Sway vs Treatwell for UK salons

Treatwell vs owning your bookings

Treatwell is a well-known UK beauty marketplace. Clients discover salons through Treatwell's app and site, and you pay commission on first bookings from new marketplace clients. Sway offers the same kind of discovery potential as the platform grows — but without marketplace commission — plus your own branded booking page.

Many salon owners use Treatwell for discovery early on, then want a channel they control as repeat business grows.

Who Treatwell vs Sway is best for

Treatwell optimises for salon discovery and consumer search in the UK beauty market. Sway optimises for running your calendar, taking deposits, managing staff, and embedding booking wherever you already market.

Marketplace listing vs your own URL

On Treatwell, you appear alongside competing salons in search results. That can bring new clients, but you share the journey with the platform and pay commission on qualifying first bookings.

Sway is building UK marketplace discovery as more businesses join — but unlike Fresha, Booksy, or Treatwell, we never charge marketplace commission on those bookings. You also get your own branded booking page and own the client relationship.

Commission vs subscription

• Treatwell: 35% commission on first booking from new marketplace clients (0% on repeats); plan fees vary; 2.5% on online prepayments.
• Sway: free tier available; paid plans from £14.99/mo; no marketplace commission.
• If repeat clients book through Treatwell repeatedly, commission adds up. Directing loyal clients to your Sway page keeps more revenue in your business.

Worked example: monthly cost

If Treatwell brings 20 new marketplace clients per month at £50 average first visit, commission at 35% is roughly £350 before VAT — plus any plan fee and prepayment processing. Sway Individual at £14.99/mo has no per-booking marketplace cut.

Treatwell can make sense when you are new and need chairs filled. As your book matures, owning repeat bookings on Sway usually improves margins.

What each platform optimises for

Treatwell optimises for salon discovery and consumer search. Sway optimises for running your calendar, taking deposits, managing staff, and embedding booking wherever you already market.

Sway supports group sessions, closure blocks, deposits, pay-at-venue, and calendar sync from Individual. You set services, durations, and how far ahead people can book.

Using Treatwell and Sway together

You do not have to leave Treatwell entirely. Many salons keep Treatwell for new-client acquisition and use Sway for repeat bookings, their website, and social links. Over time, shift loyal clients to your Sway URL to reduce commission.

Side-by-side summary

The comparison table below includes Treatwell alongside Fresha, Booksy, and Sway. Many businesses keep Treatwell for acquisition while moving repeat bookings to their own page.