Booksy vs Shore (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Booksy grades higher than Shore: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Booksy grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
Shore
German-made booking and marketing software for salons and studios
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 Shore if
- Fits if you run a small salon and want a booking page without building a website
- Works for owners who want reminders sent for them, and Google review requests too on Booking + Marketing
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your staff or clients use Android, as Shore lists only the browser and iOS
- Watch out: yearly billing starts a 12-month term, and monthly plans need 14 days' notice to cancel
- Tight if you need campaigns or staff management, which start on Booking + Marketing at $69.90 a month
- Pricey if you want a managed website ($100 a month) or a branded app ($80 a month) on top of the package
- Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say whether a package covers one location or several, and over 10 locations get a quote
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABooksyGood | 2.2GPAShoreFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CBooking is $49.90 a month billed yearly ($59.90 monthly), right at this category's middle of $49.90, and Booking + Marketing is $69.90. A managed website ($100) and a branded app ($80) are monthly extras. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and you can take bookings during it. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| 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. | CThe basics: booking from your site, Google, Instagram and Facebook, deposits, a card reader, reminders and customer records. The listing shows gaps: no memberships, packages or gift cards, and staff management needs Booking + Marketing. |
| 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 app store rating on record. Shore makes a mini-website for bookings automatically, but you still set up services, staff, deposit rules and payments. |
| 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. | BWeb and iPhone, with Google Calendar, Reserve with Google, Instagram, Facebook, PayPal, Stripe and WhatsApp. No Android app is named, there's no desktop app, and no API is on record. |
| Best for | barbers and beauty pros booking from a phone | online booking for small salons and studios |
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 Shore. 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. Shore starts at $49.90 a month and scores 2.3.
Booksy scores higher and starts $19.91 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than Booksy for less, and 6 score higher than Shore 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 forms and sMS marketing.
- Shore also covers marketing automation, whatsApp messaging and review collection.
At a glance
| Booksy | Shore | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month, plus $20 per extra team member | $49.90 per month, billed annually ($59.90 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Booksy International Sp. z o.o. | Shore GmbH |
| Price read from | biz.booksy.com | shore.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 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.
Shore
- Shore lists use in a browser and on iOS; its pricing page names no Android app.
- Yearly billing commits you to a 12-month initial term; monthly contracts can be cancelled with 14 days' notice.
- A managed website costs $100 a month and a branded customer app $80 a month on top of either package.
- The pricing page does not say whether a package covers one location or several; businesses with more than 10 locations get a quote.
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.
Shore
- Online booking everywhere
- Clients book from an automatic mini-website, an embedded widget, Google, Instagram or Facebook, and get confirmations and reminders by WhatsApp, email or text.
- Calendar and staff planning
- See which staff member has which appointments, plan shifts, vacations and absences, and limit what each person sees with user roles.
- Deposits and payments
- Ask for a deposit or full payment at booking by card, Google Pay, Apple Pay or PayPal, refund it in a few clicks, and take in-person payments with Shore's card reader.
- Customer records
- Each booking builds a customer history with notes, preferences, custom fields such as allergies, and uploaded files and images.
- Campaigns and review requests
- Send email or WhatsApp campaigns to customer segments and automatic birthday messages; feedback requests pass good reviews on to Google and keep bad ones internal.
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.
Shore
Booking$49.90
per month, billed annually ($59.90 billed monthly)
Online calendar and booking from your website, Google and Instagram, card prepayment, reminders, customer records and statistics.
Booking + Marketing$69.90
per month, billed annually ($79.90 billed monthly)
Adds email marketing, Google review requests, employee management, birthday reminders, PayPal and bookable add-ons.
Ways to pay less
Booksy
No public discounts listed.
Shore
- Annual discount
Save $120 a year with yearly billing
Shore's US pricing page says yearly billing saves $120: $49.90 instead of $59.90 a month for Booking, and $69.90 instead of $79.90 for Booking + Marketing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Booksy or Shore?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Booksy is cheaper to start with: $29.99 a month, against $49.90 a month for Shore. Booksy starts at $29.99 per month, plus $20 per extra team member, and Shore starts at $49.90 per month, billed annually ($59.90 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Booksy or Shore?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Booksy nor Shore has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Booksy and Shore run on?
As of Oct 24, 2026, only Booksy lists an Android app. Both list a web app and an iOS app. 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.