Booking software pricing, explained

Booking-software pricing is harder to compare than it should be, because providers charge in different ways. Once you know the two main models — and where costs tend to hide — it's much easier to work out what you'll really pay.

Subscription pricing

You pay a fixed monthly fee for the software, often tiered by how many staff, locations or features you need. The advantage is predictability: you know the number each month. The thing to check is what's included in your tier versus what costs extra, and whether the price jumps sharply as you grow.

Per-booking commission

Instead of (or on top of) a subscription, some platforms take a percentage of each booking. This can look cheap when you're quiet, but it scales with your success — the busier you get, the more you pay, and a commission on every new client can add up fast. It's worth modelling what that percentage costs across a typical month, not just a single booking.

The fees that hide in between

Whatever the headline, look for the extras that don't show up until later:

• Setup or onboarding charges before you can take a booking.
• Payment-processing fees layered on top of the platform fee.
• Long contracts or notice periods that make leaving costly.
• Add-ons (reminders, marketing, extra staff) that quietly raise the real price.

The honest way to compare is to add the subscription, the per-booking cost, and the payment fees together for a realistic month — then check what it takes to cancel.

How QZee prices it

QZee keeps it deliberately simple and visible up front. There's a free Starter plan, a Core plan at a flat monthly price, and a transparent 3% + 25p per booking — with no setup fee, no hidden commission beyond that line, and no long contract. You can see exactly what a month would cost before you commit, and cancel whenever it stops fitting.

Pricing shouldn't need a calculator and a magnifying glass. Whatever you choose, insist on seeing the whole number before you sign up.