What is the best salon software in the UK? It depends on these five things
Written by Hopaby, one of the options below. Every figure for the other apps links to the page it came from and shows the day we checked it, so you can check it yourself.
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1. Where your new clients come from
Some apps run a marketplace where people browse and book salons near them. That can bring you clients you would not otherwise meet, and the app usually charges a fee or commission on those bookings. Others give you your own booking page and leave finding clients to you, with no commission. Ask yourself how many new clients you need each month, and what each one would cost through a marketplace.
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2. How a booking is protected
A deposit, a card saved at booking and a no-show fee all do the same job in different ways. Check whether the app can ask for a deposit per service, whether an unpaid booking is released on its own, and whether the client sees your cancellation policy before they pay. Whatever you choose has to be fair under consumer law.
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3. What a card payment costs
Card fees are usually a percentage plus a few pence per payment, and they can differ between payments in person and online. On a busy month they can cost more than the subscription, so work them out at your own average booking, and check whether the figures include VAT.
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4. How the price grows with your team
Some apps charge per bookable team member, some include a few and charge for more, and some have one price for any size. Work it out for the team you will have next year, not only the one you have now.
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5. What happens if you leave
Look for a monthly contract and a client list you can export. Saved card details usually cannot move between systems, so clients save a card again when you switch.
The options, side by side
Three money figures for each app, as published on the dates shown. Open a comparison for every figure, a worked month and how to move across. ‘+ VAT’ means the price excludes VAT at 20%.
| App | Monthly price | Card, in person | Commission on new clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopaby (this site) | £0 on pay as you go; £29 on Pro. Hopaby charges no VAT. | 3% on pay as you go; 1.75% + 20p on Pro. | 0%. Hopaby has no client marketplace, so it sends you no new clients. as of 29 October 2026, pricing |
| Barbr | £20 a month on Core, £30 on Pro (adds a premium website), £40 on Max (adds a custom-branded app for your clients). Each added barber is £10 a month. 14-day trial, no card needed. checked 29 October 2026, source | Not published. Barbr’s pricing page and terms state no card processing rate; the terms say payment is taken by card or through a third-party payment processor. checked 29 October 2026, source | No commission is listed on Barbr’s UK pricing page. Barbr’s own guide to barber booking apps says it runs no consumer marketplace and takes no cut of new clients’ first visits. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Booksy | £40 a month, with all features. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | Tap to Pay 0.99% + 20p; mobile payments 1.29% + 20p. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | Optional Boost: a one-off 30% of a new client’s first visit total, minimum £5. Nothing if you leave Boost off. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Fresha | £14.95 for one bookable person; £9.95 per bookable team member on Team. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | 1.19% + 20p, plus 7p per Tap to Pay authorisation. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | 20% of a new client’s first booking from the Fresha marketplace, minimum £4. None on returning clients or on bookings from your own link. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Nearcut | £0 a month on the Free for You plan, where clients pay a booking charge at checkout. The Subscription plan’s price is not published; the page says “Contact us for a quote”. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | Not published. In-store payments are listed as a Subscription add-on with no card rate on the pricing page. checked 29 October 2026, source | No commission on your clients: the page says “Always zero commission”. Instead, clients pay a booking charge at checkout on the £0 Free for You plan, refunded if they cancel. The page’s only figure is an example of £1.50 on a £20 haircut; whether it is fixed or a percentage is not stated. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Phorest | Not published; quote on request. Phorest’s UK pricing page names the plans (Starter, Grow, Ultimate, Elite) and each one links to “Request a quote”. checked 29 October 2026, source | Not published; quote on request. Phorest’s UK pricing and card payments pages list no in-person card rate or terminal price. checked 29 October 2026, source | No client marketplace or new-client fee is listed on Phorest’s UK pricing page, checked 29 October 2026. Phorest has a staff commission tool, which is about paying your team, not a charge on clients. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Slick | £22 a month on Essential and £37 on Advanced, each covering the owner’s column; £250 a month on Supercharged for the owner plus unlimited staff and chair renters. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | 1.29% per in-person transaction, Tap to Pay included, on consumer debit and credit cards except AMEX. No fixed fee is listed. Custom rates are offered above £10,000 a month. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | None stated. Slick says it does not charge commission on new clients, and its plan table lists no new-client fees. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Timely | Billed weekly, not monthly. Starting from £4 a week on Run, £7 on Boost and £9 on Thrive. The price adjusts with the bookings you take each week, and the price at a given number of bookings is not published. checked 29 October 2026, source | 1.59% + 5p per transaction with Tap to Pay or a Timely terminal; a terminal costs extra. Timely says to ask about a custom rate above 15 bookings a week. checked 29 October 2026, source | None. Timely’s pricing page lists "No new client fees". checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Treatwell | Connect Advanced £24.99 a month; Connect Freelancer £9.99; Expert £59. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | 1.1% + 20p on a £199 card machine, or by Tap to Pay. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source | 35% of a new client’s first marketplace booking, plus VAT. None on repeat clients or on bookings you take yourself. checked 29 October 2026, source |
What each does well
One thing from each comparison page, in our words. Each page lists more.
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Barbr
Built for barbers and priced simply: three plans at £20, £30 and £40 a month, with each added barber at £10 a month. The price of the plan is on the page before you sign up.
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Booksy
A marketplace for new clients, which you can switch on or off: Boost is optional, with no monthly fee for it.
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Fresha
A large marketplace of clients looking to book. If you want new clients to find you inside an app, Fresha has one and Hopaby does not.
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Nearcut
Built for barbers from the start. Nearcut says it has been used since 2015 and is trusted by more than 6,500 barbers, a track record in one trade that Hopaby, which is newer and covers several trades, cannot match.
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Phorest
A much wider product than Hopaby: point of sale, retail, a salon-branded booking app in the app stores, loyalty, marketing campaigns and staff commission tools. Hopaby has none of these.
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Slick
A lower in-person card rate than Hopaby: 1.29% ex VAT with no fixed fee listed, against Hopaby’s 3% on pay as you go or 1.75% + 20p on Pro.
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Timely
Unlimited team members on every plan, with no charge for each person you add. Hopaby includes three on pay as you go and then charges £5 a month for each further member, unless you are on Pro.
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Treatwell
A well-known consumer marketplace for hair and beauty, with a large audience of people searching for treatments.
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Hopaby
A deposit or a saved card confirms each booking, and an unpaid hold goes back into the diary on its own. Your own booking page, no marketplace and no commission on your clients; card payments cost 3% on pay as you go or 1.75% + 20p on Pro.
Running a clinic rather than a salon? See Hopaby vs Cliniko .
Questions to ask before you sign up
- What would last month have cost me, with my real takings, bookings and team?
- Is there a fee or commission on clients who find me through the app?
- Can I take a deposit per service, and is an unpaid booking released on its own?
- Do the prices include VAT?
- Is it a monthly contract, and can I export my client list if I leave?
Writing your own terms? Read can a salon keep a deposit, or work out what missed appointments cost you with the no-show calculator.
Each name is a trade mark of its owner. Hopaby is not affiliated with any of them.
No monthly fee for up to three people. 3% when you get paid. No commission on your clients, ever.