On top of that, Booksy Boost's 30% first-visit commission hits harder at nail service price points. A $45 gel fill sends $13.50 to Booksy that first time. A $35 manicure sends $10.50. At the ticket sizes nail salons run, that commission is a meaningful percentage of the service.
Booksy includes real features — memberships, no-show protection, custom forms, Google Reserve. But for a walk-in-heavy nail salon with lower average tickets and a small team, the fit is harder to make work.
What Booksy actually costs for nail salons
| Team size | Booksy base | SupaDay Grow | SupaDay Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tech | $30/mo | $14/mo | $22/mo |
| 2 techs | $50/mo | $28/mo | $44/mo |
| 3 techs | $70/mo | $42/mo | $66/mo |
| 4 techs | $90/mo | $56/mo | $88/mo |
| 6 techs | $130/mo | $84/mo | $132/mo |
| 8 techs | $170/mo | $99/mo (cap) | $149/mo (cap) |
Booksy has no pricing cap. SupaDay Grow caps at $99/month; Business caps at $149/month.
The Boost commission at nail service prices
| Service | First visit commission to Booksy |
|---|---|
| Basic manicure ($35) | $10.50 |
| Pedicure ($40) | $12.00 |
| Gel fill ($45) | $13.50 |
| Gel manicure ($55) | $16.50 |
| Full set acrylic ($65) | $19.50 |
| Mani + pedi combo ($75) | $22.50 |
Lower tickets mean Boost takes a higher percentage of the service. A $45 gel fill gives Booksy a 30% cut that first time — on a service with already-thin margins.
Feature comparison
| Feature | SupaDay | Booksy |
|---|---|---|
| Online booking | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar & scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Commission tracking | Yes (Grow, free) | Not confirmed |
| Walk-in management | Yes (Grow) | Not confirmed |
| QR check-in | Yes (Grow) | Yes |
| Staff scheduling & time off | Yes (Grow) | Yes |
| SMS appointment reminders | Included (500/mo Grow, 2,000 Business) | Included (2,000/mo) |
| Text marketing campaigns | — | Included |
| Booking deposits / no-show protection | Coming soon | Yes (card on file) |
| POS checkout | Yes (free, every plan) | Yes (2.49%+$0.10 in-person) |
| Audit trail | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Memberships & packages | No | Yes (included) |
| Custom forms & liability waivers | No | Yes (included) |
| Gift cards | No | Yes (included) |
| Website builder (SEO) | Business plan | No |
| Review management | Business plan | Not confirmed |
| Client marketplace | Coming soon (no per-booking fee) | Yes (Boost: 30% first visit) |
| Google Reserve integration | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Multi-location | Business plan (included) | Not confirmed |
| Pricing cap | Yes ($99/$149) | No |
| Client data ownership | Yours | Booksy's ecosystem |
| Monthly pricing | $14/user (cap $99/$149) | $29.99 + $20/additional staff |
Where SupaDay wins
Walk-in turn tracking — the core nail salon workflow
Most nail salons take walk-ins as a significant part of their daily business. The turn system — rotating which tech takes the next walk-in client — is how fair distribution works when five clients walk in at once. SupaDay's walk-in turn tracker handles this: techs are queued, walk-in clients are assigned in rotation, and the system tracks who's up.
Booksy is a booking marketplace. Walk-in management isn't confirmed as a feature on the platform. For a nail salon where walk-ins are 40–60% of daily traffic, that's a gap in the core operational workflow.
Boost commission takes a bigger cut at nail prices
The 30% first-visit Boost commission is the same rate regardless of service price — but it hurts more at lower ticket sizes. Hair salons have $150+ color services that can absorb $45 to Booksy on a new client. Nail salons run $35–75 per service. At those prices, the first-visit commission is a real margin hit on every new client the platform sends.
Commission tracking for nail techs — free
Nail salons split earnings between techs, often with different rates by service type. SupaDay's commission tracking calculates splits automatically at POS checkout — free on every plan. Booksy's commission tracking for staff isn't confirmed as a feature.
SupaDay is cheaper at every team size
A 2-tech nail salon: $28/month on SupaDay Grow vs $50/month on Booksy. A 4-tech salon: $56/month on Grow or $88/month on Business (with a website) vs $90/month on Booksy. At 8 techs, SupaDay Grow caps at $99/month while Booksy reaches $170/month.
Your clients stay yours
Clients who book through Booksy remain in the Booksy ecosystem. If the salon leaves the platform, those clients — and the relationship built with them — stay in Booksy's app and marketing reach. SupaDay's client data belongs to the salon's account.
A website to rank for nail searches
SupaDay includes a website builder on Business — an SEO site that can rank for "nail salon near me," "gel nails in [city]," or "acrylic nails near me." Booksy gives the salon a profile on booksy.com, not a standalone domain. A 4-tech salon on SupaDay Business pays $88/month with a website that builds its own search presence — nearly the same as Booksy's $90/month base with none of that.
Audit trail for commission records
SupaDay's audit trail logs every appointment change — useful when commission disputes come up or a client's history needs to be verified. Booksy doesn't have a confirmed dedicated audit trail.
Where Booksy wins
Consumer marketplace discovery
Clients already searching for nail services in the area may find the salon through the Booksy app. For a new nail salon trying to build a client base in a competitive market, that visibility matters. SupaDay's marketplace is in development; Booksy's is live.
Monthly nail membership programs
Monthly subscriptions work well for nail salons — one gel manicure per month at a fixed rate, or a mani/pedi combo membership. Booksy includes full membership and recurring billing management in the base plan. SupaDay doesn't currently have membership features.
No-show protection with card on file
Booksy lets clients provide a card at booking, and the salon can charge for no-shows or late cancellations. SupaDay's booking deposit feature is coming soon. For salons that pre-book appointment slots and lose revenue when clients don't show, card-on-file matters.
More SMS at base
Booksy includes 2,000 SMS per month in the subscription. SupaDay Grow includes 500/month. For a busy nail salon sending double reminders to a large client list, Booksy's SMS allocation at base is larger.
Google Reserve integration
Booksy integrates with Google Reserve so clients can book directly from Google Search. SupaDay's Google Reserve integration isn't confirmed.
Gift cards
Booksy includes digital gift card processing. SupaDay doesn't currently have built-in gift cards.
Where they match up
Both handle core nail salon scheduling:
- Online booking — clients pick their tech and service, book 24/7
- Calendar management — color-coded by provider, day/week views
- Client profiles — service history, notes, preferences
- Staff scheduling — shifts, time off, availability
- POS checkout — both handle multi-service transactions and retail
- SMS appointment reminders — both included in base
Who should pick which?
SupaDay makes more sense if:
- Walk-ins are a significant part of daily traffic and the turn system needs to be managed fairly
- You need commission tracking across nail techs without manual calculations
- You want a real SEO website to rank for nail searches in your area
- Your salon has 8+ techs and Booksy's uncapped pricing gets expensive
- Client data ownership matters — you want the ability to switch platforms with your client list
- You want a no-commission marketplace (coming soon)
Booksy makes more sense if:
- You're a new salon in a competitive market where marketplace discovery can drive early bookings
- You run monthly nail membership programs (monthly gel or mani/pedi subscriptions)
- No-show protection with card on file is a current pain point
- Google Reserve booking is important to your client acquisition strategy
- You want more SMS included at the base plan level
The bottom line
Nail salons are the most walk-in-driven business in this comparison series. Booksy's core strength is marketplace discovery for appointment bookings — a model that's a partial mismatch for nail salons where a large share of daily clients walk in without scheduling. SupaDay's walk-in turn tracker handles the distribution workflow nail salons actually need, and the cost comparison at every team size favors SupaDay — before Boost commissions are factored in.
Booksy has genuine appeal for a new nail salon that needs to get discovered fast and wants memberships or no-show protection in the base plan. The trade-offs — 30% first-visit commissions on already-thin nail margins, no walk-in management, and clients that stay in Booksy's ecosystem — are real considerations for an established shop. See how SupaDay works for nail salons →. For a full breakdown, check the comparison page →.
