5 Best Booksy alternatives in 2026 - honest comparison

Why switch away from Booksy?

Booksy is fine software, but four reasons regularly drive owners to look elsewhere. First, per-staff pricing: per their pricing page the subscription costs around $29.99/month plus roughly $20 per additional staff member. A salon with three practitioners quickly reaches around $70/month, and you are priced in dollars while earning in euros (FX risk). Second, the Boost commission: per Booksy's own Help Center, Boost charges around 30% of a new marketplace client's first appointment (minimum $10, maximum $100 per new client). It is a fair pay-for-results model, but with many new clients it adds up fast. Third, the Dutch fit: Booksy was founded in Poland with a global-first approach and is large in the US, so iDEAL, a VAT-correct POS (21% services, 9% retail), and GDPR/tax details are less first-class. Fourth, language: Booksy support is English-first (plus a few EU languages), but not Dutch. All 5 alternatives in this list address at least one of these points better than Booksy itself.

1. Salonnare - best for NL free tier, no commission, and own iDEAL

Disclosure: Salonnare is our own product. We place ourselves at #1 because we believe we are the best pick for Dutch salons that want to cut fixed costs and commission - but we evaluate ourselves honestly on pricing and features. Pros: a forever-free tier (1 staff member, 50 bookings/month, all core features), paid plans starting at €29 (Starter, 3 staff) or €59 (Pro, unlimited staff plus advanced modules). You connect your own Stripe or Mollie account, so you receive iDEAL, Apple Pay, and card payments directly to your account and negotiate your own transaction fees - there is no percentage marketplace commission on new clients. Also: a VAT-correct POS for Dutch rates, GDPR-compliant EU servers with an encrypted health-data vault (Article 9) for allergies and medication, role-based access per staff member (RBAC), built-in online booking on your own website and via Google, SSO with Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook, and support in Dutch, English, German, French, and Spanish. Extras: no-show fees via pre-authorization, recurring memberships, email marketing campaigns, a modern V2 UI, and a Progressive Web App so staff works on any device. Coming soon: Google review automation and a multi-location dashboard. Cons: younger product than Booksy, so a smaller community and (as yet) no native app in the app stores - you work via the PWA. Some niche features are still in development. Pricing: €0 Free / €29 Starter / €59 Pro. Annual prepay includes 2 months free. Best for: solo hairdressers, estheticians, nail salons, and smaller chains in the Netherlands seeking a modern solution without monthly commission or dollar pricing. Start today with the free plan - no credit card required. See all features for the complete list.

2. Fresha - best for international growth

Fresha is the largest international player with, by its own count, around 450,000 businesses worldwide and a strong international platform. Pros: Fresha built its reputation on free software, but since 2025 charges a paid subscription (see pricing). Strong international platform, attractive for starters who want a broad feature set. Modern app-first UI, solid mobile staff dashboard, built-in marketing tools, and client management, plus global brand recognition. Like Booksy, it is strong on mobile. Cons: Fresha monetizes through transaction fees - per their pricing page a transaction fee from around 1.19% + €0.20 per payment (depending on the payment method) on top of card processing. At 100 online payments of €45 average, that is around €73.50 in Fresha fees alone per month. iDEAL support is limited and not primary, while it is THE payment method in the Netherlands. VAT settings are not native NL-proof and must be configured manually. Support is mainly English, and you cannot use your own Stripe/Mollie account - payments are forced through Fresha Payments. Pricing: since 2025 a paid subscription (per independent pricing overviews from around €14.95/month) plus a transaction fee from around 1.19% + €0.20 per payment and around 20% marketplace commission on new clients who book via the Fresha marketplace. Best for: solo practitioners without many online payments, or salons with an international clientele. For pure NL salons with heavy iDEAL volume, a Salonnare Pro subscription with your own Mollie account often works out cheaper.

3. Treatwell - best for marketplace reach

Treatwell, like the Booksy marketplace, is an acquisition channel, but as a standalone booking marketplace. Customers find your salon through the Treatwell app and website (think Booking.com for salons), and you pay commission per new booking. Pros: direct access to hundreds of thousands of active beauty shoppers in NL, BE, FR, UK, and IT. In the Netherlands, Treatwell typically has more marketplace traffic than Booksy, which is stronger in the US and Poland. Integrated booking, basic POS, and client records included. Cons: commission on new clients who book via the marketplace (per Treatwell, around 35% on the first booking) plus a transaction fee on online prepayments. With many new marketplace clients this adds up fast - often more than a fixed SaaS subscription. Your clients receive Treatwell-branded communication and reviews stay on Treatwell, not on your own Google Business profile. The software side (POS, inventory, marketing) is less deep than pure salon software. Pricing: software from €50/month + per-booking commission. Best for: salons that mainly want to acquire new clients fast. Consider a hybrid with Salonnare as backoffice and Treatwell purely for acquisition, so regulars book commission-free on your own system.

4. Salonized - best for existing Dutch salons

Salonized is one of the best-known Dutch salon software packages and thus a logical option if you want to move from Booksy to a local alternative. Pros: fully Dutch-language, native iDEAL support, a VAT-correct POS, and a booking system tuned to the Dutch market. Solid client management, calendar, and reporting. For salons wanting the comfort of an established NL brand, this is a safe choice. Cons: there is no free tier - the entry plan sits around €30/month, so you have a fixed monthly cost from day one. Advanced marketing automation, memberships, and detailed reporting only appear in higher tiers, potentially pushing you toward €50-70/month. Control over your own Stripe/Mollie account is more limited than in Salonnare, and the UX feels more dated than the app-first experience you know from Booksy. Pricing: from around €30/month, no free tier. Best for: established Dutch salons with an existing client base wanting a familiar local package and no need for a free entry point. If you want the same NL focus but with a free plan and your own payment account without commission, Salonnare is the more modern alternative.

5. Vagaro - best for mobile-first salons staying close to Booksy

Vagaro is the most similar to Booksy in setup: a US, mobile-first platform with strong apps, a built-in marketplace, and a subscription model. If you leave Booksy but want a comparable app-first experience, Vagaro is the closest match. Pros: pleasant mobile apps for staff and clients, a marketplace for extra visibility, and a broad feature set with POS, online booking, memberships, and marketing. Good reputation in the US and UK. Cons: Vagaro is American and English-language, so it shares many of Booksy's downsides for the Dutch market: iDEAL, a VAT-correct POS, and GDPR/tax details are not native, and support is not in Dutch. Pricing is a subscription per bookable calendar that climbs as you add staff (check their current pricing page for exact rates). Pricing: monthly subscription per calendar/license (see their pricing page). Best for: mobile-first salons with an international character wanting to keep the Booksy-like experience. For a purely Dutch salon it remains the same trade-off as with Booksy: a strong mobile product, but without Salonnare's local iDEAL and compliance advantages.

How do you migrate away from Booksy?

Switching from Booksy to an alternative is less complex than it seems. Step 1: request your data from Booksy. Via the Booksy Biz app and support you can export your client list, appointments, and service list; save them as CSV. Do this on a quiet evening so you have time to test. Step 2: pick your new platform and create a free account (Salonnare has a permanently free tier, Fresha a free trial for testing). Step 3: import your client base via CSV - most platforms accept the same column structure (name, email, phone, birthday, notes). Step 4: configure services, prices, staff, and opening hours. In Salonnare this setup takes under an hour via the onboarding wizard. Step 5: place the new booking widget on your website and update the booking link in your Google Business profile, Instagram bio, and WhatsApp Business - because many Booksy clients booked via the app, this step matters to bring them along. Step 6: inform your regulars via a short email that you have your own booking system; Salonnare can send this automatically on your first campaign. Step 7: keep Booksy running in parallel for 1 month so historical data stays accessible, then cancel. The whole process usually takes less than one business day.

Which alternative fits which type of salon?

The best choice depends on your salon type, size, and growth stage. Solo esthetician or pedicurist (1 person): choose Salonnare Free or Fresha with a free trial. Salonnare is €0 as a base; Fresha charges a paid subscription since 2025 (with a free trial). Salonnare wins for the NL market through iDEAL, no commission, and Dutch-language support; Fresha fits if you already have international clients. Starting hair salon (2-3 staff): Salonnare Starter (€29 for 3 staff) is usually cheaper than Booksy, which charges around $29.99 + roughly $20 per additional staff member, so about $70 for three people. Established salon (4-8 staff): Salonnare Pro (€59, unlimited staff) or Salonized on a higher tier if you value an established NL brand. Chain (2-10 locations): Salonnare Pro with multi-location (coming soon) or Vagaro if you want to keep an app-first marketplace experience. Salon with strong acquisition needs: use Treatwell or Booksy Boost as an acquisition channel alongside Salonnare as a commission-free backoffice. That way you only pay commission for genuinely new clients and keep your regulars on your own system without a percentage cut.

Frequently asked questions