Guides · Comparisons
Best booking tools in the UK (2026 overview)
A practical round-up of UK booking software for salons, barbers, and wellness studios — Sway, Fresha, Booksy, Treatwell, Square, Timely, and Phorest.
Published 25 May 2026 · Last updated 25 June 2026
Key facts
- What Sway is
- Sway is UK appointment booking and calendar software for service businesses such as salons, barbers, beauty, wellness, and fitness.
- Free plan
- The Free plan is free forever and does not need a credit card. It includes 1 staff member, up to 10 services, up to 50 bookings per month, 1 location, a public booking page, deposits, and optional online card payments.
- Not included on Free
- Individual adds: No service cap; Unlimited bookings; Embed booking on your website; Calendar subscription (Google, Apple, Outlook); Custom branding; Up to 5 booking locations; Gift vouchers, passes & memberships; Promo discount codes; Loyalty rewards; Automated appointment reminder emails; Priority support; Customer tags & email campaigns. Team adds: 2 staff members included (extra seats from £7/mo each); Staff calendars; Per-staff calendar subscription links; Roles and permissions; Team analytics.
- Fees
- There is no monthly subscription on Free. Sway charges a 2.4% platform fee only when you take online card payments, on top of Stripe's typical standard UK card fees (~1.5% + 20p*). *Standard UK cards. Premium and corporate cards cost more. Pay-at-venue bookings have no Sway platform fee. Individual's platform fee is 0.5% and Team's is 0.35%.
- Paid plans
- Individual starts at £14.99/mo and Team at £19.99/mo. Cancel anytime. No marketplace commission on new bookings.
How we chose what to include
This list focuses on tools UK service businesses actually use for appointments, not generic calendar apps. We weighed ease of setup, pricing transparency, payments, staff support, and whether you own the client relationship.
We include Sway because we build it; we also name alternatives we see in the wild so you can shortlist honestly.
Sway: marketplace discovery without commission
Best fit if you want a calm booking page, optional Stripe payments, and predictable monthly cost without marketplace cuts — whether clients find you on your page or through Sway as more businesses join. Free plan for solo operators; paid plans from £14.99/mo for unlimited bookings, embed, and calendar sync.
Strengths: UK-focused wellness and services positioning, group sessions with multi-spot checkout, deposits, embeddable widget, loyalty rewards, and email appointment reminders on paid plans — no commission on bookings. Considerations: newer platform than incumbents.
Fresha: widely used in beauty
Strong salon and beauty workflows and a large existing user base. UK subscription is now mandatory (from £14.95/mo solo); marketplace dynamics can add fees on some new-client bookings. See our Sway vs Fresha guide for a full comparison.
Booksy: mobile-first booking
Popular with barbers and smaller studios; strong consumer app. UK pricing is £40/mo + VAT with optional Boost commission on new marketplace clients. See our Sway vs Booksy guide for details.
Treatwell: salon marketplace
Useful when you want visibility in a salon-focused marketplace and are comfortable with 35% commission on first bookings from new marketplace clients. Less ideal if your goal is to drive all repeat traffic to a page you fully control.
Square Appointments: payments-first
Sensible if you already run tills and card readers on Square and want appointments tied to that stack. Compare feature depth for multi-staff wellness vs pure retail. See our Sway vs Square guide.
Timely: established salon software
Long-running option with deep salon features; often chosen by established businesses willing to pay for a mature product. See our Sway vs Timely guide for pricing and setup comparison.
Phorest: established salon management
Popular in UK and Irish salons with deep CRM, marketing, and inventory tools. Higher entry cost than lightweight booking tools. See our Sway vs Phorest guide if you are weighing salon incumbents against newer options.
How to pick your shortlist
- List how clients find you today (Instagram, walk-in, marketplace, website).
- Estimate monthly bookings and average ticket; commission models hurt more at volume.
- Check must-haves: group classes, deposits, embed, per-staff calendars.
- Run a two-week parallel test on your top two before cancelling your old tool.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on how you acquire clients. Fresha, Booksy, and Treatwell suit discovery but charge marketplace commission. Sway offers marketplace discovery as the platform grows, with flat pricing and no marketplace commission.
We'll help you switch
On Fresha, Booksy, Treatwell, Phorest, Square, Timely, or something else? Tell us what you use and we'll help you move your services, staff, and bookings.
Free, no obligation. We'll email you to plan the move.
Ready to switch booking tools?
Start free with your own booking page. Run Sway alongside your current tool for two weeks, then move repeat clients to your Sway link.
Related guides
Booking tool comparison for UK salons and wellness
Compare Sway, Fresha, Booksy, and Treatwell on UK commission, pricing, embeds, and client ownership — an honest overview for salons and wellness studios.
Why Sway is often cheaper than other booking tools
Understand Sway's flat UK pricing, no marketplace commission, and platform fee only on online payments — compared to Fresha, Booksy, and Treatwell.
Why use a booking tool for your business?
How online booking cuts no-shows, saves admin time, and gives UK salons and wellness studios a professional client experience, without marketplace commission.
