The honest Setmore alternative
Setmore’s free plan is generous, but if reminders are locked behind Pro and payments just pass through to a processor with no real deposit engine, you’re missing the two things that actually protect a chair. Keptbookings includes reminders and native deposits with card validation in one flat price built for salons.
Why people leave Setmore
- Setmore reserves automated reminders for its Pro tier, so the free plan most solos start on leaves out the best no-show defense.
- Payments are pass-through to a processor rather than a native deposit engine, so collecting and enforcing deposits is clunky at best.
- The salon-specific tooling is thin, so as your needs get specific — service durations, staff rules, client history — you bump into limits.
- Without a real card-validation and deposit system, no-show protection is largely manual and easy to circumvent.
- Keptbookings includes SMS and email reminders and a native deposit engine with card validation on every plan, purpose-built for appointment businesses.
How Keptbookings is different
- Built for personal-care specifically, with deposits and no-show protection native.
- Reminders included, not gated.
- A booking page designed to convert beauty clients on mobile.
What Setmore does well
Setmore’s free tier is genuinely generous, covering a healthy number of appointments and staff logins at no cost — which makes it a friendly entry point for someone just starting out. The interface is clean and approachable, and basic online booking works without much setup. For a brand-new solo provider testing the waters, Setmore lowers the barrier to getting a booking link live.
Where Setmore falls short for independents
The limitations appear as you get serious. Automated reminders — the most effective no-show prevention there is — sit behind the Pro tier, so the very people who started on the free plan to save money are the ones missing the feature that protects their income. That’s a hard trade for a solo who can least afford an empty chair.
Payments are the bigger structural gap. Setmore largely passes payments through to a processor rather than running a native deposit engine, so collecting a deposit at booking and enforcing it against no-shows is awkward and partly manual. Without proper card validation, a client can book without meaningful commitment, and you’re left chasing rather than protected.
The salon-specific tooling is also relatively thin. As your workflow gets specific — varied service durations, staff-level rules, richer client history and notes — you start to feel the ceiling of a tool that’s broad and simple rather than deep for beauty businesses.
How Keptbookings is different
Keptbookings includes the protective essentials on every plan. SMS and email reminders are standard, not a Pro upsell, so no-show prevention is there from day one. And rather than passing payments through, Keptbookings has a native deposit engine: cards are validated at booking, deposits are collected directly, and you’re alerted if a client removes the card on file — so commitment is real, not assumed.
The tooling is built for appointment businesses, with the service, staff, and client-history depth a growing salon actually needs, plus a branded embeddable booking page and guest checkout.
Payouts run through Stripe with fast next-day timing, and pricing stays flat and simple — free tier, Solo around $19/month, Team around $49/month flat for up to six. You get the low-friction start Setmore offers without losing reminders and deposits as you grow.
Switching from Setmore to Keptbookings
Keptbookings imports your clients and appointment history for free, so the bookings you’ve built in Setmore carry over. Setup takes about 15 minutes, and one-click export means you can always leave with your data. Moving up to a tool with real deposit protection shouldn’t cost you a weekend — and it doesn’t.
Who should choose which
If you’re brand new, on the tightest budget, and just need a free booking link to begin, Setmore’s free tier is a reasonable start. The moment reminders and enforceable deposits matter — which is the moment no-shows start costing you — Keptbookings’s included reminders and native deposit engine make it the more protective home for the same money.
Keptbookings vs Setmore
The differences that actually touch your money.
| What matters | Keptbookings | Setmore |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | One flat price | Free (4 users) / $5–12 per user |
| Processing | Transparent flat rate | Pass-through (Stripe etc.) |
| Commission on your clients | Never | None |
| No-show protection included | ||
| Guest checkout | ||
| One-click export |
Questions, answered
Is Keptbookings a good Setmore alternative?
Yes, particularly once no-shows start hurting. Keptbookings includes SMS reminders and a native deposit engine with card validation on every plan, where Setmore reserves reminders for Pro and only passes payments through.
Can I move my clients from Setmore?
Yes. Keptbookings imports your client list and appointment history for free, with setup in about 15 minutes, so your existing bookings come with you.
Are reminders included with Keptbookings?
Yes. SMS and email reminders are part of every Keptbookings plan, not a Pro-tier feature like Setmore’s, so you get no-show prevention from the start.
Does Keptbookings have real deposit protection?
Yes. Keptbookings validates cards at booking and collects deposits through a native engine, and alerts you if a client removes their card — unlike Setmore’s pass-through payments.
Is Keptbookings built for salons specifically?
Yes. Keptbookings is purpose-built for appointment businesses, with the service, staff, and client-history depth a growing salon needs as it outgrows a general-purpose tool.
Does Keptbookings have a free option like Setmore?
Yes. Keptbookings offers a free tier, with Solo around $19/month and Team around $49/month flat for up to six people — and reminders and deposits are included even as you scale.
How fast are payouts with Keptbookings?
Keptbookings pays out through Stripe with fast next-day timing and no holds, so your earnings stay accessible.
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