Compare / Evidence file · Treatwell
The Treatwell alternative that lets you keep them.
For UK salons and spas who have built a regular client base and would rather not pay a commission on people who were already coming back.
When Treatwell is the right call
Treatwell does something Aasure deliberately does not, and for some salons that is decisive:
- You're newly opened and need discovery more than you need margin.
- You have quiet weekday hours you'd rather fill at a commission than leave empty.
- You accept a commission on a new client's first visit as a customer-acquisition cost.
- Your clients already search Treatwell by habit.
When Aasure is the right call
Aasure fits the salon that has already done the introductions:
- Your diary is filled by regulars and word of mouth, not by marketplace search.
- You want every booking to arrive on a page with your name on it.
- You'd rather pay a predictable monthly fee than a percentage of anything.
- You want the client record, the reminder and the rebooking nudge in one place.
The honest version
There's a version of this that isn't a choice at all. Keep a Treatwell listing pointed at new clients, and run your regulars through your own booking page. Treatwell doesn't charge you for repeat bookings, so the listing costs you nothing on the clients you already have. Used that way, the marketplace is an acquisition channel rather than a landlord.
The moment to reconsider is when you look at a month of bookings and realise the marketplace introduced almost none of them. At that point the listing isn't buying you discovery — it's just where your clients happen to click. Read the full breakdown of marketplace economics.
Examination table / Side by side
The usual reason for seeking a Treatwell alternative is a specific kind of frustration: paying to acquire a client once is fair, but paying again every time that same regular rebooks is harder to justify. Treatwell brings genuine discovery, particularly in UK cities. The question is whether you still need it. Here is how the two compare.
| How they compare | Treatwell | Aasure |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Software subscription, plus commission on marketplace-introduced new clients | Flat monthly fee. No commission |
| Commission | Charged on a new client's first booking through the marketplace; repeat bookings are free | None — there is no marketplace |
| New-client discovery | One of the largest beauty marketplaces in the UK | You drive traffic from Instagram, Google and referrals |
| Client ownership | The client arrives as a Treatwell customer | The client arrives as yours |
| Branding | Your listing, inside the Treatwell brand | Your own booking page and link, your name |
| Prepayments | Online prepayments carry a processing fee | Not yet. Card payments and deposits are on the way |
| Best fit | Salons that want UK marketplace reach | Independent salons with an established client base |
What matters to you?
Choose a priority and it will say which row of the table decides it.
Common questions
Is Aasure a Treatwell alternative?
Yes, for UK salons and beauty pros who want their own booking page and their own client list. Aasure is salon booking software on a flat monthly fee. Treatwell is built around marketplace discovery. Aasure is built around running an independent practice, and some salons run both.
Does Treatwell take commission on repeat bookings?
No. Treatwell's commission applies to the first booking of a new client it introduces through the marketplace. Repeat bookings from that client are not charged commission. Neither are bookings that arrive through your own website, your beauty booking system or your social channels.
Can I use Treatwell and Aasure at the same time?
Yes, and for many salons that is the sensible answer. Keep the Treatwell listing working as a new-client channel. Move your regulars onto your own branded booking page. The relationship and the client record then sit with your salon, not the marketplace.
Work out what a regular client is worth to you.
The free Client Lifetime Value Calculator shows what one retained client is worth across the years they stay — the number that decides whether marketplace commission is cheap or expensive.
Open the calculator Or read: The Hidden Cost of Marketplace Booking AppsComparing other tools too?
See how Aasure stacks up against Fresha or Booksy (both marketplaces). Or browse all comparisons.