Booking marketplace or your own booking system: what does a new client cost?

On a booking marketplace such as Treatwell or Fresha you pay commission on your own new clients: 35% excluding VAT on the first booking at Treatwell, a one-time new client fee on the first appointment at Fresha. The client keeps their account with the platform and often books there again next time. Lookster combines your own booking system with its own marketplace and client app, at 0% commission on every booking. You get the reach without the commission.

What is a booking marketplace, and what is your own booking system?

A booking marketplace (also called a booking platform) is a site or app where consumers search for salons nearby, compare prices and book straight away. Treatwell, Fresha, Booksy and Planity are the best known in Europe. The platform owns the visitors, shows your salon next to your competitors and earns money on the bookings it brings in.

Your own booking system is the software your salon uses to take appointments itself. Clients book through the booking link in your Instagram bio, on your own website, through the "Book" link on your Google Business Profile or through a link in your WhatsApp profile. Nobody sits in between. You pay a fixed monthly fee and the client data lives in your system.

Lookster is both at once: your own booking system with a marketplace and a free client app on top, and no commission involved.

How does new-client commission work at Treatwell and Fresha?

The principle is the same at Treatwell and Fresha: you pay for clients the platform brings in, on their first booking. The details differ, and the details decide what you end up paying.

Treatwell charges 35% commission excluding VAT in the Netherlands on the very first booking of a new client who discovers your salon through the Treatwell platform. Repeat bookings from the same client are commission-free, as are bookings that come to you directly (phone, WhatsApp, clients you add yourself) and bookings through the "Book now" button on your own website or social media. If a client prepays online, Treatwell charges a 2% transaction fee plus VAT. The Starter plan costs €35 per month on top (checked on 27 October 2026).

Fresha charges a one-time fee for brand-new clients who discover you on the Fresha marketplace. According to the help centre it is calculated on the value of the first completed appointment, with a minimum fee for cheap or free appointments and a cap for expensive treatments. Products, add-ons and tips added at checkout are excluded. If the client cancels online, the fee is deferred to their next booking. If you mark the appointment as a no-show on the same day, nothing is charged. The percentage is no longer shown on the pricing page as of 27 October 2026 (on 11 July 2026 it still listed 20%), which makes it hard to calculate in advance. The subscription costs €14.95 per month for a sole practitioner or €9.95 per bookable team member, excluding VAT, plus payment processing if you take payments through Fresha (1% + €0.20 online, 0.89% + €0.10 in person).

Booksy does not publish a Dutch business pricing page. Its German page lists €35 per month plus €7 per extra staff member and states that Booksy charges no commission for new clients (checked on 27 October 2026). For a team of three that is €49 per month, compared with €19.95 at Lookster.

Planity operates in France, Belgium and Germany and does not publish prices. You only hear what you will pay in a sales conversation.

All amounts excluding VAT, checked at the source on 27 October 2026.

Who counts as a "new client"?

This is where salons get caught out. At Treatwell a new client is someone who discovers your salon through the platform and books with you there for the first time. At Fresha a client counts as new when they are not on your client list at the time of booking and confirm they have never visited you before. Fresha itself recommends importing your existing client list before you go live on the marketplace. If you skip that step, a regular who happens to book through the platform can count as new and cost you commission. With Lookster this never comes up: new or returning, commission is always 0%.

What happens with repeat bookings?

At Treatwell and Fresha the second booking from the same client through the platform is commission-free. But pay attention to where that client books next time. If they book again through the platform app, they still feel like a "Treatwell client" or a "Fresha client", and every time they book there they see other salons nearby as well. With Lookster the channel does not matter: through your booking link, your salon page or the Lookster app it is always 0%, and the client sits in your client card.

Who owns the client relationship?

With a marketplace the client has an account with the platform and you see the data the platform shares. Reminders, review requests and the "book again" button come from the platform's app, so the next booking often runs through there too. In effect, you are building loyalty for the platform.

With Lookster the client sits in your client card, with appointment history, statistics, notes and photos per appointment. Clients who find you through the Lookster marketplace or the app land there too. The confirmation after booking, the reminder 24 hours ahead and the review request after the appointment go out free by email and push notification, without SMS costs. That way every client stays a client of your salon.

Worked example: what does a new client cost through a booking platform?

Take a hair salon with an average first ticket of €60 per new client. Through Treatwell you pay 35% of €60, which is €21 commission excluding VAT (€25.41 including 21% Dutch VAT). With 10 new clients a month that is €210 in commission plus €35 subscription: €245 per month excluding VAT, or €2,940 per year. If those clients prepay online, add 2% of €600, another €12 per month.

On a colour treatment of €120 the Treatwell commission is €42 excluding VAT. On a €30 haircut it is €10.50. The more expensive the first treatment, the more the platform takes.

For Fresha we assume 20%, the percentage that was still on the pricing page on 11 July 2026. On the same 10 clients at €60 that comes to €120 excluding VAT, plus €14.95 subscription: €134.95 per month.

If one in three platform clients comes back and then books directly with you, you pay the commission three times per genuine regular. At €21 per client that is €63 in acquisition cost per regular.

With Lookster, those same 10 new clients through the marketplace cost €0 in commission. You only pay the €19.95 monthly subscription, and nothing for the first 3 months. Over the first year that is €179.55 in total, against €2,940 at Treatwell in the example above.

Do you need a booking marketplace to find new clients?

No. You can find new clients without commission, with Lookster. These are the three situations in which salons often think they need a marketplace, and how Lookster handles each one.

You have just opened. Your calendar is empty and nobody searches for your name yet. With Lookster you have a salon page on the Lookster marketplace from day one, which can also be found through Google, and you are listed in the free Lookster app where consumers search for and book salons. Every client gets a review request after their appointment, and only clients who actually visited can leave a review. Your portfolio shows what you can do. And as a new salon, the first 3 free months come at exactly the right time. Read more in booking systems for new salons.

You have structurally empty hours. In the Lookster app, on your salon page and through your booking link, clients only see slots that are genuinely free, per staff member and treatment, and they book 24/7. Share your booking link in your WhatsApp status or Instagram story when Tuesday morning is still open; every booking that comes in costs you 0% commission.

You are in a high-footfall, tourist or expat area. Lookster works in English, Dutch and German, and clients can book as a guest without creating an account. Someone who checks an app for a hairdresser nearby books straight with you.

On top of that: the more expensive your treatments, the more a commission platform takes per new client. With Lookster it stays at 0%, whether you sell a €30 haircut or a €120 colour treatment.

How do you switch from a booking marketplace to your own booking system?

You can switch step by step, without losing clients. This is how.

1. Create your Lookster account. A short wizard takes you through your treatments, team and opening hours. You are live within a day, without a credit card and without setup fees.
2. Put your booking link everywhere. In your Instagram bio, on your Google Business Profile ("Book" link), in your WhatsApp profile and on your website. Anyone who already knows you now books directly and commission-free.
3. Run Lookster alongside your platform until you are confident. During the transition, offer only a limited set of slots on the platform and keep those free in your Lookster calendar, so two clients never land on the same slot.
4. Avoid commission on regulars. As long as you are still on Fresha, make sure your existing clients are registered there as existing, so you do not pay for people who already came to you.
5. Move every platform client to Lookster. Book the next appointment straight into your Lookster calendar at checkout and hand over your booking link. The confirmation and reminder then come from Lookster.
6. Cancel the platform. Once your regulars book through your link, your salon page or the Lookster app, you no longer need it.

How does Lookster combine software, marketplace and client app?

Lookster is salon software with its own marketplace and a free client app. Your calendar, your booking link, your salon page on Lookster and the Lookster consumer app all run on the same calendar, so double bookings cannot happen. Clients who find you through the Lookster marketplace or the app land in your client card and simply book with you next time.

The difference with Treatwell and Fresha is the business model: Lookster charges 0% commission on all bookings, including new clients who arrive through the marketplace or the client app. You only pay the subscription: Essentials costs €19.95 per month excluding VAT, including 3 staff members (owner + 2) and €5 per extra staff member, with unlimited bookings. The first 3 months are free, no credit card needed, and you can cancel any month.

You work in the Lookster Dashboard app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows, or simply in your browser, synced live everywhere. Each staff member has their own login and calendar, and you see revenue, occupancy and no-shows per staff member. Lookster Pro adds the point of sale, with Tap to Pay, iDEAL QR, a payment link and online prepayment. Pro already runs at a select number of salons and will be available to everyone soon.

"I am very happy working with Lookster. Good service and a system that works excellently, so I now have much more time for my clients." Lodien Yusuf, Lodiensbarbershop (translated)

On /en/vergelijk/lookster-vs-treatwell and /en/vergelijk/lookster-vs-fresha we compare the differences feature by feature.

Checklist: what is your booking platform costing you now?

• How many new clients came in through the platform last month, and how much commission did you pay on them?
• What is your average ticket for a new client? Calculate 35% of that for Treatwell.
• How many of those clients book their next visit through the platform app again instead of with you?
• Are your existing clients registered as existing on the platform, so you do not pay for regulars?
• Is your own booking link already in your Instagram bio, on your Google Business Profile and in WhatsApp?
• Put the total next to €19.95 per month at Lookster, with 0% commission and the first 3 months free.

Want to know what salon software costs in total, including subscriptions and extras? Read what salon software costs. Want more bookings through your own channels? See how to get more online bookings.