Online booking for hair and beauty salons: what it does and what it costs

Online booking for hair and beauty salons lets clients pick their own appointment, even when the salon is closed, and sends the confirmation and reminder automatically. Depending on the tool, it costs a fixed subscription of roughly € 20 to € 60 a month for the booking system alone. Some providers add a commission on new clients from their marketplace and fees on online payments. Which model is cheaper depends on how many people work with you and where your clients come from.

What does online booking do for a salon?

The benefit shows in your working day rather than in one figure. How many extra appointments you get depends on your location and your regulars. We found no reliable averages for salons in German-speaking countries, so we quote none.

• Appointments come in during the evening and on Sundays, when nobody answers the phone.
• You are interrupted less often while you work.
• Confirmations and reminders go out automatically. Clients who cannot make it cancel or move the appointment themselves through a link.
• Every service has its duration, with a buffer for tidying up. Double bookings in the diary disappear.
• A deposit or card guarantee protects long appointments against no-shows.

A booking system on its own does not bring new clients. Marketplaces do, because people search there for a free slot nearby. In return they usually charge a commission.

What pricing models are there?

1. Monthly subscription: a fixed amount, either for the whole salon or per person with their own calendar.
2. Commission on new clients: a share of the price of the first appointment when the person came through the provider's marketplace.
3. Fee on online payments: a percentage when clients pay online in advance. It goes to the payment provider or to the platform.
4. Extras: text messages, point of sale, your own website or app, at extra cost, depending on the provider.

What do common providers charge?

The table shows what the providers stated on their own pricing pages on 11 October 2026. All prices exclude VAT. The packages include different things, such as a marketplace or a point of sale, so they are not directly comparable. Prices change, so check the provider's page before you decide.

What does that come to in a month?

Worked example: a salon with three people takes 240 appointments a month. Ten of them come from new clients via a marketplace, and the first visit costs € 60 on average. At 35 % commission that is € 21 per new client, € 210 in total, on top of the subscription. If those ten people return, a model with 0 % on repeat bookings charges nothing more. If only every other one returns, each regular you gained has cost you € 42.

So a commission is not expensive by definition. It is the price of clients you would not have reached otherwise. It becomes expensive when regulars book through the marketplace and count as new there, or when new clients come only once. Check how the provider defines a new client.

Online payments work the same way. If a client pays € 60 in advance, 2 % of that is € 1.20. If the payment runs through your own account with a payment provider, that provider's price list applies. For Austria, Stripe lists 1.5 % plus € 0.25 for standard cards from the European Economic Area, which is € 1.15 on € 60.

What should you check before you sign?

• Price per salon or per person: base your sums on the number of calendars you will need a year from now, not today's.
• Term and notice: monthly or annual contract, and with what notice period.
• Marketplace: whether you have to be listed, what counts as a new client and whether bookings through your own website are free of commission.
• Payments: who receives the money first, when it is paid out and what a refund costs.
• Client data: whether you can export names, contact details and appointment history.
• Services: whether several services fit into one appointment, such as cut and colour with processing time.
• Point of sale: clarify whether the booking system includes a till or you keep your existing one. Some providers charge extra for the technical security module (TSE) used in Germany.
• Reminders: email is usually included, text messages are often billed by usage.

How this works in EachVisit

EachVisit is a booking system without a marketplace. Clients book through your website, your own booking page or with you on the phone. The regular Solo plan costs € 19 a month with unlimited team members and calendars. The Klein plan costs € 69 and includes deposits and a no-show fee. Clients choose the person they want, reminders are sent by email, and text messages are available from the Mittel plan, billed by usage.

EachVisit takes 0 % commission. Online payments run through your own Stripe account; Stripe's fees apply and go directly to Stripe. What is missing: several services in one appointment are not possible yet, so for cut and colour you set up a separate service. There is no point of sale and no product sales. EachVisit does not bring you new clients through a portal. Closed beta pricing is available on request. Regular plan prices are shown for reference; any later paid use requires your active acceptance.