Marai vs Booksy
Booksy is a popular marketplace in the beauty and barbershop sector in Spain. Marai is an appointment management software with an AI WhatsApp bot, designed for any service business. They are different approaches with different pricing models.
Last updated: March 2026
Quick summary
Choose Marai if you already have clients, want to automate bookings via AI WhatsApp, need an advanced CRM with reliability scoring, and prefer a fixed price without booking commissions. Choose Booksy if your business is in beauty or barbering, you need a marketplace to bring you new clients, and are willing to pay commissions for each booking that comes through the app.
| Feature | Marai | Booksy |
|---|---|---|
| AI WhatsApp bot | ✓ | ✗ |
| WhatsApp reminders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email reminders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace commission | No | Yes |
| Multi-professional | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-location | Up to 5 (Business) | ✗ |
| Own booking portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM with reliability score | ✓ | ✗ |
| Intake forms | Yes, 11 fields | ✗ |
| Digital signature | ✓ | ✗ |
| QR check-in / kiosk | Yes (Pro+) | ✗ |
| Google Calendar sync | Yes (Starter+) | ✓ |
| POS / Point of sale | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stripe payments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Loyalty programme | Included | ✗ |
| Inventory | ✓ | ✗ |
| Client reviews | ✓ | ✓ |
| Marketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Enterprise SSO | Yes (Business) | ✗ |
| GDPR (EU servers) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Native Spanish | ✓ | ✓ |
| Any industry | ✓ | ✗ |
Marketplace vs own tools
Booksy works as a marketplace: it has a consumer app where clients search for nearby salons, barbershops and beauty centres and book directly. Similar to what TheFork does with restaurants. In exchange, Booksy charges a commission for each booking that comes through its platform.
Marai has no marketplace. Instead, it gives you tools to manage your own clients independently: a branded booking portal, an AI WhatsApp bot available 24/7, and a CRM with a reliability score to know which clients skip their appointments. If you already have a client base, you do not need to pay commissions for someone to send them to you.
Beyond beauty
Booksy specialises in the beauty and personal care sector: salons, barbershops, beauty centres and spas. Its interface, categories and marketplace are designed for that specific niche.
Marai is designed for any appointment-based service business: clinics, physiotherapists, lawyers, consultancies, academies, vet clinics, tattoo studios, training centres, mechanics — and of course also salons and barbershops. Intake forms with 11 field types (including digital signature), QR check-in and multi-location management make it especially useful for businesses with more complex needs.
WhatsApp: AI bot vs absent
Booksy sends WhatsApp and email reminders, but does not offer a conversational bot. Clients cannot book, cancel or check availability via WhatsApp automatically.
Marai includes an AI WhatsApp bot that understands natural language. The client writes "I want an appointment on Thursday at 5 pm" and the bot confirms the booking automatically. It can also cancel, reschedule and check available slots, 24/7. Available in Pro (€59/month, 300 AI msgs/year) and Business (€99/month, 1,000 AI msgs/year). If messages run out, additional packs are available from €19.
CRM and client reliability
Booksy offers basic client management: booking history and notes. It does not include a reliability scoring system or an advanced CRM.
Marai includes a CRM with an automatic reliability score that tracks no-shows, late cancellations and confirmations. This lets you identify problematic clients, request deposits from less reliable ones, and reward the most punctual ones with integrated loyalty programmes.
Pricing comparison
- Free: €0 (1 professional, 50 clients, 50 appointments/month)
- Starter: €29/month (2 professionals, unlimited clients)
- Pro: €59/month (5 professionals, AI bot)
- Business: €99/month (15 professionals, 5 locations, SSO)
- No commissions per booking or per payment.
- Monthly base price per professional
- + Commission on marketplace bookings
- + Optional marketing add-ons
- No permanent free plan
- Variable cost depending on booking volume.
Where does Booksy win?
If your business is a salon or barbershop just starting out and you need to acquire new clients quickly, the Booksy marketplace can be useful. Its consumer app has an established user base in Spain, especially in large cities. It also offers reviews visible to other marketplace users, which can generate a social proof effect.
GDPR and data protection
Booksy is a Polish company with an international presence. Although it complies with general European regulations, its infrastructure is not specifically designed for the Spanish regulatory framework (LOPDGDD).
Marai is built with native GDPR from day one: consent management with 9 consent types, GDPR data export and purge, servers in the European Union and complete access auditing. Especially relevant for clinics and businesses handling sensitive data.
Frequently asked questions
Does Booksy charge commissions on bookings?
Can I use Marai if my business is not in beauty?
Does Marai have a client app like Booksy?
Is it possible to migrate my data from Booksy to Marai?
What happens to clients who find me on the Booksy marketplace?
Coming from Booksy?
Migrating is easy. Export your Booksy clients to CSV and import them into Marai with one click (available from Starter). Set up your business in under 10 minutes, activate the WhatsApp bot and start receiving automatic bookings the same day. No commissions.
No credit card. No commissions. Cancel anytime.