Online Booking and Calendar
Clients book 24/7 from your website, Instagram or Google profile. Salonist adds a room calendar, a waitlist and package booking for spas. Booksy books well and puts you in front of its own client base.
Booksy alternative
Salonist vs Booksy: Half the Cut and No Per Seat Fee
Booksy starts at $29.99 a month and adds $20 for every extra team member. New clients from Booksy Boost carry a 30% commission on that first visit.
Salonist is one flat plan with unlimited staff, and its marketplace charges 15% on a brand new client's first visit. Everything booked through your own link is free.
- ✓Unlimited staff. No staff limits.
- ✓Get more features for less.
- ✓15% one time, half of Boost
What the marketplace cut costs
15%
Salonist against 30% on Booksy Boost
Both fees apply once, to the first visit of a brand new client found through the marketplace. Your own bookings are free on both.
Short on time?
Salonist vs Booksy at a Glance
Pick Salonist if
You have a team and regular clients
- You pay $20 for every extra team member today
- You want a lower cut on new marketplace clients
- You want campaigns and WhatsApp in the plan
- You run more than one location
- You want purchase orders and warehouse stock
What to check on Booksy
Costs that scale with you
- !$20 a month for each extra team member
- !30% one time commission on Boost clients
- !Card rates from 2.49% plus 10 cents to 2.69% plus 30 cents
- !Fast payouts cost 1.5%
- !Card readers are bought separately
- !No free plan, a 14 day trial
Side by side
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Salonist | Booksy |
|---|
Booksy pricing vs Salonist pricing
Booksy Cost vs Salonist Cost
Booksy looks cheap at one chair. The bill moves with every hire and with every new client the marketplace sends.
Booksy Pricing
A base plan plus a fee for each extra team member.
| Plan or fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base plan | $29.99 a month |
| Each extra team member | $20 a month |
| Booksy Boost new client | 30% of the first visit, once |
| Repeat Boost bookings | Free |
| Card reader payments | 2.49% + 10¢ |
| Tap to pay | 2.49% + 20¢ |
| Mobile and keyed payments | 2.69% + 30¢ |
| Fast payout | 1.5% fee |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card |
Card readers are bought separately, from about $53 to $299.
Salonist Pricing
One flat plan price with unlimited staff. Printed on the pricing page, no quote needed.
| Plan or fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Free marketplace listing | $0 |
| Essential | $59 a month |
| Advance | $109 a month |
| Expert | $179 a month |
| Extra staff | $0, unlimited |
| Extra location | Included on paid plans |
| Free trial | 7 days, no card |
| New marketplace client | 15% of the first visit, once |
Every paid plan includes unlimited staff, every location and free data import. See the full Salonist pricing page.
Cost calculator
What Your Team Size Costs
Booksy
Salonist
Subscription fees only, plus an example marketplace cut of 10 new clients at $100 where ticked. Card processing is not counted.
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Feature comparison
Salonist vs Booksy Feature by Feature
Booksy is a marketplace with software attached. Salonist is software with a marketplace attached, and the pricing follows that.
Point of Sale and Retail
Ring up services and products on one ticket, take tips and print or email the receipt at the till, and sell online through the built in store. Booksy has a till and card readers of its own.
Staff, Commission and Tips
Commission splits, tips, timesheets and login permissions all sit in one staff screen, with no charge for extra people. Booksy charges $20 a month for each extra team member.
Stock and Inventory
Inventory management covers barcodes, purchase orders, warehouse stock and low stock alerts, so retail stops leaking margin. Booksy tracks stock at a simpler level.
Marketing and Client Win Back
Run SMS, email and WhatsApp campaigns from the same place as your calendar including birthday offers and rebooking reminders. Booksy includes messages and campaigns, without WhatsApp.
Memberships, Loyalty and Gift Cards
Memberships, reward points and gift cards work at the till and online, which keeps regulars coming back. Booksy sells memberships and packages too.
Built for Multiple Locations
Salonist is a multi location system. Run every branch from one account, switch between them in a click and compare them in one report, with every location included on paid plans. Booksy charges separately for extra locations.
Forms and Client Records
Consent forms, before and after photos and client documents sit with the visit history on the client record. Booksy offers basic forms.
The difference that shows
WhatsApp Marketing and 13 Languages, Built In
Salonist runs in 60+ countries with 13 languages, right to left Arabic and local payment gateways. WhatsApp campaigns sit on the Advance plan, so reminders and offers reach clients on the app they actually open.
- Booking confirmations and reminders on WhatsApp
- Birthday and win back offers
- Rebooking nudges after a visit
- Your team sees the software in their own language
Why salons switch
What You Get With Salonist
In every plan
- ✓Unlimited staff on every plan
- ✓Every location included on paid plans
- ✓POS, retail and inventory built in
- ✓WhatsApp, SMS and email campaigns
- ✓Commissions, tips and timesheets
- ✓60+ countries and 13 languages
Best fit for
- ✓Salons with three or more staff
- ✓Owners tired of per seat fees
- ✓Salons that want a lower marketplace cut
- ✓Teams that need stock control and purchase orders
- ✓Salons outside the United States
Prices taken from the Booksy pricing page.
Best fit
Who Should Choose Salonist?
- Salons with three or more staff
- Owners tired of per seat fees
- Salons that want a lower marketplace cut
- Teams that need stock control and purchase orders
- Salons outside the United States
See Salonist for hair salons, nail salons, spas, barber shops.
Keep comparing
Other Comparisons
Looking at more than one tool? See Salonist vs Fresha, plus Salonist vs Vagaro and Salonist vs Treatwell on the compare hub.
Book a 20 minute demo and we will walk through your own numbers.
Moving is easy
Switching from Booksy to Salonist
Book a demo
A product expert walks through Salonist with you in 20 minutes.
Send your data
We import your clients, services and appointment history for free.
Add the whole team
Every staff member is included, so nobody is left off the calendar.
Go live
Share your booking link and start taking appointments the same week.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Still deciding? These are the questions salon owners ask us most.
7 day free trial · no card needed
Try the Best Booksy Alternative for Salons
Flat pricing, unlimited staff and half the marketplace cut.
