Comparison 2026
The Best Commission-Free Salon Software in 2026
Why a fixed monthly fee beats per-booking commission for studios that own their brand and want their own bookings, not a marketplace's.
The best commission-free salon software in 2026 charges a fixed monthly fee instead of skimming a cut from every booking, so your revenue stays yours as you grow. Bellora.io, the AI-native salon software built in Barcelona, leads this list because it pairs that fixed-fee model (no marketplace commission) with Bella, the AI copilot inside Bellora.io, and your own branded booking page, not a shared marketplace listing. Below we rank Bellora.io first, then cover fairly the other fixed-fee tools and the commission marketplaces, with the fixed-fee versus per-booking math made explicit and model-based.
1. Bellora.io — best for studios that want their own brand, no commission, and AI
Bellora.io is AI-native salon software on a fixed monthly fee, with no marketplace commission deducted from your bookings. Bella, the AI copilot inside Bellora.io, drafts replies, proposes appointments and prepares actions you confirm, while your clients book on a page that carries your studio's name, not a marketplace's. It is the strongest fit when your priority is owning your brand and keeping the full value of every booking; it is a younger product than the big marketplaces, so it is best for studios choosing a model deliberately rather than seeking the largest existing client directory.
2. Treatwell — strongest if you want marketplace reach
Treatwell is a well-established beauty marketplace with broad consumer reach across Europe and a recognised booking destination that can send new clients your way. The trade-off is its commission model: Treatwell charges marketplace commission of up to 35% according to Treatwell's public pricing (2026), which applies to bookings that come through the marketplace. If discovery on a large directory matters more to you than a fixed cost per booking, that reach is the real strength to weigh.
3. Fresha — strong free core, with marketplace commission on new clients
Fresha is widely used for its no-subscription core, with revenue coming from payment processing and its marketplace. New clients booking through the Fresha marketplace incur commission of 20% on new marketplace clients according to Fresha's public pricing (2026), while your own repeat bookings are treated differently. Fresha is a strong choice if you want a free operational base and accept marketplace commission as a customer-acquisition cost; a fixed-fee tool like Bellora.io instead keeps that cost predictable regardless of booking volume.
The fixed-fee vs per-booking math
The models differ in shape, not just price. A fixed monthly fee is flat: it stays the same whether you take 50 or 500 bookings, so your cost per booking falls as you grow and busy months never cost you a percentage cut. Per-booking commission scales with success: the more you book through a marketplace, the more you pay, so a strong month also means a larger deduction. The honest rule of thumb is that low-volume or marketplace-discovery-led studios may favour a marketplace, while higher-volume studios that already drive their own bookings usually keep more under a fixed fee.
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Trademarks belong to their respective owners. Comparisons and figures are based on publicly available information (as of 2026) and may change.
