DOES BOOKING SOFTWARE HAVE HIDDEN FEES
One price. Nothing hidden
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Part of Online booking for your business · Professional website design
Per-booking fees explained · How much does online booking software cost? · How much does a booking system cost? · Online booking for your business · Professional website design
The short answer
The fees to check for
When you compare booking tools, the headline price is only the start. These are the extra charges that quietly raise the real monthly cost:
1. Per-staff or per-user fees. Many tools charge a base price plus a fee for every staff member, so the cost multiplies as your team grows (for example, roughly $10 to $20 per person per month).
2. Payment processing percentage. Most take 2 to 3 percent (plus a few cents) on every card payment, on top of the subscription.
3. Text and email credits. SMS reminders and marketing usually come with a small allowance, then cost extra per message once you pass it.
4. Setup, onboarding or migration fees. Some platforms, especially enterprise ones, charge a one-time fee that can run into the hundreds or thousands.
5. Marketplace commission. Marketplace-based apps often take a cut of new-client bookings that come through their app, sometimes 20 to 30 percent of that first visit.
6. Add-on modules. A real website, memberships, marketing, or forms are frequently sold as paid add-ons rather than being included.
7. Annual-billing lock-in. The advertised low price often requires paying a full year upfront; the monthly price is higher.
How to compare honestly: add the base price, per-staff fees, expected processing, any add-ons and any commission together for one real month. The true number is usually well above the headline.
How Instinctor is different: $29.90 a month for the software and $14.90 for hosting. No per-staff fees, no cut of your payments, no marketplace commission, and your website, online booking, payments and Smart Chat are all included. We even design your site for you, a one-time $99.
