What is the best Treatwell alternative for a salon?
Treatwell is both salon software and a marketplace: people browse treatments on its site or app and book with you. The marketplace part is what carries a commission. The alternatives do not all play the same role: some are marketplaces too, others are booking tools that rely on your Google Business Profile and your own website.
This guide compares the models. For head-to-head comparisons see Voxtya vs Fresha, Voxtya vs Booksy and Voxtya vs Square Appointments.
How much does Treatwell cost a UK salon?
Treatwell’s UK partner pricing page (checked 18 October 2026) lists two plans, Freelancer and Advanced (Advanced adds unlimited staff), without showing a monthly price. The commission side is clear:
| Type of booking | Treatwell commission (UK) |
|---|---|
| First booking of a new client from the Treatwell marketplace | 35%, depending on location |
| Repeat bookings | 0% |
| Direct bookings (phone, messages, your own Book Now buttons) | 0% |
| Client prepays online | 2.5% + VAT processing fee |
All commissions and fees are subject to VAT, according to the same page. For the subscription price, ask Treatwell directly. In Ireland, check Treatwell’s Irish partner pages, as terms can differ by country; in France, for comparison, the new-client commission shown is 25%.
Worked example: a new client books a £60 colour through the marketplace. At 35%, the commission is £21, plus VAT. If she comes back, her later visits carry no commission. So the question that matters is: how many of these new clients return?
Free tool, no sign-up
Google visibility check
Before leaving a marketplace, check how visible your salon is on Google. Free, no account needed.
Marketplace or booking software: what is the difference?
| Marketplace (Treatwell…) | Subscription booking software | |
|---|---|---|
| New clients | Yes, through the platform | No: they come from Google, your website and word of mouth |
| Cost | Subscription + commission on new clients | Flat subscription (+ card fees if you take payment) |
| Your visibility | Next to the salons down the road | Just you, on your own page |
| Client data | In the platform’s system | In your system |
Leaving a marketplace without strengthening your Google presence usually means losing some new clients. Before switching, check your Business Profile: it has to take over. Our guide on Google reviews for hair salons and our free visibility check will show where you stand.
Five Treatwell alternatives at a glance
1. Fresha
Salon software with its own marketplace. Its pricing page (checked 17 October 2026, displayed to us in euros) listed an Independent plan at €14.95/month for one team member and Team at €9.95/month per member, excluding tax, a one-off fee on new marketplace clients (amount not detailed) and online payments at 1.29% + €0.15. Check the sterling prices for your account.
2. Booksy
Booking app popular with barbers. UK pricing checked 17 October 2026: £40/month plus £5/month per extra staff member (excluding VAT); its Boost feature takes 30% of a brought-in client’s first visit (£5 minimum), only if you switch it on.
3. Square Appointments
Online diary tied to Square card readers. UK pricing checked 17 October 2026: Free at £0 (one location), Plus at £29 and Premium at £69 per location; no booking commission, card fees when you take payment (online: 1.4% + 25p for UK cards).
4. Planity
Large in France and expanding in Europe, with a consumer app. Pricing was not shown publicly when we checked on 18 October 2026; ask for a quote if you are near the French border or run a salon with French-speaking clients.
5. Voxtya
Commission-free online booking on your own website, with email confirmations and reminders, for €29/month per service (30-day free trial). It is not a marketplace: clients find you through your Google profile and website, which Voxtya also helps you run (website, Google reviews). Built for salons that already have a client base and want to stop paying commission on regulars. Prices are in euros, as Voxtya is a French company.
Comparison table: Treatwell and the alternatives
| Tool | Marketplace | Listed subscription | Commission on new clients | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatwell (UK) | Yes | On request | 35% of first booking, depending on location | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Fresha | Yes | From €14.95/month ex. tax | One-off fee (amount not detailed) | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Booksy (UK) | Yes | £40/month ex. VAT + £5/member | 30% of first visit if Boost is on | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Square Appointments (UK) | No | £0 to £69/month | None | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Planity | Yes | On request | Not stated on the page we read | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Voxtya | No | €29/month | None | 18 Oct 2026 |
Prices change, so always check each provider’s own page before committing. For a wider look at salon booking tools, see the best hair salon booking software for independents.
When is it better to stay on Treatwell?
- You have just opened and have no client base yet: the marketplace makes you visible from day one
- You regularly have empty slots that only new clients would fill
- Many Treatwell clients come back: their later visits carry no commission
- Your Google profile is still thin (few reviews, few photos) and could not take over yet
In these cases the first-booking commission works like an advertising cost. The usual mistake is not being on Treatwell; it is letting regulars keep booking through the marketplace when they could use your own link.
How do you cut commission without leaving Treatwell?
Treatwell’s UK page says repeat bookings and bookings through your own channels carry 0% commission. In practice:
- Put your own booking link everywhere: Google Business Profile booking button, website, Instagram bio, business cards.
- At a Treatwell client’s first visit, show them how to book direct next time.
- Look after your Google reviews: someone who finds you on Maps books with you, not through a marketplace.
- Track each month the share of bookings coming from the marketplace.
Our article on adding a booking link to your Google Business Profile shows how.
How do you switch tools without losing bookings?
- Export your client list and upcoming appointments before cancelling anything
- Check your remaining contract term and notice period
- Run the new diary alongside the old one for two to four weeks
- Swap the booking link on Google, your website and social profiles on the same day
- Email regulars with the new link (existing clients can usually be emailed under the PECR soft opt-in if they were offered an opt-out when you took their details)
- Keep access to the old system until the last appointment booked on it
Subject: You can now book directly with [Salon name]
Hi [First name], from [date] you can book straight through our website: [link]. Nothing changes for you: same treatments, same team, and an email confirmation every time. See you soon, [First name], [Salon name]
For the step-by-step set-up, see our guide on online booking without commission and our commission-free hair salon booking software page.
What should you check before you choose a booking tool?
Whichever tool you pick, run the same short test before you move your diary. It takes an afternoon and saves months of regret.
- Book a test appointment as a client, on your phone, from your Instagram bio and from your Google Business Profile.
- Check what the client receives: confirmation email, reminder, and a clear way to cancel or move the booking.
- Read the cancellation and deposit settings, and write your own policy first (see our guide to a booking cancellation policy).
- Export your client list from the old tool and check you are allowed to email those clients (UK GDPR and PECR: see our GDPR guide).
- Ask what happens to your data and your reviews if you leave the tool later.
- Add the booking link to your Google profile so new clients book with you directly.
If one of these steps is awkward in the trial, it will be awkward every day once the salon is busy.
The steps at a glance
Steps for a salon to reduce or stop paying marketplace commission.
- Measure. Work out the share of bookings from the marketplace and what commission costs you over a year.
- Strengthen your Google profile. Reviews, photos, opening hours and a booking link: it has to bring in new clients.
- Set up the new diary. Add services, hours and staff, running alongside the old system.
- Swap the links. Replace the booking link on Google, your website and social profiles on the same day.
- Tell your regulars. Email them the new booking link.
- Leave or keep the marketplace. Cancel, or keep it purely for new clients.
Do it without spending your evenings on it
Voxtya Bookings
Clients book online 24/7 on your own website, with no commission, plus email confirmations and reminders. €29/month, 30-day free trial.
This guide for your trade
Go further
Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 18, 2026.