The economics of zero-commission booking
Treatwell takes up to 35% of every booking. We break down what that costs a mid-sized salon over a year — and why we refuse to do the same.
LeoUp Team
When a salon owner tells us they pay “around 30%” of marketplace bookings to Treatwell, we usually open a calculator on the table. The number that comes out tends to end the conversation.
A real-world example
A two-chair salon in Vienna with 40 bookings per week averaging €55/ticket gets €2,200/week in marketplace revenue. At Treatwell’s typical 30% commission tier:
- Annual marketplace revenue: €114,400
- Annual commission: €34,320
- Net to the salon: €80,080
That commission alone would pay for an additional stylist, full year, all-in. Or three years of LeoUp’s Salon plan, with about €30,000 left over.
What you actually buy with that 30%
Defenders of the model argue you’re buying:
- Discovery (clients who would not otherwise find you)
- Booking infrastructure (calendar, reminders, payments)
- Reviews and trust signals
The first is real, but diminishing. After 6–12 months, the majority of “marketplace” bookings are repeat customers — people who already know your salon and just use the site they remember. You’re paying a finder’s fee on clients you already converted.
The second is a commodity in 2026. The third is increasingly Google.
What LeoUp does instead
- 0% commission on direct bookings, forever. Your domain, your funnel, your clients.
- Optional marketplace — a flat monthly fee, not a per-booking tax. You opt in only when it makes sense, and you can leave any time.
- Migration help. We import your Treatwell calendar, services and review history. Your clients see no disruption.
The economics aren’t subtle. If your salon is past the point of needing pure discovery, you are overpaying — by a stylist a year — to use software you no longer need.