WhatsAppBuyer's guide
Best booking platforms for nail salons and nail techs in 2026
Square, Timely, Fresha, Booksy, Treatwell and Believe Websites compared for nail techs and nail bars, on published UK prices, the commission minimums that bite on short appointments, and who gives you a website of your own.
·11 min read
The short answer
- Square Appointments has a free plan for a single location with no employee limit, which makes it the cheapest way for a solo nail tech to take online bookings.
- Timely starts from £4 a week with unlimited team members and SMS included, but its price adjusts with the number of bookings you take.
- Fresha costs £14.95 a month for one person or £9.95 per bookable team member, excluding VAT, and charges 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit with a £4 minimum.
- Booksy costs £40 a month plus £5 per additional team member, excluding VAT, and its optional Boost takes 30% of a new client's first visit with a £5 minimum.
- Treatwell does not publish a monthly price and charges 35% commission on first bookings from new marketplace clients.
- On short, low-priced nail appointments, commission minimums push the real rate up: a £5 minimum on a £12 file and polish is about 42% of the visit.
- Believe Websites costs £49 a month flat for any team size, takes 0% commission, and designs and builds a bespoke website on your own domain for £0 upfront.
Nail businesses book differently from most salons. Appointments are short and frequent, infills come round every two to three weeks, a lot of techs work alone or rent a desk, and a busy nail bar can run five or six people at once. So the booking platform that suits a hair salon is not automatically the right one for nails.
This guide compares six options on the things that matter for nails in particular: what it costs a solo tech versus a nail bar, what a marketplace takes from a short, low-priced first appointment, and whether you end up with a website of your own. Every figure was read from each company's own UK pricing page on 23 October 2026.
The quick answer
- Solo tech, spending nothing: Square Appointments, free for a single location, with text and email reminders included.
- Solo tech who wants SMS without counting texts: Timely, from £4 a week, with SMS built into every plan.
- Cheapest paid app with a marketplace: Fresha, £14.95 a month for one person, plus 20% of each new marketplace client's first visit.
- Free text reminders and a simple single price: Booksy, £40 a month plus £5 per extra tech.
- The biggest UK beauty marketplace: Treatwell, at 35% of a new client's first booking and no published subscription price.
- A nail bar that wants its own website and to keep every penny of every booking: Believe Websites, £49 a month flat for any team size.
The price, side by side
Fresha and Booksy quote prices excluding VAT, and Treatwell says its commissions and fees are subject to VAT. Square and Timely do not state VAT treatment on their pricing pages. Prices change; check each source before you decide.
| Platform | Monthly price | Extra team members | New-client commission | Website on your own domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | £49 flatbuild is £0 | Unlimited, free | 0% | Yes, built for you |
| Square Appointments | £0 / £29 / £69per location | No employee limit | None stated | Booking website includedcustom domain not mentioned |
| Timely | From £4 / £7 / £9 a weekadjusts with bookings | Unlimited, free | No new client fees | Mini-websiteyou set it up |
| Fresha | £14.95 solo+ £12.95 for Smart Website | £9.95 each | 20%, min £4marketplace clients only | Add-on templateyou build it |
| Booksy | £40all features included | £5 each | 30%, min £5only with Boost on | NoBooksy profile and link |
| Treatwell | Not publishedFreelancer and Advanced plans | Unlimited on Advanced | 35% of first booking0% on repeat bookings | Nomarketplace profile |
What a solo nail tech pays in a year
Most nail businesses in the UK are one person, so start there. This is the subscription alone, before card fees and before any commission.
card fees only: 1.75% in person
£14.95 × 12, plus VAT
£4 a week minimum; rises with bookings
(£14.95 + £12.95) × 12, plus VAT
£40 × 12, plus VAT
£49 × 12, bespoke website included
Treatwell is left out because it does not publish a subscription price. Timely's figure is the lowest its pricing allows; a busy week costs more.
For a solo tech who only wants a diary and a booking link, we are the most expensive option on this list, and we would rather say so than bury it. What the extra pays for is a website designed and built for you on your own domain, kept up to date by us, with a new article about your town and services every month. If you do not want that, Square's free plan is hard to argue with.
What a nail bar pays
Subscription only, at published rates read on 23 October 2026. Square Plus is per location and is the first tier with cancellation fees and waitlists. Timely shows its lowest weekly price, converted at 52 weeks ÷ 12; a five-person bar's booking volume will put it higher.
| Platform | Monthly | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | £49 | Flat, website included |
| Square Appointments Plus | £29 | Per location, no employee limit |
| Timely Run | from £17.33 | £4 a week minimum, adjusts with bookings |
| Booksy | £60 | £40 + 4 × £5, plus VAT |
| Fresha Team | £49.75 | 5 × £9.95, plus VAT |
| Fresha Team + Smart Website | £62.70 | 5 × £9.95 + £12.95, plus VAT |
| Treatwell | Not published | Price shown after sign-up |
At five people, the per-person platforms catch up with us and Booksy and Fresha pass us. Square and Timely stay cheaper on subscription alone. The difference is in what sits on top: commission on new clients, and whether there is a real website at the end of it.
Why commission hits nail techs harder
Marketplace commission is usually quoted as a percentage, but Fresha and Booksy also set a minimum fee per new client: £4 at Fresha, £5 at Booksy. On a £60 set of extensions that minimum never comes into play. On a £12 file and polish it does, and it changes the real rate a lot.
Worked examples using each platform's published rate and minimum, read on 23 October 2026. The appointment prices are illustrations, not quotes. Treatwell publishes no minimum on its pricing page. Booksy's fee applies only with Boost switched on. All three are subject to VAT.
| First appointment | Believe Websites | Fresha (20%, min £4) | Booksy Boost (30%, min £5) | Treatwell (35%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £12 file and polish | £0 | £433% of the visit | £542% of the visit | £4.20 |
| £28 gel manicure | £0 | £5.60 | £8.40 | £9.80 |
| £45 BIAB overlay | £0 | £9 | £13.50 | £15.75 |
That is a one-off fee for a client who may then come back every three weeks for years, and on Fresha, Booksy and Treatwell the repeat visits are commission-free. For some techs that is a fair price for a new regular. The point is to know the number before you switch the marketplace on.
Every platform, one at a time
Square Appointments
Free for a single location, with no employee limit, online booking, a Square Online booking website, card on file, Instagram, Facebook and Google booking integrations, and text and email reminder notifications. Plus is £29 a month per location and adds text and email confirmations, waitlists, cancellation fees and reports; Premium is £69. In-person card payments are 1.75% on Free and 1.6% on the paid plans; online is 1.4% + 25p for UK cards.
No marketplace and no commission. The booking website is Square's own, and the pricing page does not mention a custom domain, so ask before you rely on one.
Timely
Three plans billed in GBP: Run from £4 a week, Boost from £7 and Thrive from £9, all with unlimited team members, a 14-day trial and no contract — you give 14 days' notice to cancel. SMS is included and scales with bookings: one text per booking on Run, two on Boost, three on Thrive, with extras at 8p, 5p or 4p. In-salon card payments are 1.59% + 5p and online 1.85% + 30p. A free, customisable mini-website is included, and Timely says plainly it charges no new client fees.
"Starting from" is doing real work in those prices: your weekly bill is calculated from the number of bookings you take. For a nail tech doing lots of short appointments, that matters more than it would for a hair stylist doing four long ones.
Fresha
£14.95 a month for one person, £9.95 per bookable team member on Team, excluding 20% tax, with a 7-day trial and no minimum commitment. Smart Website is a £12.95-a-month add-on. You get 20 free texts a month per person, then £0.06 each; automated email is free and unlimited. Online card payments are 1.40% + £0.25 and in person 1.19% + £0.20.
Its marketplace charges 20% of a brand new client's first visit, minimum £4, and nothing on returning clients. We go through the full numbers in Believe Websites vs Fresha.
Booksy
One plan: £40 a month plus £5 per additional team member, with VAT added, no commitment and a 7-day trial. Appointment confirmations and reminders by text are always free, and you get 500 marketing texts a month before they cost 5p each. Card payments are 1.29% + 20p plus VAT, or 0.99% + 20p plus VAT on Tap to Pay.
Boost is optional and costs nothing monthly; when it brings a client, Booksy takes 30% of that first visit, minimum £5. The pricing page offers a Booksy profile and profile link rather than a website on your own domain. There is a full breakdown in Believe Websites vs Booksy.
Treatwell
Two plans, Freelancer and Advanced, and no monthly price on the pricing page — just "Start for free" buttons. It publishes its commission instead: 35% on first bookings from new marketplace clients, subject to location, and 0% on repeat bookings. Online prepayments carry a 2.5% + VAT processing fee. Email notifications and reminders are unlimited; the pricing page does not mention text reminders or card machine rates.
Treatwell is where a lot of UK consumers look for nail appointments, and for a new business that visibility can be worth paying for. It is also the highest new-client rate here, and there is no website of your own at the end of it.
Believe Websites
Ours. £49 a month flat for any team size, with a bespoke website designed and built for £0 upfront on your own domain. That covers hosting, unlimited small changes we make for you, your own booking system for unlimited team members, email confirmations and reminders, analytics, a monthly report, an AI Search Readiness score, and a new article about your town and your treatments each month. 0% commission on every booking.
Where we fall short: text reminders and card payments are built but not switched on yet, so today reminders go by email — and for nails, where infill no-shows hurt, that is a real gap. There is no marketplace, so we will not send you strangers browsing for a manicure. And there is a 12-month minimum term, because we build the site for nothing; after that it is month to month and the site can become yours.
What to check before you choose
- Price it at the size you will be next year. A solo tech planning to take on two more techs should compare the three-person price, not the one-person one.
- Work out commission at your cheapest service. Minimum fees turn 20% or 30% into 40% on a short appointment.
- Decide whether you need text reminders now. Square, Timely, Fresha and Booksy all send texts today; we do not yet.
- Ask what happens to your clients if you leave. A profile on a marketplace stays with the marketplace. A website on your own domain does not.
- Think about how clients find you. More people now ask an AI assistant or Google's AI overview for "nail salon near me for BIAB". Those answers come from what can be read on the open web — clear service pages, your location, your prices, real reviews.
Common questions
- What is the best booking app for a self-employed nail tech in the UK?
- On cost alone, Square Appointments, which is free for a single location and includes text and email reminders. Timely from £4 a week and Fresha at £14.95 a month are the cheapest paid options. Believe Websites, at £49 a month, is the most expensive for one person, and is the only one that designs and builds a bespoke website on your own domain for you.
- Which nail salon booking platforms charge no commission?
- Square Appointments, Timely and Believe Websites charge no commission on bookings. Booksy charges none unless you switch on Boost, which takes 30% of a new client's first visit with a £5 minimum. Fresha takes 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit with a £4 minimum, and Treatwell takes 35% of a new marketplace client's first booking.
- How much does Treatwell cost for a nail salon?
- Treatwell does not publish a monthly price. Its pricing page lists Freelancer and Advanced plans with sign-up buttons rather than figures. It does publish a 35% commission on first bookings from new marketplace clients, 0% on repeat bookings, and a 2.5% + VAT fee on online prepayments.
- Is Booksy or Fresha cheaper for a nail bar?
- For one person Fresha is cheaper at £14.95 a month against Booksy's £40, both plus VAT. For five people the subscriptions are close: Booksy is £60 a month and Fresha £49.75, or £62.70 with its Smart Website add-on. Booksy includes free text reminders; Fresha includes 20 free texts per person per month.
- Do nail booking apps send text reminders?
- Square includes text and email reminders, Timely includes SMS in every plan, Booksy's text confirmations and reminders are always free, and Fresha gives 20 free texts per person a month. Believe Websites sends email confirmations and reminders today; text reminders are built but not switched on yet.
- Do I get my own website with a nail booking platform?
- Mostly you get a booking page or profile. Square includes a Square Online booking website, Timely a mini-website and Fresha a £12.95 a month Smart Website template. Booksy and Treatwell offer profiles. Believe Websites designs and builds a bespoke website on your own domain for £0 upfront, included in £49 a month.
Sources
- Square Appointments UK pricing — checked 23 October 2026
- Timely pricing — checked 23 October 2026
- Fresha pricing — checked 23 October 2026
- Booksy UK pricing — checked 23 October 2026
- Treatwell partner pricing — checked 23 October 2026
- Believe Websites pricing and terms — checked 23 October 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.