How much does Treatwell cost per month in 2026? And what UK salons are switching to instead

If you are comparing booking platform costs for your salon or barbershop in 2026, you will quickly discover that the advertised pricing and the actual cost of each platform are very different numbers. Commission rates, monthly fees, per-team-member charges, and marketplace fees stack up in ways that are not obvious until you do the full calculation.

This article breaks down exactly what Treatwell, Fresha, and Booksy cost a UK salon per month in 2026, what you get for that cost, and what the growing number of salon owners switching away from these platforms are moving to instead.

How much does Treatwell cost per month in 2026

Treatwell's cost structure is commission-based rather than subscription-based, which makes it harder to calculate upfront than a simple monthly fee. The cost varies significantly depending on your booking volume and the commission rate in your agreement.

Treatwell charges between 20 and 35 percent commission on marketplace bookings, which are bookings made by clients who discover your salon through the Treatwell platform. The exact rate depends on your plan and agreement. In addition to commission, some Treatwell plans include monthly software fees.

For a salon taking 25 appointments per week at an average of £55 per appointment with a 30 percent commission rate, Treatwell costs approximately £412 per week or £1,782 per month. Annually that is £21,384 going to Treatwell before any other operating costs.

The key thing to understand about Treatwell's commission is that it applies to all marketplace bookings, including bookings from clients who were already your clients and who simply use the Treatwell app as their booking interface. You pay commission on the relationship whether Treatwell created it or not.

How much does Fresha cost per month in 2026

Fresha changed its pricing model in 2025. It is no longer free. Fresha now charges a mandatory monthly subscription fee of £14.95 per month for a solo professional or £9.95 per team member per month on team plans. A three-person salon pays approximately £30 per month in subscription fees before any other charges.

On top of the monthly subscription, Fresha charges commission on marketplace bookings from new clients, up to 20 percent. This is lower than Treatwell's rate but applies on top of the monthly fee rather than instead of it.

For a three-person salon taking 20 new marketplace bookings per month at £55 average, Fresha costs approximately £30 in monthly fees plus £220 in marketplace commission, totalling around £250 per month in platform costs. This does not include Fresha's card processing fees of 1.29 percent plus 20 pence per transaction on in-person payments.

How much does Booksy cost per month in 2026

Booksy charges a flat monthly fee of £39.99 plus VAT for the first user, which works out to approximately £48 per month including VAT. Each additional team member costs £5 per month. A three-person team pays around £58 per month.

Booksy also offers a Boost feature which charges 30 percent commission on the first booking from any new client acquired through the Booksy marketplace. This is the highest new-client commission rate of any major platform in the UK. An active Booksy Boost user acquiring 10 new clients per month at £45 per visit pays an additional £135 in Boost fees on top of their monthly subscription.

Total monthly cost for a solo barber on Booksy using Boost: approximately £183 per month. For a three-person team: approximately £193 per month before Boost.

The full cost comparison

What UK salons are switching to instead

The growing alternative to all three platforms is a zero-monthly-fee subscription model using a platform like SubSeat. Rather than paying commission on one-off appointments, businesses on SubSeat offer their regular clients monthly membership plans. Clients pay a fixed monthly fee. The platform charges 6 percent on subscription payments only. There is no monthly software fee and no commission on one-off bookings processed outside the platform.

For an established salon with 25 regular clients converted to monthly memberships at £55 per month, SubSeat costs £82.50 per month, which is 6 percent of the £1,375 in subscription revenue. Compare that to £412 per month on Treatwell for the same volume. The annual saving is £3,954.

The model is fundamentally different. Treatwell, Fresha and Booksy are built around individual appointment bookings. SubSeat is built around recurring monthly income. The financial outcomes over time are not comparable.

Why the monthly fee model is changing in 2026

Fresha's move from free to £14.95 per month in 2025 was a significant moment for the UK salon industry. Many salon owners had built their operations around a platform they understood to be permanently free. The fee introduction came with limited notice and no meaningful alternative within the Fresha ecosystem.

This has accelerated a trend that was already underway: salon owners looking for platforms where the cost structure is transparent, predictable, and aligned with their revenue rather than fixed regardless of income. A platform that charges only when you earn is structurally more aligned with how small beauty businesses actually work than one that invoices you monthly whether January was quiet or not.