For barbers · Alternatives
Booksy alternatives for barbers (2026)
What to run instead of Booksy, what each one costs, and when the better move is to keep Booksy and fix the calendar.
Prices checked 23 September 2026 · UK and US prices
TrimCheck is not a booking app. We connect barbers to every channel on top of whichever app they run, so we have no favourite here. Every number is from the platforms’ own pricing pages on the date shown, and we say plainly which one wins.
What you are leaving
Booksy costs £40 a month in the UK, $29.99 in the US, plus £5 or $20 for each extra user. Boost, its marketplace promotion, takes 30% of the first visit of each new client it sends, with a £5 minimum in the UK, and is the only way the marketplace pushes clients to you. Card fees are 1.29% + 20p plus VAT in the UK and 2.69% + 30¢ in the US. What you get for it is the biggest barber-specific marketplace in most UK and US cities, reminders, no-show protection and a card reader in one plan. Booksy pricing in full.
The alternatives
| App | Monthly, solo | New-client fee | Marketplace | Two-way calendar sync | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | £14.95 · $19.95 | 20% of first visit | Yes, salon-first | Yes, Google Calendar | You want a cheaper diary and some marketplace demand |
| Square Appointments | Free · $49 · $149 per location | None | No | Yes | You want a free diary with payments built in |
| Squire | $30 · $50 per shop | None | No | Not published | You run a US shop with several barbers |
| Treatwell | None stated (UK) | 35% + VAT of first booking | Yes, UK consumer | Partner integrations | You want UK reach with no monthly bill |
| Vagaro | $23.99 for six months | None | Listing only | Yes | You want payroll, forms and memberships in one suite |
| GlossGenius | $24 · $48 · $148 billed yearly | None | No | Yes | You are solo in the US and want the nicest booking site |
| Acuity | $16 to $49 | None | No | Yes | You need intake forms and packages |
| Setmore | Free to 4 users | None | No | Yes | You are a small team on a budget |
Prices checked on 23 September 2026. Vagaro’s $23.99 is an introductory rate for the first six months, plus $10 for each extra calendar. GlossGenius prices are billed yearly. Squire and Treatwell prices are US and UK respectively.
Booksy against the marketplace alternatives, for your month
Boost is assumed on for Booksy, because that is the only way its marketplace sends clients. Set new clients to zero to see the diary-only cost.
Subscription plus new-client commission plus card fees at the platform’s published online rate. Marketplace clients are counted once, at their first visit, as each platform’s fee rules state. Tax not included. Your own regulars never carry a commission on any of these platforms.
Each one, for a barber
Fresha
The usual landing place. £14.95 a month, 20% on new marketplace clients rather than 30%, and two-way Google Calendar sync that Booksy lacks. The marketplace is salon-first, so expect fewer walk-up barber clients; in the Gulf it is the other way round. Booksy vs Fresha in full.
Square Appointments
Free for one location, with Square’s card fees (2.6% + 15¢ in person, 3.3% + 30¢ online on the free plan). No marketplace, but a proper diary, deposits and Google Calendar sync. The right answer for a barber who was only using Booksy as a calendar.
Squire
US barbershops with chairs and a front desk. $30 for an independent barber, $50 for a shop with several barbers, $150 and $250 per shop for marketing, rent collection, multi-location and a branded app. No marketplace, no commission. Booksy vs Squire.
Treatwell
UK only. No monthly fee stated, 35% plus VAT on a new client’s first booking, 0% on repeats, 2.5% on online prepayments. Fine as a second channel in a city where Treatwell is popular; a weak main diary. Booksy vs Treatwell.
Vagaro, GlossGenius, Acuity, Setmore
Diaries without a marketplace. Vagaro is the fullest suite (payroll, forms, memberships) at $23.99 for six months then its standard price. GlossGenius is US-only, solo-first, with a flat 2.6% card rate. Acuity has the best intake forms. Setmore is free to four users. All four sync calendars both ways, and all four need you to bring every client.
The other option: keep Booksy
If Boost sends you clients who come back, Booksy is earning its £40. The two things barbers actually resent are Boost’s cut on clients they would have got anyway, which is fixed by giving regulars your direct link, and double bookings when Google, Instagram and home-visit requests come in on the side, which Booksy’s one-way calendar import cannot solve. TrimCheck does not replace any of them. It sits on top of the app you run, pushes your profile to every channel and keeps one calendar true. Connect your app.
Moving without losing clients
- Export your client list from Booksy’s business settings as a CSV and import it into the new app.
- Screenshot the reviews you want to quote; they do not move.
- Put the new booking link in your Instagram bio and Google Business Profile the same day.
- Keep the Booksy profile live for a month with a note on where to book, then close it.
- Send regulars a WhatsApp broadcast. It does more than any in-app announcement.
Keep your app. Add every channel.
Whichever app you pick, TrimCheck sits on top of it: your profile goes out to every channel, one calendar stays true, and every request lands on your WhatsApp. No monthly fee, no commission.
Questions barbers ask
Why do barbers leave Booksy?
Three reasons come up every time: the £40 a month ($29.99 in the US) is the highest subscription of the mainstream diaries, Boost takes 30% of a new client’s first visit and the listing ranks below Boost payers when it is off, and the calendar only imports other calendars one way, so bookings taken elsewhere can double up. Barbers who get most of their clients from the Booksy marketplace tend to stay; barbers who bring their own leave.
What is the cheapest alternative to Booksy?
Square Appointments is free for one location and charges card fees only. Setmore is free for up to four users. Fresha is £14.95 a month ($19.95) with a 20% fee on new marketplace clients. None of them has a barber marketplace the size of Booksy’s.
Is there an alternative with a marketplace?
Fresha (20% on the first visit of a new marketplace client, salon-first) and, in the UK, Treatwell (35% plus VAT on the first booking, no monthly fee stated). Both send fewer barber clients than Booksy in most UK and US cities. Vagaro lists you on its consumer site but does not push clients the way Booksy does.
Can I export my clients from Booksy?
Yes, from the business settings as a CSV, and every alternative here imports one. Reviews and appointment history stay behind; screenshot the reviews you want to keep. Keep the Booksy profile live for a month with a note on where to book, so regulars who search for you are not lost.
Do I have to leave Booksy at all?
No. If the marketplace pays for itself, keep it and stop paying for what it does badly: the one-way calendar. A channel manager sits on top of Booksy, keeps one calendar true across it and every other channel, and sends every request to your WhatsApp. That is what TrimCheck does, and it costs nothing.