The Real Cost of "Free" Nail Salon Software in 2026
"Free forever." It sounds like a gift. Then the first new client books through the marketplace, and 20% of that ticket disappears before it ever hits your account. Free nail salon software is rarely free — and salon owners are doing the math in 2026.
Where "Free" Actually Comes From
Most platforms marketed as free run on one of three hidden models. They look different on the surface but they all reach into the same pocket: yours.
- Commission on new clients. A flat percentage taken from every appointment booked through the platform's marketplace. Often 20%.
- Add-on creep. The base plan is cheap or free, but payroll, email marketing, website builder, and SMS reminders are each billed separately.
- Pay-to-be-seen fees. Your profile exists for free, but if you want to actually appear in client searches, you pay to "boost" it.
None of these are scams. They're business models. The problem is they're rarely on the homepage.
Running the Math on a Real Nail Salon
Let's take a salon most owners would recognize: one location, three nail techs, around 280 services a month. Average ticket sits around $55. That's roughly $15,400 in monthly service revenue before tips.
Now imagine 30% of that revenue comes from new clients discovering you through the platform's marketplace — about $4,620 a month in new client bookings. A 20% commission on that slice is $924 a month. Every month. Forever.
That's $11,088 a year — for software that markets itself as free.
And that's before you add the optional email tool, the optional payroll module, or the "boost" fee to appear higher in search results.
What Salon Owners Are Actually Saying
This isn't theoretical. Owners in Facebook groups and Reddit threads have been comparing notes. A few patterns keep showing up in reviews this year:
- "My bill went from $30 to $90 and I didn't notice until I audited my subscriptions."
- "They take 20% of every new client. That's not free — that's a commission model."
- "I'm paying for the subscription AND paying to boost my profile. Double dipping."
According to a National Federation of Independent Business survey published this spring, small business owners are auditing software subscriptions at higher rates than they did in 2025. Salon owners are part of that wave. The "free" label doesn't hold up under a calculator.
What Transparent Pricing Actually Looks Like
Transparent pricing is boring. It's one number you can predict. No percentage of your revenue. No surprise line items. No "boost" tier.
At EasySalon, the math is simple: $15 per salon plus $20 per tech, per month. A one-location salon with three nail techs pays $75 a month. That's it. No commission on bookings. No add-on for payroll. No fee to appear in your own client's search.
Compare that to the example above:
- "Free" platform with 20% new-client commission: ~$924/month
- EasySalon flat rate: $75/month
That's not a marketing trick. That's a calculator.
How to Audit Your Current Software in 15 Minutes
Whether you switch platforms or not, every nail salon owner should run this exercise once a quarter. Especially heading into the summer rush when revenue spikes and so do hidden fees.
- Pull your last three months of platform invoices. Add up every line item, including add-ons.
- Find the commission rate in your terms of service. Search for "marketplace fee" or "new client fee."
- Estimate marketplace-sourced revenue. Most platforms show this in your dashboard. Multiply by the commission rate.
- Add boost or promoted listing spend if you're using it.
- Divide the total by the number of techs. That's your true per-tech cost. Compare it to flat-rate alternatives.
If your total monthly software cost is more than $40 per tech, you're probably overpaying.
Why This Matters More in Summer
June through August is one of the two biggest revenue windows for nail salons. Pedicure demand spikes. Wedding parties book multi-tech appointments. Volume goes up — and so does the commission bite on every new client who finds you through a marketplace.
A pricing model that takes 20% of your busiest months hurts most in exactly the season you should be banking cash for the slower fall.
The Bottom Line
Free is a word, not a price. The real cost of any salon software is what leaves your account every month — subscription, commission, add-ons, and boost fees combined. When you run those numbers honestly, the cheapest option is usually the one with the most boring pricing page.
If you want to see exactly what EasySalon would cost for your salon — no estimates, no asterisks — you can start your free 14-day trial and see the flat monthly number on day one. No contract. No commission. No surprises in August.