Booking, payments, and marketing come bundled per seat, with a new-client fee that can reach $100. StyleSeat pairs your book with a marketplace, Smart Pricing, and AI marketing — all in one flat price.
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Booksy bundles marketing into one flat price, but leaves out demand pricing and charges per seat. Its new-client fee also caps twice as high as StyleSeat's. 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 | Included* |
| Marketing emails | Included | Included |
| Client Loyalty | Included | Included |
| Custom website (Smart Website) | ✗ | $10/month |
| AI Concierge | ✗ | Included |
| New-client marketplace fee | 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 | Additional team members free |
| GROWTH TOOLS AND AI | ||
| Smart Pricing | ✗ | Included |
| Smart Waitlist | Basic waitlist only | Included |
| Marketplace discovery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated marketing | Included (templates) | Included |
| New Client Delivery | Pay 30% per client (Boost) | Included 30% on first appointment, only for clients we drive you |
| AI marketing tools | ✗ | Included |
| AI social post builder | ✗ | Included |
| AI booking assistant | ✗ | Included |
| AI business analyst | ✗ | Included |
| PRICING & FEES | ||
| Card-present processing | 2.49% + $0.10 | 2.5% + $.30 |
| Online processing | 2.69% + $0.30 | 2.6% + $.30 |
| Monthly pricing | $29.99 + $20/additional seat | $35 flat additional seats included |
*Text marketing on StyleSeat starts with 500 free one-time text credits; outbound sends after that draw from purchased credits — no monthly add-on. Booksy figures from Booksy's official pricing and support pages, September 2026.
Booksy's Boost fee can run to $100 per new client. StyleSeat caps the same fee at $50 and adds Smart Pricing on top. You net $3,643 a year from StyleSeat's growth features, after every StyleSeat fee including its subscription.
No demand pricing at any tier — every service stays one flat price, even at peak hours.
Every growth feature included in the $35.
Smart Waitlists $2,331 + New Client Connection $1,904 + Smart Pricing $385
New Client Connection $370 + Smart Pricing fees $187 + Premium subscription $420
"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/month for a single user, plus $20/month for each additional team member. StyleSeat is $35/month flat, with Smart Pricing, marketplace discovery, and AI marketing tools included.
Boost is free to turn on. Booksy then charges 30% of a new client's first visit. The fee runs from a $10 minimum to a $100 maximum. StyleSeat's New Client Connection fee is also 30% of the first appointment. But it caps at $50 — half of Booksy's ceiling.
Both run marketplaces, but the fee caps differ. Booksy's Boost commission can reach $100 on a single new client. StyleSeat's cap is $50, so it costs you less — or the same — at every appointment price.
No — Booksy's service prices are static at every tier. StyleSeat's Smart Pricing raises your price automatically when demand peaks. Professionals who use it average $385 a year in extra service revenue. The top 10% clear $1,000 or more. StyleSeat's fee on Smart Pricing is about 5.5% of the smart-priced service.
Booksy charges 2.49% + $0.10 per transaction with its card reader, or 2.69% + $0.30 for mobile and keyed-in payments. StyleSeat charges 2.5% + $0.30 across the board.
Booksy operates internationally and offers native booking buttons for Instagram, Facebook, and Google, plus granular staff permissions for larger teams. If you need those specific integrations or operate outside the US, Booksy might be your choice. If you want Smart Pricing, a lower fee cap, and AI marketing, StyleSeat is built for you.
Unedited reviews from Trustpilot and Capterra — dated and sourced.
“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.”
