Choosing a Treatwell alternative in 2026: which route fits your salon?
If you are looking for a Treatwell alternative, you are rarely just looking for a different app. You are looking for an answer to a more specific question: am I still paying for clients I could have won myself, and what do I lose if I rely less on the marketplace? That answer differs per salon, and you will not find it on a pricing page. It is in your own appointment book. This article helps you choose. You will read which three routes exist - another marketplace, your own booking software at a fixed monthly price, or a combination of both - how to work out with your own numbers when switching pays off, and what to check before you decide.
Why salons consider an alternative to Treatwell
Treatwell is a marketplace: consumers search the app or website by treatment and location, and book with one of the listed salons. You pay for that visibility. In the Netherlands, according to Treatwell's own partner pricing page, Treatwell charges a commission of around 35% on the first booking of a new client who finds your salon through the marketplace. Repeat bookings from that client and appointments you bring in yourself, by phone, WhatsApp or your own website, are not included. Online prepaid bookings do carry a transaction fee. Rates differ per country and can change, so always check the current pricing page for your market.
That model is fairer than it is often made out to be: you mainly pay when the platform actually brings you a new client. The doubts usually come later, for two reasons. The first is money: in a month with many new marketplace clients the commission adds up quickly, while some of those clients could also have found your salon through Google or Instagram. The second is dependence: your profile, your reviews and part of your client communication live on the platform, not with you.
What you are really looking for as an alternative is appointment scheduling software: a calendar where clients pick a free slot themselves, without a marketplace standing between you and your client. The only question is in what form. If you want a direct feature comparison, see Salonnare vs Treatwell.
Three routes: another marketplace, your own software or both
Route 1: another marketplace. Platforms such as Fresha and Booksy work on a similar idea: your salon is listed in a consumer app and the platform earns from the clients who come in through it, via a fee on new clients, paid visibility or transaction costs. You swap one revenue model for a variation of it. That can make sense if another platform has more reach in your area, but it does not solve the dependence. How those different fees work is explained in what a marketplace booking really costs.
Route 2: your own booking software at a fixed monthly price. You run your own system: a booking page with your name, a calendar, a till and a client database that belongs to you. You pay a fixed subscription instead of a percentage on new clients. The downside is just as honest: nobody automatically sends you new clients. You find them yourself, through your Google profile, social media and word of mouth.
Route 3: both, and gradually phasing out the marketplace. You set up your own software as the base for your regular clients and keep Treatwell for now as a channel for new clients. Anyone who comes in through the marketplace gets an invitation after their first visit to book directly with you from then on. After a few months your own numbers show how much the marketplace still contributes, and you decide on that basis.
For most established salons with a loyal client base, route 3 is the safest start. You lose no reach on the day you switch, and in the meantime you build a client relationship that stays with you.
Worked example: when does a fixed monthly price beat commission?
An illustrative example makes it concrete. Afterwards, always run the numbers with your own volumes and the current rates.
Say you get 10 new clients a month through the marketplace, with an average first treatment of €60. At around 35%, that is roughly €210 in commission a month, before the platform's subscription and transaction fee.
Now compare your own software. Salonnare Starter costs €29 a month. No marketplace commission is deducted for new clients; that is €0. Every online or card payment does carry a transaction fee of 0.5%, with a minimum of €0.30 per payment. If you take 120 appointments that month online or by card at an average of €50, 0.5% equals €0.25, so the minimum applies: 120 × €0.30 = €36. Together that is €65 a month. Your payment provider's own costs come on top in both cases.
The difference looks large, but the example does not compare quite the same thing. The €210 buys you ten new clients; the €65 does not. So the honest question is: how many of those ten can you win yourself through your Google Business Profile, Instagram and recommendations from regular clients? If you can manage most of them, your own software pays off. If almost all of your growth depends on the marketplace, route 3 is wiser than cancelling straight away.
Still weighing up packages? Also look at how to compare salon software on more than price alone.
What to check when choosing a Treatwell alternative
An alternative is only better if it solves the reasons you wanted to leave. Go through these six points before you choose.
Where does the money arrive? Check whether payments run through your own account. With Salonnare you connect your own Mollie or Stripe account, so iDEAL and card payments land in your own bank account. Read more under online payments.
The full cost model. Add up the subscription, transaction fees and any fees on new clients. A low monthly price says little if something is added per booking or per payment.
Your own booking page. Clients should be able to book with you through your website, your Instagram bio and your Google profile, with your salon name on the confirmation.
Reminders against no-shows. An automatic reminder by email before the appointment saves empty chairs, without you having to message everyone.
A till that splits VAT correctly. If your services and retail products fall under different VAT rates, those rates must appear separately on the receipt. A point-of-sale system that handles this per receipt line prevents corrections afterwards. More on that choice in POS system for beauty salons.
Privacy and health data. If you record allergies or skin conditions, that is special category personal data under the GDPR. Check whether it is stored separately and encrypted, and whether you can decide per staff member who sees it.
What you can take with you from Treatwell and how to import it is covered step by step in our guide to migrating from Treatwell.
What you give up when you phase out the marketplace
To be fair: Treatwell does a few things well that you have to arrange yourself with your own software. The most important is reach. A large consumer app puts your salon in front of people who have never heard of you, and that is worth a lot, especially in the first years of a salon.
In addition, the reviews clients leave on the platform stay there. So build your own reputation in good time, for example by asking regular clients to leave a review on your Google profile. And export your client data before you cancel, so you can reach your regular clients with your new booking link.
Salonnare also has its own salon directory where clients can find salons, with no marketplace commission on new clients. Because Salonnare is a young platform and that directory is still growing, its reach is not comparable to that of a large marketplace. See it as an extra place to be found, not as a replacement for your own client acquisition.
How to get started with Salonnare as a Treatwell alternative
Salonnare is salon software for hair salons, beauty salons, nail studios and barbershops, at a fixed monthly price. The free plan costs €0 a month for one staff member and up to 50 bookings a month, with no trial period that runs out. As your salon grows, you move to Starter at €29 or Pro at €59 a month. Online and card payments carry the transaction fee of 0.5% (minimum €0.30 per payment); there is no marketplace commission on new clients.
You get your own online booking page for your website and your Google profile, a till with VAT split per receipt line, inventory management, permissions per staff member and a separately encrypted vault for health data under Article 9 of the GDPR, with data stored in the EU. The software is available in five languages: Dutch, English, German, French and Spanish. For your bookkeeping you export your figures in a format that works with packages such as Moneybird and e-Boekhouden; that is an export, not a live integration.
You do not have to cancel Treatwell on day one. Set up Salonnare alongside it, import your client list, share your new booking link with your regular clients and see after a few months what the marketplace still brings in. You can start with Salonnare for free today.
Keep your regular clients with your own salon
Set up Salonnare alongside your current system and find out what a fixed monthly price means for your salon. The free plan costs €0 a month for one staff member and 50 bookings, with no trial period that runs out.
Start free with SalonnareFrequently asked questions
What is a good Treatwell alternative for a small salon?
For a small salon with a loyal client base, your own booking software at a fixed price is often the logical step. Salonnare has a free plan at €0 a month for one staff member and 50 bookings a month, with online booking, a calendar and a till. There is no marketplace commission on new clients; online and card payments carry a transaction fee of 0.5% with a minimum of €0.30. If you still get many new clients from the marketplace, use both side by side first.
Do I pay commission per booking with Salonnare?
There is no marketplace commission on new clients who book with you through Salonnare; that is €0. Every online or card payment does carry a transaction fee of 0.5%, with a minimum of €0.30 per payment. On top of that you pay a fixed subscription: Free €0, Starter €29 or Pro €59 a month. Payments run through your own Mollie or Stripe account into your own bank account; that payment provider's costs are charged separately.
Can I take my client list with me from Treatwell?
Yes. You export your client data from your Treatwell account and import it into Salonnare, so you do not have to type everything in again. Reviews that clients wrote on Treatwell stay on the platform. Do the export before you cancel and check a sample of your clients after the import.
Do I have to cancel Treatwell to use Salonnare?
No. You can use both side by side: Salonnare for your regular clients, your own booking page and your till, and Treatwell for now as a channel for new clients. That way your own numbers show how much the marketplace still brings in before you decide whether to phase it out.
Is Salonnare suitable for both hairdressers and beauty salons?
Yes. Salonnare is built for hair salons, beauty salons, nail studios and barbershops. You get a till that splits VAT per receipt line, inventory management and permissions per staff member. For beauty therapists, the separately encrypted vault for health data such as allergies and skin conditions is an important difference.