Online booking system for small business: Square, Fresha, SimplyBook.me, Acuity, Setmore, Calendly and Zoho Bookings compared on real prices
This is for owners of clinics, studios, salons, tutors and consultancies picking their first booking system or replacing one. Every price below was checked on the vendor's own pricing page in October 2026. You will also get a fit matrix by business type, what "free" really includes, notes for the UK and Australia, and a checklist to run before you sign up.
Quick answer
The best online booking system for a small business depends on how you are paid and how many people take bookings. Calendly, Zoho Bookings, Setmore and Square all have free plans for basic booking. Paid plans run from about $5 to $69 a month for a small team. Check per-staff pricing, text reminder costs and payment fees, not just the headline price.
What is an online booking system, and how is it priced?
An online booking system is software that shows customers your free times, lets them book a service, and keeps the appointment in your calendar with confirmations and reminders. Most also take deposits or payments, store client notes and show the day for each staff member.
They are priced in three ways, and the model matters more than the headline number:
Per user or per staff
You pay for each person who takes bookings. Cheap for a solo business, and it grows with every hire. Calendly, Setmore, Zoho Bookings and Timely work like this.
Flat plan with limits
One price covers a number of bookings, providers or calendars. Predictable until you hit a limit. Acuity and SimplyBook.me work like this.
Low subscription, paid through payments
A free or cheap plan, with the vendor earning on card processing or marketplace fees. Square works like this; marketplace apps such as Fresha and Booksy add fees on new clients they send you.
Hidden in plain sight
Text reminders are often sold as credits on top of the plan. They are on the pricing pages, but easy to skip when comparing.
Online booking systems compared on price (checked October 2026)
Monthly prices in USD unless stated. Where a page shows both, we give the monthly-billing price first and the annual-billing equivalent second.
| System | Free plan | Paid from | Charged per | Text reminders | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Appointments | Yes, unlimited staff calendars | Plus $49 a month | Location | Text and email; clients can reply to confirm or cancel | Online card fees 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus |
| Fresha | No (7-day trial) | Shown in local currency | Solo plan, or per team member | 20 free texts or WhatsApps per member a month, then paid | One-time fee on new clients who find you on the Fresha marketplace |
| SimplyBook.me | Yes, 50 bookings, 1 provider | €13.90 (€11.90 annual) | Plan, by bookings and providers | Credits: 100 SMS for $8; WhatsApp credits the same | Flat price up to the provider limit |
| Acuity Scheduling | No (7-day trial) | $20 ($16 annual) | Plan, by calendars | From Standard, $34 ($27 annual) | Premium, $69, adds an AI Booking Assistant |
| Setmore | Yes, up to 4 users, email only | $5 per user billed annually | User | Pro: 500 SMS credits per member a month | Each staff calendar counts as a user |
| Calendly | Yes, 1 event type | $12 per seat ($10 annual) | Seat | Not listed on the pricing page | Built for meetings more than services |
| Zoho Bookings | Yes, 1 user, email reminders | About $6 to $8 per user | User | SMS and WhatsApp via integrations | Page does not label which price is annual |
| Cal.com | Yes, 1 user, email and SMS notifications | $12 per user (Teams) | User | Included notifications on Free | Open source; strong for consultants |
Two more worth a look for appointment-heavy service businesses: Timely (from $26 per staff a month in the US) and Vagaro (from $23.99 a month as an introductory rate for the first six months, plus $10 per extra bookable calendar). Both are covered in our salon booking app comparison.
Which online booking system suits which kind of business?
Start from how your appointments work, not from the feature list. This is the matrix we would use.
| Your business | Look at first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo consultant, coach or tutor (meetings) | Calendly, Cal.com, Zoho Bookings | Free plans, video links, calendar sync |
| Salon, barber, nail or beauty studio | Square, Fresha, Timely, Vagaro | Staff diaries, deposits, point of sale |
| Clinic or therapist, 1 to 6 practitioners | Acuity, SimplyBook.me | Intake forms, packages, text reminders on mid plans |
| Team of 5 or more on a tight budget | Setmore, SimplyBook.me | Low per-user price, or flat price up to a provider limit |
| Business already taking card payments in person | Square Appointments | Bookings and payments in one system |
| Customers mostly message you on WhatsApp | A chat booking agent, with or without a booking system | They do not want to leave the chat |
What does a "free" online booking system really include?
Free plans cover the basics (a booking page and a calendar) but usually leave out text reminders, deposits and extra staff. That is fine for a sole trader and limiting for anyone else.
- Square Appointments Free: booking site, reminders and unlimited staff calendars; Square earns on card processing.
- Setmore Free: up to 4 users and unlimited appointments, but no SMS reminders, no deposits and Setmore branding.
- Calendly Free: one event type and one calendar connection; automated reminders are on paid plans.
- Zoho Bookings Forever Free: one user with email notifications and reminders and two-way calendar sync.
- SimplyBook.me Free: 50 bookings a month and one provider, with basic email reminders.
- Google Calendar: a personal account can create a single booking page; Google lists automatic email reminders among the premium features of paid Google One and Workspace plans (Google's comparison).
Notably, Fresha's pricing page in October 2026 lists no free plan, only a 7-day trial, so older articles calling it free are out of date. Acuity has no free plan either.
Buying an online booking system in the UK or Australia
Most systems sell worldwide, but prices, text costs and privacy rules differ by country. Check the local version of each pricing page, since several change currency and price by region.
| United Kingdom | Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Example local prices | Timely from £22 per staff a month; Booksy £40 a month plus £5 per extra team member | Timely from A$42 per staff a month, excluding GST |
| Privacy law | UK GDPR. Organisations using personal data must pay the ICO data protection fee unless exempt | Privacy Act 1988. Most businesses with turnover of A$3 million or less are exempt, but health service providers are covered regardless |
| What to check | Where client data is stored, and a data processing agreement | Whether you are a health service provider; if so, privacy rules apply to your booking data |
Sources: the ICO's data protection fee page and the OAIC's small business guidance. For the UK WhatsApp angle, see our WhatsApp chatbot UK guide, and for Australia, WhatsApp chatbot Australia.
What a two-practitioner business pays: worked monthly bills
Take a hypothetical physiotherapy practice with two practitioners, about 160 appointments a month, text reminders wanted, card payments taken in clinic. Monthly billing, list prices, October 2026.
| Option | Working | Software per month |
|---|---|---|
| Acuity Standard | Up to 6 calendars, text reminders included | $34 |
| Setmore Pro | 2 users at $5 (annual billing); 500 SMS credits each | $10 |
| Square Appointments Plus | One location; card fees on top | $49 plus processing |
| SimplyBook.me Standard | 160 bookings is over Basic's 100, so Standard (500 bookings, 15 providers); SMS credits extra, about 2 packs of 100 at $8 | €29.90 plus about $16 |
| Calendly Standard | 2 seats at $12; built for meetings, no SMS listed | $24 |
The cheapest line is rarely the deciding one. A practice that takes payment at booking will care more about Square's processing rates; a practice with complex intake forms may find Acuity's extra $24 well spent. Price the reminders you actually need, then pick on fit.
Nine questions to ask before you choose a booking system
- Is the price per user, per location or flat, and what happens when we hire?
- Are text reminders included, and how many? What does each extra one cost?
- Can customers reschedule or cancel themselves, and does that free the slot?
- Does it take deposits, and what is the card fee?
- Are there marketplace or new-client fees?
- Does it sync both ways with Google or Outlook calendars?
- Can we export our client list if we leave?
- Where is client data stored, and will they sign a data processing agreement?
- What happens to people who message us on WhatsApp or Instagram instead of using the page?
The last question is the one most systems answer with "send them the link". For many small businesses that is where a lot of bookings are lost.
The chat-first alternative: booking inside WhatsApp
A chat booking agent books appointments inside the conversation instead of sending people to a booking page. It suits businesses where customers ask questions first ("how much is a deep tissue massage, and do you have anything Saturday?") and would rather not fill in a form.
We make ReplyKit, so weigh this accordingly. ReplyKit is an AI agent for WhatsApp and website chat. It answers from your own price list and FAQ, offers real open slots from your hours, books them with double-booking protection, sends a reminder about 24 hours before, and exports every booking to any calendar app as an .ics feed. Plans are $29, $49 and $99 a month (see pricing), with a 7-day free trial and no card.
It is not a full booking system. It takes no deposits or payments, has no point of sale or staff payroll, does not sync back from Google Calendar, and books one appointment per slot rather than classes. Many businesses will be better served by one of the systems above; some run both, with ReplyKit answering WhatsApp. WhatsApp connects through Quick Connect, an unofficial QR pairing rather than the official API, which Meta does not sanction; read whether WhatsApp can ban your number first. Before pairing you see one plain notice, and pressing Connect is your acceptance of section 3 of our terms. How it works in practice is in setting up appointment booking on WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best online booking system for a small business?
There is no single best one. Square Appointments suits businesses that take card payments, Acuity and SimplyBook.me suit clinics and studios, Calendly and Zoho Bookings suit consultants, and Setmore is a low-cost option for teams. Choose by how you are paid and how many staff take bookings.
Is there a free online booking system?
Yes. Square Appointments, Setmore, Calendly, Zoho Bookings, Cal.com and SimplyBook.me have free plans in October 2026. Free plans usually leave out text reminders, deposits or extra staff, and Square earns through card processing fees.
How much does an online booking system cost?
For a small team, from about $5 per user a month to around $69 a month for a flat plan, plus text reminder credits and payment fees. Salon platforms and per-staff tools cost more as you add people.
Is Fresha free?
Not any more. Fresha's pricing page in October 2026 lists paid plans with a 7-day trial and no free plan, plus a one-time fee on new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace.
Which online booking system is best in the UK?
The same systems work in the UK, but compare the UK prices on each vendor's site, since several change price by region. Check that client data handling fits UK GDPR, and remember the ICO data protection fee applies to most organisations using personal data.
Can customers book through WhatsApp instead of a booking page?
Yes, with a chat booking agent that offers real open slots in the conversation and writes the booking to your calendar. It works best for customers who ask questions before they book.
Let customers book without leaving the chat
ReplyKit offers your real open slots inside WhatsApp and website chat, books them and reminds the day before. 7-day free trial, no credit card.
Sources and further reading
- Square Appointments pricing · Free, Plus and Premium per-location prices and online processing fees
- Fresha pricing · paid plans with a 7-day trial, marketplace new-client fee, text and WhatsApp allowances
- SimplyBook.me pricing · euro plan prices, booking and provider limits, SMS and WhatsApp credit packs
- Acuity Scheduling pricing · Starter, Standard and Premium prices, text reminders, AI Booking Assistant
- Setmore pricing · free plan limits, Pro price and SMS credits
- Calendly pricing · free plan limits and seat prices
- Zoho Bookings pricing · forever free plan and per-user prices
- Cal.com pricing · free plan and Teams price
- Timely pricing · per-staff prices in USD, GBP and AUD
- Vagaro pricing · introductory rate and per-calendar licences
- Booksy UK pricing · monthly price and per team member price in GBP
- Google Calendar Help, Compare premium features for appointment schedules · what free and paid Google accounts include
- ICO, Data protection fee · who must pay the fee in the UK
- OAIC, Small business · the A$3 million threshold and health service providers
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. Prices for other vendors are taken from their public pricing pages as checked in October 2026 and may change. This article is general guidance, not legal or financial advice.