Best booking system with online payments

Quick Summary

• The best booking system with online payments depends on how your business gets paid.
• Lunacal is best for consultants, coaches, and agencies that need branded paid booking pages, packages, and intake questions.
• Setmore is a good low-cost option for simple paid appointments.
• Calendly works best for basic paid meeting links.
• Acuity Scheduling is stronger for deposits, client forms, and service packages.
• SimplyBook.me fits businesses that need booking websites, memberships, and add-ons.
• Booksy and Fresha are better for salons, spas, and beauty businesses that need marketplace discovery and POS.

Introduction

The best booking system with online payments is no longer just a calendar with a Stripe button attached. For US service businesses, the buying moment now happens before the appointment, when a client chooses a time, pays, answers intake questions, and gets enough confidence to show up. The Federal Reserve’s 2026 consumer payments data shows that credit and debit cards now account for two-thirds of all US payments, which makes built-in payment flow a serious conversion feature, not a nice extra.

I compared Lunacal, Setmore, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, SimplyBook.me, Booksy, and Fresha based on the full paid booking flow: booking page, checkout, payment options, deposits, packages, reminders, rescheduling, and payout-related friction.

Best booking systems with online payments by use case

Use case	Best tool	Why
Best booking system with online payments overall	Lunacal	Paid bookings, packages, reminders, intake forms, and rich booking pages
Best for consultants and coaches	Lunacal	Strong for paid calls, packages, lead qualification, and trust-building pages
Best affordable option	Setmore	Good free plan and low-cost paid plans with payment support
Best for simple paid meetings	Calendly	Easy paid booking links with Stripe and PayPal
Best for deposits and client forms	Acuity Scheduling	Strong deposits, intake forms, packages, and multi-calendar support
Best for flexible service businesses	SimplyBook.me	Good for memberships, add-ons, deposits, coupons, and service catalogs
Best for beauty and wellness discovery	Booksy	Marketplace, payments, deposits, no-show protection, and client profiles
Best for salons and spas	Fresha	POS, upfront payments, marketplace, marketing, and client management

Payment Workflow Comparison Table

Payment workflow	Best tools
Full upfront payment	Lunacal, Acuity Scheduling, SimplyBook.me, Calendly
Deposits	Acuity Scheduling, Booksy, Fresha, SimplyBook.me
No-show fees	Booksy, Fresha, Acuity Scheduling
Packages or prepaid sessions	Lunacal, Acuity Scheduling, SimplyBook.me, Fresha
POS checkout	Fresha, Booksy
Simple paid meeting link	Calendly
Low-cost paid booking setup	Setmore
Branded paid booking page	Lunacal
Marketplace-led paid bookings	Booksy, Fresha

Best free booking system with online payments

Setmore is the strongest free option in this list because its free plan includes a booking page, payments, email reminders, mobile apps, and up to 200 appointments. It is not unlimited, but for a solo operator or very small team just starting out, it is enough to test paid bookings before committing to paid software.

Best low-cost booking system with online payments

Lunacal and Setmore are the strongest low cost options here. Lunacal is better if you want branded paid booking pages, packages, intake questions, and richer client trust content that helps sell your service before someone books. Setmore is better if you want a simple booking page with basic payment collection at the absolute lowest cost, and you do not need the extra branding or customization features.

Lunacal

Lunacal is a newer online booking system with payments, and I selected it because it already covers the things paid appointment businesses usually need: Stripe and PayPal payments, reminders, booking questions, team scheduling, packages, coupons and rich booking pages.
For consultants, coaches, salons, trainers, agencies and service businesses, this means the booking flow can collect money, reduce no shows and help clients understand what they are paying for before they pick a slot.
The pricing is reasonable, starting at $9/month, and it is rated 4.9/5 on G2, making it one of the highest rated scheduling tools in the category.

• Paid sessions: Lunacal lets you connect Stripe or PayPal and collect payment before the booking is confirmed. This is useful when you sell paid consultations, discovery calls, coaching sessions, beauty appointments, repair visits or any service where upfront payment reduces no shows.

Example: I would create a 60 minute paid strategy call for $100, add a short intake form, and make payment required before confirmation. The client books, pays, gets the confirmation email and receives reminders without extra manual work.

I took this screenshot from the paid session setup:

• Multi session packages: This is useful when one paid booking is too small for the actual service you sell. You can bundle multiple appointments together, let clients pay upfront, and allow them to book the remaining sessions later.

Example: A coach could sell a 6 session package, ask the client to book the first 2 sessions immediately, and let them schedule the rest from the client portal. This works well for coaching programs, tutoring blocks, fitness plans and recurring service packages.

Here’s how it looks inside the tool:

• Booking questions: You can add custom intake questions before payment or confirmation, so the business gets context before the appointment. Keep this short because paid booking forms should feel fast.

Example: For a paid consultation, I would ask What do you need help with, Have you worked with us before, and Which service are you interested in. This helps you prepare, qualify the booking and avoid calls where the client picked the wrong service.

Here’s a screenshot from the tool:

• Email and SMS reminders: Lunacal can send automated email and SMS reminders before the appointment. For businesses taking online payments, this matters because missed sessions create refund requests, rescheduling work and awkward follow ups.

I would keep the setup simple. One email reminder 24 hours before the appointment and one SMS reminder 1 hour before the session with the meeting link or location.

This screenshot shows the reminder setup:

• Team scheduling flow: Guests can choose a service, select a team member, and then book an available time. This is helpful for paid service businesses with multiple providers, locations or appointment types.

You can use it to separate paid consultations, trial sessions, paid assessments, staff appointments and specialist services. It keeps the booking journey cleaner because the client first chooses what they want to pay for, then who they want to book with.

Here’s the booking flow view:

• Rich booking pages: Lunacal lets you add content next to the calendar, so the booking page can explain the service before someone pays. This is useful for an online booking system with payments because people often want reassurance before entering card details.

I would use this space for service details, testimonials, FAQs, refund rules, session outcomes and a short intro video. It makes the booking page feel more complete and helps the client book with less hesitation.

I took this screenshot from the booking page view:

Pros

• Strong branded booking pages that actually help sell your paid services, not just show a calendar.
• Supports Stripe and PayPal payments, so you can collect money at booking without extra tools.
• Useful for packages, coupons, intake questions, reminders, and team scheduling all in one place.
• Good fit for consultants, coaches, trainers, agencies, salons, and service businesses that need more than a basic link.
• Zero percent booking commission makes it attractive for paid appointments where every dollar counts.
• More conversion focused than plain calendar tools that just show time slots with no context.

Cons

• Not a full POS or salon operating system like Fresha or Booksy, so do not expect inventory or walk in management.
• Not ideal if you only need a very basic free booking link with no branding or payments.
• Advanced team workflows may need some setup time and clicking around to get right.
• Businesses needing deep inventory, payroll, or marketplace discovery may still need another platform on top of this.

Pricing

• Standard starts at $9/month and includes unlimited calendars and services, online meeting tools, Stripe and PayPal payments, text and email reminders, and booking page customization.

• Teams starts at $15/month and adds team scheduling, multi session packages, round robin scheduling and webhooks. This is the better fit for businesses with multiple providers.

• Enterprise starts at $25/month and adds AI voice agent, account manager, complete branding, premium support and personalized onboarding.

• Lunacal also mentions 0% booking commission, so you mainly pay the subscription fee plus your payment processor’s Stripe or PayPal fees.

Setmore

Setmore is popularly known as a simple appointment booking tool for small service businesses because it gives you an online booking page, calendar, reminders, staff scheduling, and online payments without making the setup feel heavy.

• Booking Page: Setmore gives every account a customer-facing booking page where people can see services, availability, pricing, and business details, then book without calling or messaging first. For a booking system with online payments, this is the main workflow because the booking page becomes the place where the customer chooses the service and pays before the appointment. The booking page is useful for consultants, salons, tutors, repair services, personal trainers, and small studios that want to turn website visitors into paid bookings. The page can also be connected to a website, Facebook, Instagram, QR codes, and direct booking links, which makes it easy to place the booking flow in multiple customer touchpoints.
• Staff Calendars: Setmore supports multiple staff calendars under one account, and the admin can manage staff availability, customer bookings, and appointment activity. That works well for small teams where each provider has separate availability. One thing I’d check carefully for larger teams is the calendar viewing experience. A G2 reviewer said they wanted one master calendar to view everyone’s appointments at once instead of opening each agent’s calendar tab separately. That matters if you run a paid booking operation with multiple agents and need a quick front-desk view. Sharing the screenshot below would make this point stronger:

• Online Payments: Setmore lets customers pay through the booking page when connected with Square, Stripe, or PayPal. You can collect full payment upfront, take partial payments, apply deposits, add fees, or give discounts during checkout. A real-life use case: a repair service charging a $40 diagnosis fee can make that payment mandatory before the slot is confirmed. That reduces no-shows and filters out people who are casually browsing. The five-minute checkout timer is also practical because it releases the slot if the customer does not complete payment.
• Free Plan: Setmore’s free plan is one of its biggest strengths. It includes up to 4 users, 200 appointments, a branded booking page, payments, email reminders, email confirmations, and mobile apps. This matches the second G2 review I went through. The reviewer runs a one-person IT consulting business and said the free tier worked well because it helped them add a booking page to their website and mobile app. I agree with that use case. Solo operators who just need a public booking link, basic payment collection, and reminders can get real value before upgrading.

• Reminders & Sync: Setmore includes email confirmations and email reminders, while SMS reminders and 2-way calendar sync sit on the paid plan. For paid bookings, reminders are important because payment alone does not fully remove no-shows. The sync setup is worth noting. Setmore supports Google, Apple, and Office 365 calendar sync, with 1-way and 2-way options. For small teams, this helps prevent double bookings when personal calendar events need to block business availability.
• Class Booking: Setmore can handle group classes and events with fixed seats. Customers can book their own spot through the booking page, and the class automatically closes when all seats are filled. This is useful for paid workshops, fitness classes, webinars, tutoring batches, and local training sessions. The only small catch is that after creating a class, you still need to add the session to the calendar so it appears on the booking page. That extra step is easy to miss the first time.

Pros

• Strong free plan for solo users and small teams
• Online payments through Square, Stripe, and PayPal
• Upfront payments, deposits, fees, and discounts are supported
• Booking page can be shared through websites, social media, QR codes, and direct links
• Good fit for service businesses that need simple paid appointments
• Email reminders and confirmations are available even on the free plan

Cons

• Master calendar experience may feel limited for teams that need one full operational view
• SMS reminders, 2-way sync, and branding removal require Pro
• Free plan has a 200 appointment limit
• Class setup has an extra calendar step after creating the class
• Booking page customization may be enough for basic branding, but may feel light for businesses wanting a richer sales page

Pricing

• Free: $0 per user/month, up to 4 users, 200 appointments, booking page, payments, email reminders, and mobile apps.
• Pro: $12 per user/month on monthly billing, or $5 per user/month on annual billing, based on Setmore’s support page. It adds features like unlimited appointments, SMS reminders, recurring appointments, 2-way calendar sync, branding removal, and priority support.
• Payments: Payment processors are connected separately. Setmore supports Square, Stripe, PayPal, and LawPay in its booking page payment setup, so processing fees will depend on the payment provider.
• Best pricing fit: Setmore is strongest for solo operators and small teams that want a low-cost booking system with online payments. Larger teams should test the calendar workflow before committing.

Calendly

Calendly is popularly known for making appointment scheduling simple because people can share one link, show real availability, and avoid long back-and-forth emails.

• Paid bookings: Calendly supports online payments through Stripe and PayPal, which makes it useful for consultants, coaches, trainers, clinics, paid discovery calls, and other service businesses that want payment before the appointment. Calendly says payments can be collected upfront, as deposits, or through payment links, and Stripe also supports multi-session packages for one-on-one services. The setup is clean. I could add payment to a specific event type, set the amount, and keep free calls separate from paid sessions. The one thing to watch is that payments are available from the Standard plan upward, so the free plan will not work if online payments are a core requirement.
• Team routing: Calendly has routing forms, round-robin scheduling, collective meetings, and team event types, which can help when bookings need to go to the right person instead of one shared inbox. This matters for sales teams, clinics, agencies, coaching teams, and customer onboarding teams. This is also where pricing gets more serious. I saw the same concern in a G2 Calendly review, where the reviewer said “routing forms and team scheduling” were locked behind higher-tier plans. Screenshot to place below: calendly-g2-routing-salesforce-review.png. I agree with that criticism for smaller teams. If all you need is a paid booking link, Calendly is easy. If you need routing, CRM logic, and team assignment, the useful parts move up the plan ladder quickly.

• Calendar sync: Calendly connects with major calendars and checks busy times before showing slots. On paid plans, users can connect multiple calendars, which is important if someone has a personal calendar, work calendar, and maybe a separate provider schedule. In a real paid appointment setup, this can save a lot of admin work. A client books a $100 consultation, gets the right slot, and the calendar is updated without someone manually checking availability. The nice surprise is how quickly the basic sync works. The availability rules still need careful checking though, especially if different providers have different working hours.
• Appointment types: Calendly lets users create different event types for one-on-one sessions, group bookings, collective meetings, and round-robin meetings. Group event types can work for paid classes or workshops, while one-on-one events fit consultations, training sessions, and paid calls. This matches the second G2 Calendly review shared from a patient and client scheduling workflow. The reviewer liked that clients could self-schedule based on real availability, and that reminders helped reduce no-shows. I’d agree with that for service businesses where the main problem is admin time, missed calls, and people asking “what times do you have?”

• Automated reminders: Calendly includes automated meeting reminders on paid plans, which is useful when money is attached to the booking. A reminder before a paid consultation, class, or first appointment can reduce forgotten bookings and protect revenue. I like that reminders sit close to the event setup rather than feeling like a separate marketing automation tool. For simple service businesses, that keeps things manageable. The limitation is depth. If you need detailed payment follow-ups, advanced client journeys, or very branded communication, Calendly may start to feel more like a scheduling layer than a full booking system.
• CRM integrations: Calendly can connect to tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp, Zapier, webhooks, Salesforce, Marketo, and Pardot depending on the plan. Salesforce routing response sync is available on Teams and Enterprise plans, while Salesforce lookup routing is listed under Enterprise. This is valuable for sales-led paid bookings, like paid audits, onboarding calls, or consultation funnels where the booking needs to update CRM records. But for smaller businesses, the CRM side may feel gated. If Salesforce is central to your workflow, check the exact plan before assuming the integration will cover routing, ownership lookup, and reporting.

Pros

• Very easy for clients to book and pay without email back-and-forth.
• Stripe and PayPal support make it practical for paid calls, deposits, and sessions.
• Strong calendar sync and reminder flow for reducing admin work.
• Good fit for simple paid appointments, consultations, group bookings, and small teams.
• Team scheduling options are strong once you are on the right plan.

Cons

• Free plan is too limited for a real online payment booking system.
• Routing forms, round-robin, and stronger team features sit on higher plans.
• Salesforce depth depends heavily on plan level.
• Booking page customization is still fairly basic for businesses that want a more branded sales or service page.
• It works well for scheduling, but may feel thin if you need full client management, packages, payment reminders, and branded client portals.

Pricing

• Calendly has a Free plan, but it only includes 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, so it is mostly for basic scheduling.
• Standard costs $10 per seat per month when billed yearly and includes unlimited event types, multiple calendars, Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, webhooks, and automated reminders.
• Teams costs $16 per seat per month when billed yearly and adds Salesforce sync, round-robin meetings, lead routing, admin features, and team controls.
• Enterprise starts at $15,000 per year and adds Salesforce lookup routing, Microsoft Dynamics, dedicated support, and stronger security controls.

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling is best known for clean appointment booking, strong payment options, and easy client self-scheduling, which is why many service businesses use it when they want bookings and payments handled in one flow.

• Online payments: Acuity lets you connect Stripe, Square, or PayPal, then collect full payments, deposits, tips, or in-person payments. That makes it useful for businesses selling paid consultations, workshops, paid sessions, or services where no-shows cost real money. When I set it up, the payment settings were fairly direct. The useful part is that you can ask for payment before the booking is confirmed, which works well for high-intent appointments.
• Website booking: You can embed Acuity on a Squarespace site or another website, so customers can book without being sent to a separate flow. That’s useful if your website already explains your services and you only need the booking page to finish the job. The setup is usable, but the scheduler options take some time to understand. I saw the same concern in a G2 review, where the reviewer said the Squarespace integration was restrictive and the scheduling options were confusing at first, then limited later. I’d place the screenshot of that review right below this point.

• Deposits and fees: Acuity is strong when payment is part of the booking decision. You can collect deposits, store cards, charge cancellation fees, or require full prepayment before the appointment. For example, a paid discovery call, private coaching session, salon appointment, or consultation can require a $25 deposit upfront. That small step can filter out casual bookings and reduce empty calendar slots.
• Team calendars: Acuity supports separate calendars for employees or locations, with 1 calendar on Starter, up to 6 on Standard, and up to 36 on Premium. This is where the tool makes more sense for multi-provider businesses. A G2 review praised Acuity because multiple instructors could schedule at the same time, and I agree with that use case. It’s useful when different providers need their own availability without manually managing one shared calendar.

• Packages and memberships: Acuity supports bundled packages, recurring subscriptions, gift certificates, and payment plans on higher plans. This is helpful for businesses that sell repeat sessions instead of one-off appointments. This was a positive surprise. A client can buy a 5-session package, then book sessions over time. The setup needs care, but the revenue model is stronger than simple pay-per-appointment booking.
• Client forms: Acuity lets you collect client details, terms, and intake information before the appointment. That helps when a paid booking needs context before the service starts. I found the form setup practical, though the overall admin area can feel heavy once you start adding services, payment rules, packages, calendars, and reminders together.

Pros

• Strong payment setup with Stripe, Square, and PayPal.
• Good fit for paid bookings, deposits, tips, and cancellation protection.
• Useful for teams with multiple calendars, instructors, providers, or locations.
• Supports packages, memberships, subscriptions, and gift certificates.
• Works well for service businesses already using Squarespace.

Cons

• Scheduler settings can take time to understand.
• Squarespace integration may feel restrictive for some users.
• Packages and memberships are available only on higher plans.
• Reporting and export-related complaints appear in G2 review patterns.
• The booking page is functional, though it may need extra work to feel highly branded.

Pricing

• Starter costs $16/month annually or $20/month monthly, with 1 calendar and core booking features.
• Standard costs $27/month annually or $34/month monthly, with up to 6 calendars, SMS reminders, memberships, and packages.
• Premium costs $49/month annually or $61/month monthly, with up to 36 calendars, HIPAA BAA support, custom CSS, API access, and more branding control.
• Acuity says it does not charge extra fees for using payment features, but Stripe, Square, or PayPal transaction fees still apply.

SimplyBook.Me

SimplyBook.Me is popularly used by service businesses that want a full booking website, online payments, reminders, staff calendars, and a lot of add-on features without building their own booking flow from scratch.

• Online payments: SimplyBook.Me lets businesses collect payment during booking, for services, memberships, packages, deposits, tips, and onsite payments through SBPay.me. Their help docs say clients can be asked to pay while booking, and the payment feature works with different processors. For a business looking for the best booking system with online payments, this is the main reason to consider it. You can ask for full payment before confirming a slot, or use deposits when people are likely to cancel. One thing to watch: deposits work per service or class, but SimplyBook.Me notes that promo codes and previously bought packages cannot be applied with deposits. That can make discount logic messy if you sell offers often.
• Calendar control: You can set availability, staff schedules, buffers, fixed start times, booking approvals, and limits on simultaneous appointments. This matters when payments are tied to capacity. For example, a small studio running paid consultations and paid group sessions can stop double booking, add prep time, and approve higher-value bookings manually before the payment is locked in. The part I would double-check during setup is timezone handling. A negative G2 review on SimplyBook.Me mentioned reps getting confused when virtual consultations showed time slots in a different timezone from the site survey location. G2 also summarizes this as a scheduling issue around timezone confusion. I’d include the screenshot below because this is a real risk for remote or multi-location services.
  

• Booking website: Every account gets a booking website, and you can also add the widget to an existing site. SimplyBook.Me also supports bookings through channels like your own site, Booking.page, Facebook, Instagram, and Google. I liked this more than expected because it reduces setup work for a business that wants to start taking paid bookings quickly. You do not need a separate landing page, checkout page, and form tool on day one. The tradeoff is that the system has a lot of menus. It is flexible, but the setup can feel heavier than simple scheduling tools.
• Easy setup: After setting up the basic flow, I can see why many users talk about ease of use. You add services, prices, availability, provider details, and the booking page starts becoming usable fairly quickly. This lines up with the second G2 review : “Everything is so easy to figure out. I was able to get everything in to start using this immediately.” I agree with that for the basic booking and payment setup. I’d be more cautious once you start adding memberships, coupons, packages, deposits, and custom notifications together.

• Packages and memberships: SimplyBook.Me has custom features for memberships, packages, coupons, gift cards, loyalty, tips, service add-ons, and client login. Memberships can restrict selected services or classes to active paid members. This is useful for paid booking businesses that sell more than single appointments. Think coaching packages, prepaid therapy-style sessions, class passes, salon bundles, or paid consultations with add-ons. Coupons and gift cards are useful too, since SimplyBook.Me lets you create fixed or percentage discounts, date-based promotions, and gift certificates.
• Reminders and apps: SimplyBook.Me supports email, SMS, Telegram reminders, booking confirmations, admin apps, client apps, and reporting. The admin app is useful if bookings are coming in while the owner or staff are away from a desk. For payment-based bookings, reminders matter because every missed appointment is already tied to money, refunds, or rescheduling. The reminder setup is solid, though SMS and WhatsApp-style messaging can add extra cost through credits.

Pros

• Strong fit for businesses that need bookings plus payments, deposits, memberships, packages, coupons, and reminders in one place.
• Booking website and widget make it easier to start without building a custom checkout flow.
• Good flexibility for service businesses with staff, classes, add-ons, gift cards, and recurring client purchases.
• Review patterns on Trustpilot and Capterra often mention ease of use, booking flow, and setup support positively.

Cons

• Timezone handling needs careful testing for virtual, remote, and multi-location bookings.
• Deposit rules can clash with promo codes and prepaid packages.
• The custom-feature model is powerful, but it can make setup feel scattered once your booking flow becomes advanced.
• Pricing depends on booking volume and enabled features, so fast-growing businesses should check limits before committing.

Pricing

• SimplyBook.Me has a free plan and a free trial. G2 lists pricing from $0 to $59, with Free, Basic, Standard, and Premium plans.
• Capterra lists Basic at €9.90/month, Standard at €29.90/month, Premium at €59.90/month, and Enterprise as custom pricing.
• Basic includes 100 bookings, 3 custom features, the admin app, booking website, and booking widget. Standard increases included bookings and custom features.
• Check extra costs for SMS, WhatsApp credits, payment-related add-ons, and higher booking limits before choosing a plan.

Booksy

Booksy is best known as a booking, marketplace, and payments app for beauty, wellness, barber, salon, and personal service businesses that want clients to discover them, book 24/7, and pay from one place. Its own feature list focuses on booking, client management, reminders, payments, no-show protection, marketing tools, Boost, and reporting.

• Online Booking: Booksy’s main strength is how quickly a client can pick a service, choose a slot, and book without calling or messaging back and forth.

For a business comparing the best booking system with online payments, this is useful because booking and payment sit close together. A client can find the service, see details, check availability, and complete the appointment flow with less manual admin.

One thing to watch is trust around customer-side payment issues. I saw a Trustpilot review where a customer said over £100 was taken through their Booksy account and Booksy refused to help. I’d place that screenshot below this section because it connects directly to payment confidence and support response.

• Payments: Booksy supports integrated payment processing, card reader payments, Tap to Pay, mobile payments, deposits, cancellation fees, and payouts. This makes it stronger than basic scheduling tools that only collect bookings and leave payment collection somewhere else.

For appointment-led businesses, this matters a lot. A salon can charge deposits for high-value services. A barber can take checkout payments through the app. A wellness provider can reduce unpaid bookings by requiring payment details upfront.

The payment fee details are clear, but there are multiple fee types, so I’d check the pricing page carefully before choosing it.

• No-Show Protection: Booksy lets businesses take deposits or require a card on file for cancellation fees. You can apply these rules to specific services, which is helpful if only some appointment types are high-risk or time-heavy.

For example, a hair color appointment, tattoo consultation, or long spa session can block two hours on the calendar. If the client disappears, the business loses real money. Booksy’s deposit and cancellation fee setup gives the owner some protection.

After using the setup flow, the useful part is service-level control. The less smooth part is that payments need to be enabled properly before no-show protection works.

• Marketplace Boost: Booksy has a built-in marketplace, and Boost can increase visibility there. This is the feature that makes Booksy different from many simple appointment scheduling tools. It can help businesses get new clients instead of only managing existing ones.

This also matches the positive Trustpilot review I noticed, where the user said Booksy helped boost their clientele tremendously. I’d include that screenshot around here because this is exactly where Booksy’s marketplace value shows up.

The tradeoff is cost. Booksy says Boost is free to turn on, then charges a one-time 30% fee on the first visit from a Boost client. That can work well if repeat bookings are strong, but it may feel expensive for low-margin services.

• Client Management: Booksy includes client cards, notes, appointment history, client tags, reminders, and the option to block clients who repeatedly waste time.

For businesses taking online payments, this helps connect the booking side with client history. You can see who booked what, who paid, who missed appointments, and who needs a follow-up.

The positive surprise is how much of this is built around repeat clients. It feels made for businesses where the same person may come back every month, like barbers, nail salons, lash artists, spas, and massage providers.

• Profile Marketing: Booksy lets businesses show service listings, photos, portfolio work, client reviews, and ratings on the profile. That matters because the booking page is often where a new client decides whether the business looks credible.

For online payments, this is underrated. People are more likely to pay upfront when they can see real work, service details, reviews, pricing, and available slots in one place.

The profile side is useful, but it is still very Booksy-marketplace centric. If a business wants a deeply branded booking page on its own domain, Booksy may feel less flexible than tools built around custom booking pages.

Pros

• Strong fit for salons, barbers, spas, wellness providers, and beauty businesses that want bookings and payments in one app.
• Deposits, cancellation fees, and card-on-file flows help reduce unpaid appointments and last-minute losses.
• Marketplace visibility can help service businesses get discovered by new clients.
• Client cards, reminders, reviews, and service photos make it useful for repeat appointment businesses.
• Pricing page is fairly transparent about processing fees, Boost fees, payouts, and included features.

Cons

• Payment disputes and support complaints appear in some Trustpilot and GetApp review patterns, so businesses should test support before relying on it heavily.
• Boost can become expensive because Booksy charges 30% of the first visit from a Boost client.
• It is strongest for beauty and wellness businesses, so it may feel too niche for broader appointment categories.
• Some review summaries mention glitches, slow payouts, and inconsistent support.
• Online payments are useful, but the mix of card reader, Tap to Pay, mobile payment, fast payout, and platform fee rules needs careful review.

Pricing

• Booksy’s US pricing page says payment processing has no monthly fee, with Mobile Payments and keyed-in entry at 2.69% + $0.30 per transaction.
• Booksy Card Reader payments are listed at 2.49% + $0.10 per transaction, while Tap to Pay is listed at 2.49% + $0.20 per transaction.
• Boost has no monthly fee, but Booksy charges a one-time 30% fee based on the total cost of a Boost client’s first visit.
• Next business day payouts are listed as free, while 30-minute Fast Payouts carry a 1.5% fee.

Fresha

Fresha is popularly known as a beauty and wellness booking system, mainly because it combines online booking, payments, POS, reminders, marketing, and marketplace discovery in one place. It is strongest for salons, spas, barbers, nail studios, massage studios, and wellness businesses that want appointment scheduling with online payments built in.

• Online Booking: Fresha lets clients book appointments online, manage bookings from any device, and get instant confirmations. It also supports direct booking links, Google bookings, Facebook bookings, Instagram bookings, and marketplace bookings, which matters if you want payment-ready scheduling across your website, search, and social pages. For a booking system with online payments, this is useful because the booking flow can collect the appointment, client details, and payment policy in one place. But the product still feels heavily built around beauty and wellness services. I saw the same concern in a G2 review of Fresha, where a massage therapist said the client notes and session packs did not fit their workflow well. I’d place that review screenshot below this point.

• Upfront Payments: Fresha supports deposits, upfront payments, cancellation fees, and saved cards. For businesses where no-shows hurt revenue, this is one of the more important parts of the product. A real example: a spa can ask clients to pay a deposit for a 90-minute treatment, save the card securely, and apply a cancellation policy if the client cancels too late. That makes Fresha more useful than a basic appointment calendar because payment protection is built into the booking journey.
• POS Checkout: Fresha has a strong checkout layer for appointment-based businesses. You can take payments through card terminals, tap to pay, saved cards, gift cards, cash, and client self-checkout. The cart can also include services, products, memberships, packages, tips, and add-ons. This was a positive surprise. Many scheduling tools stop at booking and payment collection. Fresha goes deeper into the final sale, which is helpful for businesses that sell products after an appointment, like shampoos, skincare products, wax kits, supplements, or gift cards.
• Marketing Tools: Fresha includes email campaigns, campaign templates, client segmentation, deals, loyalty rewards, off-peak discounts, price increases, and client reactivation tools. This matches the positive G2 review of Fresha where the reviewer called out online booking, credit card processing, email marketing, and text marketing as useful parts of the product. I agree with that review for beauty and wellness businesses because Fresha is more complete than a simple payment booking link.

• Client Management: Fresha includes client management, consultation forms, ratings, reviews, waitlists, appointment history, and client reports. For online payments, this matters because repeat bookings, stored details, and rebooking behavior are often tied to revenue. The weaker side is that some users mention navigation around notes can take more clicks than expected. Capterra also shows a review saying notes were hard to reach and needed too many clicks. For massage therapists, coaches, or service businesses that depend on detailed session notes, that is worth checking carefully.
• Marketplace Discovery: Fresha’s marketplace can help new clients discover and book beauty and wellness services. It also supports verified reviews from real bookings, which can help local service businesses build trust before payment. The tradeoff is cost. Fresha charges a one-time marketplace fee when a brand-new client discovers the business through the Fresha marketplace and completes a booking. Returning clients do not carry that same fee, but new-client attribution needs to be understood before relying heavily on marketplace bookings.

Pros

• Strong mix of online booking, payments, POS, reminders, and marketing in one system.
• Good fit for salons, spas, barbers, beauty studios, massage studios, and wellness businesses.
• Supports deposits, saved cards, cancellation policies, and upfront payments.
• Direct booking links, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and marketplace channels are useful for local discovery.
• POS is deeper than most appointment scheduling tools, especially for products, tips, memberships, and gift cards.
• Easy to use for many reviewers, especially for basic booking and client-facing appointment flows.

Cons

• Less ideal for businesses that need detailed session notes, care notes, or non-beauty workflows.
• Session packs and packages may not fit every appointment-based business cleanly, based on the G2 massage therapist review.
• Marketplace fees can become meaningful if many new clients come through Fresha.
• Some advanced reporting, loyalty, data connector, AI concierge, and premium support features are paid add-ons.
• Pricing and fees need careful checking by country because rates are shown in local currency.
• Support can be email-first unless premium support is added, based on Fresha’s pricing page and Capterra review comments.

Pricing

• Fresha currently lists an Independent plan at NZ$44.95 per month for one-person businesses, with a 7-day trial.
• The Team plan is listed at NZ$29.95 per bookable team member per month, also with a 7-day trial.
• Online payments and in-person payments are listed at 2.49% + NZ$0.30 per transaction on the pricing page I checked. Manual card entry is listed at 2.70% + NZ$0.30.
• Marketplace new clients carry a one-time 20% commission, while returning clients have no marketplace fee. Fresha says unlimited bookings through your own website, Google, or social media do not carry booking fees.

Conclusion

The best booking system with online payments really depends on how your business actually gets paid.

Lunacal is the strongest fit if you sell paid consultations, coaching sessions, packages, or services where the booking page needs to build real trust before someone hands over their credit card.

Acuity Scheduling is better if deposits, intake forms, and recurring service rules matter most to your daily workflow.

Setmore is a strong low cost option for small teams that need basic payment collection without spending much money.

Calendly works best for simple paid meeting links where you just need to charge for a call and move on.

SimplyBook.me is useful for flexible service businesses with memberships, add ons, coupons, and custom booking websites.

Fresha and Booksy are stronger for beauty and wellness businesses that need payments, POS, client records, marketplace discovery, and no show protection all in one system.

My advice is simple. Do not choose a tool just because it accepts online payments. Test the full flow. Booking page, checkout experience, deposit rules, confirmation email, reminder, reschedule link, refund handling, and payout reporting. That is where the best booking systems separate themselves from basic schedulers with a payment button attached.

FAQs

What is the best booking system with online payments?

Lunacal is the best option for businesses that want paid bookings, packages, reminders, intake questions, and branded booking pages all in one place. Acuity Scheduling is strong for deposits and client forms, while Setmore is a good low cost option if you just need basic payment collection.

What is the best online booking system with deposits?

Acuity Scheduling, SimplyBook.me, Booksy, Fresha, and Lunacal can all support deposit style booking workflows. Deposits are useful for salons, consultants, trainers, clinics, and any service business where no shows cause direct revenue loss that you cannot easily recover.

What is the best booking system with Stripe payments?

Lunacal, Setmore, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, and SimplyBook.me all support Stripe payments. Lunacal is stronger for branded paid booking pages and packages, while Calendly is better for simple paid meeting links where you do not need much customization.

What is the best booking system with PayPal payments?

Lunacal, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, and SimplyBook.me support PayPal payment workflows. PayPal can be useful for consultants, tutors, trainers, and service providers whose clients prefer not to enter card details directly on a website.

What is the best booking system for paid appointments?

Lunacal, Acuity Scheduling, Setmore, Calendly, and SimplyBook.me are all strong options for paid appointments. Lunacal is best when the booking page needs to build trust before someone pays. Acuity is better for intake forms, deposits, and service rules. Setmore is the low cost entry point.