Blog · Industry Insights
Why Salon Owners Are Ditching Marketplace Booking Apps
Marketplaces promise new clients, then take 20 to 30% of each new client’s first visit. Here’s when that is worth it, and when it isn’t.
· Updated · 5 min read
The pitch is simple: list your salon in our app and we'll send you new clients. For a stylist just starting out it can be a good deal. For a salon with a full book, the fee lands on people it would have reached anyway.
How the fees work
Fresha and Booksy both run consumer apps where guests browse and book. When one of those guests is new to you, the platform charges a share of their first visit. From each company's own pricing page, October 2026:
- Fresha: 20% of a new client's first visit, $6 minimum. Returning clients and bookings from your own link, website or Instagram are free.
- Booksy Boost: 30% of a new client's first visit, up to $100. Boost is optional; you turn it on.
On a $200 color service, that is $40 to Fresha or $60 to Booksy, once. Whether it is worth it depends on how many of those guests come back.
When it pays
If you are new to an area and your book has gaps, a marketplace guest who rebooks five times is cheap at $40. If your book is full, you are paying for guests who would have found your own page.
Booking without a middleman
Systems without a marketplace charge a flat subscription and nothing per booking. loci is one: $19 a month solo, $49 for a team, with no fee on any guest. GlossGenius takes no commission either.
The trade is that you bring the guests in yourself, through channels you own:
- Your own booking page, with your name and photos on it
- Instagram with a direct booking link
- Your Google Business Profile, pointing at your booking page
- Referrals from guests who already love you
- Texts and emails to your own client list
When guests book through your channels, the whole ticket is yours.