Updated 2026-07-09 · 4 min read
Marketplaces like Booksy or Fresha do one thing well: they put you in front of people looking for a salon. The problem shows up on the bill for growing — the commission or fee per new client you pick up through their app. Once you have a client base of your own, paying for clients who were, deep down, already yours starts to sting.
If you've started thinking that some of your bookings shouldn't be costing you a commission, this guide is for you. Without demonising anybody: marketplaces have their place. Let's look at what real alternatives exist and when each one makes sense.
Every platform's terms change often, and they aren't the same in every country. This comparison reflects the model published in Spain in July 2026; wherever you are, always check the current offer before deciding, with their numbers in front of you.
First, understand what you're paying for
On a marketplace you don't (only) pay a subscription: you pay for acquisition. The typical model is a fee or commission when a new client discovers you and books from their app. It's advertising with a calendar built in — reasonable if your problem is that nobody knows you, expensive if you already have clients writing to you directly.
The useful question isn't «how much does the marketplace cost?» but «how many of my bookings should be paying a commission at all?». If a good share of your appointments come from clients who already know you, those needn't be going through a platform that takes a cut.
The alternatives, point by point
| **Stay on the marketplace** | **Your own online calendar** | **An AI assistant** (ClaudIA) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brings you new clients (shop window) | ✅ Their strong suit | ❌ | ⚠️ Through your channels (Google, Instagram, QR) |
| Commission per client acquired | ⚠️ Yes (check the current offer) | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Whose the client and her data are | ⚠️ Partly the platform's | ✅ Yours | ✅ Yours |
| Answers your WhatsApp and Instagram | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ 24/7, natural conversation |
| Answers phone calls | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ With a voice (Pro plans, Spanish number today) |
| Books into your calendar | ✅ In their app | ✅ In yours | ✅ Real calendar per professional |
| Cost | Subscription + commission | Low fixed fee | Fixed fee, no commission |
The underlying difference: a marketplace rents you its traffic; a commission-free alternative converts yours. It isn't that one is good and the other bad — they solve different moments in the life of the business.
When each road suits you
Stay on (or join) a marketplace if you've just opened, nobody knows you and you need traffic now. Their shop window is real and to get going it can be worth the commission. That's the case where it adds the most value.
Your own online calendar if all you want is for clients to book on their own from your website or your Google listing, without paying for acquisition, and you already answer messages well. Cheap and enough for low volume. It helps to have the booking button on your Google listing.
An AI assistant like ClaudIA if your aim is to stop paying commission on the clients who are already yours: the ones who message your WhatsApp, comment on your Instagram or call you. ClaudIA answers and books in your own channels, without taking a percentage or keeping your data, and captures through your Google and your Instagram instead of renting you a shop window. If you want the full analysis against the marketplaces, it's here.
The clever move is usually to combine them: a marketplace as a shop window while you're getting started, and an assistant converting your own channels so that, over time, fewer and fewer bookings cost you a commission.
In short
«No commission» doesn't mean «no acquisition» — it means no longer paying for the clients who already find you on their own. If you've just opened, a marketplace's shop window makes sense. If you already have clients writing to you, what you need is for your channels to convert without a toll. And always, before moving anything, check each platform's current offer with its numbers in your hand.