A profile page that shows little more than your name, opening hours and a list of services.
That isn't a website, and it does very little to get you found. None of it works on the thing most salon owners actually need: more people discovering them in the first place.
What Fresha, Treatwell and Booksy charge in the UK
Most booking apps make their money two ways: a monthly subscription, and a commission on new clients who find you through their marketplace. These are the figures each one publishes on its own UK pricing page.
| Booking app | Monthly plan | Fee on a new marketplace client | Returning clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | From £9.95 a month per team member | 20% one-time commission, £4 minimum | No fee |
| Treatwell | From £9.99 a month + VAT | 35% + VAT on the first booking | 0% |
| Booksy (Boost on) | Monthly subscription | 30% one-time commission, £5 minimum | 0% |
Published prices checked on 31 October 2026. Prices change, so check each provider before you sign up.
Take a £60 lash set booked by a new client through the marketplace. On Fresha, £12 of it goes to the app. On Booksy Boost, £18. On Treatwell, £21 plus VAT, so £25.20. Ten new marketplace clients a month on Treatwell and that's over £250 leaving your business, on top of the subscription, for clients who may well have searched for you on Google anyway.
The commission isn't the biggest cost. The biggest cost is that after years of paying, you own nothing that keeps bringing clients in.
Renting vs owning your booking system
Here's the part nobody mentions when you sign up. With a booking app, you pay every month for as long as you stay. Your booking page, the reviews on their app and often your client list live on their platform. The day you stop paying, you're left with nothing.
| Renting a booking app | Owning your own system | |
|---|---|---|
| Booking page | Stops working when you stop paying | Built into your own website, stays with you |
| Reviews | Live on their app | On your own Google Business Profile |
| Getting found | You compete with every salon on their marketplace | Your website and Google profile rank for your area |
| New client fees | 20% to 35% on marketplace clients | No commission on your bookings |
| If you leave | You start again from zero | You keep the website, booking system, Google profile and SEO progress |
More than a booking system: what we build for you
At SAL Digital we don't just hand you a calendar. We build the whole system that fills it, and we do the work for you:
- Your own website with online booking built in. Clients book 24/7 from your site, your Instagram bio or a WhatsApp link. See our websites.
- Google Business Profile optimisation. Photos, services, hours and posts kept fresh, with a Book button on your listing so people can book straight from Google Search and Maps. How we manage Google profiles.
- Local SEO. Your site tuned so you show up when people near you search "nails near me", "lash extensions" plus your area, or "barber open now". More on local SEO.
- Automatic Google review requests after every visit, so your star rating keeps growing. Review management.
- Deposit links that stop no-shows costing you money.
- Automatic messages: confirmation, before-care tips, a reminder the day before, aftercare, a review request and a "time to rebook?" nudge with refer-a-friend.
- Paid ads, if you want them. When you want clients faster, we run Google, Facebook and Instagram ads that send people to your own booking page, not a marketplace.
Everything is set up on your own accounts. Your domain and Google Business Profile are in your name from day one.
How it works with SAL Digital
- Free 15-minute call. Tell us how you work, your services and what's slowing you down.
- An agreed price before we start. No surprises, and no commission on your bookings.
- We build it and show you it working. Your website and booking system, set up for your services, team and opening hours.
- You only pay when it works. Nothing to pay until you've seen it and you're happy.
- One-off or monthly, your choice. Pay once for the build, or monthly with your Google profile, local SEO and reviews managed for you.
- Leave whenever you want. Your website, booking system, Google profile and all the SEO progress stay with you, on the terms we agreed at the start.
Over time, owning your system usually works out cheaper than paying a software subscription and new client commission for as long as you stay, and you end up with something that's actually yours.
Not a salon? It works for any business that takes bookings
The same setup works for any appointment-based business: barbers, nail techs, lash and brow artists, aesthetics clinics, massage therapists, personal trainers, driving instructors, tutors and trades who book quote visits. If your customers need to pick a time, we build the online booking system around how you work, rather than forcing you into one app.
6 questions to ask before you choose a salon booking system
- Who owns it? If you leave, do you keep your booking page, reviews and client list?
- What does each new client cost? Check the commission, not just the monthly price.
- Does it take deposits? Deposits are the simplest way to cut no-shows.
- Does it send reminders and aftercare automatically? That alone saves hours a week.
- Can clients book from your Google profile? That's where most local clients find you.
- Does it help you get found? A calendar can't rank on Google. A website with local SEO can.
See your own booking system working first
Tell us about your salon or appointment business. We'll agree a price, build your website and booking system, and show it to you working. You only pay when it works, and if you ever leave, it all stays with you.
Sources
- Fresha UK pricing, checked 31 October 2026.
- Treatwell partner plans and commission, checked 31 October 2026.
- Booksy Boost (UK), checked 31 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best salon booking system in the UK?
The best salon booking system is one you own and one that helps new clients find you, not just one that takes bookings. Fresha, Treatwell and Booksy are good at managing a diary, but they mostly give you a calendar and a booking link. A booking system built into your own website, linked to your Google Business Profile and backed by local SEO and reviews, takes the booking and brings the client.
Is Fresha free for salons in the UK?
Not any more. Fresha's UK pricing page lists paid plans from £9.95 a month per team member, plus a one-time 20% commission on brand new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace, with a £4 minimum. Returning clients have no fee.
What percentage does Treatwell take from salons?
Treatwell charges 35% plus VAT on a new client's first booking from the Treatwell marketplace. Repeat clients and bookings you take yourself are 0%. Its software plans start at £9.99 a month plus VAT.
How much does Booksy charge for new clients?
With Booksy Boost switched on, Booksy charges a one-time 30% commission on a new client's first visit, with a £5 minimum. Clients who find you through your own channels, such as Google, Instagram or your own booking link, are 0%.
Can clients book my salon straight from Google?
Yes. Your Google Business Profile can show a booking link, so people who find you on Google Search or Maps can book in a couple of taps. We connect your own booking page to your profile, so those bookings never pay a marketplace fee.
Do I need a website if I already use a booking app?
A booking app page isn't a website. Google uses your website to understand what you do and where, which helps you show up for searches like "nails near me". Your website also keeps your prices, photos and reviews in one place you control. If you stop paying for an app, its booking page goes with it. Your own website stays.
What happens to my website and booking system if I leave SAL Digital?
They stay with you. Your domain and Google Business Profile are in your name from day one, and if you leave you take your website, booking system, Google profile and all the SEO progress with you, on the terms agreed before we started.
Can you build a booking system for a business that isn't a salon?
Yes. Any business that takes appointments can use the same setup: barbers, nail and lash techs, brow artists, aesthetics clinics, therapists, personal trainers, driving instructors, tutors and trades who book quote visits.
Syed Latief
Syed founded SAL Digital to help UK small businesses get found on Google and stop losing enquiries. He holds an MBA, is a CPD-certified digital marketer and a certified systems administrator, holds a cyber security essentials certification, and builds and tests every automation SAL Digital sells.