Best UK Salon Booking and Store Software Compared

UK salon owners do not just need a diary. They need salon appointment scheduling software that also supports product selling and repeat visits — without stacking five apps. This comparison covers UK salon software that combines booking, online store tools, and repeat client management.

Quick answer: Pick Fresha or Treatwell when marketplace discovery matters most. Pick Phorest when a multi-staff salon needs deeper retention and POS. Pick Booksy when app-based booking discovery is the priority. Pick InMinutes when you need a branded multi-page website, booking, and an online store with 0% InMinutes platform fees on Pro — then link your preferred salon diary if you still need marketplace volume.

How we ranked them

1. Appointment booking systems — online diary, deposits, staff calendars

2. Online store software for salons — retail products, gift cards, checkout

3. Repeat client management — reminders, marketing, loyalty

4. Marketplace vs owned channels — commission tradeoffs

5. Local salon management tools fit for UK pricing and ops

Comparison at a glance

Platform	Booking strength	Retail / store	Repeat clients	Watch-out
InMinutes	Strong owned booking on every plan	AI Store on Pro, 0% platform fee	Audience CRM + email on Pro	Not a UK marketplace
Fresha	Excellent + marketplace	Payments / retail features	Marketing suite	Marketplace first-booking fee
Treatwell	Marketplace-led	Prepayments supported	0% on repeat marketplace clients	High first-booking commission
Booksy	App discovery + diary	Payments / no-show tools	Email/push/SMS tools	Higher monthly vs Fresha solo
Phorest	Deep multi-staff	Strong retail POS	Loyalty + marketing	Quote-led pricing; demo-first
Fee figures below are from public UK pricing pages and 2026 industry roundups (checked Oct 2026). Always confirm VAT and your location’s marketplace rate before you switch.

1. InMinutes — best branded website + booking + store for owned demand

InMinutes is not a Treatwell-style marketplace — and that is the point for owners who want to own the client relationship. Generate a salon site with services, booking, and (on Pro) retail products.

• Best for: UK salons that already have demand from Instagram, Google, and walk-ins

• Appointment booking: included on every plan; deposits on Pro ($49/mo / ~ equivalent GBP billed in USD plans)

• Online store: AI Store on Pro with 0% InMinutes platform fees (card processing still applies)

• Repeat clients: Audience CRM + campaigns on Pro; pair with SMS tools if you need heavy texting

• Weakness: no UK consumer marketplace to fill empty chairs from cold traffic

• Choose InMinutes if: your bottleneck is a weak website and checkout, not discovery

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2. Fresha — best marketplace + scheduling balance for many UK salons

• Best for: salons that want new clients from a consumer marketplace plus a modern diary

• Pricing snapshot (UK, ex VAT, Oct 2026 public figures): solo from £14.95/mo; team from £9.95 per member/mo; marketplace first-booking fee commonly cited around 20% (minimum applies)

• Strength: polished appointment booking systems + marketing tools

• Weakness: marketplace economics on first visits; confirm payout rules

• Choose Fresha if: empty-chair fill from marketplace beats pure owned traffic

3. Treatwell — best when marketplace volume is the growth plan

• Best for: salons leaning on Treatwell demand in their city

• Pricing snapshot: monthly software quoted at signup; public partner pages cite ~35% commission on a new marketplace client’s first booking and 0% on repeats, plus online prepayment processing

• Strength: strong UK consumer brand for discovery

• Weakness: first-booking commission is expensive if you rely on marketplace for every new guest

• Choose Treatwell if: discovery > margin on first visits

4. Booksy — best app-first booking discovery

• Best for: barbers and salons whose clients live in booking apps

• Pricing snapshot (UK, Oct 2026 public comparison figures): around £40/mo + VAT base, +£5/mo per extra member; optional Boost marketplace fee (~30% on Boost first visits)

• Strength: consumer app habit + SMS/email tooling

• Weakness: higher base subscription than Fresha’s solo entry

• Choose Booksy if: your clients already book inside Booksy

5. Phorest — best multi-staff retention and salon retail ops

• Best for: established salons/clinics with 3+ staff

• Pricing snapshot: quote/demo led (not a simple public self-serve ladder)

• Strength: rostering, loyalty, retail POS, consult forms — serious local salon management tools

• Weakness: heavier onboarding; overkill for a solo chair

• Choose Phorest if: retention and front-desk ops matter more than DIY website design

Website + software: the combo most UK salons miss

Marketplace software fills chairs. A weak website still loses high-intent Google searchers who want to see your work, prices, and book without downloading an app. Many owners run:

1. Fresha / Treatwell / Booksy / Phorest for diary + marketplace

2. InMinutes for the branded site, SEO pages, and retail products they own

Link “Book now” from the site to your diary if you keep marketplace software — or take owned bookings on InMinutes if your calendar is simple.

Which should you pick?

• Need marketplace new clients: Fresha or Treatwell (compare first-booking fees)

• App-native clientele: Booksy

• Multi-staff retention + retail POS: Phorest

• Need a real website + owned booking/store: InMinutes (alone or alongside a diary)

The bottom line

The best UK salon software depends on whether your gap is discovery or ownership. Marketplaces win new-client volume; InMinutes wins the branded web presence and store layer that marketplaces never fully replace.

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Related reading

Top AI website builders for hair salons 2026, best AI website builders for booking 2026, and best website builders for service businesses compared.