Thinking of switching?
Setora is built for independent barbershops and salons.
Online bookings, your calendar, customer records, staff tools and reporting in one place for £39/month per location.
- £39/month per location
- No Setora commission on bookings
- No per-staff fees
Disclosure: Setora publishes this comparison and sells one of the products discussed. It is our editorial assessment, not an independent ranking.
There is no single best booking system for every UK barbershop. The useful question is which pricing model, customer journey and operating workflow fit your shop.
If you want the shorter recommendation-first version, read our barbershop software buyer guide.
How we checked the comparison
We use official provider pricing pages and product information already recorded in this site's comparison sources. Setora's product claims come from the approved public capability record. Competitor plans and fees can change, and we did not live-reverify every provider on 14 August 2026.
That means this article does not calculate a competitor total where a current quote, tax basis or payment rate is unknown. Use the linked official pages and ask for a written quote before deciding.
Pricing models at a glance
| Platform | Pricing model to check | Marketplace model | Useful fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setora | £39/month per location, before VAT where applicable. Unlimited staff. SMS credits and card processing are separate when used. | No Setora commission. The Booking Page does not show competing shops. | Shops that want a published per-location software price and direct bookings. |
| Nearcut | Subscription pricing is quote-based. Its separate Free for You model uses customer charges. | Model-dependent; confirm the current terms. | Shops that want an established UK barbershop specialist. |
| Fresha | Current plan, bookable-team fees, payment rates and qualifying marketplace commission all need including. | Consumer marketplace and new-client attribution are part of the model. | Shops that value marketplace discovery and accept variable costs. |
| Booksy | Current base subscription, extra-user fees, payment costs and optional Boost terms need including. | Consumer marketplace; Boost can apply to qualifying new clients. | Shops that value consumer-app reach and understand Boost attribution. |
| Squire | Check the current UK plan and request the relevant card, payroll and client-fee terms. This article does not estimate a complete total. | Confirm the current UK customer journey and fee terms. | Shops that want a broad barbershop-specific platform and are prepared to verify UK fit. |
A fair comparison uses the same team size, location count, booking volume and tax basis. Do not compare one provider's VAT-inclusive figure with another provider's pre-VAT price.
Setora
Setora costs £39/month per location, before VAT where applicable. It has no per-staff fee and takes no Setora commission on bookings. Email reminders are included; optional SMS reminders use separately purchased credits. Online card payments use Stripe, while in-shop cash or card payments made on an existing terminal can be recorded manually.
Each location has one Booking Page where customers choose a staff member. Staff can add walk-ins in kiosk mode, but Setora does not provide customer self-check-in or a customer-facing queue.
Setora is newer and smaller than the established providers in this comparison. It does not offer a consumer marketplace, payment-terminal integration or client-facing mobile app. Customer CSV exports include contact details, marketing consent, booking totals and last booking date; available reports have their own CSV exports.
Best fit: owners who want a published per-location platform price, direct bookings and the documented workflows above.
Nearcut
Nearcut is an established UK barbershop specialist. Its current commercial presentation uses a quote-based Subscription and a separate Free for You model rather than the older per-barber prices previously shown in this article.
The right comparison therefore needs either a written Subscription quote or the current customer-charge terms. Do not treat an old base price as the present cost for a three-chair shop.
Best fit: owners who value a long-established barbershop-focused provider and are happy to compare a current quote or customer-charge model.
Read the separate Nearcut and Setora comparison for the documented model and source links.
Fresha
Fresha combines subscription, team, payment and marketplace elements. The marketplace can be useful to businesses seeking discovery, while qualifying new-client commission and other variable charges make the final cost depend on how the shop uses the platform.
Check the current UK plan, the definition of a marketplace-sourced client, the payment method you will use and the tax basis. Use your own expected marketplace bookings rather than a generic worked total.
Best fit: shops that value consumer marketplace discovery and are comfortable tracking variable charges.
See the Fresha fee guide and switching guide for the source-led detail.
Booksy
Booksy combines a base subscription with additional-user pricing, payment costs and optional Boost marketplace promotion. Boost can be valuable where it brings genuinely new customers, but owners should understand the attribution trigger and commission before enabling it.
Ask Booksy for the current UK price, VAT treatment, included users and Boost terms. Then separate direct bookings from qualifying Boost bookings in any cost model.
Best fit: shops that value Booksy's consumer marketplace and app reach and have checked how Boost applies to their customer journey.
Read the Booksy pricing guide and Boost commission guide for the dated source notes.
Squire
Squire is built around barbershop workflows and publishes UK plan information. The repository does not contain current primary evidence for a complete UK card-processing, payroll or client-fee total, so this article does not convert US examples or unsupported assumptions into pounds.
Request the current UK plan and every relevant transaction term in writing. Confirm hardware availability, support coverage and the customer booking journey for your location.
Best fit: shops that want a broad barbershop-specific platform and can verify the UK commercial and operational details they need.
Questions to ask before choosing
Do I know exactly what I'll pay each month for barbershop booking software?
Setora publishes £39/month per location before VAT where applicable. Nearcut's Subscription price is quote-based. Other totals vary with the plan, team, payment use and qualifying marketplace charges, so check current provider terms.
Can I take my client data with me if I leave?
Setora provides a customer CSV and available report exports. Export routes and fields vary by provider, so confirm the current process and test a sample export before switching.
Will my clients see other barbershops when they book with me?
Fresha and Booksy include consumer discovery marketplaces. Setora's Booking Page does not show competing shops. Check the exact customer journey for every provider before deciding.
What happens when something goes wrong with my booking software?
Check each provider's current support channels and hours, then test the support route during a trial or demo. A review is one person's experience, not a service-level promise.
Am I paying for features I'll actually use in barbershop software?
List the workflows your shop uses, then compare the plan that includes them. Do not pay for a marketplace, hardware or advanced tools unless they solve a real need for your shop.
The bottom line
Choose Fresha or Booksy if marketplace discovery is worth the variable model for your shop. Consider Nearcut if you want an established UK barbershop specialist and are comfortable requesting current terms. Consider Squire if its broader barbershop tooling fits and the current UK contract checks out.
Choose Setora if the documented product fits your workflow and you prefer a published £39/month per location, before VAT where applicable platform price with no per-staff fee or Setora commission.
Whichever provider you choose, test the real booking journey, request the complete current price, confirm the tax basis and download a sample export before moving public links.
Official pricing sources
Last materially edited 14 August 2026. This edit removed stale or unsupported estimates; it did not live-reverify every competitor price on that date. Confirm current provider terms before deciding.
Common questions
- Do I know exactly what I'll pay each month for barbershop booking software?
- Setora publishes £39/month per location before VAT where applicable. Nearcut's Subscription price is quote-based. Other totals vary with the plan, team, payment use and qualifying marketplace charges, so check current provider terms.
- Can I take my client data with me if I leave?
- Setora provides a customer CSV and available report exports. Export routes and fields vary by provider, so confirm the current process and test a sample export before switching.
- Will my clients see other barbershops when they book with me?
- Fresha and Booksy include consumer discovery marketplaces. Setora's Booking Page does not show competing shops. Check the exact customer journey for every provider before deciding.
- What happens when something goes wrong with my booking software?
- Check each provider's current support channels and hours, then test the support route during a trial or demo. A review is one person's experience, not a service-level promise.
- Am I paying for features I'll actually use in barbershop software?
- List the workflows your shop uses, then compare the plan that includes them. Do not pay for a marketplace, hardware or advanced tools unless they solve a real need for your shop.
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