There's no single answer to "how much does a booking website cost?" — because the range is enormous. You can piece something together for free, or spend $10,000 with an agency. Most service businesses land somewhere in the middle, and the right choice depends on your situation.
This is a straight breakdown of every realistic option, what you actually get, and who each one makes sense for.
The Five Main Options
1. DIY with a Booking Plugin (~$0–$250/year + hosting)
If you're comfortable in WordPress, building your own booking site is the most affordable path. You install a booking plugin on top of an existing WordPress site or a fresh installation, configure your services and availability, and you're live.
The two plugins worth considering:
Amelia — The most capable option. Handles multiple services, multiple staff members, time zones, SMS reminders, and payment collection. The booking flow is clean and feels professional. Cost: from $79/year.
Simply Schedule Appointments — Simpler and more focused. Better suited to solo operators who need basic appointment booking without the overhead of a full-featured system. Cost: free tier available; Pro from $99/year.
What you'll actually spend:
- Booking plugin: $0–$99/year (free tiers exist on both)
- WordPress hosting: ~$30/month (see below)
- Domain: ~$15/year
- A theme (optional): $0–$60 one-time
The hosting cost is where people underestimate. Slow hosting kills conversions on booking sites — if your calendar widget takes four seconds to load, clients abandon. You need managed WordPress hosting that's actually fast.
We recommend Rocket.net — it runs on Google Cloud infrastructure with a global CDN and full-page caching built in. Plans start around $30/month and include daily backups, security monitoring, and staging environments. It's what we use for every site we build.
Best for: Technically confident business owners with simple needs and time to set it up properly. If you know your way around WordPress, this is the best value option long-term.
The catch: You're responsible for setup, configuration, updates, and troubleshooting. If something breaks, you fix it.
2. SaaS Booking Tools (~$20–$70/month)
These aren't booking websites — they're booking links. Tools like Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, and Square Appointments give you a hosted booking page you can share directly or embed on an existing site. No website required.
Calendly — The simplest. Great for consultations and meetings. Paid plans from $12/month per user. Limited for businesses with multiple service types.
Acuity Scheduling — More powerful. Handles intake forms, packages, payment collection, multiple service types, and gift certificates. From $20/month.
Square Appointments — Free for solo operators. Includes payment processing and syncs with Square's POS system. Team plans from $29/month.
Best for: Solo operators who don't need a full website — coaches, consultants, therapists who just need a clean booking link they can put in their email signature or Instagram bio.
The catch: You're sending people off your website to a third-party branded page. Every extra step loses bookings. And at $20–$70/month, you're paying that forever — it adds up.
Over three years, Acuity at $20/month costs $720. A done-for-you booking site (see below) plus hosting at $30/month costs around $1,600 over three years — but you own it completely and it lives on your domain.
3. Website Builder with Booking (~$25–$65/month)
Squarespace and Wix both offer booking functionality built into their subscription plans. You get a drag-and-drop website editor plus basic appointment booking in one package.
Squarespace — Plans with scheduling start at $23/month (basic) up to $65/month (Commerce). Clean templates. Booking via Acuity (which Squarespace acquired).
Wix — Booking available from the Business plan at around $27/month. Flexible editor, wide range of templates.
Best for: Business owners who want an easy all-in-one setup and don't mind a monthly fee forever. Good for getting something live quickly.
The catch: You don't own your site — you're renting it. If prices go up (they do), you either pay more or migrate. Customisation is limited compared to WordPress. And the booking features are basic — multiple staff, custom workflows, and intake forms often require upgrades or workarounds.
4. Done-for-You Booking Site Build ($497–$797 one-time + ~$30/month hosting)
This is a professional booking website built for you — designed, configured, and ready to take bookings from day one. Built on WordPress with Amelia, so you own the site and the data, with no ongoing platform fees beyond hosting.
What's included varies by package, but typically covers:
- A professionally designed homepage built to convert
- Services page with pricing, duration, and descriptions
- Amelia booking system configured for your services and staff
- Confirmation and reminder emails set up
- Basic SEO configuration and Google Analytics
The economics look different from SaaS tools. You pay more upfront, then just ~$30/month for hosting. After 12–18 months, it's cheaper than most SaaS subscriptions — and you actually own the asset.
For businesses where first impressions matter — salons, tattoo studios, physio and wellness clinics, personal trainers — a professional site also converts better than a generic booking link. Clients are making a judgment about your business before they ever book. A polished, on-brand site changes that judgment.
If you want to understand more about how to think through your options before committing to a build, this guide on adding online booking to a small business website covers the tradeoffs in detail.
Best for: Service businesses where first impressions matter, businesses with multiple services or staff, and owners who have no time or appetite to build it themselves.
The catch: Higher upfront cost than DIY. You still need to provide the content (photos, service descriptions, pricing).
See what's included in each package →
5. Agency Custom Build ($2,000–$10,000+)
Custom development — a design agency or web development firm builds a booking site from scratch to your exact specifications. Custom design, custom integrations, often custom-coded booking logic.
Best for: Large hospitality businesses, enterprise clients, or highly specialised use cases that don't fit any existing booking plugin.
The honest truth: For most service businesses — salons, clinics, fitness studios, consultants — this is overkill. You're paying 10x more for custom work when an off-the-shelf booking plugin configured well will handle everything you need. The only reason to go this route is if your requirements genuinely can't be met any other way.
Comparison Table
| Option | Setup Cost | Monthly Cost | Who It's For |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY WordPress + Plugin | $100–$250/year | ~$30 (hosting) | Tech-comfortable, simple needs |
| SaaS (Calendly, Acuity) | $0 | $20–$70 | Solo operators, basic booking |
| Website Builder (Squarespace, Wix) | $0 | $25–$65 | Easy all-in-one, low customisation |
| Done-for-you build | $497–$797 | ~$30 (hosting) | Multiple services/staff, professional impression |
| Agency custom build | $2,000–$10,000+ | Varies | Complex or enterprise requirements |
The Real Question: What's Your Time Worth?
The DIY option is genuinely the best value if you have the time and technical confidence to do it well. If you don't — or if your time is better spent on the actual work of your business — paying someone to build it right is the smarter move.
SaaS tools are fine for simple use cases but get expensive over time and don't build any lasting asset. Website builders are easy but limiting.
For most service businesses we talk to, the done-for-you option makes the most sense: you get a professional site, you own it, and you're not locked into a monthly fee for the life of your business.
What We Build
We offer two done-for-you booking site packages:
Basic Booking Site — $497 A clean, conversion-focused booking site with Amelia configured for your services. Good for solo operators or single-location businesses.
Full Booking Site — $797 Everything in Basic, plus multi-staff support, service categories, intake forms, and a more complete site structure. Better for salons, clinics, studios, and businesses with multiple team members.
Both include hosting setup with Rocket.net (~$30/month after launch). No ongoing fees to us — just your hosting.
