Best picks · UK edition
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For a small business the two questions are what it costs as you add staff, and whether it handles payments and reminders without extra tools. These picks are ordered for a typical business of one to five people taking client bookings.
Prices as ofGBP or USD as published
Best for teams of up to four on a budget
Setmore
Free for up to four users; Pro is priced per user and cheapest on annual billing.
- Free plan
- Yes: up to 4 users
- Entry price
- From $5 per user/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Best for one location taking card payments
Square Appointments
Free with unlimited staff at one location; Plus £29 and Premium £69 per location per month.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK)
- Entry price
- From £29 per location/month
VAT basis not stated
Best for growing service businesses
SimplyBook.me
Free plan, then Basic, Standard and Premium priced by bookings, providers and features.
- 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 value for small teams on calendars
Acuity Scheduling
Standard covers six calendars for one price, rather than charging per seat.
- Free plan
- No (7-day free trial)
- Entry price
- From $16 per month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Cheapest per staff member
Zoho Bookings
Basic and Premium are priced per staff member, with a free plan for one.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type
- Entry price
- From $6 per staff/month (annual billing)
US dollars; UK VAT may be added
Best if you mostly book meetings
Calendly
Free plan for one event type; per-seat pricing as you grow.
- Free plan
- Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar
- Entry price
- From $10 per seat/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.
- Cost for one to five staff, from published per-user, per-staff, per-calendar or per-location prices
- Free plan or trial
- Payments and reminders included
- How easy it is to grow into the next plan
Side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry price | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service businesses: coaches, therapists, salons and studios | No (7-day free trial) | From $16 per month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site | |
| Solo professionals, sales and recruiting teams booking meetings | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar | From $10 per seat/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | 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 | |
| Budget small businesses and existing Zoho users | Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type | From $6 per staff/month (annual billing) US dollars; UK VAT may be added | Review · Visit site |
What it costs for 1, 3 and 5 people
| Tool | Free plan | 1 person | 3 people | 5 people | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setmore | Yes: up to 4 users | $5 Pro | $15 Pro | $25 Pro | billed annually |
| Square Appointments | Yes: 1 location, unlimited staff (UK) | £29 Plus | £29 Plus | £29 Plus | VAT basis not stated |
| SimplyBook.me | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider | $11.90 Basic | $11.90 Basic | $11.90 Basic | billed annually |
| Acuity Scheduling | No (7-day free trial) | $16 Starter (1 calendar) | $27 Standard (6 calendars) | $27 Standard (6 calendars) | billed annually |
| Zoho Bookings | Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type | $6 Basic | $18 Basic | $30 Basic | billed annually |
| Calendly | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar | $10 Standard | $30 Standard | $50 Standard | billed annually |
Monthly list price for the cheapest paid plan that covers that many people, calculated from published per-user, per-staff or per-calendar prices (arithmetic only, no discounts). Tools priced per location or per calendar cost the same within the plan's limits. GBP where the vendor publishes it, otherwise USD. Free plans may cover you instead; see each tool's limits.
Features at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Payments | SMS reminders | UK/EU data angle | Teams | AI features | Marketplace | Video calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setmore | Yes: up to 4 users | Square, Stripe, PayPal | Pro only | Not checked | Free for up to 4 users | Not checked | No | Zoom |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Acuity Scheduling | No (7-day free trial) | Stripe, Square, PayPal | From Standard | Not checked | Calendars by plan (1, 6, 36) | AI Booking Assistant (Premium) | No | Zoom |
| Zoho Bookings | Yes: 1 staff member, 1 event type | Stripe, PayPal | Not checked | EU data centre option | Priced per staff member | Not checked | No | Zoom |
| Calendly | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar | Stripe, PayPal | Not checked | Not checked | Teams plan; routing | Notetaker and Callie AI (Plus plans) | No | Zoom, Teams, Meet |
'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 booking software cost for a team of three?
It depends on how the vendor charges. The table on this page multiplies each published per-user or per-staff price by three; tools priced per calendar or per location (Acuity, Square Appointments) cost the same for a small team as for one person, within the plan's limits.
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.
- Setmore: https://www.setmore.com/pricing
- Setmore: https://www.setmore.com/llms.txt
- Square Appointments: https://squareup.com/gb/en/appointments/pricing
- SimplyBook.me: https://simplybook.me/en/pricing
- Acuity Scheduling: https://acuityscheduling.com/pricing
- Zoho Bookings: https://www.zoho.com/bookings/pricing.html
- Calendly: https://calendly.com/pricing
- Calendly: https://calendly.com/help/choose-the-right-calendly-plan-for-your-team