Most comparison pages pretend the rival is a compromise. Solo is not. It is a focused product for self employed hair, beauty and wellness professionals in the UK and Australia, it is priced per professional, and it does the things a one person business actually needs rather than a shrunk down version of salon software. It is also the only product in this comparison set that quotes VAT inclusive, and we think that is worth more credit than it usually gets. The question worth asking is not which product is better. It is what happens on the day you take on a second pair of hands.
What Solo gets right, and gets right properly
Start with the pricing honesty. Solo states that VAT is included in all of the prices. Website Only is £20 a month and Website & Booking System is £30 a month, and those are the amounts that leave the account. When a rival quotes £30 before VAT it is really £36, and for a sole trader watching every standing order that difference is the sort of thing that sours a relationship in month one. Solo has removed the argument entirely.
The product has real substance behind the price. The Google optimised website builder and SEO setup are treated as the core of the offer rather than a bolted on extra, which suits someone whose next booking depends on being found locally. Consultation forms attach to bookings, which matters for treatments that need a record. The calendar calculates travel time between mobile appointments, which is the single feature most desk bound salon products get wrong for a mobile pro. Data transfer and expert training are free, there is a 30 day trial with no card needed, you can cancel at any time, and there is a 50% discount in the first year for professionals doing under 20 bookings a month.
There is one more thing to weigh honestly. Solo comes from Secret Spa, a vetted UK marketplace for mobile beauty professionals, and Solo is stated to be free for Secret Spa pros. Access to Secret Spa runs through a recruitment process rather than a signup form, so it is not open to everyone. If you are already accepted onto it, your software question may be answered before you start comparing anything.
The moment a second pair of hands arrives
| Solo | Youzse | |
|---|---|---|
| Software for one professional | Website Only £20 a month or Website & Booking System £30 a month, VAT included in the price shown | From £19 a month for the business, VAT treatment set out on the Youzse pricing page |
| Software for three professionals | Priced per professional, so the monthly cost scales with each pro you add, VAT included in the price shown | From £19 a month for the business with the team included |
| Visa and Mastercard | 1.6% plus 30p per transaction | 2.5% plus 35p per transaction with the platform fee inside the rate, which is higher than Solo |
| American Express | 3.3% plus 30p per transaction | 2.5% plus 35p per transaction, the same rate across card types |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card needed, cancel anytime, with 50% off in year one for pros doing under 20 bookings a month | 30 days, no card required |
| Add ons and one off costs | Education Hub £20 a month. Google Boost £200, Website Build £250 and SEO Setup from £100 as one off services. Data transfer and expert training free | Import tooling and guided setup are part of the subscription |
Solo figures taken from booksolo.co on 7 August 2026, where the site states that VAT is included in all of the prices. Confirm with Solo how additional professionals are charged before budgeting for a team.
Five questions worth answering before you commit either way
- Will you still be working alone in eighteen months, or is a second chair likely
- How much of your revenue arrives on Visa and Mastercard, where Solo's 1.6% plus 30p beats our 2.5% plus 35p
- Do you need a website built and ranking, or do you already have one that works
- Do you need quotes, invoices, memberships, gift cards or UK VAT returns, or only a diary and payments
- Are you eligible for Secret Spa, given that Solo is stated to be free for pros accepted onto it
Where Youzse costs more, and where it earns it back
Cards first, because that is where we lose. Solo quotes 1.6% plus 30p on Visa and Mastercard against our 2.5% plus 35p. On a £60 treatment that is £1.26 against £1.85, a gap of about 60p a booking. We are lower on American Express, where Solo quotes 3.3% plus 30p and our single rate does not change by card type, but Amex is a small slice of most UK beauty takings so the balance sits with Solo. If you take card payments all day and need nothing beyond a diary, Solo is the cheaper way to run.
What Youzse buys instead is room to grow without repricing. One subscription from £19 a month covers the business as the team expands, so a second stylist, a rented room or an apprentice does not change the monthly figure. Around the calendar you get deposits, no show fees, payments, quotes, invoices, CRM, marketing, loyalty, gift cards, memberships, consultation forms and UK VAT returns, and it works across more than 60 trades. Solo is deliberately narrower than that, and for a single mobile pro narrower is often correct.
The last difference is where the work comes from. Solo's answer is a website that ranks and, for those accepted onto it, the Secret Spa marketplace. Youzse lists you where people search and charges 0% commission on new clients who find you through Youzse and book, so growth does not come with a cut taken off the top. Both are legitimate routes. One depends on being found by search, the other on being found in a directory that does not tax the introduction.
Our recommendation, plainly. If you are a single mobile professional whose main gap is a website that ranks, Solo is the better buy and the VAT inclusive pricing makes it easy to budget. If you expect a team, several revenue lines or the paperwork that comes with VAT registration, Youzse is built for that shape and the 30 day trial with no card required costs nothing to test alongside what you already run.
Third-party pricing and features on this page were last checked on 3 August 2026. Rival platforms change their plans, so check their own site before you decide.
Keep reading
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- Report
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