Best picks · UK edition
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Salons need more than a booking link: no-show protection, card payments at the chair, and ideally a way for new clients to find you. The big decision is whether to pay a marketplace (Fresha, Booksy) for new clients or keep costs flat with a payments-led tool like Square.
Prices as ofGBP or USD as published
Best free salon software
Square Appointments
Free for one location with unlimited staff; Plus £29 and Premium £69 per location. Card fees 1.75% in person on Free, 1.6% on paid.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK)
- Entry price
- From £29 per location/month
VAT basis not stated
Best for salons that want new clients from a marketplace
Fresha
Full salon suite; 20% one-off fee on new marketplace clients. UK prices still to be confirmed (third-party guides: £14.95 Independent, £9.95 per team member, ex VAT).
- Free plan
- No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free)
- Entry price
- From £9.95 per bookable team member/month
ex VAT (£11.94 inc VAT at 20%) Unconfirmed
Best for barbers
Booksy
Barber-focused marketplace; £40 a month ex VAT for one staff member plus £5 per extra, with all features included.
- Free plan
- No (trial)
- Entry price
- From £40 per month
ex VAT (£48 inc VAT at 20%)
Best flexible option without a marketplace fee
SimplyBook.me
POS, SMS and WhatsApp reminders and a free plan; USD pricing.
- Free plan
- Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider
- Entry price
- From $11.90 per month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Best budget option
Setmore
Free for up to four users; connects to Square, Stripe and PayPal.
- Free plan
- Yes: up to 4 users
- Entry price
- From $5 per user/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
How we chose
We compared every tool we track against these criteria, using each vendor's published prices and features as of 2 November 2026. We haven't run hands-on tests of every tool for this edition; see the methodology.
- Salon features: payments, no-show protection, staff calendars
- Total cost including marketplace and card fees, not just the subscription
- Ability to bring in new clients
- Local pricing published by the vendor
Side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry price | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbers and beauty professionals | No (trial) | From £40 per month ex VAT (£48 inc VAT at 20%) | Visit site | |
| Salons, barbers and spas, especially in the UK | No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free) | From £9.95 per bookable team member/month ex VAT (£11.94 inc VAT at 20%) Unconfirmed | Review · Visit site | |
| Budget-conscious small businesses and small teams | Yes: up to 4 users | From $5 per user/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Service businesses such as salons, clinics, tutors and fitness; EU-friendly | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | From $11.90 per month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Salons, barbers, spas and any business taking card payments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | From £29 per location/month VAT basis not stated | Review · Visit site |
Features at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Payments | SMS reminders | UK/EU data angle | Teams | AI features | Marketplace | Video calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | Square payments (built in) | Not checked | Not checked | Unlimited staff on Free (1 location) | Not checked | Reserve with Google | Not checked |
| Fresha | No (7-day trial; Fresha used to be free) | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | Priced per bookable member | AI Concierge add-on | Fresha marketplace (20% new-client fee) | Not checked |
| Booksy | No (trial) | Own payments | Not checked | Not checked | +£5 per extra staff (UK) | Not checked | Booksy marketplace (Boost optional) | Not checked |
| SimplyBook.me | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | Stripe, PayPal; POS | SMS and WhatsApp | EU company (GDPR) | Providers by plan | Not checked | No | Zoom |
| Setmore | Yes: up to 4 users | Square, Stripe, PayPal | Pro only | Not checked | Free for up to 4 users | Not checked | No | Zoom |
'Not checked' means our research didn't confirm the feature either way; it doesn't mean the tool lacks it. Features are from vendor pricing pages and documentation as recorded on 2 November 2026.
Questions people ask
How much does Fresha charge salons?
A one-off 20% fee on new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace, plus payment processing fees and the subscription.
What's the cheapest salon booking system in the UK?
Square Appointments' Free plan costs nothing for one location with unlimited staff; you pay card fees on payments instead (1.75% in person on Free). SimplyBook.me and Setmore also have free plans.
Related
Sources
Prices and features as recorded on 2 November 2026 from these pages (research pass 26 October to 2 November 2026). Prices change: check the vendor's page before you buy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- Square Appointments: https://squareup.com/gb/en/appointments/pricing
- Fresha: https://www.fresha.com/en-GB/pricing
- Fresha: https://theaitill.com/tools/fresha
- Booksy: https://biz.booksy.com/en-gb/pricing
- SimplyBook.me: https://simplybook.me/en/pricing
- Setmore: https://www.setmore.com/pricing
- Setmore: https://www.setmore.com/llms.txt