Three things Sammy does better than a booking form
Anyone can put a calendar online. These are the parts that quietly grow the business, night and day, without adding to your to-do list.
Every booking lands where it packs your day tightest
Sammy places each new appointment to close gaps instead of scattering them, and keeps your most-requested staff free for the clients who ask for them by name. Walk-ins flow to whoever has room, so you stop losing those dead 15-minute holes that never get filled.
- Fills gaps automatically as bookings come in
- Protects your top staff for requested clients
- Respects each person's preferred break between clients
Keep your Google rating climbing without the busywork
Connect your Google Business Profile and every new review lands in your Sammy dashboard. Sammy drafts a warm, on-brand reply for each one, so you respond in seconds and a five-star review never sits there ignored.
- All your Google reviews in one inbox
- AI-drafted replies you approve in a tap
- Never leave a new review unanswered
“Best gel manicure in the city. Mai took her time and it looks perfect.”
Thank you, Amara! We're so glad Mai took great care of you. See you next time.
Approve & postNew customers find you through our directory, free
Every Sammy salon is listed in our directory, where people already searching for a salon near them book straight into your live calendar. Each one is labeled so you can see exactly who we sent, and we never charge for them. No commission, no per-booking fee, not ever.
- Your salon listed where locals already search
- Directory bookings labeled so you see what we send
- Free: no commission, no per-customer fee, ever
Run the whole front desk from one dashboard
Online booking, reminders, phone calls, staff scheduling, gift cards and reporting, instead of five tools that don't talk to each other.
24/7 online booking
Customers book themselves from any phone or laptop, day or night. Your live availability, your services, your branding.
Automated reminders
Text and email reminders go out on their own, so fewer people forget, and far fewer chairs sit empty.
AI phone receptionist
Sam answers your phone, books appointments and screens spam calls around the clock, even when you're with a client.
Staff & calendar scheduling
A clean day view per staff, per-service durations, walk-ins and check-ins. The whole front desk in one screen.
Gift cards & campaigns
Sell gift cards online and run email and SMS marketing to bring regulars back, all from the same dashboard.
Reports & insights
See revenue, bookings and no-show trends at a glance so you know what's working and what to adjust.
Live in an afternoon
No long onboarding. Set it up, share the link, start taking bookings.
Add your services & staff
Set up your menu, prices, durations and team in minutes. Point your logo and colours at it and it's yours.
Share your booking link
Put it on your Google profile, Instagram and website. Customers book straight into your live calendar.
Get booked, skip the no-shows
Confirmations and reminders run automatically. You spend less time on the phone and more in the chair.
An AI receptionist that never misses a call
Sam answers your business line in a natural voice, books and reschedules appointments straight into your calendar, and quietly hangs up on spam and robocalls. Every missed call is a missed booking, and Sam catches them.
- Answers 24/7, even when you're with a client
- Books into the same live calendar as online bookings
- Screens spam so your phone stops ringing for nothing
Start cheap. Grow with your salon.
No commissions, no per-booking fees, no contracts. The core plan is $29 a month flat, and now includes Google review management and a basic website, free. Turn on the AI receptionist when you're ready and pay only for what it answers, with a spend cap so your bill never surprises you.
Your whole front desk, plus reviews and a website, free. Setup is free too, we move your clients, services and calendar over for you.
- 24/7 online booking with your branding
- Smart calendar fill that packs your day
- Automated SMS + email reminders
- Staff scheduling, gift cards & campaigns
- Reports & insights
- Free listing in the Sammy salon directory
- Google review management, included free
- A basic website, built and hosted free
Optional. Pick the tier that matches how much your phone rings, and pay only for what it answers.
Extra minutes beyond your tier are $0.25 to $0.35 each. Set a monthly spend cap when you turn it on, and we alert you before you reach it, so the bill never surprises you.
Ongoing content, technical fixes and optimization on top of your free site, so you climb search results for things like “nails near me”.
We set up and run your ads. Ad spend goes straight to Google, not us.
Customers who find you through the Sammy directory are free. No commission, no percentage, no per-booking fee, for as long as you're with Sammy. Your money is your money.
How Sammy Booking compares
Flat $29 a month, any team size. No commission, no cut of your payments, and a free directory that sends you new customers. Here is how that stacks up.
| Feature | Sammy Booking | Fresha | FastBoy | Vagaro | GlossGenius | DashBooking | Belle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat core, any team sizeAI receptionist in usage tiers | Subscription + marketplace commission | A la carte modules that stack | Per bookable calendarPer employee | Flat tieredStandard covers 2 users | Scales with appointment volume | Flat tiered |
| Monthly cost (typical) | $29 flat coreReviews + basic website included. AI from $29 (Growth $79, ~$108 total). Managed SEO $79, Google Ads $179 | CA$29.95 solo, or CA$19.95 / staffScales up with staff | About $200 to $400/mo stackedGo Booking $20/40/99 · Check In $59/99/199 · POS $50/99/149 · website/SEO $59 to $149 + build fee | CA$35 first calendar + CA$15 each3-person salon ~CA$65/mo (Canadian pricing) | Standard $24/mo annual ($28 monthly)Gold $48 ($56) · Platinum $148 ($168) | $0/mo for 0 to 50 appointmentsPaid tiers above that (price not published) | Starter $55 · Growth $99 · Premium $159Enterprise $229. Real entry ~$99+ once you need POS |
| Commission on new clients | None | 20% on new marketplace clientsMin CA$6. Returning free. Not charged on own-link bookings | None | None | None | None | None |
| Takes a % of your payments | No. Your money is your money | Steers you onto Fresha Payments2.29% to 3.30% plus a fee | Pushes Fastboy Payment processingOpaque rate | Vagaro card processing2.2% to 3.5% | Built-in processing ~2.6%/swipeMandatory | Up to 3% card processing | No payment cut |
| Sends you new customers free | Yes: free Ontario directory~4,000 nail salons; labeled “came through Sammy”, no commission | Via marketplaceThen takes the 20% new-client commission | No | Marketplace listingNo free labeled-lead directory | No | Marketplace listingNo free labeled-lead directory | NoSends zero new customers |
| AI phone receptionist | Yes: usage tiers from $29/moGrowth $79/mo, with a spend cap | AI Concierge add-onCA$139.95/mo | No | No | No | Metered receptionist$300 setup + $30/mo + $20/mo number + $0.30/min | No |
| Built for nail salons | Yes, purpose-built for nail salons | No, general beauty | Yes, Vietnamese nail niche | No, general salon / spa / fitness | No, general beautyUS only | Yes, nail-heavyCanada | Yes, Vietnamese nail incumbentCanada |
| Own and export your data | Yes, full exportWe migrate you in for free | Limited export | Limited or unclear | Export available | Export available | Export available | No public API / self-serve exportData lock-in |
| Contract required | No contract | No long contractEnded “free forever” in 2025; added per-seat fees | NoSetup fees on top modules | No contract | No contract | No | No |
| Vietnamese support | Yes | No | YesBilingual VI and EN | No | NoUS only | No | YesServes Vietnamese nail salons |
Standard card-processing fees are left out of the price comparison because every provider's customer pays a card processor. This row shows only whether the platform forces you onto its own processor or takes an extra cut.
Figures checked July 2026. Amounts are in Canadian dollars where a competitor prices in CAD (Fresha); competitors localise pricing by country, so other regions differ. Prices change, so confirm on each provider's own page: Fresha, FastBoy, Vagaro, GlossGenius, DashBooking, Belle. Product names are trademarks of their owners; this is an independent comparison.
The honest read
The money you keep is the difference. Sammy Booking is one flat fee with no commission and no cut of your payments, so a busy week costs the same as a slow one. Fresha's 20% applies only to new clients who find you through its marketplace, not the clients you already have or who book your own link. Every other tool here takes a payment cut, scales with volume, or sends you no new customers.
When another tool may fit you better
Fresha fits if you want the big consumer marketplace and will accept the 20% on new marketplace clients (see the full Fresha comparison). GlossGenius or Vagaro fit if you are US-based and want an all-in-one you already know. FastBoy fits if you want a la carte modules you assemble yourself. Belle fits if you are happy with a flat tool and do not need lead generation, an AI receptionist, or data export.
Free setup. We move your clients, services, and calendar for you.
Good to know
Do you take a commission or a cut of my bookings?+
No, never. The core plan is one flat monthly price, and there are no per-booking fees or percentages tied to your revenue anywhere on Sammy. The AI receptionist is priced in simple usage tiers, so you pay for what it answers, not a cut of what you earn, and you set a spend cap so there are no surprises. Your money is your money.
What does it cost?+
The core plan is $29 a month flat, with free setup, and now includes Google review management and a basic website. The AI receptionist is optional, priced in usage tiers starting at $29 a month with a spend cap you control. Managed SEO and Google Ads management stay flat monthly add-ons if you want our team running them for you.
How much does the AI receptionist cost?+
It is billed in tiers based on how many minutes it spends on the phone each month. Starter is $29 a month for about 300 answered minutes, Growth is $79 a month for about 800 minutes, and Busy is $149 a month for about 1,800 minutes. Extra minutes beyond your tier are billed at $0.25 to $0.35 each, and you set a monthly spend cap so you always know your ceiling.
Are customers from the Sammy directory really free?+
Yes. Your salon is listed in the Sammy directory, where people already looking for a salon near them book straight into your calendar. Each booking is labeled so you can see who came through us, and we never charge a commission or per-customer fee for them, for as long as you're on Sammy.
Is there anything for my customers to install?+
No. Customers book from a web link on any device, with no app and no account required. You manage everything from the admin dashboard in your browser.
Can I use my own branding?+
Yes. Your salon name, logo, colours, services and hours all drive the booking site, so it looks like your brand, not ours.
How does the AI phone receptionist work?+
Sammy answers your business line, talks naturally with callers, books or reschedules appointments into the same calendar, and filters out spam and robocalls.
What is smart calendar fill?+
When a customer books “any available”, Sammy picks the time and staff member that keep your day packed tightest, so you fill gaps instead of scattering short bookings no one can use. It keeps your most-requested staff open for the clients who ask for them by name, and respects the break each person likes between appointments.
Can Sammy manage my Google reviews?+
Yes. Connect your Google Business Profile and every new review shows up in your Sammy dashboard. Sammy drafts a friendly, on-brand reply for each one that you approve and post in a tap, so your rating keeps climbing and no review sits unanswered.
What kinds of businesses is it for?+
Nail salons, spas, beauty studios and other appointment-based local businesses. If you take bookings and want fewer no-shows, it fits.