What are the best Treatwell alternatives for UK salons?
It depends whether you still want a marketplace. If you do, Fresha charges 20% once on a brand-new marketplace client, minimum £4, excluding VAT, against Treatwell’s 35% plus VAT, and Booksy’s marketplace bookings are free unless you switch on Boost. If your clients already know you, you don’t need a marketplace at all. Covered Beauty, which we make, costs £9 a month for one person or £19 for up to five, with no commission on any booking, and Square Appointments and SumUp Bookings have free plans. Every other provider’s figure here is from its own UK pricing page, checked 26 October 2026.
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What does Treatwell charge?
- A monthly fee on its Freelancer or Advanced plan. Its pricing page doesn’t publish the price.
- 35% commission on first bookings made by new clients its marketplace brings you, subject to location.
- 0% commission on repeat bookings, and nothing beyond the monthly fee on bookings made directly with you, including through its Book Now button on your social media or website.
- 2.5% plus VAT when a client pays online in advance.
- VAT on all its commissions and fees.
Source: Treatwell UK pricing, checked 26 October 2026.
In our worked example, 60 bookings a month at £40, all prepaid online, with 15 of them new marketplace clients, that’s £252 in commission and £72 in prepayment fees, with VAT, before the monthly fee.
Why might a salon look for a Treatwell alternative?
- A new client’s first booking costs a lot. 35% plus VAT is £16.80 on a £40 treatment.
- The monthly price isn’t on the page, so it’s hard to compare before you talk to them.
- Prepayments cost extra, at 2.5% plus VAT.
- Clients already find you through Instagram, recommendations or your own website, so you don’t need a marketplace to introduce them.
It can still be worth staying. If Treatwell’s marketplace finds you clients who come back, you pay its commission once and 0% on every repeat booking after that.
How do the alternatives compare?
One month for a solo tech, worked out as in our cheapest software guide: 60 bookings at £40, £2,400 paid by card online, 15 of them new marketplace clients, and VAT added where the provider says it is. Cheapest first.
| Plan | Monthly fee | New marketplace clients | Card fees | Total a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments FreeSource: Square Appointments UK pricing and Square’s pricing help page, checked 26 October 2026 | £0£0 for one location | £0None listed | £48.601.4% + 25p, its online rate for UK cards | £48.60 |
| Covered Beauty SoloOurs. See both plans | £9£9 a month | £0None. Find a salon lists you at no fee | £48Stripe’s 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards | £57 |
| SumUp Bookings FreeSource: SumUp Bookings UK and SumUp UK online payments, checked 26 October 2026 | £0£0. No monthly subscription fees | £0No commission on bookings | £602.5% on online payments | £60 |
| Booksy with Boost offSource: Booksy UK pricing, checked 26 October 2026 | £48£40 a month, VAT added | £0None. Marketplace bookings are free with Boost off | £51.551.29% + 20p + VAT on mobile payments | £99.55 |
| Fresha IndependentSource: Fresha UK pricing, checked 26 October 2026 | £17.94£14.95 a month, excluding VAT | £14420% once on a brand-new marketplace client, minimum £4, excluding VAT | £48.601.40% + 25p on online card payments | £210.54 |
| Treatwell Freelancer or AdvancedSource: Treatwell UK pricing, checked 26 October 2026 | Not publishedAsk Treatwell for your plan’s price | £25235% on a new marketplace client’s first booking, subject to location, VAT added | £722.5% + VAT on online prepayments | £324 plus its monthly fee |
Which should you choose?
- Still want a marketplace? Fresha, whose fee on a new client is £9.60 on a £40 booking with VAT, or Booksy, whose marketplace bookings are free while Boost is off, for £40 a month plus VAT. Covered Beauty vs Fresha and Covered Beauty vs Booksy.
- Clients already know you? Covered Beauty, at £9 a month with card deposits, no-show fees and consultation forms, and no commission on any booking. Covered Beauty vs Treatwell.
- A quiet diary and no need for no-show fees? Square Appointments’ Free plan or SumUp Bookings’ free plan. Covered Beauty vs Square Appointments.
For more systems and what each is best for, read the best salon booking software in the UK and Fresha alternatives for small UK salons.
How do you move from Treatwell?
- Export your client list from Treatwell. Our guide to moving from Treatwell shows the steps and what comes across.
- Bring your treatments and upcoming bookings across, or send us your export and we’ll do the move for you.
- Change the booking link on your Instagram and website to your new booking page.
- Keep Treatwell until you’ve checked everything has come across, then tell your regulars where to book.
If you take deposits, our guide to taking deposits for beauty appointments covers how much to ask for and what to tell clients first.
When isn’t Covered Beauty the right choice?
- Treatwell’s marketplace is finding you clients who come back. Covered Beauty’s Find a salon page lists you at no fee, but it won’t replace a big marketplace.
- Your team is bigger than five, or you have several branches each with its own staff.
- You’re outside the UK.
Questions about leaving Treatwell
What are the best Treatwell alternatives for UK salons?
It depends whether you still want a marketplace. If you do, Fresha charges 20% once on a brand-new marketplace client, minimum £4, excluding VAT, against Treatwell’s 35% plus VAT, and Booksy’s marketplace bookings are free unless you switch on Boost. If your clients already know you, you don’t need a marketplace at all. Covered Beauty, which we make, costs £9 a month for one person or £19 for up to five, with no commission on any booking, and Square Appointments and SumUp Bookings have free plans. Every other provider’s figure here is from its own UK pricing page, checked 26 October 2026.
How much commission does Treatwell take?
Its UK pricing page says 35% on first bookings made by new clients its marketplace brings you, subject to location, and 0% on repeat bookings. Commissions and fees are subject to VAT, so on a £40 first booking that’s £16.80 if you aren’t VAT registered. There’s also a 2.5% plus VAT processing fee when a client pays online in advance (checked 26 October 2026).
Is Fresha cheaper than Treatwell?
On a new marketplace client’s first booking of £11.43 or more, yes, going by their published fees. Under that, Fresha’s £4 minimum makes it dearer. On a £40 first booking with VAT added, Fresha’s fee is £9.60 and Treatwell’s is £16.80. Fresha’s Independent plan is £14.95 a month excluding VAT. Treatwell doesn’t publish its monthly price, so ask for it before you compare totals (checked 26 October 2026).
Will my clients come with me if I leave Treatwell?
Your client list will, if you export it and upload it to your new system. Our guide to moving from Treatwell shows the steps and what comes across. With Covered Beauty, you can send us your export and we’ll do the move for you.
Can I keep using a marketplace and stop paying commission on regulars?
On Treatwell, regulars already cost 0% on repeat bookings and nothing beyond the monthly fee when they book with you directly. Fresha charges nothing on returning clients either. Booksy charges nothing on marketplace bookings while Boost is off (checked 26 October 2026).
What else should you read?
Moving from Treatwell to Covered Beauty
Export your client list from Treatwell Connect, bring your menu and bookings across, and what to tell clients.
Read the guide ↗Booking apps with no commission (UK)
Which booking apps take a cut, on which clients, and how to keep the clients you found yourself free of fees.
Read the guide ↗Cheapest salon booking software in the UK (2026)
A month of bookings for a solo tech, costed nine ways: the subscription, marketplace fees and card fees added up, and when a free plan wins.
Read the guide ↗