Free software is a great pitch. But a marketplace has to make money somewhere, and it makes it from your bookings and your payments. That is not automatically a bad deal — for a brand-new salon with no client base, marketplace reach can be genuinely useful. The problem is what happens once you are established and still paying the toll.
Where the money actually comes out
- New-client commission — a percentage (often around 20%) on bookings the marketplace “brings” you
- Payment processing — you may be locked into the platform’s payment product at its rates
- Add-on features — marketing, no-show protection and more, billed on top
The number that surprises owners
A single 20% commission on a ₹1,500 new-client service is ₹300. That sounds small until you multiply it across a year of new clients. For many salons it quietly exceeds the entire annual cost of a flat-fee platform. The exact figure depends on your volume — the savings calculator shows yours in about a minute.
The cost that never shows on an invoice
The bigger long-term issue is ownership. On a marketplace, the client often belongs to the platform — you may not fully own their contact details, and your salon can be shown next to competitors bidding for the same customer. You are renting access to your own clients.
When it makes sense to leave
You have probably outgrown the marketplace model when:
- Most of your bookings are repeat clients you already earned — yet you still pay commission
- You want to market to your client list directly, on your terms
- The annual commission has grown past what a flat plan would cost
Leaving is easier than it looks
Switching is mostly a data export and a week of overlap — we walk through the whole thing in how to switch your salon to Salonior. You keep your clients, drop the commission, and own your brand.
A marketplace rents you customers. At some point you have already paid for them — twice.
Want to stop paying commission on clients you already own? Start your free Salonior trial — every feature included, 0% commission, no credit card required.