Every platform advertises one number and charges you three. Comparing the monthly subscriptions is how businesses end up paying far more than they expected, because the subscription is often the smallest of the three.
The three numbers
The subscription is the advertised price. In the UK this typically runs from about £15 to £40 a month for a small business, before anything scales. Watch whether it is priced per business or per staff member, because a per-head price roughly triples the moment you hire two people.
The card rate is what you pay to take money. It is quoted as a percentage plus a fixed amount, usually somewhere between about 1% and 2.5% plus 20p to 35p. The critical question is whether the platform fee sits inside that rate or is charged separately on top.
The new client fee is the one people miss. Several platforms charge a one-time commission when a client who found you through their consumer app books you for the first time. Twenty per cent is common. On a busy month of new business it can be larger than everything else combined.
What the three numbers look like in practice
| Cost | Typical UK range | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | £15 to £40 a month | Per business or per staff member |
| Card rate | 1% to 2.5% plus 20p to 35p | Is the platform fee inside it or extra |
| New client fee | 0% to 30% one-time | Applies once per client, on their first booking |
| Messaging | Often metered | Free allowance, then per message |
| Setup and migration | Usually free, sometimes not | Ask before you commit |
Ranges reflect what UK providers publish for small business tiers. For named platforms with dated figures, see our comparison pages.
Work out your own number in ten minutes
You need three figures from your own business: what you take on card in a month, roughly how many transactions that is and how many genuinely new clients you win.
Take a three-chair salon turning over £6,000 a month across about 150 card transactions, winning 20 new clients whose first visit averages £45.
On a platform charging £10 per team member, 1.19% plus 20p on cards and 20% on marketplace new clients, that is roughly £30 of subscription, about £101 in card fees and £180 in new client fees. Around £311.
On Youzse Growth at £59 a month with a card rate of 2.5% plus 35p and 0% commission on new clients, that is £59 plus about £203, so around £262.
Change the assumptions and the answer changes. A business that wins two new clients a month rather than twenty will find the lower card rate wins. That is the whole point of doing the sum on your own numbers.
The fixed fee matters more than you think on small tickets
Card pricing is a percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction, and on a small ticket the fixed part dominates.
At 2.5% plus 35p, a £12 fringe trim costs 65p to process, which is 5.4% of the sale. The same rate on a £480 clutch replacement costs £12.35, or 2.6%. The headline percentage is nearly meaningless at the bottom end.
If your average transaction is small, calculate your blended rate rather than comparing headline percentages. Take last month's total card fees and divide by total card takings. That single number tells you more than any pricing page.
Ask every provider these before you sign
- Is the subscription per business or per staff member?
- What do I pay when a new client books me?
- Is the platform fee inside the card rate or charged separately?
- Are these prices quoted with or without VAT?
- Is messaging included or metered?
- What does setup and data migration cost?
- Is there a minimum contract, and what does leaving involve?
- How long is the trial, and does it need a card?
Keep reading
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