Salon booking software without commission: what marketplace fees really cost you

Short answer: the big UK beauty marketplaces don't take a cut of every booking, but they do take a share of a new client's first appointment, typically somewhere between 20% and 35% depending on the platform. Whether that is good value depends on one question: are those clients genuinely new people you would never have reached, or people who would have found you anyway? Commission-free software swaps that percentage for a fixed monthly price, and you bring in clients through your own link.

How marketplace pricing works

Fresha, Booksy and Treatwell all run two businesses at once. One is booking software you use to run your diary. The other is a consumer app where people search for a treatment near them and pick from a list of salons.

The software side is normally a subscription. The marketplace side is where commission comes in: when the app sends you a client you didn't have before, it charges a fee on that client's first booking. Repeat visits from the same client are usually free of commission.

That model is reasonable in principle. It is a finder's fee, and Treatwell's partner page uses almost exactly that phrase. The questions worth asking are how big the fee is, and who counts as "new".

What each UK platform publishes

The figures below come from each company's own UK pages where they publish them, checked in October 2026 (Fresha's pricing page shows different currencies depending on where you open it, so confirm the pound figures from a UK connection). Platforms change their pricing, so check the current terms before you decide anything.

Fresha. Fresha used to be free and now charges a monthly subscription for the software. On top of that, Fresha charges a one-time fee on the first booking of a new client who discovers you through the Fresha marketplace. Its published rate is 20% of that booking, with a minimum fee per client and a cap on high-value services, as described in Fresha's help centre and pricing page. Fresha says this fee doesn't apply to returning clients or to bookings made through your own website or social media links.

Booksy. Booksy's paid marketplace feature is called Boost. According to Booksy's UK Boost page, you pay 30% of the total cost of a new client's first visit, with a minimum of £5. After that first visit, the client books commission-free. Boost is something you switch on; without it, you pay the subscription only.

Treatwell. Treatwell's UK partner page says it only charges commission on a client's first appointment with you and that repeat bookings are commission-free. It doesn't state the percentage on that page. The figure UK salons and comparison sites commonly report is 35% plus VAT on that first booking. Ask Treatwell to confirm your rate in writing.

What "new client" means in practice

This is where the real cost hides. Each platform has its own definition, and none of them can see into your diary.

• A client who follows you on Instagram but happens to search the app first may count as new.
• A regular who books through the app instead of your link, perhaps because it is already on their phone, may trigger a fee if they aren't recognised as an existing client.
• Some definitions reset after a period without a booking, so a client who comes back after a long gap may count as new again.

None of this is hidden, but it is easy to miss when you sign up. Read the definition in your own terms, and keep your existing client list in the system so returning clients are recognised.

The sums over a month

Let's take an example salon. It gets eight first-time clients a month through a marketplace, and the average first appointment is £50.

These are before any minimum fee, before VAT on the fee and before the subscription. If you are not VAT-registered, which is true of most small salons below the £90,000 threshold, the VAT on platform fees is a cost you can't reclaim.

Now compare that with commission-free software. Avana's Business plan is £15.99 a month, VAT included, whether you take eight new clients that month or eighty. Card payments have processing costs on every platform, so leave those out of the comparison and you get a clear picture: the commission line simply isn't there.

Questions to ask before you sign up to a marketplace

If you are weighing up a marketplace, these questions get you the real cost quickly. Ask them in writing and keep the answers.

1. What percentage do you charge on a new client's first booking, and is there a minimum or a cap?
2. Is VAT added to that fee?
3. How do you decide whether a client is new? What happens with clients who are already in my records but book through the app?
4. Does a returning client ever count as new again, for example after a long gap?
5. Are bookings through my own link or website ever charged?
6. What happens to the fee if the client cancels or doesn't turn up?
7. Can I export my client list, with contact details, if I leave?

The last question matters more than it looks. If your client list lives only inside one app, leaving it later means starting again.

When paying commission is still worth it

It would be dishonest to say marketplaces are never worth the fee. They can make sense when:

• You have just opened and nobody knows you exist yet. A finder's fee on a client who becomes a regular for years is cheap marketing.
• You are in a busy city centre where people genuinely search an app for "lashes near me" and book whoever is free.
• You have empty slots you can't fill otherwise. A discounted, commission-carrying booking still beats an empty chair.

They make less sense when most of your clients come from word of mouth, Instagram or regulars. In that case you are often paying a finder's fee for people who found you on their own.

A middle route: marketplace for discovery, your own link for everything else

Many salons combine the two:

1. Stay listed on one marketplace while you need the visibility.
2. When a new client comes in, give them your own booking link (on a card at the desk, in your aftercare message, in your Instagram bio).
3. Their next visit runs through your own page, with no commission.
4. Once most of your diary comes from your own link, decide whether the marketplace still earns its keep.

What changes when you book through your own page with Avana

Avana is booking software without a marketplace attached, so there is no new-client fee to calculate.

• Your own booking page and link, for your Instagram bio, Google profile and WhatsApp. Clients book around the clock and see only your salon, with no list of nearby competitors underneath.
• One fixed monthly price. The amount is the same however busy you are. The plans are on the pricing page.
• Your client list stays yours. Every booking lands in your own client records, with history and notes, and you can import the clients you already have.
• Deposits and reminders built in, so moving away from an app doesn't mean losing its no-show protection. Our guide to reducing no-shows explains how to set them up.
• Help moving over. If you are switching from another system, we can help you set things up during the free trial; the contact page is the quickest way to reach us.

You can see everything included on the features page, or start the free trial and put your own services in.