The price on the front isn’t the bill. Here’s how to add up what you’d really pay.
The cheapest app looked like a good deal. Then the bill came.
You saw “free” or “from £14.95” and thought, great. Next to that, Tavix at £29 a month looked dear. That’s fair. Money is tight, and every pound counts.
But the price on the front is often not what you pay. Let’s add up the real bill together.
The front price isn’t the bill
Here are the things that often get added later.
1. A fee for each new client from their app. Some apps list you in their own app, where clients search for a salon. When a new client finds you there, you pay a fee on that first booking. Fresha takes 20% (at least £4), plus VAT. Treatwell takes 35%, plus VAT. Booksy takes 30% (at least £5), plus VAT, but only if you switch on its Boost feature.
Example: 5 new clients from the app, each booking a £45 first visit
Fresha: 20% of £45 = £9, plus VAT = £10.80. Times 5 = £54.
Treatwell: 35% of £45 = £15.75, plus VAT = £18.90. Times 5 = £94.50.
Booksy Boost: 30% of £45 = £13.50, plus VAT = £16.20. Times 5 = £81.
That’s on top of the monthly price. Clients who book through your own link don’t cost this fee. What a marketplace fee really costs you
2. Paying for each reminder text. Some apps give you some free texts, then charge for each one after that. Fresha gives 20 free messages a month for each team member, then charges 6p a text, plus VAT. Say you send a confirmation and a reminder for 80 bookings. That’s 160 texts. Take away 20 free, and 140 × 6p = £8.40, plus VAT = £10.08 a month.
3. Paying extra for the things that bring clients back. Google review requests, loyalty and a website are often add-ons. On Fresha, Google Rating Boost is £12.95 a month, Client Loyalty is £49.95 a month and a Smart Website is £12.95 a month, all plus VAT.
4. VAT on top. Many prices are shown “+ VAT”. Most small salons aren’t VAT registered, so you can’t claim it back. It’s a real cost. £14.95 + VAT is really £17.94. £40 + VAT is really £48.
Just a diary, or a diary that helps clients come back?
Here’s an example from our free pricing comparison. It’s one owner, 80 bookings a month, £45 average price, with VAT added where the company adds it. “Helps clients come back” means online booking, text reminders, no-show protection and Google reviews.
| App | Just a diary | A diary that helps clients come back |
|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments | £0 | £38 |
| Treatwell | £12 | Can’t do all four |
| Fresha | £18 | £44 |
| Vagaro | £20 | Can’t do all four |
| Timely | £26 | £35 |
| Tavix | £29 | £29 |
| BookinBeautiful | £42 | Can’t do all four |
| Booksy | £48 | Can’t do all four |
To be honest: if you only need a diary, a free or cheaper app may be fine. Square’s free plan or Treatwell at £12 could suit you well. Don’t pay for things you won’t use.
But once you want reminders, no-show protection and Google reviews, the cheap prices go up, and some apps can’t do it all.
The biggest cost is the empty chair
The app bill isn’t the biggest cost. An empty chair is.
A no-show is money you can’t get back. If a £45 client doesn’t turn up, that £45 is gone. How much one no-show costs you
A regular who drifts away costs even more. Here’s a simple sum.
One regular, every 6 weeks, £45 a visit
52 weeks ÷ 6 = about 8.7 visits a year.
8.7 × £45 = about £390 a year.
Lose one regular like that, and you lose about £390 a year. Most regulars don’t leave because they’re unhappy. They get busy and forget. A kind message at the right time often brings them back. Why regulars stop coming back, and how to bring them back
What to ask before you choose any app
Use this list on any app, Tavix included.
- What’s the full monthly bill, with VAT, for everything I need?
- Do you take a fee on new clients? How much, and who counts as new?
- Do reminders cost extra after a free amount?
- Can it ask happy clients for a Google review?
- Does it help bring regulars back when they drift?
Where Tavix fits
Tavix is your AI salon assistant. It takes bookings and sends reminders on WhatsApp, with a text for clients not on WhatsApp. It spots regulars who are overdue and writes them a message. It helps you ask for Google reviews, and it keeps track of patch tests. When it writes a message for you, you see every message before it goes. Tavix uses AI to help write each message. The AI never sees your client’s name or number.
£29 a month, VAT included. No commission.
Put your own numbers into our pricing comparison and see your real bill. Then try Tavix free for 30 days, no card needed.
Questions
Is a free booking app good enough for a salon?
If you only need a diary, it can be. Before you decide, check what you would pay for reminder texts, Google reviews and fees on new clients.
What fee do booking apps take on new clients?
Fresha takes 20% of a new client’s first booking from its app, at least £4, plus VAT. Treatwell takes 35% plus VAT. Booksy takes 30%, at least £5, plus VAT, but only when its Boost feature is on.
How much does Tavix cost?
£29 a month, VAT included, with no commission. You can try it free for 30 days, no card needed.
Prices checked on each company’s own UK page: Fresha, Treatwell and Booksy new client fees on 1 November 2026; Fresha text and add-on prices on 31 October 2026. Table from our pricing comparison, 1 November 2026. Prices may change.