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: Booksy has one plan with all features, and the price rises per extra team member. Per its own pricing pages that is, for example, €34.99 + VAT per month plus €8 per extra team member in Spain, €44 plus €5 per extra team member in Ireland, and $29.99 plus $20 per extra user in the US. There is no free plan, only a trial (7 days in the UK and Ireland, 14 days in the US). Second, the Boost fee: per Booksy's pricing page, Boost charges a one-time 30% of a new Boost client's first visit, with a minimum or maximum that differs per country (for example up to $100 in the US and up to €50 + VAT in Spain). It is a fair pay-for-results model, but with many new clients it adds up. Third, the market: Booksy was founded in Poland and is active in, among others, the US, the UK, Ireland, Poland, Spain, France, Germany and Brazil, but not in the Netherlands. Fourth, language: Booksy has no Dutch-language version. All 5 alternatives in this list approach at least one of these points differently.

1. Salonnare - best for NL free tier, no marketplace 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, for Salonnare's own platform fee of 0.5% (min. €0.30) - with 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 with a booking link on your Google Business Profile, SSO with Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook, and support in Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Turkish. 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. The salon app is in the App Store and Google Play, but there is no separate client app like Booksy has: clients book through your own booking page. 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 marketplace 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 one of the largest international players: per its own website more than 130,000 partner businesses and 450,000 professionals in over 120 countries. Pros: modern app-first software, a mobile app for staff, built-in marketing tools, client management, and the Fresha marketplace with international brand recognition. Reporting and marketing are included in both plans. Cons: there is no free plan (7-day trial). Online payments, deposits and no-show fees run via Fresha Payments, Fresha's own payment system, not via your own Stripe or Mollie account. Per Fresha's pricing page, online payments cost 1% + €0.20 per transaction and in-person payments 0.89% + €0.10, and a one-time fee applies to brand-new clients who find you via the Fresha marketplace (the amount is not listed on the European pricing page). Pricing: €14.95/month (Independent, one person) or €9.95 per bookable team member per month (Team), plus payment fees. Best for: salons with an international clientele, or teams that want software and a marketplace in one. For Dutch salons that want iDEAL straight into their own account, Salonnare with your own Mollie account is the alternative.

3. Treatwell - best for marketplace reach

Treatwell is not traditional salon software but a marketplace with a built-in booking tool. Clients find your salon through the Treatwell app and website, and you pay commission on new clients the marketplace brings you. Pros: access to Treatwell's marketplace audience in several European countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium. A strong acquisition channel for new salons without an existing client base. The plan includes online booking, a calendar, a digital POS and unlimited team members. Cons: per Treatwell's pricing page, 35% commission on the first booking of a new client introduced via the marketplace (0% on repeat bookings) plus a 2% processing fee on online prepayments. With many new marketplace clients this adds up fast. Pricing: €35/month + 35% commission on new marketplace clients + 2% on online prepayments (per Treatwell, excl. VAT). Best for: new salons without an existing client base that need acquisition fast, or salons in tourist areas where marketplace traffic delivers many new visitors. Less suited as a pure Booksy replacement - consider a hybrid with Salonnare as backoffice and Treatwell purely for acquisition.

4. Salonized - best for existing Dutch salons

Salonized is one of the best-known Dutch salon software packages and a logical Booksy replacement if you deliberately want an NL-first product. Pros: Dutch-language software with a cash register, online booking, client records, stock management and financial reports, Dutch-language support (phone, chat and email) and data stored in the EU (Frankfurt). For payments Salonized works with Mollie and Stripe, plus its own Salonized Pay terminal (from €199 + 1.0% transaction fee). Monthly cancellable, no setup costs. Cons: no free plan (14-day trial). Per Salonized's plan overview the Appointments plan costs €21 per month, Basic €39 and Pro €59, plus €5 to €7.50 per extra employee and a fee per extra location. Marketing tools such as the newsletter builder are only in Pro, and SMS reminders cost extra via credits. The Treatwell marketplace is available as an extra at 35% commission on new bookings. Pricing: from €21/month (excl. VAT), no free plan. Best for: established Dutch salons with an existing client base that value a proven NL vendor and want to choose their own payment provider. Torn between NL-first and starting free? Compare Salonnare vs Salonized.

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 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: mobile apps for staff and clients, a free listing on the Vagaro Marketplace, and a broad feature set with POS, online booking, memberships, packages, gift certificates and marketing. There is a 30-day free trial. Cons: per its own website Vagaro is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia; there is no Dutch version and the Netherlands is not one of its markets. Pricing is a subscription per bookable calendar that rises as you add staff (in the US $10 per extra calendar license, up to seven licenses; beyond that, extra staff at no extra cost). Pricing: monthly subscription per calendar, differs per country (see their pricing page). Best for: mobile-first salons in Vagaro's markets that want to keep a Booksy-like experience. For a Dutch salon it is the same trade-off as with Booksy: a strong mobile product, but no Dutch version and no own iDEAL account as with Salonnare.

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. Per Booksy's help center you ask Booksy support (for example via the live chat in Booksy Biz) for a copy of your client list with contact details; save it as CSV or Excel. 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 plan, Fresha a 7-day free trial). 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. It costs €0 as a base; Booksy and Fresha (from €14.95 per month) have no free plan. Salonnare wins for the NL market through iDEAL to your own account, a low platform fee (0.5%, min. €0.30) and Dutch-language support; Fresha fits if you already have international clients. Starting hair salon (2-3 staff): Salonnare Starter (€29 for up to 3 staff). With Booksy you pay per extra team member on top of the base price, for example €44 + 2 x €5 = €54 per month for three people in Ireland. Established salon (4-8 staff): Salonnare Pro (€59, unlimited staff) or Salonized (from €21 per month plus a fee per employee) if you value an established NL brand. Chain (2-10 locations): Salonnare Pro (multi-location dashboard coming soon). Salon with strong acquisition needs: use Treatwell as an acquisition channel alongside Salonnare as a backoffice without marketplace commission. That way you only pay commission for genuinely new clients and keep your regulars on your own system without marketplace commission (though Salonnare's own fixed platform fee of 0.5%, min. €0.30, still applies per payment).

Frequently asked questions