Everything included in Sway Free — and when to upgrade

What Sway Free actually is

Sway Free is a permanent free plan — not a time-limited trial. You create a business account, set up services, and share a branded booking page without entering a credit card.

It is built for UK solo operators: one-chair barbers, mobile therapists, nail techs, personal trainers, and studio owners testing online booking before committing to paid software.

What is included on Free

• Branded booking page at your own Sway URL.
• Up to 10 services with durations, prices, and descriptions.
• One staff member and one location.
• 50 confirmed bookings per calendar month.
• Deposits — optional upfront payment to reduce no-shows.
• Online card payments via Stripe (optional; pay-at-venue also supported).
• Customer reviews displayed on your booking page.
• Dashboard to manage appointments, closures, and time off.

What is not included on Free

• Website embed widget — requires Individual or above.
• Custom branding (logo, colours) — Individual and above.
• Google or Apple Calendar sync — Individual and above.
• Unlimited bookings — capped at 50 per month on Free.
• More than 10 services or multiple staff calendars — upgrade required.
• Commercial tools: loyalty, memberships, gift vouchers, discount codes, marketing email/SMS — Individual and above.
• Team roles, commission tracking, and team reporting — Team plan.

Fees on the Free plan

There is no monthly subscription on Free. Sway charges a platform fee only when you take online card payments — currently 2.4% on top of Stripe's standard UK processing fees.

Pay-at-venue bookings (cash or card in person) have no Sway platform fee. If you prefer clients to pay when they arrive, you pay nothing to Sway on those appointments.

Upgrading to Individual drops the platform fee to 0.5%, and Team to 0.35% — worthwhile once online payment volume grows.

How to get started on Free

• Sign up at usesway.co.uk — choose the business account type.
• Add your business name, location, and opening hours.
• Create your services: name, duration, price, and whether deposits are required.
• Connect Stripe if you want online payments (optional — you can add this later).
• Copy your booking page link and add it to Google, Instagram, and your email signature.

When to upgrade from Free

Hitting 50 bookings a month is the clearest signal — Individual removes the cap. Other common triggers: wanting booking embedded on your website, needing calendar sync, adding more than 10 services, or lowering your platform fee on card payments.

Team makes sense when you hire a second practitioner who needs their own calendar and you want roles and team reporting.

You can upgrade anytime from Billing in your dashboard. Your booking page URL, services, and client history stay intact.