Why per-staff pricing costs growing businesses more
When you compare booking software, the price you see first is often per team member. It might be called per user, per staff member or per seat, but it works the same way: every person on your calendar adds to the bill. For a one-person business that can look cheap. As soon as you grow, it starts to add up.
How per-staff pricing adds up
Take a simple example: a booking tool that costs £15 a month for each team member, next to Bookpin’s flat £29.
| Team size | Tool that charges per team member | Bookpin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | £15 | £29 |
| 2 people | £30 | £29£14.50 per person |
| 4 people | £60 | £29£7.25 per person |
| 6 people | £90 | £29£4.83 per person |
| 10 people | £150 | £29£2.90 per person |
On your own, a per-staff tool can cost less. From two people on, the flat price wins, and the gap widens with every hire: in this example a team of six pays £1,080 a year, for the same software it started with. Nothing about the product has changed. You’re paying more because your business is doing well.
The people who cost the most
Per-staff pricing hits hardest with the people who don’t work full weeks. Each of them usually costs as much as a full-time team member:
| Who | Works | Charged per team member | Bookpin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-timer | Two days a week | Full price | Included |
| Apprentice | Still building a client list | Full price | Included |
| Freelancer | One day a week | Full price | Included |
| Seasonal help | Busy weeks, like December | Full price | Included |
That pushes some owners to share logins or leave people off the calendar altogether, which is how double bookings and missed appointments happen.
Other costs to check
The monthly price isn’t always the whole story. Before you sign up, look for:
- commission on bookings from new clients, especially through a marketplace
- a fee on every booking, or on every card payment
- paid add-ons for things like reminders, deposits or reports
- long contracts or set-up fees
Questions to ask before you choose
- What will I pay if my team doubles?
- Do part-time and occasional team members cost the same as full-time ones?
- Is there any commission, and on which bookings?
- Are reminders and deposits included, or extra?
- Can I leave at any time, and can I take my client list with me?
How Bookpin is priced
Bookpin is one flat price for the whole business: £29 a month, whether it’s just you or a team of ten. Add as many team members as you like, including part-timers and freelancers, and the price stays the same. There’s no commission, email reminders are included, and optional deposits go straight into your own Stripe account. You can export your clients at any time.
See the pricing page for what’s included, or how Bookpin compares with Fresha.