SalonBooking vs Booksy
Booksy has 35 million consumers in their marketplace.
That's also why they're expensive.
Booksy's marketplace can drive new clients to your salon. The trade-off: subscription fees that scale with team size, and you're a small fish in their pond.
TL;DR
- · Booksy starts at $29.99/month for one user. Plans go to $119.99/month for unlimited staff.
- · Booksy charges card processing fees of 2.49% + 10¢.
- · Booksy's marketplace charges commissions on new bookings driven through it.
- · SalonBooking is free during early access. No marketplace, no commission, no payment processing markup.
- · Booksy is strong in Poland, Germany, the UK, Spain. Weaker in MENA, South Asia, Latin America.
The actual cost
What a busy 5-chair shop pays
Booksy's pricing tiers from public pages. Modelled at 200 bookings/month, 25 of those from new clients found via the Booksy marketplace.
| Cost line | Booksy | SalonBooking |
|---|---|---|
| Base subscription (5 staff, Biz+ tier) | ~$79.99/mo | Free |
| Marketplace new-client fees (estimate) | $100–200/mo | No marketplace |
| Card processing (200 × $50 × 2.49% + 10¢) | $269/mo | Use your own processor |
| Multi-location (3 branches) | Tier scales per location | Free |
| Total monthly cost | ~$450–550/mo | $0/mo (early access) |
| Total annual cost | ~$5,400–6,600/yr | $0/yr |
Pricing as of April 2026 from booksy.com and the GlossyStack 2026 comparison.
Feature for feature
What each tool does
| Capability | Booksy | SalonBooking |
|---|---|---|
| Web booking page | Yes | Yes |
| WhatsApp BOOKING (not just notifications) | No | Yes |
| WhatsApp reminders | Limited | Yes (60 min before) |
| Multi-location at base tier | Per-tier cost stacks | Free |
| Marketplace discovery | Yes (35M+ consumers) | No |
| Marketplace commission | Yes (per new client) | No commission |
| Card processing fees | 2.49% + 10¢ | Use your own processor |
| Indexable per-branch SEO pages | No | Yes (auto-generated) |
| Native mobile app | iOS, Android | Mobile-optimised web |
| Inventory / retail POS | Yes | Roadmap |
| Free tier | No | Yes (early access) |
| Strong in Pakistan / MENA | No | Yes |
| Setup time (single salon) | Hours, plus marketplace approval | 10 minutes |
When Booksy is the right call
- · You're in Booksy-heavy markets (Poland, Germany, UK, Spain) and want their marketplace pushing new clients to you.
- · You're comfortable with the tradeoff: subscription + commission in exchange for discovery you don't have to build yourself.
- · You need a polished native mobile app for staff (Booksy's iOS/Android apps are mature).
When SalonBooking is the right call
- · Your clients are on WhatsApp and you want them to book there, not on a third-party app.
- · You're in Pakistan, the Middle East, India, Brazil, Nigeria, or anywhere outside Booksy's Western Europe core.
- · You want to own the client relationship. Your clients shouldn't be discovering your salon under someone else's brand.
- · You run multiple branches and don't want subscription tiers stacking with each location.
- · You're early stage and don't want to commit to a paid platform before you know what you actually need.
Frequently asked
Does Booksy charge commission?
On new clients found through their marketplace, yes. Bookings from clients who already know your salon are subscription-only. Each tier has different inclusions.
Is the Booksy marketplace worth it?
In strong Booksy markets (Poland, Germany, UK), yes. In Pakistan, the UAE, or India, it gets you very little because the consumer side isn't there.
Can I import my Booksy data?
You can export clients, services, and bookings as CSV. SalonBooking doesn't have a one-click import yet, but our migration guide covers the pattern most salons use.
What happens to my Booksy reviews if I leave?
They stay on Booksy's marketplace. They don't come with you. This is the marketplace lock-in trade. Build reviews on Google Business Profile and Instagram instead. Those are portable.
Will SalonBooking ever charge commission?
No. We don't plan to build a marketplace. We make money on subscriptions, not on your client relationships.
Own your client list. Skip the marketplace cut.
Free during early access. No credit card. No setup fee. Your salon is running in 10 minutes.