Compare UK Salon Booking Software 2026

Pricing at a glance

System	Monthly cost	Commission / fees	Marketplace	Contract
Fresha	Around £14.95/month solo (Independent), or about £9.95 per bookable team member (Team)	Around 20% on a new client's first marketplace booking, plus card fees	Yes	Monthly, no long tie-in
Treatwell Connect	Software usually offered with no monthly fee in the UK	Typically around 20–35% on new-client marketplace bookings, lower on repeats; negotiated per contract	Yes	Contract terms and commission tiers are negotiated
Phorest	Quote-based tiers (Starter / Grow / Ultimate / Elite); no public price list, typically a higher monthly cost	None	No	Usually a term contract, agreed at quote
Timely	Per-staff tiers (Build / Elevate / Innovate), roughly £20–£35+ per staff per month	None	No	Monthly, cancel anytime
Booksy	Around £40/month + VAT for the first user, about £5/month per extra user	None mandatory; optional Boost charges a one-off ~30% of a Boost client's first visit	Yes	No commitment, cancel anytime
Slick	From around £20/month for one column (Essential) or £35/month (Advanced), roughly £12–£18 per extra column	None	No	No contracts
Ovatu	Neat from about US$25/month for the first employee (roughly £20), Loaded about US$38; around US$7 per extra employee, plus SMS	None	No	Monthly, 30-day free trial
Kitomba	Tiered plans (Lite / Grow / Pro / Enterprise) priced by business size on request	None	No	Agreed at quote
Shortcuts	Quote-based; entry plans roughly from the high-£20s per month, scaling by terminals and staff	None	No	Agreed at quote
Salon Iris	Tiers from about US$29/month (Basic, 1 user) up to US$149+ for larger teams	None	No	Monthly
Book In Beautiful	Flat fee calculated by locations and therapists via their calculator; a free tier exists where clients pay a small booking charge	Zero commission on bookings	No	Monthly, cancel anytime, free trial

Features side by side

strong · basic or add-on · not offered

Feature	Fresha	Treatwell Connect	Phorest	Timely	Booksy	Slick	Ovatu	Kitomba	Shortcuts	Salon Iris	Book In Beautiful
24/7 online booking
Deposits & no-show protection
SMS & email marketing
Stock & retail
Rotas, targets & commission
Consultation & consent forms
Till / POS & card payments
Advanced reporting
Multi-site management

Pros and cons, system by system

Fresha

Big consumer marketplace, now with a subscription

Best for: Solo pros and small teams chasing new-client volume

Pros

Huge UK consumer audience
Strong deposits and no-show tools
Low entry price for a solo pro

Cons

— No longer subscription-free
— 20% new-client commission adds up
— Some analytics and marketing are paid add-ons

Pricing: Around £14.95/month solo (Independent), or about £9.95 per bookable team member (Team). Around 20% on a new client's first marketplace booking, plus card fees.

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Treatwell Connect

Marketplace-first discovery for filling quiet slots

Best for: Salons that want bookings from a well-known consumer brand

Pros

Excellent discovery for new clients
No monthly software fee in most UK deals
Good for filling last-minute gaps

Cons

— Commission can be steep
— Marketplace clients are often discount-led
— Less depth for large multi-site groups

Pricing: Software usually offered with no monthly fee in the UK. Typically around 20–35% on new-client marketplace bookings, lower on repeats; negotiated per contract.

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Phorest

Premium own-brand growth platform

Best for: Established salons and groups with roughly 3+ staff

Pros

Best-in-class retention marketing and reviews
Deep stock, rota and staff performance tools
Branded client app available

Cons

— No published pricing
— Overkill for a single chair renter
— Sales-led buying process

Pricing: Quote-based tiers (Starter / Grow / Ultimate / Elite); no public price list, typically a higher monthly cost. None.

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Timely

Clean, modern and easy to learn

Best for: Independents and small teams, including aesthetics

Pros

Very approachable interface
Good consultation forms and client records
No new-client fees

Cons

— Cost scales with every extra staff member
— No marketplace to bring you clients
— Lighter multi-site tooling

Pricing: Per-staff tiers (Build / Elevate / Innovate), roughly £20–£35+ per staff per month. None.

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Booksy

Marketplace favourite for barbers and solo pros

Best for: Barbershops and single-operator beauty pros

Pros

Strong marketplace for barbers
All core features in one price
Free transactional SMS reminders

Cons

— Boost fee is high if you rely on it
— Light on stock and multi-site depth
— Priced per user on top of the base fee

Pricing: Around £40/month + VAT for the first user, about £5/month per extra user. None mandatory; optional Boost charges a one-off ~30% of a Boost client's first visit.

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Slick

UK-built, great value, no new-client fees

Best for: Chair renters and small-to-medium UK salons

Pros

Unlimited SMS reminders included
Split payments for chair renters on Advanced
UK-based support, no new-client fees

Cons

— No marketplace, so it won't find you clients
— Lighter multi-site and stock depth than Phorest
— Some features only on higher plans

Pricing: From around £20/month for one column (Essential) or £35/month (Advanced), roughly £12–£18 per extra column. None.

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Ovatu

Low-cost and surprisingly capable

Best for: Solo pros and small teams watching every pound

Pros

Excellent value per feature
Flexible online booking and waitlists
Unlimited non-bookable admin users

Cons

— Priced in US dollars
— Lighter advanced salon marketing
— No marketplace

Pricing: Neat from about US$25/month for the first employee (roughly £20), Loaded about US$38; around US$7 per extra employee, plus SMS. None.

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Kitomba

Reporting, targets and rosters for established salons

Best for: Established salons and small groups wanting business insight

Pros

Strong reporting, targets and rostering
Good stock control
Solid support

Cons

— No published pricing
— No marketplace
— Mid-to-higher price point

Pricing: Tiered plans (Lite / Grow / Pro / Enterprise) priced by business size on request. None.

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Shortcuts

Traditional powerhouse for busy multi-chair sites

Best for: High-volume salons and barbershops with several terminals

Pros

Very strong point-of-sale and rostering
Handles high walk-in volume well
Mature multi-site support

Cons

— More traditional interface
— Pricing not published
— Heavier to set up

Pricing: Quote-based; entry plans roughly from the high-£20s per month, scaling by terminals and staff. None.

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Salon Iris

Feature depth from DaySmart, with a dated feel

Best for: Salons wanting inventory and payroll depth over polish

Pros

Detailed inventory and payroll
Strong reporting for the price
Long-established product

Cons

— Interface feels dated
— US-centric pricing and support hours
— No marketplace

Pricing: Tiers from about US$29/month (Basic, 1 user) up to US$149+ for larger teams. None.

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Book In Beautiful

UK-built with automated marketing and a branded site

Best for: UK hair and beauty salons wanting marketing done for them

Pros

Automated SMS/email and AI social captions
Branded website and booking site included
Consultation forms and patch-test tracking

Cons

— No consumer marketplace
— Lighter stock and multi-site control
— Free tier passes a fee to your clients

Pricing: Flat fee calculated by locations and therapists via their calculator; a free tier exists where clients pay a small booking charge. Zero commission on bookings.

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