Comparing pricing models
Setmore alternative for hair salons: one flat price per salon and a directory that sends new clients
Setmore is a sensible first booking tool, and plenty of salons start on it. People usually go looking for a replacement at one of two moments: a fifth person needs a login, or the calendar is tidy but half empty.
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Service list
What you charge, and how long it takes
- Haircut and style, Jess 1h $65 to $90
- Gloss and tone, Jess 45m $55 to $80
- Highlights, partial, Rae 2h $150 to $210
- Blowout, Rae 45m $45 to $65
- Fade and lineup, Theo 40m $35 to $50
Availability on the booking page is generated from these durations. Sample list.
Short answer
Hairdressers.io is a Setmore alternative built for hair salons and barbershops. Setmore is a general appointment scheduler with a no-cost tier capped at four users and a Pro plan billed per user, and it has no client-facing marketplace, so it books clients who already have your link. Hairdressers.io charges one flat price per salon, $39 a month for a single chair and $89 for up to eight stylists, and every plan includes a listing on your city directory page with 0% commission on the bookings it sends.
The model you are comparing
A general appointment scheduler with a no-cost tier capped at four users and a Pro plan billed per user, with no client marketplace
Our model
One flat price per salon covering a band of stylists, with a city directory listing included in every plan
We deliberately do not publish Setmore's prices, plan names or commission rates on this page. They change, and a stale number would be a false statement about a real company. Check their own pricing page for the current detail, then compare the two models below.
What actually changes when you switch
A price that counts people
Setmore Pro is billed per user, and each stylist with her own profile is a user. Hiring is a line on the invoice. Here a flat band covers up to eight stylists, so the fourth and the seventh cost the same as the first.
No one finds you through a scheduler
Setmore has no consumer app or browse page, so every booking starts with someone who already knew your name. A listing on the city directory page is in every plan here, with no percentage taken on the clients it introduces.
Salon menus instead of generic services
Durations and price bands per stylist, a separate link and separate hours for each chair, and bookings that arrive as requests you approve, so a two hour color never lands in a day that cannot hold it.
01
Setmore vs Hairdressers.io, line by line
Setmore is honest about its pricing and it is cheap to start, which is why so many salons open an account on it. The difference is what each price is counting. Setmore counts users. We count salons. That sounds like an accounting detail until you run it against a floor of five stylists, a part-timer and a booth renter who all need their own profile.
| What you are comparing | Setmore | Hairdressers.io |
|---|---|---|
| What the price scales on | Per user on Pro, and every staff member with her own profile counts as a user | Flat bands by salon size: one chair, up to eight stylists, up to twenty-five |
| Entry tier | A no-cost tier capped at four users | Paid plans from $39 a month, no card collected at signup |
| Adding a stylist | Adds a user, and past four users it moves you onto Pro | Costs nothing inside your band |
| New-client discovery | None. There is no consumer marketplace or directory | A listing on the city directory page for your area, in every plan |
| Commission on bookings | None | None, including bookings the directory introduces |
| Who it is built for | Any appointment business: clinics, tutors, consultants, trades, salons | Hair salons, barbershops and the stylists working inside them |
| What the paid tier adds | Text reminders, recurring appointments, deposits, two-way calendar sync, review requests, branding removal | Per-stylist links and hours, priority placement in your city, several locations on the top plan |
| Card processing | Connects to Square, Stripe or PayPal | Separate from the subscription, no per-booking fee from us |
02
Is Setmore good for hair salons?
Setmore is good for a small salon whose clients already know it. It takes online bookings reliably, the no-cost tier genuinely works for up to four people, and Pro adds text reminders and deposits for a modest per-user charge. What it does not do is model a salon floor or bring anyone new through the door, because it was built for every kind of appointment business at once.
You notice the gap in two places. The first is the service menu: a generic appointment type does not know that your senior colorist takes three hours for a balayage your junior stylist would book as four, or that the two should not charge the same. The second is the empty Tuesday. A scheduler turns people who already decided to book you into appointments, and it has nothing to say about the ones who have never heard of you.
03
The four-user line is where most salons start shopping
Setmore's no-cost tier stops at four users. For a solo stylist or a two-chair studio that line is years away. For a salon that has just taken on a fifth stylist, or wants its front desk and a booth renter on their own profiles, it arrives on a specific Monday, and every login from that point is billed.
That is not a trick. Per-user pricing is fair when your team is small and stable. It just means growth and cost move together. A flat band works the other way round: you pay one number for a range of stylists, and the number only moves when you cross from one band to the next, which on the Salon plan is at your ninth stylist.
- One to three people
- Setmore's entry tier is hard to beat on cost here. If your book is full and you do not need text reminders, stay where you are.
- Four to eight people
- This is the band where the comparison turns. A per-user bill is growing with every hire, while our Salon plan covers the whole range at $89 a month with per-stylist links and hours.
- Several locations
- Per-user pricing repeats at every site. The Studio plan covers up to twenty-five stylists across locations on one invoice.
04
Where Setmore is the better choice
A switch you regret costs more than a subscription, so here is the half of the comparison that favors Setmore. It is a mature scheduler with real strengths, some of which we do not offer.
- You are a team of four or fewer and your book is full
- Setmore's entry tier covers you at no subscription cost. Moving to a paid plan anywhere only makes sense if you need something that tier lacks, such as discovery.
- You run more than a salon
- If the same calendar books a treatment room, a class and a consultation call, a general scheduler is the right shape. Everything here assumes a salon or barbershop.
- You want video appointments
- Setmore supports video appointments on Pro. That is useful for virtual color consultations and not something we offer.
- You want a live receptionist
- Setmore sells a live receptionist add-on that answers your phone and books callers. We do not run a phone service.
- You already take cards through Square, Stripe or PayPal
- Setmore connects to all three, so your existing card setup carries straight over.
05
How to switch from Setmore without losing a client
Take your exports while your Setmore account is still open, not after you cancel, whatever you decide. The client list is yours either way, and it is far easier to pull from a live account.
- Your client list
- Names, phone numbers, email addresses and appointment history import from a spreadsheet during setup. Keep a copy of the file for your own records.
- Your service menu
- Services, durations and price bands get set up with you, per stylist, rather than rebuilt one row at a time after closing.
- Appointments already booked
- Import upcoming bookings so no client is asked to book the same slot twice. On the Salon plan, importing existing bookings is part of setup.
- Your booking link everywhere it lives
- Swap the Setmore link in your Instagram bio, your Google Business Profile, your website button and your text message signature on the same day, so no one books into a calendar you have stopped reading.
Before you move
Five things worth checking first
This applies whichever platform you are on, including ours. Migrating a salon is disruptive, so it is worth being sure the answer is better and not just different.
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01
Can you export your client list?
Contacts, appointment history and notes, to a file you keep. Ask before you commit, not on the way out.
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02
What happens to bookings already made?
You want to import upcoming appointments so no client is asked to rebook something they already booked.
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03
What is the real monthly total?
Add every module you actually use, plus any per-staff element, plus anything variable. Compare that number, not the headline.
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04
Who holds the relationship?
Whether reminders and confirmations go out under your salon name or the platform's changes what happens if you leave.
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05
Is there a contract term?
A month-to-month arrangement and an annual commitment are very different decisions.
Our pricing, in full
Flat per salon, published, with nothing variable underneath
Yearly works out at roughly two months less over the year.
Chair
Start hereSolo stylist or booth renter
$32.50 /mo
$390 billed once a year
- 1 stylist
- Salon page on your own link: services, prices, open hours
- Directory listing in 1 city
- Booking requests inside your hours, by email
- Private panel to edit your page and see requests
- Pay by card, cancel any time
Card payment, live right after
Salon
Independent salon, up to 8 stylists
$74.17 /mo
$890 billed once a year
- Up to 8 stylists
- Everything in Chair
- Priority placement in your city listing
- Per-stylist links and hours
- Revenue and rebooking reporting
- Import your existing bookings
Card payment, live right after
Studio
Multi-location, up to 25 stylists
$165.83 /mo
$1,990 billed once a year
- Up to 25 stylists
- Everything in Salon
- Listings for every location
- Consolidated multi-location reporting
- Roles and permissions per location
- One invoice for all sites
Card payment, live right after
Group
Chains and franchise groups
Talk to sales
Custom terms
- Unlimited stylists and locations
- Everything in Studio
- SSO with SAML
- Invoicing and PO billing
- A named onboarding contact
- Uptime SLA and a DPA
0% commission on bookings, on every plan
Including the clients your city directory listing sends you. There is no per-booking fee anywhere in this product.
These are our plans. Pricing is flat per salon, so it does not change when you get busier. Chair, Salon and Studio are paid by card and your page goes live right after payment. Group starts with a conversation, because chains price on locations and terms. There is no free tier because the live demo is the free taste.
What is better than Setmore for a salon?
For a salon, the better option depends on what Setmore is not doing for you. If per-user billing is climbing as you hire, a flat price per salon is better arithmetic. If the calendar is tidy but half empty, you need discovery, and Setmore has none. Hairdressers.io covers up to eight stylists for $89 a month with a city directory listing included and 0% commission.
Is Setmore still free?
Setmore still runs a no-cost tier, capped at four users, with unlimited appointments. Text reminders, deposits, recurring appointments and branding removal sit on Pro, which is billed per user. Check Setmore's own pricing page for current figures, since rates change. Our plans are published in full on the pricing page and start at $39 a month.
Does Setmore charge a commission on bookings?
No. Setmore charges a subscription on Pro and takes no commission on appointments, which is a real advantage over marketplace platforms. Card processing is billed by whichever processor you connect. We take no commission either, including on bookings introduced by the city directory.
Does Setmore help me get new clients?
Not directly. Setmore has no consumer marketplace, so clients reach you through your own website, social profiles and Google profile. Pro can send review requests, which helps your Google profile over time. If your gaps are the problem, compare the marketplace and directory models on booking sites for hair stylists.
Setmore vs Acuity: which is better for a salon?
Both are general schedulers with no marketplace. Setmore is cheaper to start with its no-cost tier and bills per user on Pro. Acuity has no free tier, prices on calendars, and is stronger on intake forms and deep customization. Neither brings new clients. We cover the Acuity side on the Acuity Scheduling alternative page.
Can each stylist have her own booking link?
Yes. The salon gets a hosted page on its own link and each stylist gets her own link with her own hours and her own menu, ready for a bio, a text or a business card. Bookings arrive as requests inside open hours, by email, with the client as the reply-to. More detail on salon scheduling software.
More salon software pages
- Salon and spa software
- Beauty salon management software
- Salon scheduling software
- Hair salon booking app
- Barber shop appointment software
- Hair salon software
- Nail salon booking system
- Salon website builder
- Booking app for braiders
- Booking app for locticians
- Booking sites for hair stylists
- Hair salon appointment software
- Salon reservation software
- Vagaro alternative
- Booksy alternative
- Fresha alternative
- StyleSeat alternative
- GlossGenius alternative
- Acuity Scheduling alternative
Setmore is a trademark of its owner. Hairdressers.io is not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with Setmore. This page compares pricing models only.
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