The hidden fees in booking software

The pricing card shows one number. Your bill has up to six. Here is each one, with the real figures from the 27 systems I track, so you can see which ones apply to you before you sign up. Run your own numbers in the calculator.

1. Card processing, usually the biggest line

Every card payment costs a percentage plus, often, a fixed fee. On $10,000 a month of online card payments at a $75 average, here is what the published online rates come to:

Square's online rate is for its Free plan; Plus and Premium drop to 2.9% + 30¢. Vagaro doesn't publish an online rate; its keyed-in rate is 3.5% + 19¢. Mindbody doesn't publish its rate at all.

2. Seats that multiply

A "per user" price is per bookable person. Three stylists on a $26 plan is $78. Published extra-staff prices:

• Setmore Pro: $12/user/month (or $5/user/month billed annually)
• Zoho Bookings Basic: $8/user/month (or $6/user/month billed annually)
• Zoho Bookings Premium: $12/user/month (or $9/user/month billed annually)
• Appointy Growth: $5/staff/month
• Appointy Professional: $7.5/staff/month
• Appointy Enterprise: $7.5/staff/month
• Vagaro Single Location: $10/calendar/month (up to 7 extra; staff beyond that free)
• Fresha Team: $14.95/team member/month
• Booksy Booksy Biz: $20/team member/month
• Jane Practice: $35/month per full-time practitioner ($17.50/month per part-time)
• Jane Thrive: $40/month per full-time practitioner ($20/month per part-time)
• SimplePractice Plus: $74/clinician/month (2-5 clinicians; $72 for 6-15, $69 for 16+)

The flat-priced plans cap staff instead: Acuity at 1, 6 and 36 calendars; SimplyBook.me at 1, 5, 15 and 30 providers; GlossGenius Gold at 9 team members. Square and GlossGenius Platinum don't charge per seat.

3. Text reminders

Texts cut no-shows, and their cost ranges from nothing to a few cents each. Included free on Acuity Standard and Premium, Square, Booksy, Jane Practice and Thrive, SimplePractice Essential and Plus, and Cal.com Teams (US and Canada). Allowance then a per-text price on Fresha (100, then $0.02), Timely (100 to 350, then $0.05) and Picktime (50 or 100, then $0.10). Every text paid on YouCanBookMe ($0.07) and SimplyBook.me ($8 per 100). No text reminders at all on Google Calendar, Dubsado, Calendly Free, Acuity Starter and SimplePractice Starter. Microsoft Bookings needs a $10 per user Teams Premium add-on.

4. Add-ons you need for the basics

• Vagaro: taking deposits online needs the $10 a month Online Shopping Cart add-on; forms are another $10.
• Fresha: AI Concierge $99.95, Client Loyalty $59.95, Smart Website $15.95 a month.
• Jane: insurance billing $20 a month plus per-practitioner fees.
• SimplePractice: ePrescribe $49 a month per clinician plus $89 setup.
• Boulevard: forms from $65 a month per location; automated marketing $2 per completed appointment.

5. Promo prices and yearly-only prices

Vagaro's $23.99 is a six-month promo before $30. Boulevard's Premier and Prestige prices are a promo (normally $293 and $410 per location). HoneyBook's shown prices are 25% off. These systems publish only a yearly price: Microsoft Bookings, Picktime, Wix Bookings, HoneyBook, Sign In Scheduling, Boulevard. The calculator labels these "only a yearly price is published".

6. Payout speed

Next-day payouts are usually free; faster ones cost a percentage of the payout:

• GlossGenius: Instant payouts cost an extra 1.8%.
• Goldie: Instant payouts on Pro Plus cost 1.8%.
• Boulevard: Instant payouts cost an extra 1.75%.
• Booksy: 30-minute fast payouts cost 1.5%.
• Jane: Instant payouts cost an extra 1.5%.
• HoneyBook: Instant deposit costs an extra 1% ($5 minimum).

7. Commissions on new clients

Four systems take a share of a new client's first visit when their consumer app sends you that client. See marketplace commissions for the numbers.