Pricing · August 21, 2026

How much does booking software actually cost in Portugal?

"From €X/month" is just the beginning of the conversation. In booking software, the real price is hidden in three places: the cost per employee, messages paid for separately, and commissions on your bookings. Let's do the full math.

The three pitfalls of advertised pricing

None of these lines appear in the featured price. All of them appear on the invoice.

  • Cost per employee: monthly fees increase by €4 to €8 for each person on the team — in a salon of 5, the bill doubles or triples.
  • Excluding messages: SMS or WhatsApp reminders are charged at €0.08–€0.15 each — 200 reminders/month will cost an additional €16 to €30.
  • Marketplace commissions: percentage on bookings that come "through the platform" — paid for you being discovered by clients.

    • What do international platforms charge

    Booksy advertises $29.99/month, but each additional team member costs around €8 — a salon with 5 people ends up paying over €60/month. Fresha charges per professional, sells WhatsApp messages for €0.08–€0.15 each, offers the loyalty module as a paid extra, and takes a commission on new clients acquired through the marketplace. These are solid products — but their pricing models are designed to grow along with your team and your success.

    What about the Portuguese alternatives?

    There are national options with unlimited SMS included in the 16–20 €/month range — but pay attention to the details: they charge 4 to 5 € per additional employee and do not have WhatsApp, the channel that the Portuguese actually read (read rates above 90%, compared to ~20% for email). Unlimited SMS that no one reads ends up being expensive anyway.

    BarberBooking model: price per plan, not per person

    See current Solo, Pro and Elite prices at /planos. No booking commissions.

    Commissions: the most important line on the invoice

    A 10–20% commission on bookings from "new" clients seems small until you do the math for the year. At BarberBooking, the rule is simple and clear: 0% commission, always. Your bookings are yours — the platform thrives on the monthly fee, not a slice of your hard work.

    How to compare proposals in 5 minutes

    With these five calculations done, the "starting at" will no longer deceive you.

  • Multiply the cost per employee by your REAL team — and by the team you want to have a year from now.
  • Please inquire about the price for 200 reminders/month through the channel where your customers read messages.
  • Look for the word "commission" in the terms — and the percentage.
  • Confirm what the base plan does NOT include (reports? loyalty? stock?).
  • You must test everything before paying — if the trial is limited, the product is too.

    • Perguntas frequentes

    What is a fair price for a one-person salon?

    See current Solo, Pro and Elite prices at /planos. No booking commissions.

    What should I confirm before signing?

    Three things: how much does each additional staff member cost, how much do reminder messages cost, and is there a commission on bookings. It is in these three lines that the invoice grows.

    Are free software options worth it?

    At first, perhaps — but notice how they make money: commissions on your bookings, advertising to your clients, or essential features locked behind a paywall. Free in the monthly fee does not mean free for the business.

    Can I switch platforms without losing my clients?

    Yes — request the export of your data (it is a GDPR right) and import it into the new platform. BarberBooking imports clients and appointments via CSV on the first day.

    View plans (30 days free)