Free plans are a good start for a new chair or a side business, as long as you know what is limited and how the vendor earns instead.
Real Free Plans
- Square Appointments Free: $0 per location with an online booking site, reminders and unlimited staff calendars. Card rates are 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online, higher than on paid plans.
- Setmore Free: up to 4 users with a booking page and email reminders. SMS reminders are on Pro.
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Free Trials
- 30 days: Vagaro (without marketing and the branded app), Square Plus and Premium.
- 21 days: Dubsado.
- 14 days: GlossGenius, Booksy, Rosy, SQUIRE, DaySmart Salon.
- 7 days: Fresha, Acuity Scheduling.
Phorest says it does not offer a free trial, and Boulevard offers a demo.
What Free Usually Leaves Out
- Text reminders, or a large enough allowance.
- No-show fees and cancellation policies (on Square they start on Plus).
- Waitlists, multi-staff booking and commission tools.
When to Upgrade
Upgrade when no-shows or missing features cost more than the plan. One saved no-show a month often covers a $29 to $49 plan. Compare in the cost calculator.
Common Questions
How Do Free Booking Apps Make Money?
Mostly from card processing and, on marketplaces, from new-client fees. Square's free plan, for example, has a higher online card rate than its paid plans.
Is a Free Trial Enough to Decide?
Usually, if you test with your real services and a real checkout. Ask about data export before you import clients.
Sources
- Our software data, with each vendor source and the date read
- How we get our data
- Square Appointments pricing page
- Setmore pricing page
Basis: Vendor pricing pages, read on the date shown.