What are the best Booksy alternatives in the UK?
Booksy costs £40 a month plus VAT, so £48 a month for a solo tech who isn’t VAT registered, plus £6 with VAT for each extra person. It’s worth it if its app brings you clients you wouldn’t otherwise get. If your clients come from Instagram, Google or word of mouth, you can get the same core tools for less. Slotivo’s Paid plan is £10 for any size of team, SalonBooking is £9 for one person, and Covered Beauty, which we make, is £9 for one person or £19.99 for up to five. Slotora and Square Appointments have free plans. Prices read on 2 November 2026.
We make Covered Beauty, so read this knowing that. Every other figure links to where it’s published, and there are no affiliate links on this page.
How much is Booksy a month?
Booksy isn’t free. There’s a 7-day free trial with no card needed, then one plan with everything in it.
| Your team | Booksy’s price | With VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Just you | £40 | £48 |
| 2 people | £45 | £54 |
| 3 people | £50 | £60 |
| 5 people | £60 | £72 |
Booksy says VAT is added to the final price, and that goes for its transaction fees too. If you aren’t VAT registered you can’t claim it back, so a solo tech pays £576 a year.
Taking payment through Booksy costs 1.29% + 20p + VAT a transaction, or 0.99% + 20p + VAT with Tap to Pay. On a £40 payment that’s about 86p and 72p with VAT. Payouts in 30 minutes cost 1.5% on top.
What does the subscription include?
More than the price alone suggests, and it’s fair to count it:
- Unlimited bookings
- Appointment confirmations and reminders, free
- 500 marketing texts a month, then 5p each
- Custom forms and liability waivers
- Waitlists and no-show protection
- A listing on Booksy’s marketplace and app
- Reserve with Google
Some cheaper plans don’t include texts at all, so check that before you compare on price alone.
Source: Booksy UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026.
How do Booksy Boost fees work?
Boost is optional. Switch it on and Booksy shows you more prominently on its marketplace and app. When a client books you for the first time while Boost is on, you pay 30% of that first visit once, with a £5 minimum, plus VAT. After that, you pay nothing on that client.
| First visit | Fee | With VAT |
|---|---|---|
| £15 | £5 (the minimum) | £6 |
| £40 | £12 | £14.40 |
| £90 | £27 | £32.40 |
With Boost off, marketplace bookings are free. Booksy says clients who come through your Instagram or Facebook button, Google, your own link or a QR code carry no commission either way, so share those while Boost is on.
If Boost is the problem, you may not need to leave. Switch it off and keep everything else. Before you do, look at which new clients came back, because a client who returns every month can be worth the fee.
Source: Booksy UK pricing and Booksy Boost, checked 2 November 2026.
Is Booksy worth it?
Do the sum for your own diary. Once VAT’s on, Booksy costs £39 a month more than our £9 Solo plan, so one extra £40 client a month from Booksy’s app more than covers the difference.
| Your situation | Is it worth it? |
|---|---|
| Booksy’s app sends you a new client or two a month who come back | Probably yes |
| You’re a barber and your clients expect to find you on Booksy | Probably yes |
| You use the marketing texts and waitlists | It could be |
| Nearly all your clients come from Instagram, Google and word of mouth | Probably not |
| You only use the diary, deposits and reminders | Probably not |
| You’ve got a team of five | Compare it, flat plans cost much less |
To check, look at where your last 20 new clients came from. If few came from Booksy, you’re paying for reach you aren’t using.
What do the alternatives cost?
What each provider listed on 2 November 2026, sorted by what one person pays a month. The order isn’t a ranking. VAT is added where the provider says it’s added, Slotivo’s prices include it, and the others don’t say, so check at checkout.
| Plan | One person | Five people | Texts included | Deposits | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SlotoraSource: Slotora pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £0 | £0 | Prepaid credits | Yes | Yes |
| Square Appointments FreeSource: Square Appointments UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £0 | £0 | Yes | Yes, no-show fees need Plus | Contracts |
| Slotivo FreeSource: Slotivo pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £0 | Not offered, 1 or 2 people | Email only | Yes | Yes |
| Covered BeautyOurs. See the plans | £9 | £19.99 | 50 a month, or 300 on the Team plan | Yes | Yes |
| SalonBookingSource: SalonBooking pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £9 | £19 | Credits, sold separately | Yes | Yes |
| Slotivo PaidSource: Slotivo pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £10 | £10 | Email only | Yes | Yes |
| Treatwell ConnectSource: Treatwell UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £11.99 | £29.99 | Free text reminders | Yes | Not stated |
| GlamlySource: Glamly pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £14.99 | Solo plan only | 100 WhatsApps | Yes | Yes |
| FreshaSource: Fresha UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £17.94 | £59.70 | 20 a month each, then 6p | Yes | Yes |
| GlowSource: Glow pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £19 | £19 | 50 | Yes | Yes |
| LushLaneSource: LushLane pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £22 | £32 | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| BooksySource: Booksy UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026 | £48 | £72 | Free reminders, 500 marketing texts | Yes | Yes |
If you still want a marketplace, Fresha charges 20% once on a new marketplace client, minimum £4 plus VAT, and Treatwell charges 35% plus VAT on a new client’s first booking. Our guide to booking apps with no commission sets out who charges what, and when.
Source: Fresha UK pricing and Treatwell UK pricing, checked 2 November 2026.
If you want something free, read what each free plan leaves out first. Every plan in UK booking app prices, cheapest first has its source and date.
Why you might choose Covered Beauty. You get card deposits and no-show fees on your own Stripe account, consent forms with 23 ready-made templates, and 50 texts a month, for £9 with no booking commission. There’s an iPhone app for running your day. It has no big marketplace, so it won’t find you new clients the way Booksy can. Covered Beauty vs Booksy puts the two side by side.
How do I leave Booksy?
- Ask for your client list first. Booksy’s UK help centre says to email its support team at info.gb@booksy.com. There’s no export button in that guide, so ask a week or two before you want to move, and ask for your upcoming appointments in the same email.
- Set up your new system and bring your clients across.
- Tell clients who found you in the Booksy app. They’ll look for you there, so message them your new link before you close your profile.
- Then cancel. Booksy’s pricing page says you can cancel any time. We couldn’t find a UK help page on how, so ask its support team in writing and ask them to confirm your last day.
Sources: Booksy UK help: How do I obtain a copy of my client list, checked 24 October 2026, and Booksy UK pricing, checked 3 November 2026.
Our guide to moving from Booksy covers what comes with you, what stays behind and cancelling. Your Booksy reviews stay on Booksy, and your Google reviews stay on your Google profile. Rather we did the move? Send us what Booksy sends you and we’ll do it.
Questions about Booksy
What are the best Booksy alternatives in the UK?
Booksy costs £40 a month plus VAT, so £48 a month for a solo tech who isn’t VAT registered, plus £6 with VAT for each extra person. It’s worth it if its app brings you clients you wouldn’t otherwise get. If your clients come from Instagram, Google or word of mouth, you can get the same core tools for less. Slotivo’s Paid plan is £10 for any size of team, SalonBooking is £9 for one person, and Covered Beauty, which we make, is £9 for one person or £19.99 for up to five. Slotora and Square Appointments have free plans. Prices read on 2 November 2026.
Is Booksy free?
No. There’s a 7-day free trial, then it’s a monthly subscription with everything in one plan, so there’s no cheaper tier.
Do you have to pay for Booksy?
Yes, after the 7-day trial. It’s £40 a month plus VAT, and £5 plus VAT for each extra person.
Does Booksy always take 30%?
No. The 30% is only on a client’s first visit while Boost is switched on, and only if Boost found them. With Boost off, marketplace bookings carry no commission.
Is there a free alternative to Booksy?
Yes. Slotora, Slotivo Free and Square Appointments Free all list online booking and deposits at £0, each with limits.
Can I keep my clients if I leave Booksy?
Yes. Booksy’s UK help centre says to ask its support team for your client list. Then upload it to your new system.
Spotted something out of date? Email hello@covered.technology and we’ll check it and change it.
What else should you read?
Moving from Booksy to Covered Beauty
Ask Booksy for your client list, bring your menu and bookings across, and what to tell clients. Or we do it for you.
Read the guideFree salon booking software in the UK: what each plan leaves out
Ten free plans side by side, and the limit on each one that decides whether it’ll work for you.
Read the guideBooking app for a small salon team: what 2 to 5 people pay
Per-person plans against flat ones for 2, 3 and 5 people, with VAT, and what a small team needs from a shared diary.
Read the guide