Treatwell is one of Europe's biggest beauty marketplaces: clients find salons in the app and book straight away, and salons use Treatwell's software for their calendar and payments. SmartBook takes a different approach: online booking and a CRM for businesses that already have their own clients, with no marketplace and no commission. Here is an honest comparison for UK salons.
In short
- Treatwell suits you if you want new clients from the marketplace and are happy to pay commission on their first booking.
- SmartBook suits you if you already have clients (regulars, Instagram, Google) and want booking, a client database, packages, loyalty points and payroll for a small fixed fee with no commission at all.
Commission and fees
| SmartBook | Treatwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | £5 a month for up to 5 staff, £15 for up to 10 | Freelancer and Advanced plans, price not shown on the pricing page |
| Commission on new clients | None | 35% on the first booking of each new client from the marketplace |
| Repeat clients | No commission | 0% commission |
| Online prepayments | Deposits for online bookings | 2.5% + VAT processing fee |
| Free trial | 21 days, up to 10 staff, no card | Start for free |
Treatwell: terms from the Treatwell pricing page for the UK, commissions and fees subject to VAT, checked 26.09.2026. SmartBook: up to 40% cheaper when you pay for six months or a year, see pricing.
For example, if a new marketplace client books a £120 colour, Treatwell takes £42 plus VAT in commission. With SmartBook you only pay your monthly plan, however many clients come in.
Features
| SmartBook | Treatwell | |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 online booking | Your own booking page, link and QR code | Marketplace profile and booking button |
| Client marketplace and app | No | Yes |
| Calendar and client records | ||
| Unlimited staff | Up to 5, 10 or 50 depending on the plan | Advanced plan |
Every SmartBook plan includes packages, gift cards, loyalty points, payroll and commission, multiple locations, client segments and an RFM report, deposits and automatic review requests.
When Treatwell is the better choice
- You need new clients fast and are happy to pay commission on each one.
- Your clients already book through the Treatwell app.
When SmartBook is the better choice
- You have loyal clients and don't want to pay commission on people you brought in yourself.
- You want predictable costs that don't depend on your takings.
- You sell packages, reward loyalty points or pay staff a percentage of their services.
How to switch from Treatwell to SmartBook
- Sign up for SmartBook: 21 days of full access for free, no card needed.
- Export your client list from Treatwell to a file, or ask Treatwell support for an export.
- Upload the file to SmartBook: Clients section, import from CSV or Excel.
- Add your services, staff and working hours, then put your booking link on Instagram, Google and your website.
- Let your regular clients know the new booking link.