Booksy vs Ovatu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Booksy and Ovatu share a 2.6 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money, where Booksy grades higher, or platforms, where Ovatu does.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Booksy
Booking app and marketplace for barbers, salons and beauty pros
Which one is for you
Pick Booksy if
- Fits if you're a barber or independent beauty pro who runs your book from your phone
- Works for small salons that want every feature at one price instead of picking a tier
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have a team, as each member beyond the first adds $20 a month to the $29.99 base, plus tax
- Watch out: card fees run from 2.49% + $0.10 on the reader to 2.69% + $0.30 keyed in, and 30-minute payouts cost 1.5%
- Watch out: card readers aren't included, at $53.10 for the M2 and $299 for the S710, plus shipping
- Pricey if you lean on Boost for new clients: it takes 30% of each one's first visit, up to $100
- Not for you if you need accounting software links or an API, as neither is on record
Pick Ovatu if
- Fits if you are a salon with one or a few bookable staff
- Works for businesses that take cards through Stripe or Square
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a 30-day trial exists
- Pricey if you send many texts, at US$0.04 a message on top
- Tight if you want gift cards, campaigns or forms, which need Loaded at $38
- Watch out: the price grows with every bookable employee
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABooksyGood | 2.6GPAOvatuGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$29.99 a month plus tax for one person with every feature, which is right at this category's cheaper quarter. Each extra team member adds $20, so five people pay $109.99. | C$25 a month for one employee, $7 for each extra, so five people pay $53, a little above the $49 middle for booking tools. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and you can take bookings during it. | CA 30-day free trial. The page does not say whether a card is needed. No free plan. |
| Features | BA marketplace profile, booking from Instagram, Facebook, Google and your site, a calendar with waitlists, 2,000 marketing texts a month, email campaigns, forms and waivers, deposits, gift cards and memberships. That's the whole booking job for a chair or a small salon. | BOnline booking, reminders, waitlist, point of sale, marketing, rosters and forms. The gaps named are plan gates and SMS costs. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating for the business app is on record, since the App Store listing found is the client-facing app. You set up services, staff and payments before taking bookings. | CNo store rating on record. Services, staff and rosters have to be set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Instagram, Facebook, Reserve with Google and Stripe. No API or accounting links on record, and no desktop app. | AWeb, iPhone, Android and Mac, with Stripe, Square, SumUp, PayPal, Zoom and Mailchimp links. |
| Best for | barbers and beauty pros booking from a phone | a salon booking system priced per employee |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Booksy and Ovatu. How we grade
Price against what you get
Booksy starts at $29.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ovatu starts at $25 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
Ovatu scores higher and starts $4.99 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 3 score higher than Booksy for less, and 1 scores higher than Ovatu for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Booksy also covers email campaigns.
- Ovatu also covers inventory and class booking.
At a glance
| Booksy | Ovatu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month, plus $20 per extra team member | US$25 per month for the first employee, plus US$7 per additional employee |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Booksy International Sp. z o.o. | Ovatu Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | biz.booksy.com | ovatu.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Booksy
- Each team member beyond the first adds $20 a month to the $29.99 base, plus tax.
- Card fees: 2.69% + $0.30 for mobile and keyed-in payments, 2.49% + $0.10 on the card reader, and 2.49% + $0.20 with Tap to Pay. Payouts in 30 minutes cost 1.5%.
- Card readers are bought separately: the Stripe Reader M2 for $53.10 and the S710 for $299, plus shipping.
- Boost charges 30% of a new client's first visit, up to $100; clients from your own link or marketing carry no commission.
Ovatu
- SMS reminders cost extra: the pricing page shows US$0.04 per message on top of the monthly plan.
- Campaigns, gift cards, passes, promo codes, forms, resources and inventory stocktakes need the Loaded plan.
- The price grows with each bookable employee; non-bookable users such as admins are free.
- The pricing page was read from a country selector set to Global; the figures are in US dollars.
Key features
Booksy
- Booksy profile and marketplace
- Each business gets a profile on the Booksy marketplace and the free Booksy app for customers, plus booking from Instagram, Facebook, Reserve with Google and a website widget.
- Calendar and client records
- Manage the calendar, waitlists and client profiles from the Booksy Biz phone app, a tablet or the web.
- Text and email marketing
- Message blasts and automated campaigns by text and email, with 2,000 marketing texts a month included; confirmations and reminders are always free.
- Payments and no-show protection
- Take deposits and cancellation fees, sell gift cards, memberships and packages, and check out on a Booksy card reader or with Tap to Pay.
- Boost
- Turn on Boost for more visibility on the marketplace. It has no monthly fee but takes a one-time 30% of a new Boost client's first visit, capped at $100.
- AI Receptionist
- A beta AI receptionist answers calls and books appointments. Booksy says early sign-ups get it free for at least 12 months.
Ovatu
- Online booking
- Clients book one-to-one appointments and classes through a personal mini website, a booking button for Facebook and Instagram, and website widgets.
- Reminders and waitlist
- Email and SMS appointment reminders, rebooking and review reminders. The automated waitlist is on the Loaded plan; Neat has a simple waitlist.
- Point of sale
- Invoicing, tips, deposits and online payments, with cash drawer and payment terminal integrations on both plans.
- Marketing and loyalty
- Mass email and SMS campaigns, loyalty programs, promo codes, gift cards and passes (service bundles) are limited to the Loaded plan.
- Rosters and resources
- Weekly, fortnightly or four-weekly staff rosters on both plans. Resource booking for rooms and equipment is on Loaded.
- Consultation forms
- A form builder with scheduling, online completion, annotation fields and form locking, included on the Loaded plan.
Plans
Booksy
Booksy Biz$29.99
per month, plus $20 per extra team member
Every feature: unlimited bookings, reminders, 2,000 marketing texts a month, email marketing, forms and waivers, waitlists, gift cards and memberships.
Ovatu
Neat$25
per month for the first employee, plus $7 per additional employee
Appointments, online booking, point of sale, reminders, waitlist and reviews. Unlimited non-bookable users.
Loaded$38
per month for the first employee, plus $10 per additional employee
Everything in Neat, plus campaigns, passes, gift cards, promo codes, loyalty, forms and inventory control.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Booksy or Ovatu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Booksy starts at $29.99 per month, plus $20 per extra team member, and Ovatu starts at US$25 per month for the first employee, plus US$7 per additional employee. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Booksy or Ovatu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Booksy nor Ovatu has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Booksy and Ovatu run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ovatu lists a macOS app. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.