The hidden cost of “free”
When a booking platform is free or cheap to start, the money has to come from somewhere. For the big marketplace platforms, it usually comes from commission— a cut of certain bookings, taken before the money ever reaches you.
The numbers add up faster than owners expect. Booksy’s marketplace “Boost” takes 30% of a new client’s first appointment (minimum £5). Fresha, on its paid plans, takes 20% on new clients who come through its marketplace (minimum around £6). On the surface that sounds fair — you only pay when they bring you someone new. But the edges are sharp.
Where commission quietly hurts
Owners regularly report that a regular who forgets their login and rebooks through a fresh account can get counted as a brand-new marketplace client — and you pay commission on someone who was already yours.
A flat subscription costs the same whether you’re quiet or fully booked. Commission does the opposite: the busier you get, the more you hand over. Your best months become the platform’s best months too.
Between commission, subscription, per-staff fees and payment processing, many owners simply can’t say what they’ll pay in a given month.
To be fair: if the marketplace genuinely sends you new clients you wouldn’t otherwise reach, the commission can be worth it. The honest question is whether yourgrowth actually depends on it — or whether most of your clients come from word of mouth, your own Instagram, and walk-ins. If it’s the latter, you may be paying a cut for introductions you’d have made anyway.
What “no commission” actually changes
A no-commission, flat-rate platform flips the model. You pay one predictable monthly price, and every booking — and every penny from it — stays yours. A fully booked Saturday costs you exactly the same in software as a quiet Tuesday.
For an established salon with a loyal client base, that predictability usually wins. You can plan your costs, your busy months reward you (not your software), and there’s no nasty surprise when a regular gets miscounted as “new”.
The trade-off is honest and worth stating: a no-commission platform isn’t a consumer marketplace, so it won’t put you in front of strangers the way Fresha or Booksy can. You bring your clients; in return, you keep everything and your cost never moves.
Where Feature fits
Feature is built entirely on the no-commission model:
If marketplace discovery is your main growth engine, a marketplace platform may suit you better — and that’s a fair answer. But if you’d rather keep 100% of what your clients spend and always know your costs, no commission is the point.
Competitor pricing as reported in 2026 — always check each provider’s current pricing page, as rates change.
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