{"id":24188,"date":"2026-11-11T09:04:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T09:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alteg.io\/?p=24188"},"modified":"2026-11-11T13:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T13:16:10","slug":"altegio-vs-booksy-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alteg.io\/pt\/blog\/altegio-vs-booksy-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Altegio vs Booksy: An Honest Comparison for Service Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was prepared by the Altegio team. The comparison is based on the official public documentation of both systems: a full 105-item matrix with verbatim quotes and a source behind every claim.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you are choosing between Altegio and Booksy, you almost certainly already work with Booksy or have heard about it from every second colleague. So the real question is not “which system is better” but something more specific: how much does a client who came “from the app” actually cost; whose base is it \u2013 yours or the platform’s; and what can the system do beyond the booking storefront.<\/strong> And one more thing people usually remember only after subscribing: who controls your calendar \u2013 you, or the marketplace rules.<\/p>\n

So we did something that rarely happens in comparison articles: we sat down and read the entire public Booksy documentation for Poland<\/strong> \u2013 19 sections, all 329 articles of their help center, plus every page of their business website. Every claim below is backed either by their own article or by ours. No “we believe” statements.<\/p>\n

The short version, if you are in a hurry: Booksy is the strongest beauty marketplace in Poland, with an app clients already know and well-designed no-show protection \u2013 but as a business management system it is limited: loyalty means stamps only, there is no Payroll and no bills of materials, a chain is assembled from separate accounts via an email to support, and you get your own data by sending a request to their inbox. Altegio is an operating system for a service business: appointments, client retention, loyalty, checkout, inventory, payroll and a chain of locations in one loop \u2013 with a client base that you own and control.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And here is why it is worth reading to the end. You will not find a breakdown of these two systems like this anywhere else: we compared 105 items<\/strong> against the official documentation of both sides \u2013 with verbatim quotes and a link behind every claim. On 94 items the verdict is unambiguous: 36 \u2013 Altegio stronger, 20 \u2013 Booksy stronger, 38 \u2013 parity.<\/strong> We publish their strengths too: weak points should be known before you choose a system, not after.<\/p>\n

The 60-second comparison<\/h2>\n

The table opens with Altegio’s recent additions \u2013 AI assistants, no-show protection and Adyen payments \u2013 and with the open API you can use to extend the system to fit your business.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Capability<\/th>\nBooksy<\/th>\nAltegio<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
AI assistants: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini<\/td>\n\u274c No official connection in their documentation<\/td>\n\u2705 Altegio MCP: ask about your numbers or move appointments in one sentence, including by voice in ChatGPT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No-show protection<\/td>\n\u2705 Prepayments + late-cancellation and no-show fees charged to the card on file<\/td>\n\u2705 Payment policy: a deposit or a card guarantee \u2013 the client links a card and pays nothing upfront; the late-cancellation or no-show fee is charged only if the rules are broken<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Online payments: fee and BLIK<\/td>\n1.89% + 0.49 z\u0142; BLIK available<\/td>\n\u2705 With Adyen, 0.99% + ~0.90 z\u0142 for EU consumer cards \u2013 about 2.88 z\u0142 instead of 4.27 z\u0142 on a 200 z\u0142 visit; BLIK available<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
API and webhooks<\/td>\n\u26a0\ufe0f Partner API: documentation is closed, access through Booksy<\/td>\n\u2705 Open API for every client: a key in the Developer Hub and webhooks \u2013 connect your own systems or build a feature around your processes; integration catalogue in the interface<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
WhatsApp reminders<\/td>\n\u26a0\ufe0f Reminders<\/a> go out as an SMS 24 hours ahead or as a push in the Booksy app, shared by every business on the platform; WhatsApp reminders are not documented<\/td>\n\u2705 Reminders and notifications in WhatsApp from your own business number via WhatsApp Coexistence<\/a> \u2013 in the same chat where your receptionist already talks to the client: one more retention channel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Online booking 24\/7<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Marketplace with a stream of new clients<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes \u2013 the strongest in Poland<\/td>\n\u274c No marketplace \u2013 direct connectors instead of an intermediary: Book Now in Reserve with Google and Instagram, a booking link for your website and messengers, a branded app; the base stays yours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fee per new marketplace client<\/td>\n45% of the first visit price + VAT, min. 25 z\u0142, max. 250 z\u0142 net (Boost)<\/td>\nNo fee per client \u2013 subscription only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Loyalty Program<\/td>\n\u274c Stamps only: “for now, only stamps are available”, one program, rewards issued manually<\/td>\n\u2705 Cashback, automatic tiers, discount programs, a referral program<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Group bookings<\/td>\n\u274c Clients cannot book online; “it is not possible to settle the entire group booking at once”<\/td>\n\u2705 Group Events with online booking and payment in one window<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Several professionals on one service<\/td>\n\u2705 Multi-services “in parallel”<\/td>\n\u2705 4HANDS+ Service Packages \u2013 parity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Waiting List<\/td>\n\u2705 Clients add themselves, automatic notifications<\/td>\n\u2705 Managed by the receptionist; a request converts into an appointment in one click<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Payroll<\/td>\n\u274c Commissions only \u2013 no payroll articles at all<\/td>\n\u2705 Criteria-based schemes, % of services and products sold, penalties and bonuses<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Inventory: bills of materials, automatic consumable write-off<\/td>\n\u274c Write-off is manual only, at visit payment<\/td>\n\u2705 Bills of materials, cost price, stock audits, barcodes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chain of locations<\/td>\n\u274c “create separate accounts for each location” + an email to support<\/td>\n\u2705 A shared client base, service catalog, chain-wide loyalty and inventory \u2013 self-service<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Exporting your own data<\/td>\n\u274c An email request, “up to 5 business days”<\/td>\n\u2705 Excel export from the interface<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Appointment cancellation by the client<\/td>\n\u274c “cancellation is possible at any time” \u2013 a platform rule<\/td>\n\u2705 You decide: limit online cancellation by time, or allow it with a late-cancellation fee<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accepting cards with a phone (Tap to Pay)<\/td>\n\u2705 1.49%<\/td>\n\u274c Not documented<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bulk email campaigns<\/td>\n\u2705 Free, no limit<\/td>\n\u274c No email channel for bulk campaigns; SMS, WhatsApp and push by segment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Out-of-the-box discounts for slow hours<\/td>\n\u2705 Flash Sale \/ Happy Hours \/ Last Minute + a Premium Hours markup<\/td>\n\u26a0\ufe0f An automatic discount for online booking and a promo block in the widget; no slot-based discounts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Google Calendar sync<\/td>\n\u274c One-time .ics file import only<\/td>\n\u2705 Permanent one-way sync (Altegio \u2192 Google) for every team member<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Medical documentation<\/td>\n\u2705 Booksy Med for physiotherapists (a separate partner product, +50 z\u0142\/month)<\/td>\n\u2705 A built-in medical record for clinics and medical centres<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Sources: support.booksy.com\/hc\/pl-pl and alteg.io\/support\/knowledge-base, checked 31 July 2026, updated 9 November 2026. Quotes from Booksy’s documentation are translated from Polish; the links lead to the original articles.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Two models: whose client is it<\/h2>\n

Let us start with the main difference, the one everything else grows from.<\/p>\n

Booksy is a marketplace. The app where millions of Poles search for “hairdresser near me” is a genuine asset, and for a professional starting out with no client base it is the fastest way to fill a calendar. We are not going to pretend otherwise.<\/p>\n

Now the arithmetic. For every new client from the marketplace, Booksy charges the Boost fee: 45% net of the first visit price<\/a>, minimum 25 z\u0142, maximum 250 z\u0142 net. The rate is calculated on the full price of the visit that the client pays, and 23% VAT is added on top. In Booksy’s own example<\/a>, a 200 z\u0142 visit brings a fee of 110.70 z\u0142, leaving the business with 89.30 z\u0142. If your business cannot reclaim VAT, more than half of the first bill stays with the platform<\/strong>; if it can, the real cost is 90 z\u0142, or 45% of the bill. Who counts as “new” is determined by the platform’s own base and the client’s own declaration \u2013 with no time limit. Booksy even has a dedicated article, “When the Boost fee is not charged”<\/a> \u2013 on when the Boost fee will not be charged. When a feature ships with an instruction on how to avoid it, that says more about the feature than any review.<\/p>\n

Next come the storefront rules, which apply even if Boost is switched off:<\/p>\n