Comparison
Appointment booking apps compared: Bookora vs Fresha, Booksy, Calendly, Square Appointments and Setmore in 2026
Bookora vs Fresha, Booksy, Calendly, Square Appointments and Setmore: pricing, fees, reminders, Google Calendar, languages and teams in one table. Checked 22 September 2026.
In short
Bookora suits an independent professional or a team of up to 20 who run bookings from a phone and do not want to give up a share of each client: a subscription of $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year for two seats, no commission, email and Telegram reminders in any country, and an interface in 9 languages. Fresha and Booksy are stronger for a salon with a till, deposits and a marketplace. Square Appointments is the pick for free online booking in one of its eight countries, Calendly for online meetings with integrations, and Setmore for free booking for a team of up to four.
Six services on the criteria that matter
Prices are US prices in dollars, taken from the official pricing pages. Stores in other countries may show different prices and terms.
| Criterion | Bookora | Fresha | Booksy | Calendly | Square Appointments | Setmore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Calendar for one only; online booking in Premium | No; 7-day trial | No; 14-day trial | Yes; 1 event type | Yes, with online booking and SMS; 8 countries only | Yes; up to 4 users |
| Price per professional per month | $9.99; ≈ $5 billed yearly; 2 seats | $19.95 | $29.99 + tax | $12; $10 yearly | $0; Plus $49 per location | $12; $5 yearly |
| Each additional staff member | Packs: 5 seats $39.99 … 20 seats $119.99 | $14.95 | +$20 | $20; $16 yearly | $0 | $12; $5 yearly |
| New-client fee | None | 20% of the first visit, $6 minimum | 30% of the first visit with Boost | None | None | None |
| Automatic reminders | Email and Telegram (Premium); WhatsApp by hand | Email, SMS, WhatsApp; 100 a month free | SMS and push, free | Email and SMS on credits, from Standard | SMS and email on all plans | Email; SMS on Pro and not to every country |
| Online payments | No | 2.79% + $0.20 | 2.69% + $0.30 | Stripe, PayPal | 3.3% + 30¢ | Stripe, Square, PayPal |
| Google Calendar | Two-way (Premium) | Two-way | No; .ics import | Availability, meetings, cancellations | Plus only | Two-way on Pro |
| Personal prices per client | Yes, included | Discounts in the Loyalty add-on | No | No | Group discounts | No |
| Consumables and stock | Yes, included | Yes | Web and tablet only | No | On Plus | No |
| Everything managed from the phone | Yes | Almost | Partly | Partly | Partly | Almost |
| Interface languages | 9, including Arabic, Japanese, Chinese | Multilingual, count not stated | No Russian, Arabic or Japanese | 5 | 5 | 4 |
More comparisons
Fresha vs Bookora
No 20% new-client fee and half the price per professional; Fresha has payments, a till and a marketplace.
Read the comparisonBooksy vs Bookora
A third of the price per professional, with Google Calendar sync; Booksy has the marketplace, a till and payments.
Read the comparisonCalendly vs Bookora
Priced services, a client base and consumables on the phone; Calendly is a meeting scheduler with 100+ integrations.
Read the comparisonSquare Appointments vs Bookora
Square is free and stronger on payments in 8 countries; Bookora works everywhere, with Telegram, consumables and Google Calendar in Premium.
Read the comparisonSetmore vs Bookora
The closest match: Setmore has free online booking and payments, Bookora has Telegram reminders in any country, consumables and 9 languages.
Read the comparisonAlternatives
Fresha alternatives
Five services instead of Fresha, without the 20% new-client fee, with each one's pricing and cons.
Read the comparisonBooksy alternatives
Five services instead of Booksy: cheaper than $29.99 plus $20 per staff member, with Google Calendar sync.
Read the comparisonCalendly alternatives
Five services instead of Calendly for people who book clients for services rather than schedule calls.
Read the comparisonSquare Appointments alternatives
Five services instead of Square Appointments: in any country, with Google Calendar and no $49 plan.
Read the comparisonSetmore alternatives
Five services instead of Setmore: reminders that reach any country, stock and personal prices.
Read the comparisonHow we compared
All prices are US prices in dollars, from the official pricing pages and help centers on 22 September 2026; Bookora's are from the App Store. A "no" for a competitor means the feature is not in its help center or on its pricing page on that date. We do not use store ratings or reviews: they depend on a product's age and country, not on what the app can do. We re-check the table every quarter.
Every comparison has a section called "When X is the better pick" that lists plainly what Bookora lacks and who that matters to.
Where Bookora is ahead
Bookora wins on what matters to an independent professional and a small team:
No commission on bookings or on clients: Fresha takes 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit, Booksy 30% with Boost.
A fixed price: $9.99 a month for two seats, against $19.95 per professional at Fresha and $29.99 plus $20 per staff member at Booksy.
Email and Telegram reminders work in any country: Setmore's SMS do not reach more than 200 countries and territories, and Square works in only 8.
Personal prices and consumables tracking included: Fresha's discounts live in a $59.95-a-month add-on, Square's stock in Plus at $49.
Two-way Google Calendar in base Premium: Booksy has no sync, Square has it on Plus only.
9 interface languages, including Arabic, Japanese, Chinese and Russian.
Everything managed from the phone: Booksy, Calendly and Square keep part of their settings on the web only.
A client in another time zone sees both their own time and the salon's.
What Bookora lacks
To keep the choice honest: Bookora has no deposits or online payments, no till, no marketplace for finding clients, no automatic SMS or WhatsApp, no web dashboard, no roles or permissions, no branding of the booking page, no client-side rescheduling, no group sessions, no waitlist, no gift cards and no memberships. If any of that is a must for you, the comparisons below say which competitor has it.
Frequently asked questions
Which appointment booking app is free?
Fully free online booking is rare among these services. Bookora without a subscription is only a calendar with a client base for one person; online booking, reminders, Google Calendar and team seats are Premium at $9.99 a month. Square Appointments is free with online booking and SMS, but in 8 countries only; Setmore is free for up to 4 users; Calendly for 1 event type. Fresha and Booksy have no free plans, only a trial.
Which booking app takes no commission on clients?
Bookora, Calendly, Square Appointments and Setmore. Fresha takes 20% of a marketplace client's first visit ($6 minimum), Booksy 30% with Boost turned on.
Which booking app works in Arabic, Japanese or Chinese?
Bookora: the interface comes in 9 languages, including Arabic, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. Booksy has no Russian, Arabic or Japanese; Calendly and Square Appointments have 5 languages each, Setmore 4; Fresha's interface is multilingual.
What should a nail tech, brow artist or hairdresser choose?
If you work alone or with a small team, run bookings from a phone and want no commission: Bookora. If you need deposits, a till and a marketplace: Fresha or Booksy. In the US, Canada, the UK and five more countries, where you want free booking and card processing: Square Appointments.
What should a therapist, coach or tutor choose?
For in-person and online consultations with a price and a duration: Bookora, where a client in another time zone sees their own time and reminders go out on Telegram and by email. If your consultations are Zoom calls with integrations and a CRM: Calendly.
How do I move my clients from another app to Bookora?
Export the base from the old service as CSV and import it into Bookora, or import clients from your phone contacts. Every comparison has a step-by-step guide for that service.
Facts checked: September 22, 2026 · Updated: September 22, 2026 · Bookora team
Service names belong to their owners; Bookora is not affiliated with any of them. Facts about competitors come from their official pricing pages and help centers on the date checked; "no" means the feature is not described there. Found an inaccuracy? Email support@bookora.me and we will check and fix it.
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