Most "Booksy alternative" pages hide the numbers that don't flatter them. Here are the real ones — including where Booksy is cheaper — so you can decide like the business owner you are.
Booksy prices checked October 2026 against biz.booksy.com/pricing. If they've changed, email hello@takingclients.com and we'll fix this page.
| Booksy | TakingClients | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $29.99/mo + $20/mo per extra team member | $0 — Pro is $12/mo (free for your first year if you sign up by Dec 31, 2026) |
| New-client fees | Boost: one-time 30% of a new client's first visit, capped at $100 (optional) | None, ever. No marketplace, no connection fees |
| Card processing | 2.49–2.69% + 10–30¢ (lower than ours — see the calculator) | ~2.9% + 30¢ + our 1% platform fee |
| No-show protection | Charges the card on file after the fact — users report charges that fail to go through (reviews) | Deposit paid up front, before the slot confirms. Nothing to chase later |
| If a client disputes the charge | You assemble your own case | One-tap evidence packet: the policy they agreed to, timestamp, booking IP |
| Your client list | Users report export friction without paid add-ons (reviews) | One-click CSV export, any tier, any time. It's your list |
| Brings you new clients | Yes — the marketplace is real | No. Your page works for the clients you already earn |
If Boost reliably sends you new clients and that flow outweighs its 30% first-visit fee, Booksy is earning its keep — keep it. Our math is for the artist whose clients already come from their own Instagram, referrals, and the chair: if that's you, you're paying marketplace prices for software you could have nearly free.
Assumptions, in the open: Booksy at $29.99 + $20 per extra member, 2.59% + 20¢ processing (the middle of their published range), Boost at 30% of a $150 first visit. TakingClients at ~2.9% + 30¢ card processing + 1% platform fee, subscription $0 (the free year covers Pro through your first 12 months; after that, add $12/mo if you keep Pro). Cash taken in the chair never counts for either.
The fine print we're proud of: imported contacts are never texted automatically — SMS consent belongs to the client and the exact number they opted in with, and it starts fresh when they book with you. Your sender reputation (and the law) stay clean.
Yes — free forever, not a trial, no card to sign up. Your page, booking, and card deposits all work on Free. The only money that moves is card processing + 1% when a client pays through your page. And through December 31, 2026, every new account gets Pro free for its first 12 months, automatically.
Maybe not — see the box above. If Boost's flow outweighs its fees for you, stay. Plenty of artists run both for a season: Booksy for discovery, your own link for your own clients, and watch where the money lands.
Yes — CSV export from Booksy, import here (we read their column names), or we'll do it for you. Contacts come in clean; texting consent starts fresh, on purpose.
You keep the deposit. It was paid up front, so there's no after-the-fact card charge to fail. If they dispute it with their bank, one tap prints the evidence packet — policy text, timestamp, booking IP.
Free to start, live in ten minutes — and Pro is free for your first year through Dec 31, 2026.
Claim your link free