Booksy is one of the best-known booking apps for barbers, stylists and beauty pros, and for good reason: it's easy to use and puts you in front of clients browsing its marketplace. But the bill tends to grow as your business does. Every extra team member adds to the subscription, card fees come on top, and opting into Boost means paying a commission on new clients.
If you're weighing up a switch, this guide compares the main Booksy alternatives on what they actually cost and what you give up, so you can pick the one that fits how your salon or shop runs.
Want bookings without paying per staff member or per new client?
Loop builds you a free booking website from your Instagram, with deposits, rebooking reminders and a loyalty card built in. 0% commission, live in about 5 minutes.
What Booksy costs in 2026
Booksy uses one plan with everything included, priced per person. In the US it's $29.99 a month plus tax for the first user and $20 a month for each extra team member. There's a 14-day free trial and no free plan.
- Solo barber or stylist: $29.99 a month.
- Two people: $49.99 a month.
- Five people: $109.99 a month, before card fees.
On top of the subscription:
- Card processing: from 2.49% + 10¢ on Booksy's card reader, up to 2.69% + 30¢ for keyed-in or online payments.
- Boost: if you opt in to marketplace promotion, Booksy charges a one-time 30% fee on a new client's first visit, capped at $100.
None of that is unusual for the category. The question is whether you're getting enough from the marketplace to justify paying per seat and per new client.
Why salons and barbers look for a Booksy alternative
- Per-person pricing. A growing team pays more every time a chair is filled.
- Paying for clients you could have reached yourself. Boost commission makes sense for genuinely new clients, less so if they would have found your Instagram anyway.
- Your brand sits inside someone else's app. Clients book "on Booksy", next to other shops.
- Retention is up to you. Reminders help, but there's no real reason for a client to come back to you rather than the shop down the road.
The best Booksy alternatives compared
| Tool | Starting price (US) | Extra staff | New-client fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loop | Free to start | No per-seat fee to start | 0% commission | Your own branded booking site plus loyalty and posting rewards |
| Square Appointments | Free; Plus $49/month per location | Free plan is for individuals | None | Shops already using Square for payments |
| Fresha | $19.95/month solo | $14.95 per bookable team member | 20% on marketplace new clients (min $6) | Salons that want a big marketplace for less per seat |
| GlossGenius | $24/month billed yearly ($28 monthly) | Team tools on higher plans | None | Solo artists who want a polished site and flat 2.6% processing |
| StyleSeat | $35/month Premium (often promoted lower) | No extra fee per professional | Marketplace fees apply | Independent stylists who rely on marketplace discovery |
Prices are US list prices checked in November 2026. They change often, so confirm on each vendor's pricing page before you switch.
1. Loop: your own booking website, plus loyalty
Loop takes a different approach. Instead of listing you in a marketplace, it builds a booking website with your name, your work and your prices, pulled from your Instagram. Clients see your availability and book in a few taps.
Around the booking it adds the things that bring clients back:
- Deposits and your own cancellation policy, to cut no-shows.
- Rebooking reminders when a cut, colour or treatment is due, with a one-tap link to book again.
- A loyalty card on their phone, with points or stamps for every visit.
- Posting rewards: clients earn points for sharing their new look on Instagram or TikTok and tagging you, so every appointment advertises the next one.
It's free to start, needs no card and takes 0% commission. The trade-off: there's no consumer marketplace sending you strangers, so it suits shops that already get clients from Instagram, Google and word of mouth.
2. Square Appointments
Square Appointments has a genuinely free plan for individuals, with online booking and reminders. Teams move to Plus at $49 a month or Premium at $149 a month, per location. Card-present payments on paid plans are 2.5% + 10¢. It's the obvious pick if you already take payments through Square, though loyalty and marketing are separate paid add-ons.
3. Fresha
Fresha used to be subscription-free and now charges $19.95 a month for a solo professional or $14.95 per bookable team member. That's cheaper per seat than Booksy. Like Booksy, though, it charges for marketplace clients: a 20% fee (minimum $6) on a new client's first booking through Fresha. See our Fresha alternatives guide for more.
4. GlossGenius
GlossGenius is popular with solo artists for its clean booking site and flat 2.6% card rate with no fixed fee per transaction. Standard is $24 a month billed yearly ($28 monthly), Gold $48 ($56 monthly) and Platinum $148 ($168 monthly). Our GlossGenius alternatives guide goes deeper.
5. StyleSeat
StyleSeat is the closest like-for-like swap: a marketplace for independent stylists. Premium is listed at $35 a month, often promoted lower, with no extra fee for additional professionals. It's worth a look if marketplace discovery is the main reason you're on Booksy.
Clients book with you, not with a marketplace
Your own booking site, deposits, rebooking reminders and a loyalty card that lives on their phone. Free to start, 0% commission.
Build my free booking siteHow to choose
- Most new clients come from the Booksy marketplace? Stay on a marketplace (Booksy, Fresha or StyleSeat) and compare the per-seat and new-client fees.
- Most clients find you on Instagram or by word of mouth? You're paying for discovery you don't need. A branded booking site like Loop or GlossGenius keeps clients yours.
- Already on Square? Square Appointments is the simplest move.
- Struggling with repeat visits? Pick a tool with rebooking reminders and loyalty built in, so you aren't bolting on a separate app.
Switching from Booksy without losing clients
- Export your client list before you cancel, including phone numbers and emails.
- Set up the new booking site first and test a booking end to end.
- Update every link: your Instagram bio, Google Business Profile booking button and any QR codes at the chair.
- Tell regulars directly, with a small thank-you for booking through the new link.
- Run both for a couple of weeks so nobody's existing appointment gets lost.
For a wider look at the options, see our guide to salon booking software for small salons, or compare Vagaro if you also need fuller salon management.