Best Barber Booking Apps in 2026: The UK Buyer's Shortlist
We compared Barbr, Fresha, Booksy, Treatwell, Square Appointments, Squire and Setmore on real UK prices, new-client fees, no-show protection and App Store ratings. Here's which barber booking app fits your chair.
The best barber booking app in the UK for most barbers is Barbr. It's built for barbers, it costs £20 a month, each extra barber is £10, and there's no commission on new clients. Marketplaces like Fresha, Booksy and Treatwell can send you new clients, but they take 20% to 35% of each new client's first visit, and that adds up fast.
I'm Reef, the founder of Barbr, so I'm biased. To keep this useful, every price, fee and rating below comes from each company's own website or app store listing, checked on 16 October 2026, and each app has an honest "best suited for" note, including where it beats us.
Key takeaways
- Barbr is the best all-round pick for UK barbers. It's built for barbers only, costs £20 a month with £10 per extra barber, and includes no-show protection, deposits, text reminders and Google review tools on every plan. It has no marketplace, so you never pay commission on new clients.
- Marketplace fees can cost more than the subscription. Treatwell charges 35% plus VAT on a new client's first booking, Booksy Boost 30% and Fresha 20%. On a £25 cut, that's £5 to £10.50 per new client, on top of the monthly fee.
- Per-barber pricing decides the bill for shops. A five-barber shop pays £60 a month on Barbr, £60 on Booksy and £49.75 on Fresha's Team plan before VAT and fees, while Squire charges one flat price per shop.
- Free plans are real, but no-show protection usually isn't free. Square Appointments and Setmore start at £0. No-show fees on Square need the £29 Plus plan, and deposits on Setmore need its paid Pro plan.
- Ratings vary more than you'd think. On the UK App Store, Barbr's business app is rated 4.9, Fresha 4.8, Treatwell Connect 4.8, Square Appointments 4.8, Setmore 4.7, Squire 4.5 and Booksy Biz 4.4.
What a barber booking app actually is (and what it is not)
A barber booking app lets clients book, reschedule and pay for appointments with you online, at any time, without messaging you. You set your services, prices and hours once. You share a booking link in your Instagram bio, TikTok, WhatsApp status and Google profile. Clients pick a time, get a confirmation and a reminder, and turn up.
The good ones do more than fill a calendar. They cut no-shows with text reminders, deposits and no-show fees charged to a saved card. They bring clients back with rebook reminders, recurring bookings and loyalty rewards. They grow your reputation by asking every client for a Google review. And they show you what you're actually earning.
A booking app is not the same as a marketplace. Some apps, like Booksy, Fresha and Treatwell, also list you in a consumer app where people browse for a barber nearby. That can bring new faces, but they charge a fee on each new client's first visit, and those clients are often comparing you with the shop down the road on price.
A booking app is also not a general appointment scheduler. Tools built for every kind of business, like Setmore, work for barbers, but they don't know what a skin fade is, how long a cut and beard takes, or that your Saturday mornings are worth more than your Tuesday afternoons. Barber-specific apps are set up for how barbers actually work: walk-ins mixed with bookings, cash and card, regulars every three weeks, and most new clients coming from social media.
If you're also working on getting found locally, read our guide to getting your barbershop found on Google. A booking app and a strong Google profile work best together.
How we ranked these barber booking apps
We compared every app on the same seven criteria, using UK prices and UK App Store data:
- Monthly cost for a solo barber, in pounds, on the plan you'd actually need, including whether VAT is added on top.
- Cost of adding barbers, per extra barber or per shop.
- Fees on new clients, including marketplace commission and any booking fees passed on to your clients.
- No-show protection on the entry plan, meaning deposits, a saved card and no-show or late-cancel fees.
- Tools to win and keep clients without a marketplace, such as review requests, rebook reminders, loyalty and a website.
- App Store rating and number of ratings for the business app in the UK.
- Free trial length, and whether you need a card to start.
Built-for-barbers counted in an app's favour, but price, fees and no-show protection carried the most weight, because they decide how much of every cut you keep.
The best barber booking apps in 2026
Here's the shortlist. Prices are monthly and exclude card processing fees unless stated. They were checked on 16 October 2026 and can change, so confirm on each provider's site before you sign up.
1. Barbr, best for barbers who get clients from Instagram, TikTok and Google
Barbr is a booking app built only for barbers. You set up your services in about five minutes, share one link, and clients book you 24/7 while you cut. Plans start at £20 a month, each extra barber is £10 a month, and every new account gets a 14-day free trial with no card required.
Every plan includes the things that protect your income: automatic text reminders, deposits, no-show and late-cancel fees charged to the client's saved card (even if they pay cash), a waiting list that fills cancelled slots, and recurring bookings for regulars. To grow, Barbr asks every client for a Google review, sends rebook reminders when someone's due a cut, runs win-back offers for clients who haven't been back, and rewards regulars with loyalty perks like every tenth cut free. Its Milo AI can text clients for you. Higher plans add a premium website that ranks on Google and a custom-branded client app.
Barbr's business app is rated 4.9 on the UK App Store from 260 ratings, and more than 3,400 barbers use it. Switching is free: the team moves your clients, bookings, reviews and photos over for you.
Barbr deliberately doesn't run a consumer marketplace. There's no directory that puts you next to the shop down the road and invites clients to compare on price, and no cut of your new clients' first visits. New clients come from your own link, your socials and Google, and Barbr's review requests, rebook reminders and Google ranking tools are built to grow exactly that. Being newer, Barbr also has fewer App Store ratings than the big marketplaces.
Best suited for: solo barbers, mobile barbers and small shops who get attention on Instagram, TikTok and Google and want flat, low pricing with no commission. Adding a barber is just £10 a month.
2. Fresha, best for salons that want a marketplace and don't mind paying per seat
Fresha is a booking platform for beauty and wellness businesses, built mainly around salons and spas. The Independent plan is £14.95 a month for one bookable team member, and the Team plan is £9.95 per bookable team member a month, both plus 20% VAT. There's a 7-day free trial.
Bookings from your own link, Instagram and Facebook are free, but new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace cost a one-time 20% fee, with a £4 minimum. Card payments cost 1.19% + 20p in person and 1.40% + 25p online. Most growth tools cost extra: a website is £12.95 a month, client loyalty £49.95 and Google Rating Boost £12.95.
Fresha's business app is rated 4.8 on the UK App Store from 4,734 ratings. In its 1- and 2-star Trustpilot reviews, businesses complain about being charged new-client fees for clients they say found them on Google or elsewhere, with no way to check, and about slow support when money is held.
Watch out for: the add-ons. Getting the loyalty, Google review and website tools that come with Barbr adds about £76 a month to Fresha's price, before VAT.
Best suited for: salons with several staff who want gift cards, memberships and a marketplace, and can absorb per-seat pricing plus 20% of each new marketplace client's first visit.
3. Booksy, best for barbers willing to pay for marketplace exposure
In the UK, Booksy has one plan at £40 a month plus VAT, double Barbr's starting price, with £5 a month per extra user and a 7-day free trial.
Bookings from your own link and marketing are commission-free. Switch on Booksy Boost and Booksy promotes you in its marketplace, then takes 30% of each new client's first visit, with a £5 minimum. Its UK pricing page states no maximum. Mobile payments cost 1.29% + 20p + VAT, and marketing texts beyond 500 a month cost 5p each.
Booksy Biz is rated 4.4 on the UK App Store from 1,106 ratings, the lowest on this list, and Booksy scores 3.0 on Trustpilot from 16,574 reviews. Recent 1- and 2-star reviews describe Boost charges for clients the business says didn't come through Boost, charges continuing after cancelling, support waits of up to 12 days, and a barber who says Booksy wouldn't export their client list.
Watch out for: Boost. On a £25 cut, every Boost client costs you £7.50, so ten a month takes your bill from £40 to £115 before VAT.
Best suited for: established shops that want visibility in a big consumer app and are prepared to pay a cut of new clients for it.
4. Treatwell, best for beauty salons that rely on marketplace bookings
Treatwell is a beauty marketplace operating in 15 European countries, used mostly by hair and beauty salons. It has two plans, Freelancer and Advanced, but it doesn't publish its UK monthly price, so you can't see the full cost without talking to sales.
What it does publish is the highest commission on this list: 35% plus VAT on first bookings from new clients it brings you through the marketplace. Independent pricing trackers report that a client who hasn't booked with you for a year can count as new again. Online prepayments cost 2.5%, and card machine payments 1.1% + 20p, with the machine itself £199.
Treatwell Connect, its main salon app, is rated 4.8 on the UK App Store from 7,321 ratings. Its newer Treatwell Pro app is rated 3.5 from 70 ratings.
Watch out for: 35% plus VAT is £10.50 of a £25 cut, on top of a subscription you can't price up front.
Best suited for: hair and beauty salons on busy high streets that live on marketplace bookings and can give up over a third of each new client's first visit.
5. Square Appointments, best for a free start if you already use Square
Square Appointments comes from Square, the card payments company. The Free plan is £0 for a single location, with unlimited staff, online booking and prepayments. Plus is £29 a month and Premium £69 a month, both per location.
The catch for barbers is that the Free plan has no no-show fees or cancellation policies. Those need Plus, at £29 a month per location, more than Barbr's starting price. Automated marketing, loyalty and gift cards are separate Square subscriptions. Card payments cost 1.75% in person on Free (1.6% on paid plans) and 1.4% + 25p online with UK cards.
Square Appointments is rated 4.8 on the UK App Store from 1,918 ratings. Square's company-wide Trustpilot score is 3.6 from 7,505 reviews, with frequent complaints about funds held for weeks and accounts frozen without a clear reason.
Watch out for: "free" stops being free as soon as you need no-show protection.
Best suited for: barbers who already use Square card readers and rarely get no-shows.
6. Squire, best for US-style multi-chair shops
Squire is a US company built for barbershop owners, with a small UK presence. It charges one flat price per shop. Its UK pricing data lists Independent at £20, Pro at £30, Executive at £60 and Titan at £90 a month, far below its US prices, so confirm with Squire before you buy.
Squire's pricing page lists a $1 to $3 booking fee paid by your clients on every plan, and reviewers complain about those fees and about tips being pre-selected for clients. A branded website only comes on the top Titan tier, or as a paid add-on. Shop tools like booth-rent collection, commission reporting and multi-location sit on the higher tiers.
The business app, Squire Commander, is rated 4.5 on the UK App Store from just 89 ratings.
Watch out for: the booking fee lands on your clients, at every visit, not just the first.
Best suited for: multi-chair shops with booth renters or several locations who want shop-management tools and don't mind clients paying a booking fee.
7. Setmore, best for free basic scheduling (not built for barbers)
Setmore is a general appointment scheduler for any kind of business. Its Free plan covers up to 4 staff calendars but only sends email reminders. Pro is $12 per user a month, or $5 a month billed yearly, and Setmore only publishes prices in US dollars.
Deposits, text reminders and recurring appointments, the tools that actually stop no-shows and keep regulars coming back, all need Pro. Payments run through Square, Stripe or PayPal at their own rates. There are no barber tools like rebook reminders or loyalty.
Setmore is rated 4.7 on the UK App Store from 1,545 ratings.
Watch out for: the free plan has no deposits and no text reminders, so it does little to stop no-shows.
Best suited for: barbers just starting out who want a free booking page and can live without no-show protection for now.
What you actually pay each month
Subscription prices don't tell the whole story. Here's what a solo barber pays in a month when 10 new clients book through each app's marketplace, at £25 a cut. Figures exclude VAT and card fees.
| App | Subscription | Fees on 10 new marketplace clients | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbr | £20 | £0, no marketplace fees | £20 |
| Squire | £20 | £0 to you, but clients pay $1 to $3 per booking | £20 |
| Square Appointments | £29 (Plus, for no-show fees) | £0, no marketplace | £29 |
| Fresha | £14.95 | £50 (20%) | £64.95 |
| Treatwell | Not published | £87.50 (35%) | £87.50 plus subscription |
| Booksy with Boost | £40 | £75 (30%) | £115 |
If none of your new clients come through a marketplace, those fees drop to zero, but then you're paying for a marketplace you don't use.
Side-by-side comparison
The table compares each app on the criteria above: what a solo barber pays, what each extra barber costs, the fees on new clients, the free trial, and the UK App Store rating of the business app.
| App | Solo barber price | Extra barbers | Fees on new clients | Free trial | UK App Store rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbr | £20/mo | £10/mo each | None, no marketplace | 14 days, no card | 4.9 (260) |
| Fresha | £14.95/mo + VAT | £9.95/mo each (Team) + VAT | 20% of first visit, min £4 | 7 days | 4.8 (4,734) |
| Booksy | £40/mo + VAT | £5/mo each | 30% with Boost, min £5 | 7 days | 4.4 (1,106) |
| Treatwell | Not published | Unlimited on Advanced | 35% + VAT of first booking | Not stated | 4.8 (7,321) |
| Square Appointments | £0 (no-show fees from £29/mo) | Unlimited staff | None | Plus and Premium | 4.8 (1,918) |
| Squire | £20/mo (per Squire's UK pricing) | Flat price per shop | Clients pay $1 to $3 per booking | 14 days | 4.5 (89) |
| Setmore | £0 (deposits on Pro, $12/user/mo) | Per user on Pro | None | Free plan | 4.7 (1,545) |
Which barber booking app fits your shop
| You are | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A solo or mobile barber growing on Instagram and TikTok | Barbr | Low flat price, no commission, and tools that turn followers into regulars |
| A shop owner adding barbers | Barbr or Squire | £10 per extra barber on Barbr, or one flat price per shop on Squire |
| A shop that wants marketplace clients | Fresha or Booksy | Big consumer apps, with a 20% or 30% fee on new clients |
| A salon doing hair and beauty | Treatwell or Fresha | Large beauty marketplaces with salon tools |
| Already using Square card readers | Square Appointments | Free plan and payments in one place |
| Just starting, with no budget | Setmore or Square Free | Free booking pages, with paid upgrades for deposits and no-show fees |
What results look like with Barbr
Here's what barbers using Barbr have achieved:
- 60 new clients in three months from a TikTok bio link. One barber put his Barbr link in his TikTok bio so viewers could book in a couple of taps. In his first three months, that link brought in 60 new clients.
- From working in a shop to owning two at 19. Ninoscuts, a Barbr barber, went from working in someone else's shop to opening two shops of his own by the age of 19.
- A brand-new studio fully booked in three months. One barber launched a new studio on Barbr and was fully booked within three months.
- No-shows down 90%. With text reminders, deposits and no-show fees, one barber cut their no-shows by 90%.
- 10 hours a week saved. One barber used to spend about 10 hours a week booking people in and replying to messages. Barbr now does that for him.
You can read more from barbers in Barbr's reviews.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best barber booking app in the UK?
For most solo barbers and small shops, Barbr is the best fit. It's built only for barbers, starts at £20 a month, adds each extra barber for £10, and takes no commission on new clients. Fresha, Booksy and Treatwell can send you marketplace clients, but take 20% to 35% of each new client's first visit.
How much does a barber booking app cost in the UK?
Expect to pay between £0 and £40 a month for a solo barber. Square Appointments and Setmore have free plans, Fresha starts at £14.95, Barbr at £20 and Booksy at £40 plus VAT. Marketplace fees on new clients can add more than the subscription.
What is the cheapest booking app for barbers?
Square Appointments and Setmore both have free plans. The catch is that no-show fees on Square need the £29 Plus plan, and deposits and text reminders on Setmore need its paid Pro plan, which is billed in US dollars.
Do barber booking apps take commission?
Some do, but only on new clients they send you from their marketplace. Treatwell charges 35% plus VAT on a new client's first booking, Booksy Boost charges 30% (minimum £5), and Fresha charges 20% (minimum £4). Barbr has no marketplace and charges no commission on new clients.
How do I stop no-shows as a barber?
Use an app that sends automatic text reminders and takes a deposit or saves a card at booking, so you can charge a no-show fee. Barbers on Barbr have cut no-shows by up to 90% with reminders, deposits and no-show fees.
What's the difference between a booking app and a marketplace?
A booking app gives your clients a link to book you. A marketplace also lists you in a consumer app where new clients can find you, usually for a fee on their first visit. You can use a booking link alone and still get new clients from Instagram, TikTok and Google.
Can I switch barber booking apps without losing my clients?
Yes. Most apps let you export your client list, and Barbr moves your clients, bookings, reviews and photos over for free. Do it on a quiet week and share your new booking link everywhere your old one was.
Is Barbr available outside the UK?
Yes. Barbr is available in the UK and the US, with US pricing in dollars. Barbers in Ireland, Sweden, Canada and Australia also use it.
Try Barbr free (no card required)
If you're a barber in the UK, the quickest way to know whether Barbr fits is to use it for a couple of weeks. Setup takes about five minutes. Add your services, prices and hours, then put your link in your Instagram and TikTok bios. Your clients get reminders, you get deposits and no-show protection, and your Google reviews start building from the first booking. If you're switching from another app, we'll move your clients over for free. Start your 14-day free trial and take your first booking today.
