For: Fitness studios · Barbershops · Spas · Massage
Setmore review 2026: free plan, Pro pricing and the catches
Disclosure: Our #1 pick is MeetScarlet, and we are affiliated with them. We also cover competing tools and where they shine. We may earn commissions from links on this page. Details
The short answer: Setmore is appointment scheduling software with a free plan for up to 4 users and Pro from $5 per user a month billed annually. It adds no fee on card payments and offers 24/7 support by chat, email and phone. The catches: no memberships, packs or gift cards found, text reminders only on Pro, and refund rules that conflict. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, includes a branded app in the App Store and Google Play, and its terms say “Scarlet is live”, but its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”. Checked November 5, 2026.
Key takeaways
- Setmore has a free plan for up to 4 users, with unlimited appointments, online payments, a booking page and email reminders (checked November 5, 2026).
- Pro is $5 per user a month billed annually, or $12 per user billed monthly, per its pricing page and help centre (checked November 5, 2026).
- Setmore adds no fee on payments. You connect Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay and pay that processor's rates.
- We found no memberships, class packs or gift cards on Setmore's pages, so studios that sell them would bill outside Setmore.
- Text reminders are Pro only, with 500 text credits a month per team member on web plans (1 credit per short text in the US and Canada), and texts are for reminders only, not marketing.
- Refund rules conflict: its terms say "Payments are non-refundable", while its help centre offers new Pro members who upgrade on the web their money back within 30 days.
What Setmore is (and isn’t)
Setmore’s homepage calls it “Free scheduling software” to “Organize your business with 24/7 automated online booking, reminders, payments, and more”. Its terms say the site is run by Setmore in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the App Store seller is Setmore, Inc.
It’s a general scheduler: a booking page, a calendar, staff profiles, group classes and reminders, with payments through outside processors. Its industry pages run from barber shops, salons, spas, massage, gyms and yoga to lawyers, dentists and tutors. So it’s relevant to our barbershop, spa, massage and fitness studio readers.
It doesn’t present itself as membership, tanning or court software. We found no memberships, class packs, gift cards, waitlist or room booking on its pages, and no tanning or padel pages.
A note on links: this review doesn’t link to Setmore’s website, because its terms of use say “No User may provide links to Setmore’s website without prior written permission”. We name its pages as plain text, with the dates we read them.
How we reviewed Setmore
- We read Setmore’s pricing page, FAQ page and Terms of Use on November 5, 2026.
- We read its payments, branded app, multiple locations and class pages, and its status page.
- We read its help-centre articles on Pro billing, mobile plans, refunds, text credits, the text-message policy, exports, team members and support.
- We looked up third-party ratings on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot, labelled as other people’s opinions. G2 and Capterra blocked our requests.
- We haven’t used Setmore hands-on, so we couldn’t count booking steps or time a setup. This review is documentation-based.
Our method explains how we put pages together.
Setmore pricing (checked November 5, 2026)
| Plan | Price | Users | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 4 | Unlimited appointments, online payments, a booking page, a “Branded Mobile App” (a web app), email confirmations and one email reminder, group classes, logins and permission levels, reports and Reserve with Google |
| Pro, billed annually | $5 per user a month, charged yearly | “Unlimited users” | Adds text reminders (500 text credits a month per team member), a second reminder, recurring appointments, deposits, two-way calendar sync, video appointments, Google review requests, no Setmore branding and priority support |
| Pro, billed monthly | $12 per user a month, per its pricing page and help centre | “Unlimited users” | As above. Its FAQ page still lists “$9 user / mo” for monthly billing, which doesn’t match |
| Live Receptionist | $99 a month | US only | Calls answered by “a professional team of real people”, as a separate plan |
| Enterprise | “Contact us” | Not published | A “key account manager” and “Consolidated billing” |
| For comparison: MeetScarlet (our #1 pick) | $349/month plus $999 one-time setup, or $3,490 a year with setup free | 5 staff logins, counting the owner (20 on Scarlet Pro) | One location with a branded iPhone, Android and web app, booking, memberships and check-in. Scarlet Pro (up to 3 locations, per its terms) is $499/month plus $999 setup, or $4,990 a year |
Sources: Setmore’s pricing page, FAQ page and its help article on Pro for web and desktop, checked November 5, 2026. Prices are shown in ”$”.
Who counts as a user: “Each staff calendar counts as a user even if the owner/assignee does not have login permission.” By our arithmetic, 1 or 3 staff can use Free at $0. On Pro, 1, 3 and 10 staff cost $5, $15 and $50 a month billed annually, or $12, $36 and $120 billed monthly. Ten staff is over the Free limit, so Pro is needed. Compare what other booking apps cost.
Plans bought in the phone app cost differently. Setmore’s help article on mobile plans (October 5, 2026) lists Premium for 1 user at $11.99 a month or $99.99 a year, up to Pro Max for 7 to 10 users at $89.99 a month or $599.99 a year, billed by Apple or Google. Its help centre says “Setmore cannot process refunds or changes for mobile subscriptions made via these platforms.”
Payments and other fees:
| Fee or rule | What Setmore says |
|---|---|
| Setmore’s cut of payments | None: “You won’t be charged by Setmore for transactions” |
| Processor rates it lists | Square 2.6% + $0.15 in person and 2.9% + $0.30 online; Stripe 2.9% + $0.30; PayPal 3.49% + $0.49; LawPay 2.99% + $0.30; “Rates may vary by country” |
| Extra texts | Bought as a one-time pack or a monthly bundle; price not published |
| Texts sent | US and Canada: 1 credit per text; long or emoji messages use more |
| Stripe Instant Payouts (optional) | 1.5% of the payout in the US; standard payouts stay free |
| Setup | None found; demos and onboarding calls are free |
| For comparison: MeetScarlet (our #1 pick) | Card payments in its app are Stripe’s fees plus 1%, through your own Stripe account, and turn on once Stripe finishes checking that account. Its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card deposits or no-show fees (checked November 5, 2026). We found no price for its email and text automation bundle |
Sources: Setmore’s payments page, its help articles on text credits and Stripe Instant Payouts, and its human support page, checked November 5, 2026. Check each processor’s own rates before you sign.
Contracts, cancelling and your data
There’s no contract: its FAQ says “There’s no contract with a free Setmore account”, and Pro users can “cancel your subscription at any time during your billing period without penalty”. Paid plans “will automatically renew at the start of each new subscription period” unless you downgrade or cancel.
Refunds depend on which page you read:
- Terms of Use: “Payments are non-refundable, but Setmore may consider a request to refund a past payment on a case-by-case basis.” Downgrading or cancelling “will be effective immediately”, with no refund for the rest of the period.
- Refund help article: new Pro members can get their money back within 30 days, but “You may only request a refund if you upgraded to Setmore Pro from the Setmore web app.” Its pricing FAQ also says you can “try ‘Pro’ risk-free for 30 days”.
- Pro help article: on monthly billing, “Access to Pro features will remain until the end of the current billing cycle.” On annual billing, refunds come only if you ask “within the same month” of upgrading or renewing.
The terms also say “Setmore reserves the right to change any price without notice”. If its “cost to provide service (namely SMS and Email) exceeds the revenue derived from the Customer”, it can change pricing or refuse service. It can close accounts “for any or no reason, without notice”. The terms follow North Carolina law.
Your data: “Setmore will export your customer data as a CSV file”. Appointment history exports as .XLS from reports, in a browser only, up to 3 months at a time. To export staff or service data, the account owner emails a formal request to Setmore’s privacy team.
Booking, classes and reminders
Setmore covers unlimited appointments on every plan, with booking and cancellation policies, lead times and scheduling windows. Group classes have seats, and bookings close when they’re full. Clients can book several services in one appointment, though “Class sessions are not currently supported” for that. Recurring appointments and per-service availability are Pro only.
Clients book on your booking page, a website widget, Reserve with Google, or Facebook and Instagram buttons. Its “Branded Mobile App” is a Progressive Web App “that directs customers straight to your Booking Page”, not an App Store or Google Play listing.
Reminders: Free sends one email reminder; Pro sends two, plus text reminders. On web plans, “Pro team members get 500 SMS credits monthly”, for accounts that upgraded on or after September 30, 2026. Its text-message policy says texts are “intended solely for appointment reminders”, and marketing texts are “strictly prohibited”.
Payments: deposits are Pro only, saved cards are “available on every plan”, and payment links and Tap to Pay come through Stripe. We found no memberships, class packs, gift cards or recurring membership billing on Setmore’s pages or in its help centre. Its gym page only says you can get paid online for memberships through Square or Stripe.
Marketing is light: promo codes, Google review requests on Pro, and Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot and Zapier integrations; we found no built-in campaign tool. Reports come on both plans, but “‘Reports’ is not currently available in the mobile app”, and we found no payroll or commission report.
Several locations need separate accounts: “Each location needs its own Setmore account”, each with its own billing, linked by support.
Switching to Setmore
You can import customers from Google or a CSV file, but “Setmore can only process 1,000 contacts at a time from a CSV file”. We found no migration help for appointments, services or history from another booking system. Setmore offers a free 30-minute demo with onboarding experts, and its human support page says demos are “completely free —just like all support on Setmore”.
What Setmore does well
- A real free plan for up to 4 users, with unlimited appointments, online payments, group classes and email reminders.
- A low Pro price: $5 per user a month billed annually, with unlimited users.
- No cut of your payments, and a choice of Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay on every plan.
- 24/7 human support on the free plan too: chat, email and phone, with “No bots”, per its support article.
- A public status page, which said “Setmore core functionality and all of its services are fully operational” when we checked on November 5, 2026.
- No marketplace commissions: clients book through your own page, Google or social buttons.
Where Setmore falls short
- No memberships, packs or gift cards found, so studios that sell them would need another tool (Setmore’s payments page and help centre, checked November 5, 2026).
- Text reminders are Pro only and capped, at 500 text credits a month per team member on web plans, with top-up prices not published.
- Every staff calendar is a paid user on Pro, even without a login.
- Refund terms conflict between its terms and its help centre, and annual plans get no partial refunds outside the month of upgrade or renewal.
- Buying in the app means different prices and no Setmore refunds. Its help centre lists in-app plans from $11.99 a month, and its US App Store listing shows in-app purchases from $8.99 to $53.99 a month.
- The “branded app” is a web app, not a store listing under your name.
- Pricing can move: its terms allow price changes “without notice”.
- One account per location, each billed separately.
Setmore reviews and complaints
Third-party opinion, not our own research: on November 5, 2026, Setmore’s app averaged 4.7 out of 5 from 9,184 ratings on the US App Store and 4.8 out of 5 from 6,937 ratings on Google Play. On Trustpilot, it showed 4.9 out of 5 from 3,285 reviews (88% five-star, 2% one-star). Trustpilot says the company “invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative” and shows a paid Trustpilot subscription, and Setmore offers a Trustpilot integration, so reviews are actively invited. G2 and Capterra blocked our requests. We didn’t sort individual reviews by topic, so we can’t say which complaints come up most. For comparison, we found no third-party ratings for our #1 pick, MeetScarlet (checked November 5, 2026).
Setmore or our pick, MeetScarlet?
| Setmore | MeetScarlet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for up to 4 users; Pro $5 per user a month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly | $349/month plus $999 setup, or $3,490/year with setup free, for one location. Its terms page offers founding studios on monthly billing $299 a month “instead of $349 for the first 24 months of its subscription”, with the $999 setup fee included; it plans 10 places (checked November 5, 2026) |
| Staff | Up to 4 on Free; unlimited on Pro, each calendar billed | 5 staff logins, counting the owner; 20 on Scarlet Pro ($499/month plus $999 setup, or $4,990/year with setup free) |
| App under your own name | A web app that opens your booking page; not in the app stores | Included: iPhone, Android and web, published under your own Apple ($99 a year) and Google Play ($25 once) developer accounts |
| Classes | Group classes with seats | Weekly classes with pick-your-spot maps (up to 100 spots) and an automatic waitlist, on every plan, per its class-booking page |
| Memberships and packs | None found on its pages | Plans that repeat, are paid up front for a set term, or are paid once for packs and passes, per its memberships guide; sold by card through Stripe (see card payments) |
| Reminders | Email on every plan; texts on Pro, 500 text credits a month per team member | Text reminders (coming soon) on Scarlet Pro only. Its Jane comparison page says email reminders are “built but not sending yet”, and its appointments help says “Email sending isn’t switched on yet” (checked November 5, 2026) |
| Card payments | Live now through Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay, with Tap to Pay through Stripe; no Setmore fee | Stripe’s fees plus 1% to MeetScarlet, through your own Stripe account; card payments turn on once Stripe has checked that account, but its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card deposits or no-show fees. We found no card reader or in-person card rate on its pages |
| Switching | Customer CSV import, 1,000 contacts at a time; no history migration found | “Scarlet imports clients, not booking or payment history”, with “no direct importer” for other apps |
| Locations | One account per location, billed separately | Scarlet is “For one location”; its terms say Scarlet Pro “includes up to 3 locations”. Its class page says “Each Scarlet studio has one schedule” |
| Support and uptime | 24/7 chat, email and phone on every plan; a public status page | Email (“A person reads every message”) and Instagram, with “Priority support” on Scarlet Pro. Its terms say “We aim to reply within one business day” and “there are no service credits”; we found no published hours or status page |
| Availability and terms | Now, free to start; refund rules conflict between pages | Its terms page says “Scarlet is live, and founding studios can join now” and “There is no free trial.” Cancelling “takes effect at the end of the period you’ve paid for”, and “We don’t refund part-used months”. Store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks”, mostly for Apple’s enrollment; the web app is live sooner |
| Third-party reviews | Over 16,000 app ratings (our arithmetic) and 3,285 on Trustpilot (see above) | No third-party ratings found (checked November 5, 2026) |
Sources: MeetScarlet’s pricing and FAQ, terms, payments help, appointments help, white-label page, class booking page, switching page, Jane comparison and support help, checked November 5, 2026.
Choose MeetScarlet, our pick, if you want an app under your own name in the App Store and Google Play, with memberships and class packs in the same plan. Its store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks. It suits you if you can manage without email reminders, which are “built but not sending yet”, while text reminders on Scarlet Pro are “coming soon”. Choose Setmore if you want to start free or pay very little, need round-the-clock phone support, or need card payments and reminders working today (MeetScarlet’s appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet”).
Who should pick Setmore, and who shouldn’t
| If you are… | Setmore? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A solo barber, therapist or stylist starting out | Free fits | $0 for up to 4 users, with online payments and email reminders |
| A small salon or barbershop that wants text reminders | Pro | $5 per user a month billed annually, with 500 text credits a month per team member; compare our barber picks |
| A spa or massage practice with treatment rooms | Ask first | We found no room or resource booking; see our spa picks or massage picks |
| A gym, yoga or Pilates studio selling memberships or packs | Look elsewhere | No memberships or packs found; see our fitness class picks |
| A business that wants marketing texts or email campaigns | Look elsewhere | Texts are for reminders only, and we found no built-in campaign tool |
| A tanning salon or padel club | Look elsewhere | No tanning or court pages found; see our Tan-Link review or our padel clubs guide |
| Comparing low-cost schedulers | Compare first | See our Acuity Scheduling review and SimplyBook.me review |
| Wanting an app under your own name in the App Store and Google Play | See our pick, MeetScarlet | Setmore’s app is a web app. MeetScarlet includes store-listed apps for $349 a month plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year. Its store apps take “about 4 to 6 weeks” (the web app is live sooner), and its appointments help says “no live card payment has been run yet” |
Setmore’s own pages we used (not linked)
All read on November 5, 2026:
- Setmore pricing page (setmore.com/pricing)
- Setmore FAQ page (setmore.com/faqs)
- Setmore Terms of Use (setmore.com/terms)
- Setmore payments page (setmore.com/features/payments)
- Setmore branded app page (setmore.com/features/your-branded-app)
- Setmore multiple locations page (setmore.com/features/multiple-locations)
- Setmore human support page (setmore.com/human-support)
- Setmore status page (status.setmore.com)
- Setmore help: Setmore Pro for web and desktop (article 4475815)
- Setmore help: mobile plans for iOS and Android (article 4679607, October 5, 2026)
- Setmore help: Pro trial period and refund policy (article 490947)
- Setmore help: SMS credits (article 17062734)
- Setmore help: SMS regulation and fair usage policy (article 7003313)
- Setmore help: import or export customer contacts (article 490978)
- Setmore help: export appointment history (article 491014)
- Setmore help: class booking (article 490889)
- Setmore help: contact 24/7 support (article 491023)
The verdict
Setmore suits barbers, stylists, therapists and other appointment businesses that want to start free, pay little as they grow, and reach a person at any hour. The catches are no memberships, packs or gift cards found on its pages, texts only on Pro and only for reminders, a web app rather than a store-listed one, and refund rules that don’t agree. Studios that sell memberships should look elsewhere. For other options, see our best booking software shortlist or our Acuity Scheduling review. Setmore offered its free plan when we checked on November 5, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Setmore cost?
- Free costs $0 for up to 4 users. Pro is $5 per user a month billed annually, or $12 per user billed monthly according to its pricing page and help centre (checked November 5, 2026).
- Is Setmore really free?
- Yes, for up to 4 users, with unlimited appointments, online payments, a booking page, group classes and one email reminder per appointment. Text reminders, deposits, recurring appointments and removing Setmore branding need Pro.
- What are Setmore's card processing fees?
- Setmore says it has "no transaction fees"; you pay your processor's own rates. Its payments page lists Square at 2.6% + $0.15 in person and 2.9% + $0.30 online, Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30 and PayPal at 3.49% + $0.49, noting that rates may vary by country.
- Can you cancel Setmore and get a refund?
- You can cancel Pro at any time without penalty. Its terms say "Payments are non-refundable" and cancelling takes effect immediately, but its help centre offers new Pro members their money back within 30 days if they upgraded on the web, so ask which rule applies to you.
- Does Setmore have a branded app?
- Its "Branded Mobile App" is a web app that clients add to their phone, a Progressive Web App that opens your booking page. It isn't listed in the App Store or Google Play under your name.
- Can Setmore sell memberships or class packs?
- We found no memberships, class packs, gift cards or recurring membership billing on Setmore's pages or in its help centre (checked November 5, 2026). Studios that sell them would need another tool.
Sources
- Setmore Appointment Scheduling on the US App Store (third-party ratings and in-app prices), checked November 5, 2026
- Setmore Appointment Scheduling on Google Play (third-party ratings), checked November 5, 2026
- Setmore on Trustpilot (third-party reviews), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet pricing and FAQ, checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet terms of service (updated November 5, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet payments help (updated November 5, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet help: appointments, deposits and no-show fees (updated November 5, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet white-label booking app page (updated November 1, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet class booking page (one schedule per studio), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet switching page, checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet vs Jane comparison (by the Scarlet team, updated November 1, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet help: if something looks wrong (support), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet memberships guide (updated November 3, 2026), checked November 5, 2026
- MeetScarlet help: invite your team (logins count the owner), checked November 5, 2026
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