TL;DR
The best booking software for hairdressers charges a flat monthly fee with zero commission per booking. At £65/session and 10 new clients per month, Treatwell's ~42% effective rate costs £273/month vs. £29/month on Nextro. Annual saving: £2,928 — kept in your chair instead of paid to a platform.
Why commission platforms don't suit hairdressers
Hair clients build routines. A client who finds a stylist they trust for cut, colour, or both returns every 6–8 weeks without much prompting. That loyalty has a clear financial value — but marketplace platforms extract it. The platform introduces the client, takes its fee, and then the client goes back to the marketplace rather than booking you directly.
65% of first-time marketplace clients don't return to the same stylist. They search again by location, availability, or current promotional price. The platform benefits from this; you don't. Every repeat marketplace booking earns the platform another commission and keeps your clients price-shopping rather than loyal.
Commission cost breakdown for hairdressers
Scenario: average appointment at £65, 10 new clients per month through a marketplace.
| Platform | Commission | Per session | Monthly (10 new) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresha | 20% | £13.00 | £130/mo |
| Treatwell | ~42% eff. | £27.30 | £273/mo |
| Nextro | 0% | £0 | £29/mo flat |
Annual saving over Treatwell: £2,928 back in your chair. At £65/session, that's 45 appointments per year you'd have worked purely to cover the platform fee.
The Treatwell 42% rate unpacked
Treatwell charges 35% commission on new client bookings from its marketplace. As a VAT-registered business, it then adds 20% UK VAT on that commission charge. The result: 35% × 1.20 = 42% effective commission rate. On a £65 cut-and-blow-dry, that's £27.30 taken per new client booking — regardless of whether the client arrives late, asks for changes, or cancels at short notice.
Fresha's 20% one-time commission on first bookings from new marketplace clients is lower — £13 on a £65 session — but still £130/month at 10 new clients. Both models extract a growing share of your income as your booking volume increases.
Multiple services, one flat price
Cuts, colours, highlights, balayage, treatments, blow-dries — hairdressers often run five or more services at different durations and prices. On Nextro, each service is listed separately with its own slot length and price. Clients choose their treatment, pick a time, pay a deposit or full amount upfront. One flat monthly fee covers all of it with no per-booking charge regardless of which service they choose.
The rebooking window at checkout
Most stylists know the best time to secure the next appointment is at the end of the current one — while the client is happy with the result. With your own booking link, you can show it on your phone, add it to your Instagram bio, print it on a business card, or text it directly. The client books the next appointment before they leave your chair. No marketplace needed for the second visit.
Get started with Nextro
Booking and payments for service businesses. £29/month flat fee — keep your booking revenue.