Booksy costs $29.99 a month plus tax and $20 per extra user, and its optional Boost fee can reach $100 per new client. StyleSeat is $19 a month after trial, caps its own new-client fee at $50, and charges $0 card fees for 21 days, then 1.9% + 30¢ for six months.
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Booksy includes 2,000 free marketing texts a month and loyalty, but has no automatic peak pricing and its Boost fee caps at $100, twice StyleSeat's $50. Booksy figures come from Booksy's own pricing and support pages.
| FEATURE | Booksy | StyleSeat |
|---|---|---|
| THE BASICS | ||
| Online booking & calendar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client profiles & history | ✓ | ✓ |
| No-show & late-cancel protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| BOOKSY: BUNDLED, WITH LIMITS | ||
| Marketing texts | 2,000 free/mo, included | 500 free, then 750 credits for $5* |
| Marketing emails | Included | Included |
| Client Loyalty | Included | Included |
| Custom website | ✗ | May cost extra |
| AI Concierge | Beta: AI phone receptionist | Ask us |
| New-client marketplace fee | Optional Boost: 30% of first visit · $10 min, $100 cap | 30% of first appointment · capped at $50 · once per client, never again |
| Product Checkout | ✓ Included | Included |
| Per-team-member pricing | $20/mo per additional team member | No salon plan or seat fees. Each pro has their own account and plan. |
| GROWTH TOOLS AND AI | ||
| Smart Pricing | ✗ | Included (5.5% per smart-priced appointment) |
| Smart Waitlist | Automated waitlist | Available |
| Marketplace discovery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated marketing | Included (templates) | Included |
| New Client Connection | Optional Boost: 30% of first visit, $10 min, $100 cap | 30% of first appointment, $50 cap, $0 during trial |
| AI marketing tools | ✗ | Available |
| AI social post builder | Social post designer (not AI) | Available |
| AI booking assistant | Beta: AI phone receptionist | Ask us |
| AI business analyst | ✗ | Ask us |
| PRICING & FEES | ||
| Card-present processing | 2.49% + $0.10 | 1.9% + 30¢ for 6 months, then 2.5% + 30¢ |
| Online processing | 2.69% + $0.30 | 1.9% + 30¢ for 6 months, then 2.6% + 30¢ |
| Monthly pricing | $29.99 + tax, + $20 per extra user | $19/mo after trial |
*StyleSeat text marketing starts with 500 free one-time credits, then packs from $5 for 750 credits. Booksy's card reader rate needs a Booksy card reader, sold separately. Prices checked on each company's website in September 2026 (biz.booksy.com/pricing and Booksy's Boost help article).
Booksy's optional Boost fee can run to $100 per new client. StyleSeat caps the same 30% fee at $50. Before any new-client fees, our model has a solo pro paying $335 less in year one on StyleSeat than on Booksy.
No automatic peak pricing. Booksy's Happy Hours and Last Minute Discounts only lower prices, at times you choose.
Smart Pricing, marketing tools and loyalty come with the plan. Smart Pricing costs 5.5% of each smart-priced appointment.
21 days at $0, six months at 1.9% + 30¢, then 2.5% + 30¢, plus $228 (12 monthly payments after the trial), before new-client fees
$360 (12 monthly payments after Booksy's free trial) plus 2.49% + 10¢ card reader fees, reader sold separately. Boost off.
"I love the fact that stylist will promote you and help you get new clients. I was a new braider when I signed up and it help bring a lot of NEW people."
"StyleSeat is literally like my personal / online assistant. Clients can find me easily, StyleSeat does the marketing part while I just sit back and see my schedule fill up. Thank you for helping me grow my business."
"I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy. Highly recommend."
"You guys have built my barber clientele tremendously by bringing me new clients! I can't thank you enough! I greatly appreciate you!"
"Before I started using StyleSeat, I spent a lot of time texting back and forth to confirm appointments… Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly."
"I have been using StyleSeat for over 10 years and I can honestly say it has truly 100% grew my business!"
"Been using StyleSeat for three years. My clientele has expanded far beyond my expectations. Not to mention the innovative tools to help my business become what it is today. Highly recommend."
"Being a Top Pro on Styleseat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year."
"I recently had a situation with a client who complained to StyleSeat about a deposit, which is non refundable. I like how StyleSeat supported me and made me feel confident about my business policies. I have gotten 38 new clients from January to July 1st."
"I love that I can require deposit, it is super easy for my clients to book… I absolutely love that I can link it to my Instagram or any social media."
"Client history and reminders are fantastic."
"I love the fact that stylist will promote you and help you get new clients. I was a new braider when I signed up and it help bring a lot of NEW people."
"StyleSeat is literally like my personal / online assistant. Clients can find me easily, StyleSeat does the marketing part while I just sit back and see my schedule fill up. Thank you for helping me grow my business."
"I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy. Highly recommend."
"You guys have built my barber clientele tremendously by bringing me new clients! I can't thank you enough! I greatly appreciate you!"
"Before I started using StyleSeat, I spent a lot of time texting back and forth to confirm appointments… Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly."
"I have been using StyleSeat for over 10 years and I can honestly say it has truly 100% grew my business!"
"Been using StyleSeat for three years. My clientele has expanded far beyond my expectations. Not to mention the innovative tools to help my business become what it is today. Highly recommend."
"Being a Top Pro on Styleseat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year."
"I recently had a situation with a client who complained to StyleSeat about a deposit, which is non refundable. I like how StyleSeat supported me and made me feel confident about my business policies. I have gotten 38 new clients from January to July 1st."
"I love that I can require deposit, it is super easy for my clients to book… I absolutely love that I can link it to my Instagram or any social media."
"Client history and reminders are fantastic."
Booksy costs $29.99 a month plus tax for one user, plus $20 a month for each extra user. StyleSeat is $19 a month after a 21-day free trial, with Smart Pricing and marketplace discovery built in: you pay 5.5% only on smart-priced appointments, and a new-client fee capped at $50 only on clients StyleSeat brings you.
Boost is optional and free to turn on. Booksy then charges 30% of a Boost client's first visit, from a $10 minimum to a $100 maximum. StyleSeat's New Client Connection is also 30% of the first appointment, but caps at $50, half of Booksy's ceiling.
In our comparison of a solo pro doing $6,000 a month at a $120 average ticket, yes for year one: $19 vs $29.99 a month, and 1.9% + 30¢ for six months. After that it is close, and Booksy gets cheaper as your volume or team grows, because its card reader (sold separately) costs about 20¢ less per payment. With Boost on, both take 30% of a new client's first visit, but Booksy caps at $100 and StyleSeat at $50. With Boost off, Booksy charges nothing for new clients.
No. Booksy has one plan and no automatic peak pricing. Its Happy Hours and Last Minute Discounts only lower prices, at times you choose. StyleSeat's Smart Pricing raises your price automatically when demand peaks, and StyleSeat's fee is 5.5% of the full price of each smart-priced appointment, and $0 during your trial.
Booksy charges 2.49% + 10¢ with its card reader and 2.69% + 30¢ for mobile and keyed-in payments. StyleSeat charges $0 for 21 days, then 1.9% + 30¢ for six months, then 2.5% + 30¢ in person and 2.6% + 30¢ online.
Booksy works internationally, includes 2,000 free marketing texts a month, and after your first six months its card reader costs about 20¢ less per payment than StyleSeat's standard rate. If you want a cheaper first year, Smart Pricing and a new-client fee capped at $50, StyleSeat is likely the better fit.
Excerpts from Trustpilot and Capterra reviews, dated and sourced. Ellipses mark cuts.
“I cannot recommend Booksy Boost to other salon owners based on my experience. I used Booksy for about 1.5 years. During that entire period, I did not receive a single client that I could confidently attribute to Boost… She was already my customer before Booksy was ever involved. Yet this appointment was still classified as Boost.”
“The company is a scam! There is not even one customer that came in the salon from Booksy, but they never forget to charge you so basically you're paying for nothing!”
“Stole my money, website rarely works, no customer service.”
“I have been using Booksy as a paying business customer and, after my recent experience, I have completely lost confidence in the platform. A client's appointment date changed unexpectedly, and she confirmed she did not make the change herself… Booksy repeatedly relied on their own audit information and dismissed the possibility of a technical issue. This experience has left me questioning whether I can continue to rely on Booksy to manage my business effectively.”
“I've been a Booksy customer for years… It's an issue when I'm losing money. I can't book my clients due to an extra fee for a client that is my original client. Booksy did not send me these clients… I'm leaving and taking my business elsewhere.”
“Booksy will hurt a business! They have a link for Booksy on our barber shop website for a different barber shop and won't fix it!… Customer service doesn't care.”
“The one thing I don't like is all the 'marketing' and 'boost' ads… I tried the boost feature for two weeks and got no new clients, not one.”
