WhatsAppComparison
Believe Websites vs Shopify: an online shop with a booking app, or a booking website built for you?
Shopify is built to sell products online, and appointment booking comes from a separate app. We priced Shopify's UK plans and two booking apps from their own pages on 3 November 2026. Believe Websites is £49 a month flat, £0 to build, 0% commission, with booking built into a site on your own domain that we build and change for you.
·9 min read
The short answer
- Shopify is an ecommerce platform for selling products, and its UK pricing page does not list appointment booking as a feature of any plan.
- On 3 November 2026 Shopify's UK plans were Basic at £19, Grow at £49 and Advanced at £259 a month paid yearly, or £25, £65 and £344 paid monthly, with Plus from £1,800 a month.
- Shopify offered 3 days free, then £1 a month for 3 months, and its FAQ says you can cancel at any time, except 1- or 3-year Plus terms.
- Shopify Basic lists no additional staff accounts; Grow includes 5 and Advanced 15.
- Booking on Shopify is added with an app from the Shopify App Store, billed in US dollars: BTA Appointment Booking App was $25, $49.95 or $110 a month for 50, 350 or 1,000 bookings, and Sesami was $19, $129 or $299 a month for 5, 20 or 40 calendars.
- Shopify's online card rates on 3 November 2026 were 2% + 25p on Basic, 1.7% + 25p on Grow and 1.5% + 25p on Advanced.
- Believe Websites costs £49 a month flat for any team size, takes 0% commission, and designs, builds and changes a bespoke website with booking built in, on your own domain, for £0 upfront.
- Shopify can sell products and, with a paid booking app, take deposits and send texts today. Believe Websites' text reminders and card payments are built but not switched on, it has no marketplace, and it has a 12-month minimum term.
Shopify is one of the best-known ways to build a website and take money online, so it comes up whenever a salon, barber or therapist asks how to get a proper site. It is very good at what it was built for: selling products. Appointment booking is not part of Shopify itself. You add it with an app from the Shopify App Store, from a different company, with its own monthly price.
So this comparison prices Shopify and two of its booking apps from their own pages, then asks the question that decides it for a service business: who builds the site, and who keeps it right? Every figure below was read on 3 November 2026, and the sources are listed at the bottom.
The short version
If you sell products as well as appointments, or you want to build and run the site yourself, Shopify with a booking app is a strong option. It can take card payments and, on the right app plan, deposits and text notifications, today. You build it, choose the theme and app, set up every service and keep it updated.
Believe Websites is £49 a month flat, whatever the size of your team. We design and build the site for £0 upfront, with booking inside it, on your own domain, and change it for you when you message. We take 0% of every booking. We do not run an online shop.
What Shopify costs in the UK
Prices are in pounds as shown on shopify.com/uk/pricing. The page text we read did not clearly state whether prices include VAT. New stores were offered 3 days free, then £1 a month for 3 months. Plus starts at £1,800 a month and is offered on 1- or 3-year terms.
| Plan | Paid yearly | Paid monthly | Staff accounts | Online card rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £19 a month | £25 a month | None additional | 2% + 25p |
| Grow | £49 a month | £65 a month | 5 | 1.7% + 25p |
| Advanced | £259 a month | £344 a month | 15 | 1.5% + 25p |
| Plus | Not shown | From £1,800 a month | Unlimited | 1.3% + 25p |
In-person card payments were 1.7% on Basic, 1.6% on Grow and 1.5% on Advanced, with no fixed fee. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify adds its own transaction fee of 2%, 1% or 0.6% on Basic, Grow and Advanced. Every plan lists a custom domain name, web hosting and an SSL certificate as included.
Then the booking app
Both listings say all charges are billed in US dollars, every 30 days. BTA also offers yearly billing ($250, $499.50 and $1,100 a year). Sesami's Free plan is for development stores only and it offers a 10-day free trial.
| App and plan | Price | What the limit is | Texts and deposits |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTA Free | $0 | 10 bookings | Email notification only |
| BTA Lite | $25 a month | 50 bookings a month, 1 staff account | Not listed on this plan |
| BTA Premium | $49.95 a month | 350 bookings a month, 10 staff accounts | SMS notifications and deposits |
| BTA Business | $110 a month | 1,000 bookings a month, 20 staff accounts | As Premium |
| Sesami Small | $19 a month | 5 calendars | Not tied to a plan in the listing |
| Sesami Pro | $129 a month | 20 calendars | Not tied to a plan in the listing |
| Sesami Premium | $299 a month | 40 calendars | Not tied to a plan in the listing |
Notice what the limits are measured in. BTA caps bookings per month, so a busy salon taking 400 appointments a month is past Premium's 350. Sesami caps calendars, one per bookable person or resource. Our price does not change with bookings or team size.
What a year costs
£19 × 12, no extra staff accounts
£25 × 12
£49 × 12, 5 staff accounts
£65 × 12
£49 × 12: build, hosting, domain, booking, changes
Figures read from shopify.com/uk/pricing on 3 November 2026, ignoring the £1-a-month introductory offer. Add a booking app (for example BTA Premium at $49.95 a month, billed in US dollars), any paid theme, card fees and the build itself. Believe Websites' figure includes designing and building the site, hosting, the domain and changes.
Shopify Basic on its own is cheaper than us. But Basic includes no additional staff accounts, and a booking app is a second bill on top. Shopify Grow paid yearly is exactly £49 a month, the same as us, before any booking app is added.
Who builds it, and who keeps it right
A Shopify store is yours to build. You pick a theme, write every page, install the booking app, set up each service as a bookable product, add your team and hours, connect payments and test a booking on a phone. Shopify themes are designed around product pages and a basket, so making a service business feel like a service business takes some work. When a price or a member of staff changes, you log in and change it.
With us, you send your photos, services and prices, or we take them from what is already online about you, and we design the site around your business. Hosting and the booking system are ours to run. When something changes, you message us and we do it. Unlimited small changes, fair use.
What the £49 pays for with us
- A bespoke website, designed around your business: your photos, services, prices, reviews and area.
- Your own domain, something like www.yourbusiness.co.uk, bought and connected for you.
- Booking inside the site for unlimited team members and unlimited bookings, with email confirmations and reminders.
- Changes done for you. Message us; unlimited small changes, fair use.
- Analytics, a monthly report and an AI Search Readiness score, so you can see what is in place and how the site is doing.
- A new article every month about your town and your services, written to be read by search engines and AI assistants.
- 0% commission on every booking, from anyone.
The whole offer is on our home page. After the 12-month minimum term it carries on month to month, and the website can become yours.
Being found on Google and by AI
Shopify gives you the tools to set page titles and descriptions, and a store can be well set up for search if someone does the work. Every site we build is set up with structured data, a page for each service, clear business details and a monthly article about your town and services, and your dashboard shows an AI Search Readiness score so you can see what is there.
Where Shopify genuinely wins
- It sells products. If you sell aftercare, hair products, gift cards or anything else online, Shopify is built for exactly that, and we do not run an online shop.
- Card payments, deposits and texts are available today. Shopify Payments takes cards online and in person, and BTA Premium lists deposits and SMS notifications. Our card payments and text reminders are built but not switched on, so we cannot take a deposit or send a text reminder for you yet.
- Basic is cheaper. £19 a month paid yearly, against our £49, if you have no staff accounts to add and are happy to build it.
- No minimum term. Shopify's FAQ says you can cancel at any time on its standard plans. We have a 12-month minimum term because we build the site for £0 upfront.
- A huge app store. Thousands of apps for loyalty, reviews, email marketing and more, if you want to assemble them yourself.
Neither of us runs a marketplace of people browsing for somewhere to book. If that is what you want, see how marketplaces charge for it in Believe Websites vs Fresha. If you want to build it yourself but do not sell products, compare a simpler builder in Believe Websites vs Wix.
Everything side by side
| Believe Websites | Shopify + a booking app | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £49 a month flatany team, any number of bookings | From £19 a month paid yearly, plus the appapp billed in US dollars |
| Booking | Built into the site | Through a third-party appnot listed in Shopify's plans |
| Who builds the website | We do, for £0 | You do, or someone you pay |
| Who changes it | We do, when you messageunlimited small changes, fair use | You do |
| Your own domain | Includedwe buy and connect it | Custom domain listed on every plan |
| Team members | Unlimited, free | Shopify staff accounts: none on Basic, 5 on Growplus the app's own staff or calendar limit |
| Commission on bookings | 0% | None listedcard rates from 1.5% + 25p online |
| Email confirmations and reminders | Yes | Through the app |
| Text reminders | Coming soon | On some app planse.g. BTA Premium, $49.95 a month |
| Card payments and deposits | Coming soon | Yesdeposits on BTA Premium |
| Sell products online | No | Yes, it is what Shopify is for |
| Monthly SEO and AI article | Yes, written for youabout your town and services | If you write it |
| Marketplace of browsing clients | No | No |
| Minimum term | 12 monthsthen month to month | None on standard plansPlus is 1 or 3 years |
So which one should you pick?
Shopify and a booking app, if
- You sell products online as well as appointments.
- You, or someone you trust, will build the store and keep it updated.
- You need deposits or text reminders this week.
- You want no minimum term.
Believe Websites, if
- You sell appointments, not products, and want a site that looks like it.
- You want one flat price however big the team or however busy the diary gets, with no commission on any booking.
- You would rather send a message than log in when a price changes.
- You want a monthly article and an AI Search Readiness score working on how you are found.
- Email confirmations and reminders are enough for you today.
Weighing up other do-it-yourself routes? We priced WordPress with a booking plugin and Squarespace the same way.
Common questions
- Can Shopify take appointment bookings?
- Not on its own. Shopify's UK pricing page does not list appointment booking in any plan. Businesses add it with a booking app from the Shopify App Store, such as BTA Appointment Booking App ($25 to $110 a month) or Sesami ($19 to $299 a month), both billed in US dollars, on 3 November 2026.
- How much does Shopify cost in the UK?
- On 3 November 2026 Shopify's UK plans were Basic £19, Grow £49 and Advanced £259 a month paid yearly, or £25, £65 and £344 paid monthly, with Plus from £1,800 a month. New stores were offered 3 days free, then £1 a month for 3 months.
- Is Shopify good for a salon or barber?
- It is good if you sell products online as well. For appointments alone, you pay for Shopify and a separate booking app, build the store yourself and adapt a product-focused theme to a service business. Believe Websites builds a service website with booking built in for £0 upfront and £49 a month.
- Does Shopify charge commission on bookings?
- Shopify lists no commission on bookings, but it charges card fees, from 2% + 25p online on Basic to 1.5% + 25p on Advanced, and an extra 2%, 1% or 0.6% transaction fee if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments. Believe Websites takes 0% commission on every booking.
- Is Shopify cheaper than Believe Websites?
- Shopify Basic is, at £19 a month paid yearly, if you build the store yourself and need no staff accounts. Shopify Grow paid yearly is £49 a month, the same as Believe Websites, before a booking app is added. Believe Websites has a 12-month minimum term; Shopify's standard plans can be cancelled at any time.
- Will Shopify or Believe Websites get me to the top of Google?
- Neither can promise that. A Shopify store can be well set up for search if someone does the work. Believe Websites sets up structured data, service pages and a monthly article and shows an AI Search Readiness score. No company can guarantee a Google ranking or that an AI assistant will recommend a business.
Sources
- Shopify UK pricing — checked 3 November 2026
- BTA Appointment Booking App, Shopify App Store — checked 3 November 2026
- Sesami Booking Platform, Shopify App Store — checked 3 November 2026
- Believe Websites pricing and terms — checked 3 November 2026
Competitors' prices change. Every figure here was read from the company's own public pricing page on the date shown. If something is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.