5 Best Optios alternatives in 2026 - honest comparison

Why switch away from Optios?

Optios is solid software. The POS is one of its strongest points: a fast checkout with reporting, inventory linking, and a dedicated payment terminal (Optios Pay) designed for the salon counter. For salons that mainly want a robust till with hardware, that is a genuine advantage. Still, owners look elsewhere for three common reasons. First, the entry barrier: there is no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial, so a starter or solo salon has a fixed monthly cost from day one. Second, price transparency: Optios does not publish prices; you choose from three packages (Business, Business Plus and Pro) and request a tailored quote, which makes comparing harder. Third, payment flexibility: Optios promotes its own payment terminal, while many salons prefer to connect their own Stripe or Mollie account to receive iDEAL, Bancontact, and card payments directly to their own bank account and negotiate their own transaction fees, without hardware lock-in. Finally there is the desire for a modern, multilingual platform with a GDPR-focused health vault. All 5 alternatives in this list handle at least one of these points differently from Optios.

1. Salonnare - best for free start and payment flexibility

Disclosure: Salonnare is our own product. We place ourselves at #1 because we believe we are the best pick for salons that are just starting or want to lower fixed costs - but we evaluate ourselves honestly on pricing and features. Pros: forever-free plan (1 staff member, 50 bookings/month, all core features), paid plans from 29 euros (Starter) or 59 euros (Pro). You connect your own Stripe or Mollie account so you negotiate your own transaction fees and receive iDEAL, Bancontact, Apple Pay, and card payouts directly to your account, without a middle layer and without hardware lock-in, for Salonnare's own platform fee of 0.5% (min. €0.30) on every payment. Modern V2 UI, Dutch VAT-correct POS (21% services, 9% retail), audit trail ready for the tax authority, GDPR-compliant EU servers, and an encrypted health vault (Art. 9 GDPR) for allergies and medical notes. Support and interface in Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Turkish, plus SSO via Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook. Extras: no-show fee system via pre-authorization, recurring memberships, marketing campaigns (email), built-in online booking on your own site plus a booking link for your Google Business Profile, 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 Optios, so a smaller user community and fewer case studies. If you want a certified physical till terminal with peripherals, Salonnare is software-first (you work on tablet, laptop, or phone) rather than hardware-first. Pricing: 0 euros Free / 29 euros Starter / 59 euros Pro. Annual prepay includes 2 months free. Best for: solo hairdressers, estheticians, nail salons, and growing Benelux salons looking for a modern solution without fixed hardware costs or lock-in. Start today with the free plan - no credit card required. See all features for the complete list.

2. Salonized - best for established Dutch salons

Salonized is a well-known Dutch salon software provider, built entirely for salons, with online booking, calendar, POS, client management, inventory and marketing. Pros: a mature product with a large user base in the Netherlands and Belgium and a solid online booking module. For online payments you connect your own Mollie or Stripe account, and card payments in the salon can run through Salonized Pay. Cons: in the Netherlands there is no permanent free plan (there is a 14-day free trial), so starters and solo salons have fixed costs from day one. Salonized Pay requires a card terminal from €199 plus 1.0% transaction fees. Pricing: after the trial from €21 per month (Afspraken); POS and online payments start with Basic (€39), and Pro costs €59 per month. Best for: salons that want an established Dutch provider with a large community. To compare on free tier and costs, see Salonnare vs Salonized.

3. Treatwell - best for marketplace reach

Treatwell is not classic salon software but a marketplace with a built-in booking tool. Customers find your salon through the Treatwell app and website (think Booking.com for salons). Pros: direct access to the Treatwell marketplace, which operates in NL, BE, FR, the UK, and IT, among others. A strong acquisition channel for new salons without an existing client base. Repeat bookings and bookings you bring in yourself (phone, your own website, social media) carry no Treatwell commission. Cons: 35% commission on the first booking of a new client who comes through the marketplace, plus a 2% processing fee on online prepayments (amounts excl. VAT). With many new marketplace clients this adds up, often to more than a fixed subscription like Optios or Salonnare. Reviews clients leave on Treatwell stay on Treatwell rather than on your own Google Business profile. Pricing: €35 per month plus 35% commission on the first booking of new marketplace clients and 2% on online prepayments. Best for: new salons without a client base that need acquisition fast, or salons in tourist areas. Less suited as a direct Optios replacement - consider a hybrid with Salonnare as backoffice and Treatwell purely for acquisition.

4. Booksy - best for mobile-first salons

Booksy is a mobile-first salon platform with apps for both clients and businesses, originally from Poland. Pros: mobile apps for iOS and Android, its own Booksy marketplace, and Boost for extra visibility. According to its pricing page it also includes no-show protection (deposits and cancellation fees), memberships and packages, and digital loyalty cards. Cons: there is no free plan (there is a 7-day free trial) and the price varies by country. Booksy is available in English, German, Polish, Spanish, and French, among others, but not in Dutch. Boost works on commission: a one-time 30% on the first visit of a new client who books while Boost is switched on; without Boost you pay no commission. Pricing: from approx. €35 per month, varies by country (official Booksy pricing). Best for: salons that mainly work from phone or tablet, or salons with a young audience that books through mobile apps.

5. Fresha - best for international growth

Fresha is a large international player: by its own account, more than 130,000 businesses trust the platform. Pros: Fresha built its reputation on free software, but no longer has a free plan (there is a 7-day free trial). A strong international platform with a modern app-first UI, a mobile dashboard, built-in marketing tools and client management, plus global brand recognition. Cons: Fresha processes online payments through its own payment service and, per its pricing page, charges 1% + €0.20 per online payment (0.89% + €0.10 in the salon). At 100 online payments of €45 on average per month, that is about €65 in transaction fees (100 x (€0.45 + €0.20)). On top of that there is a one-time fee for brand-new clients who come through the Fresha marketplace; the amount is not listed on the European pricing page. Pricing: Independent €14.95 per month (1 team member) or Team €9.95 per bookable team member per month, plus 1% + €0.20 per online payment and a one-time fee for new marketplace clients. Best for: solo practitioners without many online payments, or salons with international clientele. For Dutch salons with many iDEAL payments, a Salonnare subscription with your own Mollie account can work out cheaper; run the numbers with your own amounts.

How do you migrate away from Optios?

Switching from Optios to an alternative is less complex than it seems. Step 1: export your data from Optios. Via your account or support, request an export of clients, appointments, services, and product list - most platforms deliver this 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 permanent 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. Step 6: sort out payments. With your own Stripe or Mollie account you connect it once and receive iDEAL and Bancontact directly to your own bank account, so you do not need to buy a separate terminal. Step 7: inform your regulars via a short email that your booking system has been refreshed - Salonnare can send this automatically on your first campaign. Optionally keep Optios running in parallel for 1 month for historical reference, 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): pick Salonnare Free (permanently 0 euros). Fresha no longer has a free plan (there is a 7-day free trial). Salonnare wins for the Benelux thanks to iDEAL/Bancontact to your own account and Dutch-language support; Fresha fits better if you already have international clients. Starting hair or barbershop (2-3 staff): Salonnare Starter (29 euros) is favorable thanks to the low, fixed platform fee (0.5%, min. €0.30) on transactions and no hardware lock-in. If you specifically want a physical counter till with terminal at the center, Optios remains worth considering. Established salon (4-8 staff): Salonnare Pro (59 euros) offers unlimited staff plus all modules; Salonized or Optios on a higher package are alternatives if you are already set up. Salon that runs mainly on the till with heavy card traffic at the counter: here Optios with its own payment terminal is a strong option - just factor in the Optios Pay transaction fees. Salon with strong marketplace needs: use Treatwell as an acquisition channel alongside Salonnare as backoffice. This hybrid works better for many salons than choosing between marketplace or own software. Mobile-first salon with a young audience: Booksy. In short: if you want to start for free, transparent fixed pricing, and your own bank account for Salonnare's low platform fee of 0.5% (min. €0.30) with no hardware lock-in, Salonnare is the logical step away from Optios.

Frequently asked questions