Guides · How-to
How to put your appointments on an online calendar
Set up an online appointment calendar for a new UK service business: services, hours, a booking link, and where to share it before you have a website.
Published 2 October 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.
What an appointment calendar needs on day one
A new service business needs a calendar clients can book, not a spreadsheet you update from messages. The minimum is a list of services with durations and prices, the hours you can work, and a link you can send.
You do not need a website first. The booking page is the calendar. Clients open the link, pick a service, and choose a time that is actually free.
Add the services you actually sell
Name each appointment the way a client would search for it, and set the real duration, including any time you need between people. A 45-minute treatment that needs 15 minutes to reset the room should block an hour.
On Sway Free you can list up to 10 services. That is enough for a focused menu. Add prices so people are not asking in a message.
Set hours before you share the link
Open the days you want booked and close the rest. Block lunch, days off, and holidays in the calendar so the page cannot offer them.
If you work in more than one place, start with the location you use most. Extra booking locations are a paid feature.
Turn on a deposit when no-shows would hurt
A deposit is optional. It is worth it for long appointments and busy days, because an empty slot is hard to refill. Sway Free can take a deposit or full payment online, or you can leave payment until the client arrives.
Connecting card payments is optional at signup. You can share the calendar first and add Stripe when you want money taken at booking.
When the free calendar is no longer enough
Stay on Free while one person can cover the menu and the monthly booking cap. Move to Individual for unlimited bookings, booking on your own website, and calendar sync. Move to Team when a second person needs their own calendar.
Free is enough for one person getting started. Upgrade when the calendar needs unlimited bookings, a website embed, or more than one staff member.
Free
Businesses getting started
Platform fee 2.4% on online payments
- 1 staff member
- Up to 10 services
- Up to 50 bookings per month
- Online booking page
- Deposits and online payments
Individual
Solo professionals and small businesses
Billed monthly
Platform fee 0.5% on online payments
- Everything in Free
- No service cap
- Unlimited bookings
- Embed booking on your website
- Calendar subscription (Google, Apple, Outlook)
Team
Growing teams
Billed monthly
Platform fee 0.35% on online payments
- Everything in Individual
- No service cap
- 2 staff members included (extra seats from £7/mo each)
- Staff calendars
- Per-staff calendar subscription links
Frequently asked questions
Create a Sway business account on the Free plan, add services and opening hours, and share the booking link. No credit card is required.
Ready to try Sway?
Start free with your own booking page. Upgrade when you need unlimited bookings, embeds, or team calendars.
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Everything included in Sway Free — and when to upgrade
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