# Slotivo: full text > Slotivo is online booking software for UK appointment and class businesses: salons, barbers, nail and beauty techs, massage therapists, personal trainers, class studios and driving instructors. It is free for a team of one or two. Larger teams pay £10 a month or £100 a year with unlimited staff. Slotivo takes no commission and adds no platform fee to card payments. Facts last checked 20 October 2026. Short index: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/llms.txt ## Pricing - **Free plan:** £0 for 1–2 team members, up to 10 services (add-ons count as services), unlimited bookings. No time limit and no card. - **Paid plan, monthly:** £10 a month, unlimited team members and services - **Paid plan, yearly:** £100 a year (£8 a month, saving £20) - **Paid plan trial:** 10 days. Card details are taken at signup and nothing is charged until the trial ends. - **Commission on bookings:** 0%, on new and returning clients - **Slotivo fee on card payments:** None. Stripe charges its standard processing fee on online payments; Slotivo adds nothing on top. - **Setup and import help:** Free - **Contracts:** None. Cancel or change plan at any time. - **Ireland:** €6 a month or €60 a year, same free plan ## What Slotivo includes - **Booking page:** A branded booking page on its own web address. Clients book in any browser with nothing to install. - **Staff and schedules:** Working hours per person, which services each person offers, and per-staff price and duration overrides. - **Group classes:** Sessions with a capacity, instructors and a waitlist. - **Class passes and memberships:** An optional module. Sell packs of classes, sessions or lessons (for example 10, with an optional expiry) and monthly memberships (a set number of classes a month, or unlimited). Clients buy them by card on the booking page, paid into the business’s own Stripe account, or the business records a pack sold in person. A cancelled booking gives the class back. Memberships bill monthly only. Passes are used on the web booking page, not yet in the customer app. - **Rooms and resources:** Rooms, chairs, beds or equipment attached to services so two bookings cannot clash over them. - **Your data:** Owners can download their client list and every booking as CSV files at any time, without asking support. - **Deposits:** Stripe card deposits, salon-wide or per service, paid to the business’s own Stripe account. Included on the free plan. - **Card on file (no-show and late-cancellation fees):** Instead of a deposit, clients save a card when they book and pay nothing up front. The business sets the fee (a percentage or a fixed amount) and the notice period. After a no-show or a late cancellation, the owner chooses to charge or waive the fee; nothing is charged automatically. Needs a connected Stripe account. Every plan. - **Discount codes:** Percentage or fixed-amount codes for online bookings, optionally limited to chosen services, a number of uses, once per client or an end date. Every plan. - **Buffer times:** Time before or after a service for clean-up, room turnaround or travel, shown on the calendar and kept free on the booking page. - **Self-service rescheduling:** Confirmation and reminder emails include a link that lets clients, including guests without an account, move a booking to a genuinely free time. - **Intake forms:** Consultation and health questionnaires attached to services and completed before the visit. - **Add-ons:** Optional extras clients can add to a service when they book. - **Reminders:** Automatic email confirmations and reminders on every plan. - **Push broadcasts:** Paid plans can send 3 push notifications a week to clients who saved the business in the customer app, for example to fill a cancellation. Not on the free plan. - **In-person takings:** Record cash, bank transfer or payments from your own card terminal so reports include them. Every plan. - **Apps:** Slotivo Pro is the app for owners and staff; the Slotivo customer app is for clients. Slotivo Pro for owners and staff is out now on Google Play, with iPhone coming soon. The customer app is in final testing — and your branded booking page works today, in any browser, with nothing to download. - **Paid-plan extras:** Advanced analytics report, advanced waitlist tools, priority support line. ## What Slotivo does not do - No SMS or WhatsApp reminders. Reminders are email, plus push notifications through the customer app. - No quotes or invoicing. - No gift cards or loyalty schemes. - No email marketing campaigns. - No card reader or Tap to Pay. Payments taken on your own terminal can be recorded. - Does not file VAT returns or replace accounting software. - Not built for restaurants, table reservations or retail stock. ## Monthly subscription by team size Competitor figures are from their public UK pricing pages, checked 20 October 2026. They exclude marketplace commission, card fees and paid add-ons. | Platform | 1 staff | 2 staff | 3 staff | 5 staff | 10 staff | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Slotivo | £0 | £0 | £10 | £10 | £10 | | Booksy | £40 | £45 | £50 | £60 | £85 | | Fresha | £14.95 | £19.90 | £29.85 | £49.75 | £99.50 | | Vagaro | £20 | £30 | £40 | £60 | £70 | Fresha: Excludes Fresha's marketplace commission on new clients (20%, minimum £4), which isn't modelled in this monthly-fee comparison. Vagaro: Vagaro charges £20 a month for one calendar plus £10 per extra calendar, capped at £70. Text marketing, forms and other add-ons are extra. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Slotivo really free? Yes, for as long as the business has one or two team members. There is no trial countdown and no card at signup. A third team member moves the business to the paid plan at £10 a month or £100 a year, with unlimited staff. ### Does Slotivo take commission? No. Slotivo takes no commission on any booking and adds no platform fee to card payments. Stripe charges its standard fee on payments taken online. ### Do clients need an app to book? No. Every business gets a booking page that works in any browser. The customer app is optional and free. ### Can Slotivo take deposits? Yes, through Stripe, on every plan including the free one. Deposits can apply to every service or only to chosen services. ### Who is Slotivo for? UK businesses that sell appointments or classes, from a sole trader to a multi-staff salon or studio. It is not designed for restaurants or retail. ### How does Slotivo compare on price with Fresha, Booksy and Vagaro? See the cost table on https://www.slotivo.co.uk/ai-info. Prices for the other platforms are read from their public UK pricing pages (checked 20 October 2026) and exclude marketplace commission and add-ons. # Comparisons ## Slotivo vs Booksy Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/booksy Booksy is £40 a month plus £5 per extra team member, and comes with a consumer marketplace. Slotivo is free for 1–2 staff and £10 a month for any team, with no marketplace. | | Slotivo | Booksy | |---|---|---| | Monthly subscription | Free for 1–2 staff; £10 for 3+ staff | £40 for one user, excluding VAT | | Additional staff | Included in the £10 paid plan | £5 per additional user/month, excluding VAT | | Standard booking commission | No Slotivo commission | No commission with Boost disabled | | Optional marketplace promotion | Share your booking link through your own channels | Boost: 30% of a qualifying first visit, £5 minimum, plus VAT | | Online card payments | Stripe processing fees apply | Processing rates depend on payment method | | Online booking | Branded booking page and customer app | Booksy profile and customer app | | Client reminders | Email and supported app push notifications | Appointment confirmations and reminders included | **Consider Booksy if:** if marketplace discovery and its wider marketing tools are central to how you attract clients. Include any optional Boost spend in your comparison. **Consider Slotivo if:** if clients mainly find you through referrals, your website or social channels, and you want a branded booking page with a flat team subscription. ### Is Slotivo a free Booksy alternative? The Slotivo subscription is free for 1–2 staff. Larger teams pay £10/month with unlimited staff included. Online card payments carry Stripe processing fees. ### Does Booksy charge commission on every booking? No. Standard marketplace bookings are included. Optional Boost has a separate fee for qualifying first visits; check the official terms linked above. ### Will all my Booksy data transfer automatically? Do not assume an automatic transfer. Import options depend on the export you can obtain and its fields. Contact support to review the file before moving; check future appointments, notes and financial records separately. ### Do my clients have to download another app? No. Clients can use your mobile-friendly booking page. The Slotivo customer app is optional. ## Slotivo vs Fresha Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/fresha Fresha is £14.95 a month for one person or £9.95 per team member, plus 20% on new clients from its marketplace. Slotivo is free for 1–2 staff and £10 a month for any team, with no marketplace commission. | | Slotivo | Fresha | |---|---|---| | Monthly software plan | Free for 1-2 staff; £10/month for larger UK teams | £14.95/month Independent; £9.95 per bookable team member on Team | | Marketplace new-client fee | No marketplace and no acquisition commission | 20% one-time commission; £4 minimum for qualifying marketplace clients | | Direct bookings | Own branded booking page | No marketplace fee for clients from your own channels, according to Fresha | | Payment processing | Standard Stripe processing only | Rates vary by plan and payment method | | Team pricing | Unlimited staff on the paid plan | Team plan priced per bookable team member | | Consumer marketplace | No | Yes | | Cash & Offline Payments | Log cash, bank transfer, card terminal or complimentary — included | Recorded through their own POS/payments product | **Consider Fresha if:** if its consumer marketplace and broader ecosystem are important to your acquisition strategy and the resulting client value justifies the fees. **Consider Slotivo if:** if you already attract clients through referrals, Google, social media or your own website and want a direct booking page with predictable software pricing. ## Slotivo vs GlossGenius Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/glossgenius GlossGenius is built around one person running their own book, with its own flat-rate card processing. Slotivo is free for 1–2 staff and £10 a month for any size of team, with standard Stripe fees. | | Slotivo | GlossGenius | |---|---|---| | Best Fit | Multi-staff & Scaling Salons | Solo artists / Booth Renters | | Team scheduling | Side-by-side team calendar, per-person hours and services | Check team features on the plan you would need | | Card Processing Fees | Standard Stripe fees (1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, 0% markup from us) | Flat-rate processing through GlossGenius (US pricing) | | Client data | CSV download of clients and every booking, any time | Check export options with GlossGenius | | Cash & Offline Payments | Log cash, bank transfer, card terminal or complimentary — included | Recorded through their own POS/payments product | **Consider GlossGenius if:** if you work alone in the US market and want its all-in-one payments, website and marketing tools from one provider. **Consider Slotivo if:** if you run a UK team, want each person on one shared calendar, and would rather pay a flat subscription than a per-person one. ## Slotivo vs Phorest Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/phorest Phorest is a broad salon management suite, with SMS, marketing and stock tools, sold by quote. Slotivo does less, publishes its price and is free for 1–2 staff. | | Slotivo | Phorest | |---|---|---| | Software type | Web app plus Android apps for you and your clients | Cloud-based salon management suite | | Pricing | Published: free for 1–2 staff, £10/mo for larger teams | Starter, Grow, Ultimate and Elite plans, priced by quote | | Text messages | No SMS; email reminders and app push notifications are included | SMS from 7p to 9.5p per message, by plan | | Payment Processing Fees | Standard Stripe Fees (0% markup from us) | Phorest Pay merchant fees | | Contracts | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | Ask Phorest for the term in your quote | | Client data | CSV download of clients and every booking, any time | Check export options with Phorest | | Cash & Offline Payments | Log cash, bank transfer, card terminal or complimentary — included | Recorded through their own POS/payments product | **Consider Phorest if:** if you need stock control, SMS marketing and a full front-desk suite, and you are happy to agree terms through a quote. **Consider Slotivo if:** if online booking, deposits, a team calendar and email reminders cover what you need and you want a price you can see before signing up. ## Slotivo vs Timely Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/timely Neither takes booking commission. Timely prices per staff member, so the bill grows with the team; Slotivo is free for 1–2 staff and £10 a month for any number above that. | | Slotivo | Timely | |---|---|---| | Pricing Model | One flat monthly rate | Tiered plans priced per staff member | | Cost As You Grow | Stays flat — unlimited staff | Rises with each extra staff member | | Free Plan | Free forever for 1-2 staff | Free trial only, then paid | | Booking Commission | 0% — you keep every booking | 0% (subscription based) | | Online Booking Page | Your own booking page at yourname.slotivo.co.uk | Branded booking page | | Deposits & No-Show Protection | Included on every plan, including free | Included on higher tiers | | Data Exporting | CSV download of clients and every booking, any time | Export supported | | Contract | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | Month-to-month | | Cash & Offline Payments | Log cash, bank transfer, card terminal or complimentary — included | Recorded through their own POS/payments product | **Consider Timely if:** if you want SMS reminders, stock and a wider set of business tools, and per-staff pricing suits a small, stable team. **Consider Slotivo if:** if your team is growing and you want the subscription to stay flat, with email reminders and app push notifications instead of SMS. ## Slotivo vs Treatwell Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/treatwell Treatwell is a marketplace: it charges 35% plus VAT on the first booking from each new client it brings you, and nothing on repeat bookings. Slotivo has no marketplace and no commission, and is free for 1–2 staff. | | Slotivo | Treatwell | |---|---|---| | New Client Commission | None — Slotivo has no marketplace and takes no commission | 35% of the first booking from a new client the marketplace brings you, plus VAT | | Repeat Client Fees | None | 0% on repeat bookings | | Online Prepayment Fees | Standard Stripe fees (no Slotivo markup) | 2.5% processing fee on online prepayments, plus VAT | | Platform Focus | Your Brand | Their Marketplace | | Consumer marketplace | No marketplace | Yes — marketplace discovery is a core part of the offer | | Contract and subscription | Public free and flat-rate plans | Review the current partner proposal and contract terms | | Data Portability | Export tools available in admin | Confirm available exports before signing | | Cash & Offline Payments | Log cash, bank transfer, card terminal or complimentary — included | Recorded through their own POS/payments product | **Consider Treatwell if:** if gaining visibility inside a consumer beauty marketplace is central to your acquisition strategy and the partner proposal works for your margins. **Consider Slotivo if:** if most clients come from your own reputation, social profiles, Google presence or website and you want them booking directly under your brand. ### How much does Treatwell take from a new client? Treatwell’s UK pricing page lists 35% commission on the first booking from a new client its marketplace introduces, and all its fees are subject to VAT. On a £60 first appointment that is £21, or £25.20 once VAT is added. Repeat bookings from that client carry no commission. ### Does Treatwell charge for clients I already have? Treatwell says repeat bookings are commission-free, as are bookings that come through your own channels such as your website button, social media or direct contact. The commission is for new clients found through its marketplace. ### What does Slotivo cost instead? Slotivo is free for one or two staff and a flat £10 a month for larger teams, with no commission on any booking. Online deposits and card payments go through Stripe at Stripe’s standard rates. ### Is Slotivo a like-for-like replacement? No. Slotivo has no consumer marketplace, so it won’t introduce new clients the way Treatwell can. It suits businesses whose clients already come from referrals, Instagram, Google or their own website. ## Slotivo vs Vagaro Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/alternatives/vagaro Vagaro starts at £20 a month for one calendar and adds £10 for each extra calendar up to £70, with some tools sold as add-ons. Slotivo is free for 1–2 staff and £10 a month for any team size. | | Slotivo | Vagaro | |---|---|---| | Base Monthly Rate | Free to £10/mo flat | From £20/mo for one calendar | | Adding More Staff | Included Free | +£10 per extra calendar, up to £70/mo | | Payment Processing Fees | Standard Stripe Fees (0% markup from us) | Vagaro merchant rates (quoted on request) | | Text Marketing | Email reminders included | Paid add-on | | Custom Forms | Included Free | Paid add-on | | Waitlist Feature | Included Free | Restricted / limited usage | | Cash & Offline Payments | Log cash, bank transfer, card terminal or complimentary — included | Recorded through their own POS/payments product | **Consider Vagaro if:** if you want its consumer marketplace, built-in text marketing and the wider add-on catalogue, and the per-calendar price works for your team size. **Consider Slotivo if:** if you want one flat price with forms, deposits and waitlists included, and you bring in clients through your own channels. # Guides ## Sports Massage Booking Software UK: What Therapists Should Look For Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/sports-massage-booking-software-uk (published September 23, 2026) Most booking software was built for hair and beauty salons. A sports massage practice looks similar from a distance, with appointments, a diary and clients who rebook, but the details that cause problems are different. This guide covers what to check before you move your bookings online, whether you work alone from one room or run a small clinic. This guide is published by Slotivo. It is a checklist for comparing any system, not an independent ranking. #### 1. A health questionnaire before the first treatment You need to know about injuries, medical conditions, medication and anything that rules a treatment out before you start. Collecting that on a clipboard when the client arrives eats into the appointment, and a client who has not mentioned a condition until they are on the couch puts you in a difficult position. Look for software that attaches a questionnaire to the treatment, so the client answers it while booking and you can read it beforehand. Check which question types are supported (short text, longer notes, yes/no, dropdowns) and whether you can make questions required. If your insurer or professional body needs a signed consent form, check whether the system can collect a signature or whether you will keep that separately. Our guide to PAR-Q and health intake forms has a question list you can adapt. #### 2. Changeover time that clients cannot book Between clients you need time to write notes, change the linen, wash your hands and reset the room. If the booking page offers every free minute, a client will eventually book straight after a treatment that runs over. Look for buffer time on each treatment, before or after, that keeps that time free without showing it as bookable. It should be set per treatment, since a 30 minute post-event rub needs less reset time than a 90 minute deep tissue session. #### 3. Treatment lengths that fit the diary properly Many therapists offer 30, 45, 60 and 90 minute treatments. The software should only offer a 90 minute slot where 90 minutes (plus changeover) is actually free, and should not leave awkward 15 minute gaps that nobody can book. Try building a realistic day in each system you test and see how many usable slots are left. #### 4. Deposits for long or first appointments A missed 90 minute treatment is hard to refill at short notice. A deposit taken when the client books gives them a reason to turn up or cancel in good time. Check whether you can set deposits per treatment (for example, only on first appointments or longer treatments), how refunds work when you cancel, and what the payment provider charges. See our guide to taking booking deposits for how to set a fair policy. #### 5. Regular clients in a regular slot Runners in a training block, people managing a long-term injury and anyone on a maintenance plan tend to come back at the same time every week or fortnight. Recurring bookings save you rebooking each visit by message, and make sure the regular slot is not given to someone else. #### 6. Rooms if you share a space If you rent a room in a clinic, gym or physio practice, or share a couch with another therapist, a free therapist is not enough. The room has to be free too. Software that ties a treatment to a room or resource stops two people being booked into the same space. More on this in our room and resource booking guide. #### 7. The full cost for a one-person business Per-staff subscriptions, marketplace commission on new clients and payment processing fees add up differently for a sole trader than for a salon. Add up the monthly subscription, card fees on your typical month and any commission, then compare. If most clients find you through word of mouth, a running club or your own Instagram, you may not need to pay for a marketplace listing. #### A quick test before you switch - Add your real treatment list with lengths, prices and changeover time. - Build your health questionnaire and attach it to your treatments. - Book a first appointment on your phone as if you were a new client, including the form and any deposit. - Reschedule and cancel it, and check what the client is told. - Look at the booking from your side and check you can read the form answers before the treatment. #### Where Slotivo fits Slotivo's sports massage booking software covers the points above: health questionnaires attached to treatments, buffer time before and after each treatment, Stripe deposits, weekly or fortnightly recurring bookings, room booking and client self-rescheduling within your notice period. Clients get an email confirmation and an email reminder the day before. It is free for 1–2 staff and £10/month for larger teams, with no commission on bookings; Stripe's payment processing fees apply to card payments. It does not currently collect signatures, so keep a signed consent form separately if your insurer needs one. Start free and run the test above with your own treatments. ## PAR-Q and Health Intake Forms for Personal Trainers and Massage Therapists Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/par-q-health-intake-forms-personal-trainers-massage-therapists (published September 23, 2026) Before you train or treat someone new, you need to know whether anything about their health changes what you should do. A PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) is the usual starting point for personal trainers, and massage therapists use a similar health and contraindication form. This guide covers what to ask, when to collect it and how to handle the answers. This is general guidance, not medical or legal advice. Your insurer, training provider or professional body may set specific requirements, so check what they expect you to have on file. #### Why collect it before the first session - Safety. Some answers mean you should adapt the session, and some mean the client should get clearance from a GP or physiotherapist first. - Time. A form completed at booking means the first session starts with a conversation about goals, not ten minutes of paperwork. - A record. If something goes wrong, you have a record of what the client told you and when. #### Questions for personal trainers (PAR-Q style) The standard PAR-Q questions are yes/no questions. A "yes" does not necessarily stop the client training, but it tells you to ask more and possibly get medical clearance first. Typical questions include: - Has a doctor ever said you have a heart condition, or high blood pressure? - Do you feel pain in your chest at rest, during daily activities or when you exercise? - Do you lose balance because of dizziness, or have you lost consciousness in the last 12 months? - Have you been diagnosed with another chronic medical condition (other than heart disease or high blood pressure)? - Are you currently taking prescribed medication for a chronic medical condition? - Do you have a bone, joint or soft tissue problem that could be made worse by becoming more physically active? - Has a doctor ever said you should only do medically supervised physical activity? The current version, the PAR-Q+, is published with its own wording and follow-up questions, so use the official form or your training provider's version rather than rewriting the questions yourself. Then add your own questions: - Current injuries, or any surgery in the last two years - Pregnancy or having given birth in the last 12 months - Current activity level and any sports played - Training goals - Emergency contact name and phone number #### Questions for sports massage therapists Massage forms focus on contraindications: conditions where massage should be avoided, adapted or delayed. Common questions include: - Any current injury, and when and how it happened - Recent surgery, fractures or scar tissue in the area to be treated - Blood clots or deep vein thrombosis, now or in the past - Blood-thinning medication or other current medication - Heart conditions, high or low blood pressure, diabetes or epilepsy - Skin conditions, infections, rashes or open wounds - Pregnancy - Fever, or feeling unwell today - Consent to treatment and to the therapist recording notes Your training will have covered which answers mean you should not treat, which mean you should adapt, and which need GP clearance. Build the form around that list. #### Turning the questions into an online form - Use yes/no questions for screening. Checkboxes or a Yes/No dropdown are quick to answer and easy to scan. - Add a "please give details" box after any question where a "yes" needs more information. - Make the important questions required, so a client cannot book without answering them. - Keep it short. A form that takes more than a few minutes gets abandoned. Save detailed history for the first session. - Ask again when things change. Ask returning clients to tell you about any new injury or condition, or send the form again after a long break. #### Looking after health information Health information is special category data under UK GDPR, which means stricter rules on how you collect, store and share it. Only ask for what you need, keep it somewhere secure rather than in your phone's photos or a shared inbox, and tell clients why you are collecting it and how long you will keep it. The ICO's guidance on special category data explains what small businesses need to do. #### Collecting the form with Slotivo With Slotivo you can build a health questionnaire once and attach it to the services that need it. The client answers it while booking, and you can read the answers against the booking before the session. Questions can be short text, longer text, checkboxes or dropdowns, and can be marked required. Slotivo does not currently collect signatures, so if your insurer needs a signed form, keep that separately. See how this fits into the personal trainer and sports massage booking pages, or read the salon and studio intake forms guide. ## How Personal Trainers Can Stop No-Shows and Late Cancellations Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/personal-trainer-no-shows-late-cancellations (published September 23, 2026) For a personal trainer, time is the product. When a client does not turn up for a 6am session, you have still got up, travelled and blocked that hour, and it is almost impossible to refill. Most no-shows are not bad faith: clients forget, oversleep or feel awkward cancelling. The fixes below make it easier to turn up, easier to cancel in time, and give clients a reason to do one or the other. #### 1. Write a cancellation policy and tell clients before they book A policy only works if clients know about it before the problem happens. Keep it short: - Notice period: for example, 24 hours for one-to-one sessions. - What happens inside that window: the session is charged or the deposit is kept. - What happens if you cancel: the client is refunded or rebooked, no questions asked. - Exceptions: illness or emergencies at your discretion, so the policy does not feel punitive. Put it on your booking page and in your confirmation message. Our no-show policy template was written for salons but works for trainers with a few words changed. #### 2. Take a deposit or payment when the session is booked A client who has paid something is much more likely to turn up or cancel in good time. You do not need to charge everything upfront: a deposit on each session, or full payment for a first consultation, is enough to change behaviour. Taking it through the booking page means you are not chasing bank transfers. See our guide to taking deposits for how to set it up fairly. #### 3. Send a reminder the day before A reminder the day before gives a client time to move the session if something has come up, and a nudge to set an alarm if it has not. Automatic reminders mean you do not have to remember to text everyone each evening. #### 4. Let clients move sessions themselves, within your notice period Many late cancellations happen because rescheduling feels like a hassle, so clients leave it and then do not turn up. If clients can move their own session online at any time before your notice period, they will usually do it early. Once inside the window, the change should be blocked so your policy is applied automatically, rather than you arguing about it by text. #### 5. Keep regulars in a regular slot Clients who train at the same time every week build a habit, and habits are harder to skip. Recurring sessions mean the slot is theirs every week without rebooking, and they are less likely to forget a session that is part of their routine. #### 6. Keep a waitlist for your busy times Early mornings and evenings fill first. When a session is cancelled in time, a waitlist lets you offer it to someone who wanted that time, so a cancellation does not automatically mean a lost hour. See how waitlist notifications fill cancelled slots. #### 7. Talk to repeat no-shows If the same client keeps missing sessions, the problem may be the time, their motivation or their circumstances. A short conversation about a better slot, a different format such as small group sessions, or a break often works better than enforcing the policy harder. #### Setting this up with Slotivo Slotivo's personal trainer booking software does most of this for you. You can take a deposit or full payment through Stripe when a session is booked, set a notice period after which clients cannot reschedule or cancel online, put regular clients in weekly or fortnightly recurring sessions, and keep a waitlist for full times. Clients get an email confirmation and an email reminder the day before. It is free for 1–2 staff, with no commission on bookings. Start free. ## Best Salon Software UK: How to Choose for Your Business Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/best-salon-software-uk (published September 21, 2026) The best salon software for a solo stylist may be a poor fit for a multi-room beauty clinic. Start with three questions: what must the system book, where do your clients come from, and what will the complete service cost? This guide is published by Slotivo. It is a practical shortlist, not an independent ranking or a claim that we have hands-on tested every competitor. Provider links were reviewed on 21 September 2026; confirm current UK terms and test the features that matter to you. #### Choose a shortlist around your business - Clients already come through your own channels: evaluate Slotivo salon software for a branded booking page, deposits and a flat team subscription. The subscription is free for 1–2 staff, then £10/month. Online payment processing is additional. - Marketplace discovery is important: compare Booksy and Fresha alongside the value of the new clients they bring. Separate standard bookings from optional promotion or new-client acquisition charges. - Your business sells classes as well as appointments: check capacity, instructor and room availability together. Try Slotivo’s class booking system, which includes prepaid class packs and monthly memberships; check it covers how you price courses. - You operate treatment rooms: test room allocation and consultation questions using your own treatment menu. See the beauty salon software walkthrough. #### Compare the full cost, not just the headline subscription Write down your active staff count, monthly card-payment volume, typical appointment value and how many genuinely new clients come through a marketplace. Compare subscription + additional staff + payment processing + acquisition charges + optional tools + applicable tax. Booksy’s UK subscription is £40/month for one user plus £5 for each additional user, excluding VAT. Standard marketplace bookings are included; optional Boost and payment processing cost extra. Read the official Booksy terms and our Booksy alternative comparison for the distinction. Fresha publishes paid Independent and Team plans, with separate acquisition and processing fees. Its pricing page displays regional rates, so check your UK quote. The sourced marketplace comparison explains the different fee categories. #### Run the same appointment through every demo - Build one busy day. Add a cut, a longer colour appointment and a consultation. Include a break and different staff working hours. - Book as a client. Try the page on your phone. Check staff choice, service duration, extras and payment information. - Change the booking. Reschedule or cancel and check how availability, deposits and client notifications behave. - Check the owner view. Find the booking and its client details, then compare the steps with your current process. - Test your specialist requirements. If you need stock management, payroll, memberships or multi-location reporting, ask for that specific workflow. Do not infer support from a general feature label. Use the Slotivo salon and studio demos to explore example data. They demonstrate the product; they are not customer case studies or evidence of business results. #### Plan the migration before committing Ask your current provider what can be exported. Confirm which fields the new system accepts and review future appointments, deposits, notes and outstanding balances separately. Test the new booking journey before changing links on your website and social profiles. For a small team, begin with the free salon software and trials comparison. For day-to-day appointment management, explore Slotivo salon booking software and compare it against the checklist above. ## Client Intake Forms for Salons and Studios: What to Ask (and What the Law Requires) Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/salon-intake-forms-guide (published August 19, 2026, updated September 21, 2026) See how consultation questions fit alongside room scheduling and deposits in the beauty salon software walkthrough. Most salons collect some client information before a treatment — a patch test record, an allergy note, a goals question. But once a business offers anything beyond standard hair and beauty services, intake forms stop being a nice-to-have and start being part of how the business protects itself. #### What a Standard Intake Form Should Cover For most hair, beauty and nail services, a pre-arrival form should capture: - Contact details and how the client prefers to be reminded (SMS or email). - Known allergies, skin sensitivities or reactions to previous products. - Relevant medical history — pregnancy, skin conditions, medication that affects healing or sensitivity. - The result or goal the client is booking for, so the consultation starts from the right point. - Consent to hold this information, in line with UK GDPR. Collecting this before the client arrives, rather than on a clipboard in the chair, saves consultation time and gives staff a record to refer back to on the next visit. #### Where Intake Forms Become a Legal Requirement, Not Just Good Practice For prescription-only treatments — most commonly Botox (botulinum toxin) and some prescription-strength skin treatments — the rules are stricter than for a haircut or a facial, and it's worth being precise about what a form does and doesn't cover. Botox is a prescription-only medicine (POM) in the UK. By law, it can only be prescribed following a proper consultation carried out by a qualified independent prescriber — typically a doctor, dentist or nurse prescriber — who assesses the client and takes responsibility for the prescribing decision. That consultation has to involve direct assessment of the client; it is not something a form alone can satisfy, and current guidance is clear that remote prescribing without proper assessment is not acceptable practice. What an intake form does do is capture and document the information that consultation depends on: medical history, current medication, previous reactions, contraindications (such as pregnancy, certain neurological conditions or allergies), and the client's informed consent. Having this recorded — rather than only spoken about in the room — is exactly the kind of evidence insurers, regulators and professional bodies expect a practitioner to hold on file. In practice, that means: use the intake form to gather and document history and consent ahead of time, but treat it as support for the required prescriber consultation, not a replacement for it. #### Why This Matters for Your Insurance and Your Liability Most professional indemnity and treatment insurance policies for aesthetics and advanced beauty treatments require evidence of a proper consultation and signed, informed consent before a claim will be honoured. If something goes wrong and there is no documented medical history or consent on file, a practitioner can find themselves unsupported by their own insurer — separate from any regulatory issue. The same principle applies, in a smaller way, to standard salon services. Colour and lash tint services typically require a patch test 24–48 hours before treatment under manufacturer and insurer terms; a missing patch test record can void cover in the event of a reaction. A digital intake form that timestamps when the patch test question was answered gives the business a record it wouldn't have from a verbal check. #### Building This Into Your Booking Flow The most reliable way to collect this information is to make it part of booking, not a separate step someone has to remember to send. When a form is attached to the service at the point of booking, the client fills it in once, before they arrive, and the practitioner has it ready for the in-person consultation. Slotivo's intake forms attach directly to a service, so a client booking a colour appointment or a consultation for a prescription treatment answers the relevant questions during checkout. The answers sit against the client's record for every future visit, so history doesn't have to be re-asked each time. #### A Few Rules of Thumb - Standard services: collect allergies, patch test confirmation and goals before every appointment. - Prescription treatments: use the form to gather medical history and consent ahead of time, but the prescribing consultation itself must still be carried out in person (or by live video where permitted) by a qualified prescriber. - Keep records, not just conversations. A signed form with a timestamp is evidence; a chat in the chair is not. - Review your form questions against your insurer's requirements, not just what feels useful — they're often more specific than you'd expect. This guide is general information, not legal advice — check current requirements with your professional body, insurer or regulator for the specific treatments you offer. See how forms fit into the wider booking flow on the intake forms page, or get started for free. ## How Automated Waitlist Notifications Turn Cancellations Into Revenue Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/how-waitlist-notifications-fill-cancelled-slots (published August 17, 2026) #### An Empty Slot Is a Cost, Not Just an Inconvenience When a client cancels two hours before their appointment, most businesses lose that time completely. There usually isn't time to call round a list of regulars, and posting "any takers for 2pm?" on Instagram is unreliable at best. That slot — with its staff time, room and product already allocated — simply goes unpaid. Multiply one missed slot a week across a busy calendar or a full class timetable, and the lost revenue adds up to real money over a year, before counting the admin time spent trying to fill gaps manually. #### How Waitlist Notifications Actually Work A waitlist turns "sorry, we're full" into a queue of interested clients instead of a lost booking. When someone tries to book a full slot or class, they can join the waitlist instead of leaving the page. The moment that slot becomes available — whether from a cancellation, a reschedule, or extra capacity being added — the system automatically sends an SMS or email to the people waiting, and the first to respond claims it. The key word is automatically. A waitlist that requires a staff member to manually check and text people isn't much faster than a phone call. The value comes from the notification firing the moment the slot opens, before the gap has time to sit empty. #### The Revenue Math Take a mid-sized salon or studio doing 25 client-facing hours a week. If waitlist notifications recover even two otherwise-empty slots a week at an average ticket of £40, that's roughly £80 a week — over £4,000 a year — recovered from cancellations that would previously have gone unfilled. For class-based businesses with fixed capacity, the effect is often larger: a single cancelled place in a popular Pilates or yoga class can be refilled within minutes of the notification going out, rather than the class simply running one person light. #### Configuring Notification Windows Properly Not every cancellation is worth chasing. A slot that opens up 10 minutes before it starts is unlikely to be filled by anyone, however fast the notification. Configurable minimum-notice windows let a business set a sensible cutoff — for example, don't notify the waitlist for anything cancelled inside one hour of the start time — so clients aren't pinged for slots they realistically can't get to. It's also worth pairing waitlist alerts with your standard appointment reminders. A reminder sent 24–48 hours ahead reduces the number of last-minute cancellations in the first place; a waitlist recovers the ones that still happen. Used together, they cover both ends of the problem. See our guide on reducing salon no-shows for the reminder side of this. #### Setting This Up Slotivo's waitlist captures demand automatically whenever a slot or class is fully booked, and sends SMS/email alerts within your configured notification window when a place opens up — no manual list-checking required. It works the same way for one-to-one appointments and capacity-limited group classes, so a studio running both isn't maintaining two separate processes. Explore the full feature set on the features page, or get started for free and set up your waitlist in a few minutes. ## Pilates Studio Booking Software: What to Look For in 2026 Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/pilates-studio-booking-software (published August 14, 2026) #### Why Pilates Studios Need Class-Shaped Booking, Not Appointment-Shaped Booking A lot of booking software is built around the one-client, one-slot model that works for hair and beauty appointments. Pilates studios don't book that way. A reformer class has a fixed number of machines, a fixed start time, and often sells out within minutes of opening — the software needs to manage places, not just time. If a system can't show real-time remaining capacity, handle a waitlist for full classes, and stop a class being double-booked into an occupied studio, staff end up managing the actual constraints in a spreadsheet or group chat regardless of what the booking page says. #### What to Look For ##### 1. Real Capacity Control Each class needs a maximum number of places tied to the number of reformers or mats actually available in the room. The booking page should stop accepting bookings the moment it's full — not rely on staff catching an over-booked class manually. ##### 2. A Waitlist That Notifies Automatically Popular class times sell out fast, and cancellations happen just as fast. A waitlist that automatically emails the next person in line the moment a place opens up recovers cancellations that would otherwise sit empty. See how this works in our guide to waitlist notifications and cancelled-slot revenue. ##### 3. Instructor and Room Scheduling Together A free instructor isn't enough on its own — the studio space or the specific reformers need to be free too. Booking software for a Pilates studio should let a class be tied to both an instructor and a room or resource, so the two can't accidentally clash. ##### 4. Deposits or Card-on-File for Popular Sessions No-shows are more costly in a capacity-limited class than a normal appointment, because a no-show doesn't just cost that client's fee — it also means someone on the waitlist missed a place they could have taken. A small deposit or held card detail on booking discourages no-shows for in-demand sessions. ##### 5. Pricing That Doesn't Punish Growth Many studios start with one or two instructors and grow quickly once the timetable fills. Per-instructor pricing that looked reasonable at launch can become expensive fast. Look for a flat-rate model that doesn't charge more simply because the timetable has grown. ##### 6. Be Clear About How You Sell Classes Work out whether you need drop-in bookings, fixed-price courses, prepaid class packs or monthly memberships before you compare systems, because support for each varies a lot. Packs and memberships need a system that tracks credits or billing across bookings. If most of your clients book and pay per class, or buy a course as one booking, you can skip that extra complexity and cost. #### Running Classes and Private Sessions From One System Most studios don't run classes exclusively — one-to-one reformer sessions, injury rehab appointments or private teaching often sit alongside the group timetable. Rather than running a class booking tool and a separate appointments calendar, look for software that handles both from the same admin area, so instructor availability and room bookings stay consistent across every service type. Slotivo's class booking software supports capacity-controlled group sessions, waitlists, instructor and room scheduling, and standard one-to-one appointments together, with no percentage commission on bookings. Studios can take payment per class, or sell prepaid class packs and monthly memberships that members book with instead. See it running with real example classes on the demo page, or get started for free. ## Room and Resource Booking: Stopping Double-Bookings on Chairs, Beds and Studios Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/room-and-resource-booking-guide (published August 11, 2026) #### Staff Availability Is Only Half the Picture Most booking software checks one thing before confirming a slot: is the staff member free? For a huge number of businesses that's genuinely enough. But once a business has more staff than treatment rooms, shares a studio space between classes and private sessions, or relies on a specific piece of equipment that only one person can use at a time, staff availability alone isn't a complete check. A free beautician doesn't help if both treatment rooms are already occupied. A free Pilates instructor doesn't help if the reformers are all in use in the class before theirs. Without a resource layer, these clashes get caught by a staff member noticing at the last minute — or not caught at all. #### What Resource Booking Actually Does Resource booking attaches a physical thing — a room, a treatment bed, a chair, specialist equipment, a studio space — to a service, alongside the staff member. When a client books, the system checks that both the staff member and the resource are free for that time. If the room is already booked for another service, the slot doesn't show as available, regardless of whether a staff member is free. This matters most for: - Multi-room salons and clinics, where more staff work than there are treatment rooms. - Studios that mix classes and private sessions in the same physical space, where a room needs to be blocked for the full class duration, not just the instructor. - Any business with shared, limited equipment — a single piece of laser or IPL kit, a specific chair, a sound-treated room — that can only serve one client at a time. #### When You Don't Need It A solo practitioner, or a business where every staff member has their own dedicated space, doesn't need a resource layer — staff availability alone already reflects reality. Adding resource booking only becomes worthwhile once rooms or equipment are shared between more people than there are of them. #### Setting It Up Without Overcomplicating the Calendar The simplest approach is to treat resources the same way as staff: give each room, bed or piece of equipment its own schedule, then attach the relevant resource to each service that needs it. A colour service might need a basin and a styling chair; a Pilates class might need the whole studio for its duration. The booking page then only offers times when everything the service needs — staff, room and equipment — lines up. Slotivo's room and resource booking works this way, so rooms, chairs, treatment beds and studio spaces can be attached to any service without a separate scheduling tool. It works alongside group class capacity for studios running both classes and private sessions. See it in context on the resource booking page, or get started for free. ## Yoga Studio Booking Software: A Buyer’s Guide Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/yoga-studio-booking-software (published August 09, 2026) #### Yoga Studios Sell Access, Not Just Slots A hair salon books one service at a time. A yoga studio often sells several ways into the same class — a single drop-in, a fixed-length course, a discounted class pack or an ongoing membership. Before comparing software, decide which of these you actually sell, because each one needs different things from a booking system. #### What to Look For ##### 1. Recurring Bookings, and Packs Only If You Need Them Students shouldn't have to rebook the same weekly class by hand. Look for software that can hold a recurring booking for a regular student. If you sell prepaid packs or memberships, you'll also need credit tracking or membership billing. If most students pay per class or per course, a simpler and cheaper system will do the job. ##### 2. Capacity Per Room, Not Just Per Class A studio running multiple rooms needs capacity tied to the room a class is actually in — a hot yoga room with 15 mats has a different limit to a smaller therapy space next door. Booking software should stop a class being scheduled somewhere it physically can't fit. ##### 3. Multi-Teacher Scheduling Studios with several teachers need each teacher's own availability reflected on the timetable, including cover arrangements when a regular teacher is away. A clean staff-per-class structure avoids classes appearing on the public timetable with nobody actually booked to run them. ##### 4. A Waitlist for Popular Classes Evening and weekend classes fill up fast in most studios. An automatic waitlist that notifies the next person the moment a cancellation opens a mat keeps popular sessions full without staff manually working a list. See how this works in our guide to waitlist notifications and cancelled-slot revenue. ##### 5. Room Booking for Shared Spaces Many studios share their space with private treatments, workshops or hired-out sessions. Attaching a room to each class stops a workshop and a regular class being scheduled into the same space by accident. See our guide to room and resource booking. #### Running the Whole Timetable From One System Slotivo's class booking software handles capacity-controlled classes, waitlists, recurring bookings, teacher scheduling and room assignment together, alongside one-to-one sessions where a studio offers them — with no percentage commission on bookings. It also sells prepaid class packs and monthly memberships, so students can book with a pack or membership instead of paying each time. See it running with a real example timetable on the demo page, or get started for free. ## Class Booking Software for Tutors, Coaches and Instructors Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/class-booking-software-for-tutors-and-instructors (published August 08, 2026, updated September 21, 2026) Before switching, check the class booking system’s pricing and supported booking models. Scheduled sessions are different from prepaid class credits, recurring membership billing or whole-course enrolment. #### Teaching Businesses Rarely Sell Just One Thing An independent Spanish tutor, a music teacher, or a coach might run a structured beginner course, a drop-in conversation or practice group, and one-to-one lessons — often in the same week, sometimes in the same room. Managing that across a booking link for one thing and a spreadsheet or DM thread for everything else is where availability starts to go wrong. #### What This Kind of Business Needs from Booking Software ##### Courses With a Fixed Group and a Fixed Length A six-week beginner course needs every student booked onto every session as a set, not booked week by week. Software built for classes should let a course be published once, with capacity for the whole run, rather than recreating the class six separate times. ##### Drop-In Sessions With Real Capacity A weekly conversation group or open practice session needs a simple capacity limit and a booking page students can use without an account or an app download — three clicks, choose the date, done. ##### Private Lessons on the Same Calendar One-to-one lessons need standard appointment booking, ideally on the same calendar as the group sessions, so a tutor isn't checking two systems to see if a time is genuinely free. ##### Payment Taken Upfront Courses and one-off private lessons both benefit from payment or a deposit at the point of booking — it protects a tutor's time from last-minute cancellations, and for a multi-week course, it confirms the commitment before the course starts. ##### A Booking Link, Not a Booking Conversation Many independent tutors currently run bookings through Instagram or WhatsApp messages. That works at a small scale but doesn't scale past a handful of regular students. A public booking page removes the back-and-forth entirely. See our related guide on moving from Instagram DMs to online bookings. #### One System for Courses, Drop-Ins and Private Lessons Slotivo's class booking software supports capacity-limited group sessions and courses alongside standard one-to-one appointments, with a branded booking page and no percentage commission on what you charge. Get started for free — it's free forever for a one or two-person teaching business. ## Dog Training Booking Software: Group Classes and Private Sessions Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/dog-training-booking-software (published August 07, 2026) #### Dog Trainers Run a Mixed Timetable Most independent dog trainers aren't running one type of session. A typical week might include a beginner puppy class, an ongoing group obedience course, and several private one-to-one sessions for behavioural work — often at different venues, since group classes and private consultations don't always happen in the same place. #### What to Look For in a Booking System ##### Capacity Limits for Group Classes Group classes need a sensible maximum — both for the trainer's ability to give each dog attention, and often for the space itself. The booking page should stop taking bookings once a class is full rather than relying on the trainer catching an over-booked session. ##### Venue or Resource Booking If classes run at a hired hall, a field, or a specific outdoor venue on a rotation, attaching that venue to the class as a resource stops two sessions being accidentally scheduled into the same space at the same time. See our guide on room and resource booking. ##### Private Sessions on the Same Calendar Behavioural consultations and one-to-one training need standard appointment booking — ideally on the same calendar as group classes, so a trainer's day is visible in one place rather than split across a class list and a personal diary. ##### Deposits for Sessions Booked in Advance Private behavioural sessions are often booked well ahead and can be costly to lose to a late cancellation, since that slot is genuinely hard to refill on short notice. A deposit at booking protects the trainer's time. ##### Reminders That Reduce No-Shows Automatic email or SMS reminders ahead of a class or session reduce the number of people who simply forget — particularly useful for courses booked weeks in advance. See our guide on reducing no-shows with reminders and deposits — the same principles apply outside a salon setting. #### Run Classes and Private Sessions Together Slotivo's class booking software handles capacity-controlled group classes and one-to-one appointments from the same system, with venue booking to keep sessions apart and no percentage commission on what you charge. Get started for free. ## Best Fresha Alternative for Class-Based Businesses Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/fresha-alternative-for-classes-and-group-sessions (published August 06, 2026) Checked 6 August 2026. Providers change features and pricing, so confirm current details on Fresha's own site before switching. #### Where the Appointment Model Starts to Strain Fresha's core booking model — one client, one staff member, one time slot — works well for the hair and beauty appointments it was originally built around. Group class businesses put different pressure on that model: a single session might need to hold 12, 20 or more separate bookings against one time slot, with a live count of remaining places, a waitlist for when it fills, and a room or resource tied to the class alongside the instructor. Businesses running Pilates, yoga, group fitness or similar class formats on appointment-first platforms often report needing workarounds — treating a class as a single bookable "resource" with manual capacity tracking, or juggling separate tools for class scheduling and marketplace bookings. #### What to Actually Check Before Choosing - Real capacity limits. Does the platform natively support a maximum number of bookings per session, with the booking page automatically closing once full? - Native waitlists. When a class fills or someone cancels, does the system notify waiting clients automatically, or does that need a manual process? - Room and instructor together. Can a class be tied to both a teacher and a specific room or resource, so the two can't clash? - Commission on group bookings. If the platform charges a percentage of revenue for new clients found through its marketplace, check how that applies to a 20-person class rather than a single appointment — the maths changes quickly at volume. #### The Independent Alternative Slotivo was built to handle capacity-controlled group classes and standard one-to-one appointments from the same system — with real-time places-remaining counts, automatic waitlist notifications, and rooms or resources attached directly to a class. There's no marketplace and no percentage commission on bookings; pricing is free forever for one or two staff, then a flat £10/month for larger teams with unlimited staff included. See how class booking works on the yoga and Pilates class booking page, compare general pricing on our Slotivo vs Fresha comparison, or get started for free. ## SMS vs Email Reminders: What Actually Reduces No-Shows Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/sms-vs-email-reminders-what-actually-reduces-no-shows (published August 04, 2026) #### Both Channels Work — for Different Reasons SMS and email reminders both reduce no-shows compared with sending nothing, but they behave differently, and the right choice often depends on the message and the timing rather than picking one channel permanently. #### SMS: Fast, Read Quickly, Best for Time-Sensitive Alerts Text messages are typically read within minutes of arriving, which makes SMS the stronger channel for anything time-sensitive — a reminder the morning of an appointment, or a waitlist alert that a slot has just opened up and needs a fast response. The tradeoff is length: SMS works best as a short, direct message rather than a detailed one. #### Email: Better for Detail, Confirmations and Records Email is better suited to anything a client might want to refer back to — a full booking confirmation with date, time, service and policy details, a receipt, or a link to reschedule. It's also generally cheaper to send at volume, which matters for businesses sending a high number of reminders each month. #### A Sensible Default: Use Both, at Different Points A common pattern that works well: - Immediately after booking: an email confirmation with the full details and a reschedule link. - 24–48 hours before: a reminder by email or SMS, giving enough notice for a genuine change of plan to be rescheduled rather than becoming a no-show. - On the day, a few hours before: a short SMS reminder — the channel most likely to actually be seen in time. - The moment a slot opens from a cancellation: SMS to the waitlist, since speed matters more than detail. See our guide on waitlist notifications and cancelled-slot revenue. #### Getting the Timing Window Right A reminder sent too early is easy to forget again by the time the appointment arrives. One sent too late doesn't leave a client enough time to reschedule instead of no-showing, which defeats the purpose. Configurable notification windows let a business set reminder timing per stage — rather than a single fixed reminder time that doesn't suit every appointment length. Slotivo sends an automatic email reminder the day before each appointment, alongside booking confirmations and waitlist emails, included on every plan. It does not send SMS. See the full set on the features page, or read more on reducing no-shows generally. ## Salon Software Pricing UK: What Should It Cost in 2026? Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/salon-software-pricing-uk (published August 03, 2026) Salon software pricing is difficult to compare because providers charge in different ways. One system may use a flat monthly subscription, another may charge for every bookable staff member, and a marketplace may charge when it introduces a new client. The useful question is not “Which system has the lowest advertised price?” It is “What will this system cost for my team, booking volume and client-acquisition mix?” #### The Five Costs to Include ##### 1. Base subscription Check whether the advertised amount is monthly or annual, whether VAT is included, and whether the price changes after a trial. ##### 2. Staff or calendar charges Per-seat pricing can be reasonable for a solo operator but becomes more expensive as the team grows. Calculate the cost using the number of people who need a bookable calendar, not only the number of account logins. ##### 3. Marketplace acquisition fees A marketplace may charge a percentage or fixed amount when a new client discovers the salon through its directory. This is different from a normal software subscription and should be treated as a marketing acquisition cost. ##### 4. Payment processing and booking charges Separate the card processor's fee from any fee charged by the booking platform. Ask whether the platform adds a percentage, a fixed booking charge, or a markup to payment processing. ##### 5. Paid add-ons SMS reminders, forms, marketing messages, additional locations, reports and support may sit outside the base plan. Price the features you will actually use rather than comparing incomplete starter plans. #### A Simple Monthly Cost Formula Use this calculation for each provider: Base subscription + staff charges + add-ons + payment processing + marketplace acquisition fees. Run the calculation for an ordinary month and a busy month. Percentage-based charges rise with revenue, while flat subscriptions are usually more predictable. #### Example: A Four-Person Salon Imagine a four-person salon taking 300 bookings per month. Before choosing software, record: - How many team members need their own calendar. - How many bookings are paid online. - How many genuinely new clients arrive through a marketplace. - Whether SMS, forms, deposits or multiple rooms cost extra. This makes a flat plan, a per-person plan and a marketplace model directly comparable without pretending they provide the same service. #### How Slotivo Is Priced Slotivo is free for businesses with one or two staff members. UK teams with three or more staff pay a flat £10 per month or £50 per year, with unlimited staff included. Slotivo does not take a percentage commission from the service price. Card processing and any stated flat booking charge should still be included when calculating the total cost. See the current inclusions on the Slotivo pricing page or compare how an independent system differs from Fresha and Treatwell. #### Questions to Ask Before Signing - Can I export my client and booking data? - What happens to the price when I hire another person? - Which reminders or marketing messages cost extra? - Does a marketplace fee apply only to clients it genuinely introduces? - Are deposits, forms, rooms and reports included? - Is support or data migration included? The best-value system is the one whose complete cost and operating model fit the salon—not necessarily the one with the smallest number in its headline. ## Fresha Fees UK: Subscription, Marketplace and Payment Costs Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/fresha-fees-uk (published August 03, 2026) Fresha's cost depends on the plan you choose, the number of bookable team members, how customers discover you and which payment method they use. Looking only at one fee can therefore give a misleading picture. Pricing checked 3 August 2026. Providers change prices and terms, so confirm the latest amount on Fresha's official pricing page before making a purchasing decision. #### Fresha's UK Monthly Plans Fresha's public UK pricing page lists an Independent plan at £14.95 per month for a one-person business. Its Team plan is listed at £9.95 per bookable team member per month. Fresha also advertises enterprise options for businesses with more than 20 team members. For a team plan, multiply the per-member amount by everyone who needs a bookable calendar. Then add any paid messaging, payment or marketplace costs relevant to the business. #### Fresha Marketplace New-Client Fee Fresha states that a one-time 20% commission applies when a brand-new client discovers and books the business through the Fresha marketplace, with a minimum fee of £4 per client. Its pricing page says this fee does not apply to returning clients or to new clients who find the business through its own website, Google or social channels. This charge is best evaluated as customer-acquisition spend. A business that receives valuable new demand from the marketplace may decide the fee is worthwhile. A salon that already generates most demand directly should measure how many bookings the marketplace actually introduces. #### Payment and Messaging Charges Fresha publishes different rates for online payments, in-person transactions and other payment methods. It also lists allowances and additional charges for messages. These figures can change by plan and payment type, so use the official table to model the methods your clients use rather than relying on one headline processing rate. #### How to Estimate Your Fresha Cost Add together: - The monthly plan or per-bookable-member subscription. - New-client marketplace fees. - Payment processing for the relevant transaction types. - Messaging or optional feature charges beyond included allowances. Run the calculation using your last three months of bookings. Separate clients acquired by the marketplace from clients generated by your own marketing. #### When Fresha May Be a Good Fit Fresha may suit businesses that value its consumer marketplace, want its wider product ecosystem and can attribute profitable new-client demand to the platform. The marketplace fee is easier to assess when the business knows its average first-booking value and repeat-client rate. #### When to Consider an Independent Alternative An independent booking system may be a better fit when the salon already attracts clients through referrals, Google, social media or its own website and wants predictable software costs without a consumer marketplace. See the detailed Slotivo vs Fresha comparison, compare Fresha with Treatwell, or review Slotivo's current pricing. ## Booksy Fees UK: Subscription, Boost and Card Payment Costs (2026) Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/booksy-fees-uk (published September 27, 2026) Booksy’s headline price is simple: one monthly subscription with all features included. What you actually pay depends on how many people take bookings, whether you use Boost to get new clients from the Booksy marketplace, and how clients pay. Pricing checked 27 September 2026 on Booksy’s UK pricing page. Booksy adds VAT to all its prices, so the figures below are before VAT unless stated. #### Booksy’s Monthly Subscription - £40 a month for the core plan, covering one user. - £5 a month for each additional user. - A 7-day free trial, with no card needed to start. - No contract: Booksy says you can cancel at any time. With VAT at 20%, a solo barber pays £48 a month. A three-chair shop pays £50 before VAT, or £60 with it. The subscription includes Booksy’s marketplace listing, online booking, reminders and client management. #### Booksy Boost: The Commission Fee Boost is Booksy’s paid promotion in its marketplace. It is free to switch on and has no monthly fee. Instead, Booksy charges a one-time 30% fee on a new client’s first booking while Boost is active, with a £5 minimum. There is no charge for clients who book through your own Booksy profile link. - A £30 skin fade from a Boost client costs £9, or £10.80 with VAT. - A £15 beard trim hits the minimum: £5 rather than £4.50, or £6 with VAT. If you leave Boost switched off, you pay no commission to Booksy at all. #### Card Payment Fees Booksy has no monthly fee for taking payments, but charges per transaction: - Mobile payments: 1.29% + 20p + VAT. - Tap to Pay on your phone: 0.99% + 20p + VAT. - Fast payouts within 30 minutes: an extra 1.5%. On a £30 appointment paid through Booksy’s mobile payments, that is about 59p, or 70p with VAT. #### Text Messages Appointment confirmations and reminders are free. Booksy includes 500 marketing text messages a month; after that each one costs 5p. Email marketing is included. #### What Booksy Costs in a Typical Month A three-chair barbershop with Boost switched on, which gets 10 new Boost clients at £30 and takes £4,000 through Booksy’s mobile payments, would pay roughly: - Subscription: £50 - Boost: 10 × £9 = £90 - Card payments: 1.29% of £4,000 plus 20p on each of about 133 payments ≈ £78 - Total ≈ £218 before VAT, about £262 with it. With Boost off, the same shop would pay about £128 before VAT. Your own figures will differ, so run the numbers with your last three months of bookings. #### Is Booksy Worth It? Booksy suits barbers and salons that want marketplace visibility and like having payments, marketing texts and booking in one app. Boost can pay for itself if the clients it brings keep coming back. If most of your clients already find you through Instagram, Google or word of mouth, you may be paying for a marketplace you don’t need. Slotivo is free for one or two staff and £10 a month flat for bigger teams, with no commission; online payments go through Stripe at Stripe’s standard rates. See the full Slotivo vs Booksy comparison, the free Booksy alternative for small teams, or how commission compares across booking apps. ## Fresha Alternative for Barbers: Costs and Features Compared (UK) Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/fresha-alternative-for-barbers (published September 27, 2026) Fresha is popular with UK barbers, and its marketplace can bring in new clients. But barbering is a volume business: short appointments, lower prices and lots of chairs. Some of Fresha’s charges weigh more heavily on that model than on a salon doing £120 colours. Pricing checked 27 September 2026 on Fresha’s UK pricing page. Fresha’s prices exclude VAT. #### What Fresha Charges a Barbershop - Subscription: £14.95 a month for a one-person business, or £9.95 a month per bookable team member on the Team plan. - New-client fee: a one-time 20% commission when a brand-new client finds you on the Fresha marketplace, minimum £4. Returning clients and clients who find you through your own channels are free. - Card payments: 1.19% + 20p in person, plus 7p per Tap to Pay authorisation, or 1.40% + 25p online. - Texts: 20 free automated messages a month, then 6p each. #### Why It Adds Up Differently for Barbers Every chair is a subscription. A four-chair shop on the Team plan pays £39.80 a month before VAT, and each new barber adds £9.95. The £4 minimum bites on short services. 20% of a £15 beard trim is £3, but the minimum makes it £4, over a quarter of the price. On a £20 cut it is exactly £4 either way. Reminder texts run out fast. With dozens of appointments a day, 20 free automated texts won’t last long. Plan for per-message costs, or use email reminders. None of this makes Fresha a bad choice. If its marketplace fills your chairs with clients who come back every few weeks, the fees are a fair price for that. #### What to Look For in a Fresha Alternative - Pricing that doesn’t grow per chair. A flat fee means adding a barber costs nothing extra. - Short slot lengths, so 15-minute beard trims and 30-minute fades fit the diary without gaps. - Walk-ins and cash recorded in the same diary as online bookings. - Deposits or card details at booking for no-show-prone slots such as Saturdays. - Your own booking link for Instagram and Google, so regulars book you directly. #### How Slotivo Compares Slotivo is free for one or two staff and £10 a month flat for three or more, however many barbers you add. There is no marketplace and no commission. Slots can be as short as 15 minutes, walk-ins and cash payments go in the same diary, and you can take deposits online through Stripe at Stripe’s standard rates. The trade-off: Slotivo won’t find you new clients the way Fresha’s marketplace can. It is for shops whose chairs are filled by regulars, word of mouth and Instagram. See Slotivo for barbershops, the free barber appointment app, the full Slotivo vs Fresha comparison, or our breakdown of Fresha fees. ## How to Reduce Salon No-Shows Without Upsetting Clients Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/how-to-reduce-salon-no-shows (published June 23, 2026, updated September 21, 2026) To see these controls together, explore salon booking software with deposits and reminders and try the example diary before configuring your own policy. #### The True Cost of Empty Salon Chairs There is nothing more frustrating for a salon owner or stylist than a blank space in the calendar. You have set up the chair, prepared the products, and turned away other customers, only for the client not to show up. In the UK, the average hair and beauty salon loses thousands of pounds annually to no-shows and last-minute cancellations. But how do you tackle this problem without making your regular, loyal clients feel distrusted or unwelcome? The key is implementing fair, transparent systems that guide client behaviour naturally. #### 1. Set Up Automatic Reminders (Email & SMS) Often, clients do not miss appointments out of malice—they simply forget. With busy daily schedules, a booking made three weeks ago can easily slip their minds. Sending a reminder 24 or 48 hours beforehand is the simplest way to reduce no-shows immediately. With Slotivo's online booking system, automated reminders are sent directly to clients. These reminders include links to easily reschedule if their plans have changed, giving you enough time to fill the slot from your waitlist. #### 2. Introduce a Fair Booking Deposit Policy A deposit creates a financial commitment and makes the cancellation policy tangible. The effect varies by salon, service, client mix and notice period, so track your own no-show rate before and after introducing one. You do not need to charge the full service cost upfront. Even a small deposit—such as 25% or a flat £10 fee—is enough to ensure clients show up. For regular clients who have never missed a slot, you can choose to waive deposits, but keeping it standard for new bookings is highly recommended. Learn more about setting up deposits with our guide on a booking system with deposits. #### 3. Write a Clear, Transparent Cancellation Policy Make sure your clients know what is expected of them. Your policy should outline: - The deadline for cancellations or changes (e.g., 24 hours in advance). - What happens to their deposit if they cancel late or do not show up (e.g., non-refundable or credited to their next visit). - How they can cancel or reschedule (via email, booking portal, or phone). Keep the wording friendly but firm. Display this policy clearly on your booking page, social media bios, and appointment confirmation emails so there are no surprises. Don't want to write it from scratch? Use our free salon no-show and cancellation policy template — just fill in the brackets and publish. #### 4. Leverage Your Waitlist When a cancellation does happen, you need a way to fill that gap fast. A smart waitlist tool allows clients to request slots that are currently fully booked. If someone cancels, the system can automatically notify waiting clients, keeping your chairs occupied and protecting your daily revenue. #### Switch to a Smarter Booking Solution Protecting your business does not have to mean awkward conversations. By automating your reminders and securing appointments with deposits, you can focus on what you do best: styling, cutting, and pampering. Explore Slotivo's simple pricing plans (which start at Free) and start reducing your no-shows today. ## The Best Booking System for Barbershops: What to Look For Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/best-booking-system-for-barbershops (published June 18, 2026) #### Why Barbershops Need Dedicated Booking Software Managing a busy barbershop is a balancing act. You need to keep queues short, ensure your barbers' schedules are optimised, and make it easy for local clients to book skin fades and beard trims. Relying on pen-and-paper or clunky software can lead to double bookings, empty chairs, and wasted time. Choosing the right barbershop booking software can transform how your business operates, giving you back hours of administrative time every week. #### Essential Barbershop Booking Features ##### 1. Chair & Staff Management Your booking software must handle multi-barber scheduling. Each staff member should have their own login, working hours, and service control. Some barbers may specialise in premium beard grooming or hot towel shaves, while others focus on standard trims. The system should allow duration and price overrides per staff member. ##### 2. Commission-Free Booking Some booking apps charge marketplace or promotional fees for qualifying new clients. Compare those terms with a flat-rate alternative such as Slotivo, which charges no commission on services, and model the cost using your own first-visit value. ##### 3. Stripe Integration for Upfront Deposits Saturday no-shows are killer for barbershops. If a client books a £25 fade and does not show up, that chair sits empty during your busiest hours. Taking a small upfront deposit or securing card details at checkout ensures clients show up or compensates your barbers if they do not. ##### 4. Instagram & Social Media Integration Most local gents find their barbers on Instagram or Google. Your booking system should provide a clean, mobile-optimised booking link that fits perfectly in your Instagram bio or Google Maps profile. Clients should be able to book in three clicks without downloading a third-party app. #### Streamline Your Barbershop Today If you are looking for a simple flat-rate platform, review Slotivo's barbershop booking software. Plans are free for up to 2 barbers, with a flat £10/month subscription for larger shops. Get started for free today. ## Fresha vs Treatwell vs Booksy (2026): Fees Compared Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/fresha-vs-treatwell-vs-booksy (published June 10, 2026, updated September 6, 2026) Fresha, Treatwell and Booksy all combine appointment management with ways for consumers to discover businesses, but their charging models are not interchangeable. The right choice depends on how many people take bookings, where new clients come from, whether you process payments in the platform and how much marketplace discovery is worth to you. This is a neutral, practical comparison for UK salons, barbers and independent beauty professionals. Prices and terms were checked on 6 September 2026. Platform fees can vary by plan, location, VAT status, payment method and commercial agreement, and providers can change them. Confirm the complete quote and contract before signing. #### How We Compared the Platforms We reviewed each provider's official UK pricing page and compared four cost categories: core software subscription, extra bookable team members, marketplace acquisition charges and payment processing. We also considered everyday fit, including calendar tools, marketplace visibility and the questions a business should ask before migrating. We have not estimated booking volumes, average treatment values or the number of marketplace-acquired clients. Those inputs differ too much between businesses. Instead, the solo and five-person sections show which published fees enter the calculation so you can apply your own figures. #### Fresha vs Treatwell vs Booksy: At a Glance Official UK pricing and fee information checked 6 September 2026 Cost or feature Fresha Treatwell Booksy Core subscription Independent: £14.95/month. Team: £9.95/month per bookable team member. Freelancer and Advanced plans are shown publicly, but the UK page does not state a fixed monthly amount. Request a current proposal. £40/month, with VAT added. Additional team members Team pricing applies per bookable team member. The Advanced plan advertises unlimited team members at no extra cost; confirm the plan's monthly fee. £5/month for each extra user, with VAT added. Marketplace acquisition 20% one-time commission, £4 minimum, for qualifying brand-new clients who discover the business through the Fresha marketplace. Treatwell's UK pricing FAQ states 35% commission on first bookings from new clients it brings through the marketplace, subject to location. Fees are subject to VAT. Standard marketplace bookings are included. Optional Boost currently carries a one-time 30% fee, £5 minimum, on a Boost client's first visit, plus VAT. Online payment consideration Published rates differ by payment type; check the current pricing page. The public UK page states 2.5% plus VAT for online prepayments. Published rates differ by payment method and are subject to VAT; check the current pricing page. Marketplace model Marketplace plus direct booking links. Marketplace-led partner offering plus salon software. Marketplace listing included; optional paid Boost visibility. #### What a One-Person Business Should Cost-Check ##### Fresha A solo bookable professional fits the £14.95-per-month Independent plan shown on Fresha's UK page. Add payment charges only if you use Fresha payments, communications above the included allowance, optional add-ons, and the 20% marketplace fee with a £4 minimum for each qualifying new marketplace client. Fresha says clients arriving from your own website, Google or social channels do not attract that marketplace fee. ##### Treatwell Treatwell presents a Freelancer plan, but its public UK page does not display the monthly subscription figure. A useful quote should separate the monthly fee, 35% first-booking commission for applicable marketplace-introduced clients, VAT and the 2.5% plus VAT online-prepayment fee. Treatwell publicly says repeat bookings and direct bookings do not attract commission, but your proposal should confirm exactly how each booking route is classified. ##### Booksy Booksy's public UK price is £40 per month for the main user, plus VAT. Standard marketplace bookings are listed as included. If you enable the optional Boost feature, include its one-time 30% first-visit fee, subject to a £5 minimum and VAT, only for qualifying Boost clients. Payment processing is separate. #### What a Five-Person Business Should Cost-Check Define “five-person” carefully before comparing quotes: five employees are not necessarily five bookable calendars or five software users. - Fresha: count the people who need to be bookable. If all five people need bookable calendars, the published Team rate gives a £49.75 monthly base (5 × £9.95). If fewer are bookable, use that lower number instead. Then account for VAT treatment, payments, communications, add-ons and qualifying marketplace clients. - Treatwell: its Advanced plan publicly says unlimited staff members are included at no extra cost, but the base monthly amount is not displayed. Obtain the total monthly quote and model marketplace and prepayment fees using your own booking mix. - Booksy: start with the £40 monthly subscription and add £5 for each user beyond the main user. If all five people need user accounts, the published rates give a £60 monthly base (£40 + four additional users at £5), before VAT. If fewer need accounts, use the actual user count. Then include optional Boost and payment processing where relevant. For a meaningful annual comparison, use the same period and enter your own monthly marketplace-new-client count, average first-visit value, online-prepayment volume, number of bookable people or users, and optional features. Do not compare subscription prices alone if marketplace acquisition is a material source of bookings. #### Which Platform Is Best For What? ##### Fresha may suit businesses that want a broad operating system Fresha may be a strong fit if you want scheduling, point of sale, client management and marketplace discovery in one ecosystem, and you can track whether marketplace-acquired clients return often enough to justify the acquisition charge. Its published per-bookable-member pricing also makes the base Team calculation straightforward. ##### Treatwell may suit salons prioritising marketplace demand Treatwell may suit a salon that values consumer marketplace exposure and receives a proposal that works with its margins. Because the public page does not show the monthly plan price and marketplace commission is significant, ask for a channel-by-channel example using your actual service prices before deciding. ##### Booksy may suit businesses wanting included features and optional promotion Booksy may suit businesses that prefer a published base subscription, included standard marketplace bookings and a separately optional visibility product. Teams should confirm how many paid users they need and decide whether Boost economics work for their average first visit. ##### A direct-booking platform may suit businesses with their own demand If most clients already arrive through referrals, Google, Instagram or your website, compare all three with a direct-booking product that does not depend on marketplace acquisition. Slotivo is one option: review its salon booking software and current pricing, then compare the features you actually use rather than choosing on fees alone. #### Questions to Put in Writing Before You Choose - What is the total monthly price including VAT for the exact number of bookable staff or users? - What event makes a client “new” or marketplace-acquired, and what happens if they already know the business? - Which booking routes are commission-free, and how are disputed acquisition fees handled? - What are the rates for online, in-person, manually entered and refunded payments? - Which reminders, marketing messages, reports, integrations and support channels cost extra? - Can you export clients, consent records, notes, services, future appointments, gift cards and transaction history in usable formats? - What notice period, data-retention period and hardware obligations apply when leaving? #### Migration Checklist - Export and audit: obtain a complete export and record counts for clients, future bookings, staff, services, packages, gift cards and balances. - Check lawful communications: preserve marketing consent and suppression records rather than treating every imported contact as marketable. - Rebuild availability: verify staff hours, breaks, resources, service durations, processing time, lead time and booking limits. - Recreate money rules: test deposits, cancellation terms, taxes, staff pricing, discounts, memberships and outstanding gift cards. - Run both diaries carefully: choose a cutover date, avoid opening duplicate availability and manually reconcile appointments that cannot be imported. - Test as a client: complete mobile bookings, reschedules, cancellations, reminders and payments before publishing the new link. - Update every channel: replace links on Google Business Profile, social bios, your website, email templates and QR codes. - Keep a read-only archive: retain records required for accounting, complaints and treatment history in line with your legal and insurance obligations. #### Official UK Pricing Sources - Fresha official pricing - Treatwell partner pricing - Booksy UK pricing These pages were reviewed on 6 September 2026. Fees, tax treatment, eligibility rules and product terms can change, and negotiated terms may differ. The provider's current written quote and contract take precedence over this guide. #### Continue Comparing For more detail, read our individual Fresha, Treatwell and Booksy comparisons, or compare the pairs directly: Fresha vs Treatwell, Fresha vs Booksy and Booksy vs Treatwell. ## How to Take Deposits for Salon and Nail Appointments Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/how-to-take-deposits-for-salon-appointments (published June 05, 2026) #### Why You Should Secure Bookings with Deposits If you are a nail technician or salon owner, your time is your money. When a client books a 2-hour slot for a BIAB infill and nail art, then fails to show, you lose out on income. Setting up upfront deposits is a standard business practice that protects your livelihood. In this guide, we show you how to set up salon deposits smoothly without frustrating your regulars. #### Step 1: Choose Your Deposit Structure Depending on your business style, you can choose between two main structures: - Percentage Deposit: Clients pay a percentage of the service cost (e.g., 25% or 50% upfront). This is ideal for salons with high-value services like hair extensions or balayage. - Flat-Rate Deposit: Clients pay a flat fee (e.g., £10 or £20) regardless of the service. This works best for nail techs, lash bars, and barbershops. #### Step 2: Connect a Secure Payment Processor To take bookings online, you need a secure way to process cards. Slotivo integrates directly with Stripe. Deposit funds are processed through the connected Stripe account, and Slotivo does not add a payment-processing markup. Check Stripe's current pricing for the rate that applies to your account and payment method. #### Step 3: Update Your Booking Policy Copy Ensure your clients understand the deposit conditions. Add a friendly, clear notice to your booking page checkout: "To secure your booking, we require a small deposit which will be deducted from your final bill. Appointments can be rescheduled or cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before your start time." Want the full wording, including late arrivals and repeat no-shows? Grab our free salon no-show policy template and customise it in minutes. #### Reduce No-Shows with Slotivo Ready to secure your salon calendar? Slotivo makes it incredibly simple to set up deposits. Read more about our deposit booking system features. Start protecting your salon income today with our flat-rate software on the Slotivo pricing plans. ## How to Move from Instagram DMs to Online Bookings Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/move-from-instagram-dms-to-online-bookings (published May 28, 2026) #### The DM Booking Trap As a nail tech, lash artist, or hair stylist, Instagram is a fantastic tool to showcase your work. But managing your calendar through direct messages (DMs) is exhausting. You send available times, wait hours for a reply, only to find the slot has been taken by someone else. Moving your clients to a structured online booking page keeps your calendar organized and lets clients book 24/7—even while you sleep. #### How to Transition Your Instagram Clients ##### 1. Place Your Booking Link in Your Bio Make your booking page the primary destination for your page visitors. Use a clear call-to-action in your bio like: *"👇 Click below to view services and book online 24/7"* followed by your custom Slotivo URL. ##### 2. Set Up Auto-Reply Automation Use Instagram's built-in saved replies or auto-responder features. When a client messages you asking for availability, the system can automatically reply: *"Hi there! Thanks for reaching out. You can check all my live availability and book your slot directly here: slotivo.co.uk/yourshop"*. ##### 3. Highlight Bookings in Your Stories Create a dedicated Instagram Story Highlight called "Book Now" or "Prices." Post screenshots of your booking system, outline your policies, and show clients how easy it is to select a service, pick a stylist, and secure their time slot. #### Start Saving Time Tonight Automating your appointments means no more evening admin. Our salon booking system is designed to handle custom staff and service overrides, making it easy for clients to select precisely what they need (like BIAB infills with custom nail art durations). Register for a free trial of Slotivo and regain control of your evenings. ## Why Salon Owners Should Own Their Client Data Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/why-salon-owners-should-own-their-client-data (published May 15, 2026) #### Who Really Owns Your Customers? When a client books an appointment at your salon, they are building a relationship with you, your stylists, and your brand. However, if you use a marketplace booking app, that app treats the customer as *their* user, not yours. Owning your client data—names, emails, phone numbers, and booking history—is vital for the long-term security and independence of your business. #### The Danger of Marketplace Directories ##### 1. Competitor Recommendations Marketplace apps want clients booking through their platform, regardless of which salon they choose. When your client books through a directory, the app will often email them discounts or recommendations for competing salons down the road. ##### 2. Data Export Restrictions Some software providers make it incredibly difficult to export your database. If you decide to switch systems, you might find your client contact details are locked behind restricted export menus or require custom requests to support teams. This makes leaving their platform a massive headache. ##### 3. High Marketing Costs If you don't own the direct channel to contact your clients, you have to pay the marketplace fees repeatedly to acquire bookings. Building a direct email list allows you to run newsletters, announce holiday openings, and send reminders for free. #### Keep Your Salon Independent At Slotivo, we believe your clients belong to you. We do not run a marketplace, and we never promote other salons to your client list. You can download your client list and every booking, with notes, as CSV files from the Customers page at any time. Read about our commitment to independent business owners on our homepage or explore our simple subscription plans. We even offer free setup support to help you migrate your data from other systems. ## No-Commission Booking Apps for Salons and Barbers (UK, 2026) Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/commission-free-salon-booking (published May 02, 2026, updated September 27, 2026) Most booking apps for salons and barbers make money in one of two ways: a monthly subscription, or a cut of the bookings their marketplace sends you. Many do both. A no-commission booking app charges only the subscription, so the price of every appointment stays with you. Figures checked 27 September 2026 on each provider’s UK pricing page. Prices and terms change, so check the linked pages before you decide. #### Which Booking Apps Charge Commission? The big three consumer marketplaces in the UK each charge a one-off fee when their marketplace introduces a new client: - Treatwell: 35% of the first booking from a new marketplace client, and all Treatwell commissions and fees are subject to VAT. Repeat bookings are 0%. - Booksy: commission only applies if you switch on Boost, its marketplace promotion. Boost charges a one-time 30% fee on a new client’s first booking, with a £5 minimum. With Boost off there is no commission; the subscription is £40 a month plus VAT. - Fresha: a one-time 20% fee, minimum £4, when a brand-new client finds you on the Fresha marketplace. Its prices exclude VAT. None of them charge commission on clients who book through your own link, website or social profiles, or on returning clients. The fee is for clients their marketplace finds for you. #### What Commission Costs on a Real Booking Take a new client booking a £120 balayage through each marketplace: - Treatwell: 35% is £42, or £50.40 with VAT at 20%. - Booksy with Boost on: 30% is £36, plus VAT. - Fresha: 20% is £24, plus VAT. - A no-commission app: £0. You pay the monthly subscription and, if the client pays online, the card processing fee. On cheaper services the minimum fees matter. For a £15 beard trim, Treatwell’s 35% is £5.25, but Booksy Boost charges its £5 minimum rather than 30% (£4.50) and Fresha its £4 minimum rather than 20% (£3), all before VAT. Whether that is worth paying depends on how many of those clients come back. A marketplace client who returns every six weeks for two years is cheap at £42. One who never returns is expensive. #### When Paying Commission Makes Sense Commission is a fee for finding you customers. It is worth it when the marketplace genuinely brings people who would never have found you, and enough of them become regulars. Newly opened salons and businesses in busy city centres often get real value from a listing. It makes less sense once most of your clients come from word of mouth, Instagram, Google or your own website. Those clients were going to find you anyway, and every marketplace booking from them is a fee you didn’t need to pay. #### How to Take Bookings With No Commission - Give clients one booking link that is yours. Put it in your Instagram bio, your Google Business Profile and your website. - Take deposits online. A deposit at booking protects you from no-shows without needing a marketplace’s payment system. - Send reminders automatically so clients booking directly get the same reminders they would from an app. - Keep a marketplace listing only if it pays for itself. Check every few months how many new regulars it actually brings. #### Slotivo: A Booking App With No Commission Slotivo gives you your own booking page, deposits, reminders and a diary you can run from your phone. It is free for one or two staff and £10 a month flat for larger teams. There is no marketplace, and no commission on any booking. Online payments go through Stripe at Stripe’s standard rates. Because there is no marketplace, Slotivo won’t find you new clients the way Treatwell, Booksy or Fresha can. It is built for businesses whose clients already know where to find them. Compare the details in Fresha vs Treatwell vs Booksy, read the Booksy fees guide, or start free. ## Best Free Salon Software in 2026 (Compared) Source: https://www.slotivo.co.uk/blog/best-free-salon-software-2026 (published July 14, 2026, updated September 21, 2026) A free subscription and a free trial are different offers. This guide is published by Slotivo, one of the products discussed. We checked the linked provider pages on 21 September 2026; verify your local quote and payment fees before deciding. #### Slotivo: a free subscription for 1–2 staff Slotivo includes a branded booking page, staff calendar, email reminders and Stripe deposit collection. The subscription stays free for one or two staff; teams with three or more pay £10/month with unlimited staff included. Stripe payment processing costs are separate. See the free salon software plan and try the working demos. #### Booksy: a trial, then a paid subscription Booksy lists a seven-day trial followed by £40/month for one user and £5/month for each additional user, excluding VAT. Standard marketplace bookings are included; optional Boost promotion and payment processing have separate charges. Check Booksy’s official UK pricing and our Booksy alternative and switching guide. #### Fresha: paid software with separate marketplace fees Fresha publishes Independent and Team subscriptions with a trial. Its new-client marketplace acquisition fee is separate from the subscription, and does not apply to returning marketplace clients. Prices depend on your market: check the UK view of Fresha’s pricing page. Do not treat a free booking link as a free software subscription. #### Vagaro: check the trial, subscription and optional tools Check Vagaro’s pricing in your country and list the staff calendars and optional tools you need. Confirm which features remain included after the trial and what extra messaging or website tools cost. #### Test the workflow before choosing on price - Book a service with your actual duration, price and staff availability. - Add an extra treatment and check that the total time still fits. - Check confirmations, cancellation rules and any deposit payment. - Ask what client data you can import and export. - Calculate the subscription, processing, acquisition, messaging and tax costs separately. A low subscription only helps if the system handles your daily work. Explore Slotivo salon software for appointments, or class booking software for capacity-controlled sessions. For a broader shortlist, read our UK salon software buying guide.