How to read this comparison
We have embedded every tool on this list into client websites, and none of them is the best one. Each is the best one for a particular kind of business, and the differences that matter are not the ones on the pricing pages. They are: how the tool charges, whether it takes deposits properly, how it syncs with the calendar your staff already use, how well it embeds in your own site rather than pulling clients onto a marketplace, and whether it fits your sector's habits.
The details below are current as of writing and change often. Check the vendor before deciding.
Fresha
Built for: salons, barbers, spas, beauty, and increasingly clinics.
Charging: no subscription for the core booking; fees on card payments and on bookings that come through Fresha's own marketplace. That model is what makes it popular and what makes owners nervous: the marketplace brings clients, and it also lists your competitors next to you.
Deposits and no-show fees: yes, well implemented. Calendar sync: exports to Google and Outlook; two-way sync is limited. Embedding: a booking widget for your own site exists; most clients still arrive via the marketplace unless you steer them.
Verdict: excellent for a salon that wants to be found on a marketplace and can live with the fee model. Make your own site's booking button go to your Fresha widget, not your marketplace profile.
Booksy
Built for: barbers, salons, nails, lashes.
Charging: monthly subscription plus optional marketplace boost. Deposits: yes. Calendar sync: yes. Embedding: a widget, plus a strong mobile app for clients, which barbershop clients in particular use.
Verdict: the barber's default in many markets, and good at repeat bookings. Similar marketplace trade-off to Fresha.
Timely
Built for: salons, spas and clinics, especially in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Charging: monthly subscription, no marketplace. Deposits: yes. Calendar sync: yes. Embedding: clean widget, styled reasonably to match your site.
Verdict: the subscription-only alternative for a salon that does not want a marketplace between it and its clients. Slightly more expensive per month, no per-booking fees.
Acuity Scheduling
Built for: almost anything appointment-shaped: consultants, trainers, photographers, therapists, small clinics.
Charging: monthly subscription by tier. Deposits: yes, via Stripe, Square or PayPal. Calendar sync: the best two-way sync on this list, with Google, Outlook, iCloud and Office 365. Embedding: flexible, embeds well, no marketplace.
Verdict: the generalist. If your business does not fit a sector-specific tool, Acuity is usually the right answer, and its calendar sync is the reason.
Square Appointments
Built for: any business already using Square for payments: salons, barbers, trainers, small clinics.
Charging: free tier for a single person, paid tiers for teams; card fees through Square. Deposits: yes. Calendar sync: Google. Embedding: yes, and the client-facing booking site is decent.
Verdict: if you already take payments on Square, the integration is the argument. If you do not, Acuity or a sector tool is usually stronger.
Cliniko
Built for: allied health clinics: physio, chiro, osteo, podiatry, massage, therapy.
Charging: monthly by practitioner count. Deposits: yes. Calendar sync: yes. Embedding: yes, with new and returning patient flows, practitioner and location choice. Plus the clinical record-keeping, invoicing and insurance claims a clinic needs, which the others on this list do not have.
Verdict: for a clinic, this or one of its peers (Jane, Nookal, Power Diary, Zanda) rather than a salon tool. Clinical records and privacy handling matter and the generalists do not offer them.
Choosing by business type
| Business | First choice | Also consider | | --- | --- | --- | | Hair or beauty salon | Fresha or Timely | Booksy, Phorest | | Barber | Booksy | Fresha, Square | | Clinic or allied health | Cliniko | Jane, Nookal, Power Diary | | Personal trainer or consultant | Acuity | Calendly, Square | | Studio with classes | Neither of these; use a class platform | Mindbody, Momence, TeamUp | | Trade with quotes | Neither; use job management | Jobber, ServiceM8, Tradify |
The questions that decide it
- Marketplace or not? If you want the tool to bring you clients, accept the fees and the neighbours. If you want to own the relationship, pick a subscription tool.
- Whose calendar? If staff live in Google or Outlook, two-way sync is not optional.
- Deposits? Every serious tool takes them. Check how refunds and no-show charges work in practice.
- Does it embed on your domain? The booking should happen on your site, styled as your site. Test the widget before committing.
- Can you leave? Client list export, in a usable format, without a fight.
What we do
We do not resell any of these. When we build a booking-led site, we recommend the tool that fits how you actually run the diary, embed it properly, configure deposits and reminders, test the emails, and train your staff. If you already use one your team knows, we keep it. Switching costs more than it saves in most cases.