WhatsAppMarket guide
Best booking platforms for dentists in 2026: practice software, booking apps and your website, priced
A UK comparison of seven ways a dental practice can take bookings online: Dentally, Software of Excellence, Aerona, Fresha, Square Appointments, SimplyBook.me and Believe Websites. Every price read from the companies' own pages on 2 November 2026, for one surgery and three.
·9 min read
The short answer
- Most dental practices already run practice management software, and the first question is whether it includes online booking before paying for another system.
- On 2 November 2026 Dentally's UK pricing page showed £134, £238 and £346 a month for one surgery, or £285, £410 and £551 for three, on its Starter, Essentials and Pro plans, excluding VAT.
- Dentally lists its patient portal, with online appointment booking, on Essentials and Pro but not on Starter.
- Software of Excellence and Aerona publish no prices; both ask practices to book a call or a demo.
- Fresha charges £14.95 a month on your own or £9.95 per team member, plus a 20% one-time commission, minimum £4, on new clients from its marketplace, excluding VAT.
- Square Appointments and SimplyBook.me are general booking tools with no dental records; Square is free for one location, and SimplyBook.me starts at £10.90 a month billed annually.
- Believe Websites builds a bespoke practice website with booking inside it on your own domain for £0 upfront, then £49 a month flat with 0% commission.
- Believe Websites is not dental practice software: it has no clinical notes, charting or NHS features, its text reminders and card payments are built but not switched on, it has no marketplace, and it has a 12-month minimum term.
A dental practice is not a salon. Appointments live in a clinical diary next to charts, treatment plans, X-rays and, for many practices, NHS claims. That system is usually practice management software, and the practice is already paying for it. So the honest question for most dentists is not "which booking app?" but "does my software already let patients book online, and does my website make that easy?"
This guide compares seven options on what decides it for a dental practice: what you pay with one surgery and with three, whether online booking is included, what clinical features you get, and whether you end up with a website of your own. Every figure was read from each company's own pages on 2 November 2026.
We make Believe Websites, one of the seven below, and we are not dental software. We build websites with booking inside them. If you need a clinical diary, charting or NHS claims, you need practice software, and we say where we fit around it further down. Every source is listed at the bottom.
The quick answer
- Practice software with published prices and online booking included: Dentally Essentials, £238 a month for one surgery or £410 for three, excluding VAT.
- Already on Software of Excellence or Aerona: ask them what online booking costs, because neither publishes a price.
- A private practice with simple appointments and no practice software: Square Appointments Free or SimplyBook.me, keeping clinical records elsewhere.
- Wanting to be found by new patients browsing an app: Fresha, accepting the 20% commission on marketplace new clients.
- A proper practice website with booking inside it, built for you: Believe Websites at £49 a month flat, alongside your practice software if you have it.
The price, side by side
Dentally and Fresha state prices exclude VAT. Square Appointments, SimplyBook.me and Believe Websites figures are as shown; Square and SimplyBook.me do not state their VAT treatment on their pricing pages. SimplyBook.me's add-ons are priced in US dollars.
| Platform | What it is | Price shown | Online booking | Text reminders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | Website with booking built in | £49 a month flat£0 to build, any team, 0% commission | Yes, on your own site | Coming soonemail reminders today |
| Dentally | Dental practice software | £134 / £238 / £346 a monthone surgery; £285 / £410 / £551 for three; ex VAT | Essentials and Pronot on Starter | Not priced on the page |
| Software of Excellence | Dental practice software | No price published"Book a call" | Not stated on the page | Not stated |
| Aerona | Dental practice software | No price publisheddemo request form only | "Engage with your patients online" | Not stated |
| Fresha | Booking app and marketplace | £14.95 a month soloor £9.95 per team member; ex VAT | Yes20% on marketplace new clients, min £4 | 20 free a month, then 6pper team member on Team |
| Square Appointments | Booking app | £0 / £29 / £69 a monthper location; no staff limit | Yes | Not stated on the pricing page |
| SimplyBook.me | Booking app | From £10.90 a monthbilled annually; £12.90 monthly; 5 providers | Yes | Add-on, $8 per 100 |
Dentally is the only dental system here that publishes its prices. Its page lists unlimited users, NHS integration on every plan and AI clinical note transcriptions on Essentials and Pro, and its patient portal, covering digital forms and online appointment booking, starts on Essentials. Software of Excellence and Aerona both send you to a call or a demo, which is useful to know before you start comparing.
What it costs: one surgery, and a practice of three
one location; no dental records
up to 5 providers, 100 bookings
£9.95 × 3, ex VAT, plus marketplace commission
bespoke site and booking; no dental records
ex VAT; includes online booking
ex VAT
Read from each company's own pricing page on 2 November 2026. Dentally is full practice software and the others are not, so this is not like for like: it shows what each charges, not what each does. Software of Excellence and Aerona publish no prices.
With one surgery, Dentally comes to £134 a month on Starter, without online booking, or £238 on Essentials with it. If you are already paying for Dentally Essentials or Pro, online booking is part of what you pay, and adding another booking app would mostly mean running two diaries.
Commission on a new patient
Fresha charges a 20% one-time commission, minimum £4, excluding VAT, on a new client who finds you through its marketplace, and nothing on returning clients. On a £60 new-patient examination that is £12 plus VAT, once. Square, SimplyBook.me and Believe Websites list no booking commission, and Dentally's pricing page lists none.
Clinical features and getting paid
| Platform | Dental records and NHS | Card payments |
|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | None | Coming soon |
| Dentally | Practice software; NHS integration on all plans | Not priced on the page |
| Software of Excellence | Practice softwareno plan details published | Not stated |
| Aerona | Practice softwareno plan details published | Not stated |
| Fresha | None listed | 1.40% + 25p online1.19% + 20p in person |
| Square Appointments | None listed | 1.4% + 25p online, UK cards1.75% in person on Free |
| SimplyBook.me | None listed | Through Stripe, PayPal or Squaretheir fees; no SimplyBook fee |
Your own website
Patients choosing a new dentist usually look you up first: where you are, whether you take NHS or private patients, what treatments cost and whether they can book without phoning. Practice software takes the booking, but none of the dental systems here sells you the practice website. Dentally says its portal is reached "through a direct link", which you then put on your own site. SimplyBook.me sells a custom domain as a $119 add-on for its booking page, and Fresha's Smart Website is £12.95 a month.
That is the gap we fill. We design and build a bespoke practice website for £0 upfront, on your own domain, with a page for each treatment and booking inside it, and change it for you when anything changes. It is £49 a month flat with 0% commission. See the full offer on our home page.
Where we lose
- We are not dental practice software. There are no charts, clinical notes, treatment plans, X-rays or NHS claims. Every practice that needs those needs Dentally, Software of Excellence, Aerona or similar.
- If you have practice software, we are an extra cost. Our £49 sits beside it, for the website, not instead of it.
- Text reminders and card payments are built but not switched on. Fresha and Square send texts and take payments today; we send email confirmations and reminders.
- No marketplace. We do not put you in front of people browsing an app. Fresha does, for a commission.
- A 12-month minimum term, then month to month. Fresha, Square and SimplyBook.me let you cancel any time.
So which one should you pick?
- An NHS or mixed practice: practice software with NHS features. Of the three here, only Dentally publishes prices; get quotes from the others.
- A practice already on Dentally Essentials or Pro: use its online booking, and make sure your website points to it clearly.
- A small private or cosmetic practice keeping records elsewhere: Square Appointments or SimplyBook.me for booking.
- A practice that wants a proper website built and kept up to date for it: Believe Websites, alongside whatever runs the diary.
Running a clinic rather than a dental practice? Read best booking platforms for aesthetic clinics in 2026. To see how marketplace commission adds up, read Believe Websites vs Fresha.
Common questions
- What is the best booking system for a dental practice in the UK?
- For most practices it is the online booking in their practice management software, because the diary already lives there. Dentally includes online booking from its Essentials plan, at £238 a month for one surgery or £410 for three, excluding VAT, on 2 November 2026. Software of Excellence and Aerona do not publish prices. A practice without dental software can use a general tool such as Square Appointments or SimplyBook.me.
- How much does Dentally cost?
- On 2 November 2026 Dentally's UK pricing page showed Starter, Essentials and Pro at £134, £238 and £346 a month for one surgery, and £285, £410 and £551 for three, all excluding VAT. Every plan lists unlimited users, and online appointment booking through the Dentally Portal is listed on Essentials and Pro.
- How much does Software of Excellence cost?
- Software of Excellence does not publish a price on its UK site. Its page asks practices to speak to the team or book a call. Aerona also publishes no price and offers a demo instead.
- Can a dentist use Fresha or Square for bookings?
- They can take bookings, but neither lists dental records or NHS features on its pricing page, so clinical notes would have to be kept elsewhere. Fresha is £14.95 a month on your own or £9.95 per team member, plus 20% on marketplace new clients, excluding VAT. Square Appointments is free for one location.
- Is Believe Websites dental practice software?
- No. Believe Websites builds a bespoke website with booking inside it, on your own domain, for £0 upfront and £49 a month flat with 0% commission. It has no clinical notes, charting or NHS features, so a practice that needs those uses practice software alongside it.
- Will a new website get my dental practice to the top of Google?
- No company can promise that, or that an AI assistant will recommend a practice. Believe Websites sets up structured data, a page for each treatment and a monthly article about your town and services, and shows an AI Search Readiness score, so search engines and assistants have something clear and complete to read.
Sources
- Dentally pricing (UK) — checked 2 November 2026
- Dentally Portal (online booking) — checked 2 November 2026
- Software of Excellence (UK) — checked 2 November 2026
- Aerona — checked 2 November 2026
- Fresha pricing — checked 2 November 2026
- Square Appointments pricing (UK) — checked 2 November 2026
- SimplyBook.me pricing — checked 2 November 2026
- Believe Websites pricing and terms — checked 2 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.