Avana Connect
Switch it on once for your Instagram. It answers clients with your own prices and free times and lets them book inside the conversation.
$12.99a month
Add Connect A StyleSeat alternative that leaves first visits alone
Clients book on your own page and pay you for their first appointment in full. Your price, your clients, one monthly plan.
No fee on new clientsTax included in the priceCancel any month
In shortChecked October 2026
Avana, by Sweeber Technologies, is a StyleSeat alternative for stylists who want their own booking page without a fee on new clients. At the time of writing (October 2026), StyleSeat Premium costs $35 a month and charges a one-time New Client Connection fee of 30% of the first service for clients StyleSeat sends you, capped at $50; card processing is 2.5% + $0.30 in person. Avana costs $20.99 a month with tax included and never charges per client. StyleSeat's marketplace can bring you strangers; Avana does not.
| At a glance | Avana | StyleSeat |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $20.99, tax included | Premium, $35 |
| Fee on a new client | None | 30% of the first service, up to $50 |
| Card processing | Client pays a small fee shown upfront | 2.5% + $0.30 in person, 2.6% + $0.30 card on file |
| Marketplace | No | Yes |
StyleSeat figures from the StyleSeat help center. The free Basic plan charges the same 30% with no cap.
Side by side
StyleSeat and Avana compared
What it costs you, and what you get.
| StyleSeat | Avana | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $35 for Premium* | $20.99, tax included |
| New client fee | 30%, up to $50 on Premium* | None |
| Card processing | 2.5% + $0.30 or 2.6% + $0.30* | Paid by the client, shown in the price |
| Your own booking page | Profile on StyleSeat | Yes |
| Deposits | Yes | Yes |
| Reminders | Yes | |
| Instagram DM booking | Book button | Avana Connect |
| Team members | Per stylist account* | One included in Business Plus |
*From StyleSeat's help center, checked in October 2026. Fees change; check StyleSeat directly.
Honest take
Who should pick which?
The marketplace is the whole question.
Pick Avana if
- most of your bookings come from regulars and Instagram
- you would rather not pay a share of first visits
- you want deposits on long services like color or extensions
- you work with one or two other stylists
Pick StyleSeat if
- you are just starting and need strangers to find you
- you are happy to pay per new client for that
- you want a profile in a well-known app
What changes
Three differences you will notice
Most of them show up in your payouts.
First visits pay in full
On StyleSeat, a new client sent by the marketplace costs up to $50 on Premium. With Avana a new client costs nothing extra, however they found you.
Processing is not your cost
When a client pays online with Avana, the small service fee is theirs and is shown in the price from the first screen. Your service price stays whole.
Your DMs book themselves
Avana Connect replies to Instagram messages with your prices and open times, and the client books inside the chat.
Your own page
Clients book with you, even when your hands are full
Your booking page shows your treatments, your prices and your free times. You put the link in your Instagram bio, send it in a message and print a QR code for the front desk.
- Clients book without creating an account
- Open for bookings in the evening and at weekends
- Someone helps out on Saturdays? Add them with their own hours
Book · Studio Ivy
Balayage · 2.5 hours
9:00 AM10:00 AM1:30 PM
Your messages
A question in your Instagram DMs turns into a booking
Switch on Avana Connect once on your Instagram account. From then on it answers clients with your own prices and free times, and lets them book inside the chat.
- Replies within seconds, late at night too
- Only prices and times that are really yours
- You can step in and type yourself whenever you like
Instagram · Studio Ivy
How much is balayage with you?
Balayage is $120 and takes 2.5 hours. I still have 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM free on Saturday.
10:00 AM2:00 PM
10:00 AM please
Lovely. Tap below to hold your slot.Confirm appointment
Reminders
Clients stop forgetting their appointment
A confirmation goes out the moment someone books, and a reminder the day before with the time and your address. If the time no longer works, the client moves it themselves.
- Confirmation and reminder go out on their own
- Clients reschedule themselves if they need to
- The freed-up slot opens for someone else
Reminder · Sophie W.Email and text
Studio Ivy · the day beforeSee you tomorrow at 10:00 AM for your balayage. 212 Main Street, Austin.
Confirmation after bookingSent
Reminder the day before...
What you get
Everything you need to open for bookings
Every Avana plan includes a booking page, a calendar, deposits, email reminders and client records from day one. Where something starts at Business Plus, it says so on the tile.
Your own booking pageTreatments, prices and free times on one link, with your photos. Clients book without making an account.Set up your page Your calendar on your phoneYour whole day at a glance, wherever you are. A new booking appears straight away, with who is coming and for what.Set your hours Pay in the salon or onlineClients pay at the desk as they always have. Online payment works too, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.Turn on online payments Deposits against empty slotsAsk for an amount upfront on a long treatment. The slot is then properly held, and if nobody turns up, you keep the deposit.Set a deposit Email remindersA confirmation right after booking and a reminder the day before with the time and your address. You do nothing.Switch reminders on Your client recordsColor formulas, your notes and everything done before, per client. After the visit you invite them back with one tap.Import your clients A waiting list when you are fullSaturday fully booked? A client can join the waiting list, and the moment someone cancels, the next person gets an email.From Business PlusSet up the waiting list Someone helps out?If someone works with you on Saturdays or a few days a week, add them with their own hours and treatments.Add a team member
Also included
- Reviews collected after each visit
- Invoices for your accountant
- Discount codes for your clients
- A questionnaire before the first visit
- Your own cancellation rules
- Gift cards and product sales, from Business Plus
- Holidays and days off in one go
- A QR code for your front desk
- Your own wording in every email
- A clear view of how full your week is
What it costs
The price is right here on the page
Avana has three plans: Business at $20.99, Business Plus at $35.99 and Business Max at $70.99 a month, all with sales tax included. There is no commission on your takings and no contract, and every plan starts with 7 days free without card details.
MonthlyYearly save up to $142
Business
For the independent salon that takes bookings seriously.
/month
$0.70 a day, and no commission on your revenue.
Start free- Unlimited online bookings
- Your own booking page and QR code
- Online calendar and services
- Mobile app for iPhone and Android
- Intake questions when clients book
- Confirmation and reminder emails
- Online payments and deposits
- Automatic invoices and a monthly export
- Booking widget for your own website
- Add-ons, client records and discount codes
- Loyalty card for regular clients
Most popular
Business Plus
For the salon that wants every gap in the week filled.
/month
$1.20 a day. One extra appointment a month covers it.
Start free- Mobile app for iPhone and Android
- Waitlist that fills canceled slots
- Sell gift cards
- Sell products when clients book
- Cash book and end-of-day close
- Track expenses and stock
- Insights into how your salon is doing
- Discount campaigns with an end date
- Consent forms online
- Send documents with the confirmation
- Multiple locations
Business Max
For the salon that also teaches, with Avana Academy included.
/month
$2.37 a day, with Avana Academy included.
Start free- Mobile app for iPhone and Android
- 2 extra team members includedEach with their own calendar. After that, $7.99 a month per person.
- Avana Academy includedSell courses with certificates for your students.
- Treatment rooms in your calendarAdd the room or chair to each appointment, so two treatments never clash.
- 5 free SMS a month included
- Email campaigns
- Automatic birthday and win-back emails
- Use your own domain name
- Your own branding in campaigns
- Advanced settings
- Early access to new features
All prices include sales tax. If you change plan, you only pay the difference.
Add when you need it
Two extras, and room for your team
Avana Connect costs $12.99 a month and the Avana Academy $11.99 a month with a plan. Each extra team member is $7.99 a month. Everything goes on one bill, and you can stop any month.
Avana Academy
Sell your own courses to people who want to learn your craft. Lessons are set up once, the practice day sits in your calendar and certificates go out on their own.
$11.99a month with a plan
Add the Academy An extra team member
Business includes you, Business Plus you and one other, Business Max you and two others. Each person on top gets their own calendar and hours.
$7.99a month each
Add a team member Better together
Three pairings that bring in the most
Avana's booking page, deposits, reminders, Avana Connect and the Avana Academy work together in one account. Turn two on together and they win you appointments you would otherwise have missed.
Avana Connect+Deposits
A late-night message becomes a paid appointment
Someone asks at eleven at night what balayage costs. Connect replies, they book Saturday at ten and the deposit is paid there and then. In the morning it is in your calendar.
How much is balayage?
$120. Saturday 10:00 AM is free.
Deposit paid$25 · Saturday 10:00 AM
Booking page+Reminders
People who book themselves also turn up
The client picks a time and gets a confirmation straight away. The reminder follows the day before. If it no longer suits, they move it themselves and the slot opens up again.
The day beforeSee you tomorrow at 10:00 AMStudio Ivy, 212 Main Street
Reminder sentAll they have to do is turn up
Your clients+Avana Academy
Earn extra from skills you already have
Record your know-how once as a course and sell it to people who want to learn your craft. The practice day goes between your appointments and you keep the whole course price.
Balayage for beginners4 lessons · 1 practice day
6 students signed upYour next practice day is full
Questions
StyleSeat alternative: common questions
What is a good alternative to StyleSeat?
Avana is a good alternative if you get most clients from your own following. You get a booking page in your name, deposits, reminders and client records for $20.99 a month with tax included, and no fee on new clients.
How much is StyleSeat's New Client Connection fee?
At the time of writing (October 2026), 30% of the first service with a client StyleSeat sends you, excluding tips. On Premium ($35 a month) the fee is capped at $50; on the free Basic plan it has no cap and is always on.
Does Avana charge anything when a new client books?
No. Avana never charges per booking or per client. You pay your monthly plan, and a client paying online pays a small service fee shown in the price from the start.
Can I move my StyleSeat clients to Avana?
If you can download your client list from StyleSeat as a CSV or Excel file, upload it in Avana's import screen. If not, send your regulars your new booking link; they rebook in a minute.
Are reminders sent by text or email?
By email for now. US text messages need a carrier registration that is still in progress, so Avana sends confirmations and reminders by email for now.
Question not here? The help center walks through every part of Avana step by step.
Paying for clients you already have
Paying for clients you already have
A StyleSeat alternative makes sense once your chair is mostly full of people who know you. The New Client Connection fee is a fair price for a stranger the app sends you. It is a steep one for someone who saw your work on Instagram and searched your name in the app.
With Avana your clients book on your own page, from the link in your bio or a QR code by your mirror. You ask for a deposit on long services, and Avana Connect handles the DMs. See the pricing, or compare GlossGenius and Booksy.