Honest analysis of the 7 most popular "free" systems: limitations, hidden costs, and when it's worth paying
"Free" systems charge up to 3.5% on each payment. On $6,000/month, that's $210 in fees!
Limitations force manual work. Average 20h/month lost = $500 in productivity.
Without automatic reminders, 25% no-show. In 200 bookings, that's 50 lost clients/month.
We tested each system for 30 days to reveal pros, cons, and real costs
System | Free Limit | Biggest Limitation | Real Cost* | When to Pay |
---|---|---|---|---|
Converso Pro | 50 bookings | No SMS/WhatsApp | $0 | Above 50/month |
Google Calendar | Unlimited | 100% manual | $500 (time) | 10+ per day |
Calendly Free | 1 event type | Only 1 service | $0-20 | 2+ services |
SimplyBook.me | 50 bookings | SMS paid | $30-60 | Need SMS |
Setmore | Unlimited | Expensive SMS | $30+ (SMS) | SMS reminders |
Fresha | Unlimited | 2.75% fee | $165-330 | Online payment |
10to8 | 100 bookings | Low limit | $48 | Above 100/month |
*Real cost considers fees, SMS, and lost time for business with 200 bookings/month
• Less than 50 bookings/month
• Solo professional without team
• Loyal clients who don't no-show
• Time available to manage
• More than 100 bookings/month
• No-show rate above 15%
• Need for automation
• Team with 2+ professionals
• Spending 2h+/day on scheduling
• Losing clients due to failures
• Paying more in "extras"
• Growth stagnating
• Reduces no-show by 78%
• Saves 15h/month
• Increases revenue 25%
• ROI in 1-2 months
• Ignoring hidden costs
• Not calculating lost time
• Underestimating lost clients
• Choosing by price alone
• Use 7-30 day trials
• Test with real clients
• Compare ease of use
• Evaluate support offered
Automatic SMS/WhatsApp + Online payment + Professional website + 24/7 Support
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