Is there appointment booking software with no credit card?

Yes. Sway Free does not ask for a credit card. You can connect Stripe later if you want clients to pay a deposit or the full amount online.

Is Calendly free appointment software for salons?

Calendly can be free for basic meetings. It is not a salon service menu with deposits and treatment times. Sway is built for priced appointments.

When should I leave a free booking plan?

Upgrade when you hit the booking or service cap, need more than one staff calendar, or want booking embedded on your own website.

Customers Business

Guides · Comparisons

Best free appointment booking software in the UK

How to choose free appointment booking software in the UK: a real service calendar, deposits, and a booking page, compared with meeting links and short trials.

Published 2 October 2026

Business owner setting up an online appointment calendar on a laptop

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.

What free appointment software should include

People searching for free appointment booking software usually want clients to pick a time for a priced service, without a monthly bill and without building a website first.

A useful free plan includes a public booking page, a calendar, service durations and prices, and a way to take a deposit. A free plan that only creates meeting links, or that expires after a week, solves a different job.

Sway Free

Sway Free is a permanent plan for one staff member. You get a booking page, deposits, and optional card payments. There is no monthly fee and no credit card to start. You pay a platform fee only when a client pays by card online. Pay-at-venue bookings have no Sway platform fee.

Upgrade when you pass the monthly booking cap, need more than 10 services, want the booking form on your own website, or add staff calendars.

Setmore

Setmore is appointment software with a free tier and paid plans for more staff and features. It is a closer comparison than a meeting tool, because clients book services rather than a generic call.

Compare the current free limits on Setmore's pricing page with Sway Free before you migrate a full diary. See the Sway vs Setmore guide for how the products differ.

Calendly

Calendly is built for meetings: intro calls, interviews, and team scheduling. It is a weak fit when each appointment has a price, a treatment length, and a deposit.

Use Calendly if you sell time on calls. Use Sway if you sell services clients book from a menu.

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling, part of Squarespace, is appointment software for service businesses. It is a paid product. Check Acuity's current pricing rather than treating it as a free start.

It is a fair comparison once you are ready to pay monthly. It is not the tool to open a diary with before you have regular bookings.

Salon marketplaces are a different free

Fresha, Booksy, and Treatwell are often in the same search, but their model is marketplace discovery plus a subscription or commission. A free signup there is not the same as a free forever booking calendar you own.

If marketplace leads matter more than a zero monthly fee, read the Fresha, Booksy, and Treatwell comparisons. If you are getting started and want your own page, start on Sway Free.

Frequently asked questions

For a new service business, Sway Free: a booking page, calendar, and deposits with no monthly fee and no credit card. Setmore also has a free tier. Calendly is for meetings, and Acuity is paid appointment software.

Migration help

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.