Free vs paid booking apps: what you really pay for

Plenty of booking apps are free, and for some businesses that is the right choice. But "free" often comes with a catch, so it is worth knowing what you are really signing up for.

How free apps make money

• Fees on bookings or deposits. The app takes a cut each time a client pays.
• Upgrades for basics. The free plan limits clients, services or reminders, and the useful part costs extra.
• Marketplace listings. Your clients are shown to other businesses nearby.
• Your data. Some tools use client details for their own marketing.

None of that is automatically wrong, but you should know which one applies.

What a paid plan usually gives you

A fixed monthly price tends to mean no cut of your income, no limit on bookings and nobody advertising to your clients. For a solo business with steady regulars, a flat fee is often easier to budget for.

Questions to ask any booking app

• What exactly does it cost per month, and what is extra?
• Does it take a percentage of what my clients pay?
• Who owns my client list, and can I take it with me?
• Can I delete everything if I leave?
• What happens to bookings if the app has a problem?
• Can I try it without putting in a card?

What matters most for a one-person business

Simplicity. If you cannot set it up in a few minutes and understand it at a glance, you will go back to messages. The best booking app is the one you and your clients will actually use.

The takeaway

Look past the headline price. Bookable is a flat £14.99 a month after 7 days free, with no cut of your bookings and no card needed during early access.

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