Covered Beauty vs SumUp Bookings.
Consent forms on both plans.
Covered Beauty is £9 a month for one person or £19 for up to five, with no booking commission. When we checked on 26 October 2026, SumUp Bookings was free on SumUp’s Free POS plan, with one calendar and no commission, and its POS Plus plan, at £39 a month, added team calendars, text reminders and no-show fees.
How much does SumUp Bookings cost compared with Covered Beauty?
A subscription is only part of the picture. Check the team allowance, commission rules and payment fees before choosing.
| What you are comparing | Covered Beauty | SumUp Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| One practitioner | Solo: £9/month | Free POS: £0/month with one calendar. No monthly subscription fee Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Five bookable people | Salon: £19/month for up to five | POS Plus: £39/month, with unlimited team calendars Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Booking commission | None, including a client’s first booking | No commission on bookings Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Free trial | 7 days free. No card needed | Free POS has no monthly fee. Its Bookings page doesn’t mention a trial of POS Plus Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Deposits and no-show fees | Card deposits through Stripe on both plans, paid into your own Stripe account | Clients can pay in full when they book on Free POS. Its FAQ says deposits come with Plus. No-show and cancellation fees need POS Plus Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Reminders | Email and text reminders on both plans | Automated reminders. POS Plus adds text reminders on top of email Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Consent forms | Included on both plans | Not mentioned on its Bookings page Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
| Card processing fees | Stripe’s processing fees | SumUp’s standard fees when clients pay online. Its Bookings page doesn’t list the rates Source: SumUp Bookings UK |
SumUp Bookings prices and terms checked 26 October 2026 on SumUp Bookings UK. Covered Beauty prices are the advertised monthly subscriptions in our pricing section. SumUp’s Bookings page doesn’t say whether £39 includes VAT. Card processing and optional extras are separate. Features and tax treatment differ, so this is not a like-for-like total-cost quote. Check each provider’s current terms before signing up.
Is Covered Beauty a good SumUp Bookings alternative?
Covered Beauty is made for beauty businesses, with consultation and consent forms, client records, card deposits, gift vouchers and loyalty points on both plans, and sunbed packages on Salon. Solo is £9/month and Salon is £19/month for up to five, which is less than SumUp’s POS Plus for a team.
We do not market to your client list. You can export your records and cancel your subscription. Read our promise for the details.
See how online booking works and what is in a client record.
Weighing up more than two systems? Read Fresha alternatives for small UK salons, with how each one charges and who it suits, or the best salon booking software in the UK, with twelve options and the kind of business each one fits.
Worth reading next: Booking software for mobile and home-based beauty therapists in the UK and How to take deposits for beauty appointments in the UK.
Who is SumUp Bookings better for?
SumUp Bookings suits businesses that already take payments with SumUp, or want bookings, cash and card payments, Tap to Pay and payment links in one system. If you work alone and don’t need deposits, no-show fees or text reminders, its Free POS plan costs nothing a month, which is less than Covered Beauty. A team that wants staff calendars, deposits, text reminders and no-show fees needs POS Plus.
Count what the free plan leaves out.
SumUp’s Free POS plan has one calendar, and deposits, no-show fees and cancellation fees come with POS Plus. If you need any of those, POS Plus is £39 a month. Then add SumUp’s fees on the card payments you take. Covered Beauty’s card payments go through Stripe, whose fees are separate too, so compare the two on the payments you actually take.
How do I switch from SumUp Bookings to Covered Beauty?
- Add a few treatments with the prices and durations you actually use.
- Set your working hours and open the booking page on your phone.
- Check the diary, a client record and the consent forms you need.
- Export your client list from SumUp Bookings. If its columns are headed name (or first and last name), email and phone or mobile, upload it to Covered Beauty as it is. If not, paste those columns into our client template and upload that.
- Ask us about future appointments and any prepaid balances. Keep access to SumUp Bookings until you have checked everything.
Need help working out the move? Tell us what you use now. We can confirm what is possible before you commit. Our salon software checklist covers the rest of the move.
Questions about switching from SumUp Bookings
Is SumUp Bookings free?
Yes, on SumUp’s Free POS plan, which has no monthly subscription fee and one calendar. Its POS Plus plan, at £39 a month, adds team calendars, deposits, text reminders and no-show and cancellation fees (SumUp’s Bookings page, checked 26 October 2026). SumUp’s fees apply when clients pay online. Covered Beauty is £9/month for one person or £19/month for up to five.
Does SumUp Bookings charge commission?
No. SumUp’s Bookings page says there’s no commission on bookings, and its standard fees apply when clients pay online. Covered Beauty charges no booking commission either, and Stripe’s fees apply to card payments.
Can I try Covered Beauty before switching?
Yes. You get seven days free, with no card needed. Add a card before the trial ends if you want to carry on, and your chosen plan starts when it does. Solo is £9/month. Salon is £19/month. Stripe processing fees and optional extras are separate.
How does Covered Beauty compare with other systems?
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