Free salon booking software.
What each plan leaves out.

Is there free salon booking software in the UK?

Yes, you can run a UK salon on free booking software. We found 10 free plans on 2 November 2026. The ones that come closest to a full system are Slotora, which lists deposits, no-show fees and forms at £0, and Slotivo, which is free for one or two people with up to 5 services. Square Appointments’ Free plan has no staff limit but needs a paid plan for no-show fees. Every free plan has a limit somewhere, and which one matters depends on how you work.

We make Covered Beauty, which isn’t free. It’s £9 a month after a 7-day trial. We’ve written this because you’ll compare free plans anyway, and most guides don’t say what’s missing. Everything below comes from each provider’s own page. We haven’t tested them all hands-on, and there are no affiliate links on this page.

What’s the catch with free booking software?

There are four, and most free plans have at least one.

A limit on services. Slotivo and Slotory both stop at 5 services on their free plans. That sounds like plenty until you count. Of the 15 salons that have set up a menu on Covered Beauty, 14 have more than five treatments switched on, and the middle salon has 19. A nail tech with gel, BIAB, acrylics, infills, removals and nail art is past five before she’s added anything else.

A limit on bookings. Goldie’s Starter plan stops at 20 appointments a month, and SimplyBook.me’s free plan at 50. That’s fine for a side business and tight for a full week.

No way to charge for a no-show. Square and SumUp both take money upfront on their free plans, but keep no-show and cancellation fees for paid plans. If no-shows are why you’re looking, check this first.

Someone else pays. Book in Beautiful’s free plan puts a booking charge on your client instead of on you. In its own example that’s £1.50 on a £20 booking. You keep your full price, and your client sees an extra charge at checkout. That suits some salons and not others.

Sources: each provider’s page, linked in the table, checked 2 November 2026. Our salon figures are a count of the treatments switched on at each salon with any, on 3 November 2026. It’s a small sample, so take it as a guide.

Which free plan should I use?

• You work alone and don’t want to pay anything. Start with Slotora or Slotivo Free, and count your treatments before you pick Slotivo.
• You’re just starting and only see a few clients a week. Almost any of them will do. Pick one that lets you take deposits, as that’s the habit worth starting early. Our checklist for newly qualified techs covers what else you need.
• You already take card payments with Square or SumUp. Stay with what you’ve got and add its bookings. Having everything in one app is worth more than a few pence.
• You’re leaving Fresha or Booksy to save money. Check what you’d lose first. Marketplace clients stop, and you’ll want your client list out before you cancel. Our guides to what Fresha costs and Booksy alternatives go through it.
• You run a team. Slotora and Square have no staff charge. Our guide to booking apps for a small salon team compares what 2 to 5 people pay.

When is it worth paying?

When a paid plan saves you more than it costs. For most people that comes down to three things.

• Texts. Clients read a text. If you’d rather not buy credits or rely on email, a plan with texts included is simpler. Covered Beauty’s Solo plan has 50 a month.
• Your menu. If you’ve got more than 5 treatments, a plan with a 5 service cap won’t fit, and the next step up is £10 at Slotivo or £14 at Slotory.
• No-shows. One no-show at £40 costs more than 4 months of a £9 plan.

Covered Beauty is £9 a month for one person, with unlimited bookings and treatments, card deposits and no-show fees on your own Stripe account, consent forms and 50 texts a month. There’s no commission, and you get 7 days free with no card. Slotivo’s £10 plan and SalonBooking’s £9 plan are close to it, so compare all three in UK booking app prices, cheapest first.

Like Slotora’s free plan, our Solo plan keeps a small Covered Beauty line at the foot of your booking page, with our mark at the top. Pro, at £14 a month, puts your own logo at the top and takes the line off once you’ve made your first plan payment.