Is there free salon software in the UK?

Free means different things on different pricing pages. Some systems are free up to a cap on bookings or staff, some are free for one location only, and some make their money on every card payment. This guide sets out what each free plan includes, what it leaves out, and what each system's software costs as your team grows.

We make Daviana, and our diary is free, so read our view with that in mind. Everything below about another company comes from its own pricing page, checked on the date shown, and we say where another option is the better choice.

Which salon software is free in the UK?

Sources, checked 7 November 2026 unless a date is given: Square Appointments UK pricing, Setmore pricing, SimplyBook.me pricing, Fresha UK pricing, Booksy UK pricing (5 November 2026) and Timely pricing and plans (5 November 2026). Daviana's prices are on our pricing page.

One thing stands out. Every free plan here has a cap: one location for Square, four users for Setmore, one provider and 50 bookings for SimplyBook.me. Daviana's diary has none, so it stays free as the salon grows.

What do free plans usually leave out?

• Text reminders. Setmore's free plan sends email reminders only; text reminders are on Pro. Daviana sends email and app reminders free and charges 6p a text.
• Deposits and cancellation fees. Setmore and SimplyBook.me keep deposits for paid plans, and Square's cancellation policy and fees start on Plus. Daviana takes a deposit at online booking on the free diary, which matters if no-shows hurt; our salon no-show policy template covers the wording.
• More than one location. Square's free plan covers a single location. Daviana's diary is free for any team size and any number of branches.
• Commission and pay. Square keeps commissions for paid plans. Daviana Performance, with commission, self-employed settlement and tips, comes with the free diary.
• Your own branding. Setmore's free booking page keeps Setmore branding.
• Help moving across. Square's white-glove data migration is not in its free plan. We move your clients, services and prices across by hand, and it is included.

How does free salon software make its money?

Nobody runs a booking system for nothing. Free plans are paid for in four places: card processing, texts, upgrades and add-ons, and, on a marketplace, a fee on new clients. Square earns on every card payment. Setmore and SimplyBook.me sell paid plans to the businesses that outgrow the free one. Fresha charges a subscription and takes 20% of a new client's first booking from its marketplace.

Daviana earns from the paid extras: texts at 6p, the AI Receptionist at £60 a month and ColorLab at £80 a month, plus a fee on card payments taken through Daviana. There is no commission on bookings, and we are not a marketplace, so we do not market your clients to other salons. Ask every supplier the same question: where does your money come from if I pay nothing for the software?

What does the software cost as your team grows? A worked example

This compares the software only: no card fees, texts or add-ons. Say a team of three in one salon, and then the same team opening a second branch.

• Daviana. £0 a month and £0 a year, with one branch or two. The diary is free forever, at any team size.
• Square Appointments. £0 for one location. A second branch needs Plus at £29 per location: £58 a month, £696 a year.
• Setmore. £0, since three people fit inside the free plan's four users.
• SimplyBook.me. Three people are over the free plan's one provider, so a paid plan, from €11.90 a month billed annually (€142.80 a year).
• Fresha Team. 3 × £9.95 = £29.85 a month, £358.20 a year.
• Booksy. £40 + 2 × £5 = £50 a month, £60 with VAT, £720 a year.
• Timely Run. From £4 a week, £208 a year, rising with the bookings you take.

At three people in one salon, Daviana, Square and Setmore all cost nothing for the software. Grow past four people or open a second branch and only Daviana stays at £0: Setmore's free plan stops at four users and Square's at one location. Put in your own team size and number of branches. If you want the full running cost of a system, including card fees and texts, our guide to how much salon software costs in the UK works through a full year.

Which free option fits your salon?

• On your own, with a handful of bookings. SimplyBook.me's free plan covers one provider and 50 bookings a month. It takes no payments, so take cards separately.
• A small team that wants free email reminders and Reserve with Google. Setmore's free plan covers up to 4 users. Text reminders and deposits need Pro.
• One site that wants text reminders and tap to pay on a phone at no software cost. Square Appointments Free has both. Daviana does not offer tap to pay on a phone yet.
• A hair, nail or beauty team that wants deposits, commission or more than one branch. Daviana's free salon booking system covers any team size, with Performance for commission included, and the AI Receptionist and ColorLab when you want them. Every price is on our pricing page.

What should you check before moving to a free system?

• What happens when you outgrow the limit: more staff, a second location or more bookings?
• Do reminders go by text or by email only, and what does each text cost?
• What does the software cost at your team size, and with a second branch?
• Can you export your clients and their history if you leave?
• Who moves your clients, services and prices across, and is that charged?

Our 12 questions to ask before switching salon software cover the rest, and the best salon software in the UK compares the paid systems on contracts and fees.

Questions salon owners ask