Yes. Bookitly has a free plan that lets you take up to 20 appointments per month with no credit card required. It's genuinely free — not a free trial that expires. When your business grows and you need unlimited appointments, SMS reminders, and full client management, you can upgrade to Pro at R249 per month.

No. Your clients don't download anything. You share your personal Bookitly booking link — on WhatsApp, in your Instagram bio, or on Facebook — and they tap it, pick a service, choose a time, and confirm. It works on any phone and any browser. If they can order from Takealot they can book with Bookitly.

Two things stand out. First, Bookitly charges a flat monthly fee with zero commission on bookings — Fresha charges a percentage fee on new clients discovered through their marketplace. Second, Bookitly is built specifically for South African service providers, priced in Rand, with local payment support built in. No dollar pricing. No foreign fees. No surprises.

Deposit collection is coming soon. Bookitly already uses PayFast — the same payment gateway trusted by Takealot and major South African e-commerce sites — for billing. We're extending that to let you require a deposit at booking time to secure a client's slot, supporting credit cards, debit cards, Instant EFT, and Capitec Pay.

Bookitly sends your clients an automatic SMS reminder before their appointment so they don't forget and don't leave you with an empty slot. Your Pro plan includes 100 SMS credits per month, so your regulars get a nudge without you lifting a finger.

Bookitly works for any appointment-based service business. Hair salons and stylists, nail technicians, beauty therapists, lash and brow studios, massage therapists, wellness practitioners, body alignment specialists, physiotherapists, barbers, and more. Solo operator or small team — if you run a service business where clients book time with you, Bookitly was built for you.

Most providers are live in under 5 minutes. You add your services, set your working hours, and share your booking link. There's no manual to read, no technical knowledge needed, and no one to call. If you can use WhatsApp you can set up Bookitly.

Right now, clients don't have a self-service way to cancel through Bookitly — if they need to cancel, they'll usually reach out to you directly (a call or WhatsApp), and you can update your schedule in a couple of taps. Once you mark a booking as cancelled or no-show, that slot opens back up automatically so someone else can book it. You can also manually block or open slots from the app at any time.

Absolutely. Tap New booking from your home screen, enter the client's name and number, pick a service and time, and you're done — the same quick flow you'd use for any appointment, no separate process needed. Walk-ins and booked appointments live side by side in your schedule.

Yes on both. Your client list belongs to you — not Bookitly. Every client profile, booking history, phone number, and note you add is yours. We don't sell your data or use it to market to your clients. If you ever leave Bookitly you can export your full client list. Your data is stored securely and we comply with POPIA — South Africa's data protection law.

Yes. Your dashboard automatically flags clients who haven't been in for a while, so you can send them a quick WhatsApp nudge to book again — no spreadsheets, no guesswork. It's one tap from your dashboard, and you're always in control of who gets contacted and when.