Booksy or your own website: online bookings for a hair salon

A salon owner often hears: “Why do you need a website? You have Booksy.” On the other hand, you pay a subscription every month, and for some new clients a commission on top. It is worth working out what this costs per year and what you get in return.

In this guide I compare the two options using a salon with three people as an example. You get a calculation, a table of differences and a checklist that will let you decide without guessing. The question “Booksy or your own website?” has no single answer, but it does have good criteria.

What you get with Booksy and what on your own website

Booksy is an app and a calendar in one. A client finds your salon in the app, chooses a service and a time, and you receive the booking together with reminders. The biggest advantage is ready-made traffic: people who already have the app and are looking for a hairdresser nearby.

Your own booking runs on your website. A client arrives from Google, Maps or Instagram, picks a time and books without installing anything. Client data and the look of the whole process stay with you, not in someone else’s app. You don’t get traffic from the app, however, so you have to take care of attracting clients yourself.

How much Booksy costs

I give the amounts according to the Booksy Biz price list as of 20 October 2026. Price lists change, so check Booksy’s current price list before you decide. A Booksy Biz subscription costs PLN 145 net per month, and each additional staff member adds PLN 35 net per month (from the tenth staff member, Booksy no longer charges extra). Add 23% VAT on top: if the salon doesn’t deduct VAT, the real cost of the subscription is PLN 178.35 gross per month. The price includes, among other things, automatic appointment reminders and integration with Google, Facebook and Instagram.

Then there is the Boost option, which is the promotion of your salon in the app. Switching on Boost costs nothing, but for the first completed visit of each new Boost client Booksy charges a one-time commission: 45% of the net value of the services from that visit, no more than PLN 250 net (plus VAT). That client’s later visits carry no commission. Booksy also mentions a lower rate of 35% net as part of a special offer that you have to ask the sales department for. For a treatment costing PLN 400, the commission is PLN 180 net (PLN 221.40 with VAT), and the PLN 250 net cap only starts to apply for services costing about PLN 556 and more.

For a haircut costing PLN 80, the commission is PLN 36 net (PLN 44.28 with VAT). The price list gives no minimum amount. In zloty terms the commission is highest for expensive services, but as a percentage the first visit always gives away nearly half the price, and if the salon doesn’t deduct VAT, more than half (55.35%).

The calculation: a salon with 3 people over a year

Take a salon with three people: the owner and two stylists. I assume net amounts from the price list described above:

• subscription (one person included): PLN 145 per month,
• two staff surcharges: 2 × PLN 35 = PLN 70 per month,
• total: PLN 215 net per month, which is PLN 2,580 net per year (PLN 3,173.40 with VAT).

That is the price of just using the calendar, without Boost. If 40 new clients come through Boost during the year and the commission averages PLN 60 net (that is what 45% of a service costing about PLN 133 comes to), you add PLN 2,400. In total that comes to about PLN 4,980 net per year. This is an example for your own calculations, not a forecast: enter your own service prices and number of new clients.

The comparison with your own booking looks like this. I build a ready-made booking system from PLN 990 net, and on top of that come a domain and hosting from PLN 390 per year. In the first year that is about PLN 1,380 net, and in later years mainly the domain and hosting fee remains. You pay no per-staff fee and no commission on visits. A separate cost is SMS reminders (messages billed at the operator’s rates), which are included in the Booksy subscription.

Comparison in a table

When Booksy makes sense

Booksy pays off especially when:

• you are just starting and your calendar is empty,
• you don’t have time to build visibility on Google,
• clients in your area really do look for a hairdresser in the app.

Then the subscription and the first-visit commission are the price of a quick start. The Boost commission applies only to a new client’s first visit, so the most important thing is to keep new clients coming back for regular visits, for example by booking their next appointment while they are still in the salon.

When your own booking is better

Your own booking wins when you already have regular clients, don’t need new ones from the app and don’t want to pay a monthly subscription plus surcharges for each staff member. It also helps when your own brand matters to you: photos of your work, price list, reviews and booking in one place.

The website doesn’t have to be big. To start, a Starter website from PLN 1,490 net is enough: simple, fast, with a phone number, a price list and a booking button. If you would like to test the idea first at no cost, build a website in the free website builder and add your phone number and a booking link.

A middle path: both at once

For many salons, a combination works best. Booksy stays as an additional channel, while the website and Google Business Profile collect the clients who search for your salon themselves. Over time you see how many clients come from which source, and you can decide whether the subscription still pays off.

One rule: one calendar as the source of truth. If you run two separate calendars, double bookings will sooner or later appear. Before you connect a second system, check whether the calendars can be synchronized.

Google Business Profile: where many clients start searching

A client searching for “hairdresser near me” often sees Maps and the Google Business Profile first. That is why a well-completed Google Business Profile matters more than which system you keep your calendar in.

In the Business Profile you can add your own link to the “Rezerwacja” (Book) button. According to Google’s help, in Maps you choose “Edytuj profil” (Edit profile), then the transaction type and “Dodaj link” (Add link). Such a link takes the client straight to booking on your website. The available options depend on your business category, so check them in your own panel. Booking without leaving Google (Reserve with Google, “Zarezerwuj z Google”) works only through Google’s partner systems, so ask about such an integration before choosing a provider. Booksy includes the Google integration in the subscription price, and according to the Booksy price list, bookings from the integration and from the commission-free link to the profile are not subject to the Boost commission.

On top of that come photos of your work, opening hours and reviews. I described how to get them in the guide how to get Google reviews.

Checklist before you decide

1. Calculate your current Booksy cost for the year: subscription, staff fees and commissions.
2. Check in the panel how many clients came from the app and how many are regulars.
3. Ask your regular clients whether they prefer to book through the app, by phone or on the website.
4. Check the terms for canceling the subscription and the option to export your client database.
5. Complete your Google Business Profile: photos, services, hours, booking link.
6. Introduce SMS reminders to cut down on no-shows. I connect the gateway as part of the SMS API service.
7. Test your own booking for a few months alongside Booksy.
8. Only then decide about canceling the subscription, based on your own numbers.

Summary

Booksy gives you a fast start and clients from the app, but it costs money every month and can get expensive with Boost. Your own booking requires a one-time investment, and afterwards you are mainly left with small annual costs. The most sensible approach is to start with a Google Business Profile and a simple website, and to base the decision about the subscription on your own data.

If you would like to work this out for your salon, write to me. I will prepare a quote within 24 hours, and new clients get 20% off their first project. You can check the competition in your city for free with the Competitor audit tool.