A booking-software buyer’s guide

Know what you’re paying for, what you’re committing to and how your studio will be supported.

Choosing booking software is a decision about how your studio will run every day. The right fit should make bookings easier for clients, give your team dependable support and leave you clear about the costs and commitments.

Use these questions in demos and sales conversations. Ask every provider to work from the same studio details, and keep written answers alongside your notes. This guide is published by Clovo: use the same questions when you evaluate us.

Start with your studio, then compare

Write down your locations, active clients, staff, monthly payment value, transaction count and payment methods. Add the features you need now, expected growth over the next year and three everyday tasks the software must handle well. Separate essentials from preferences before a demo changes your priorities.

Download the comparison worksheet (PDF, 4 pages). Print it to compare up to three providers. Record a source and date for each answer, and leave unconfirmed items marked “To confirm”.

Total cost: compare the whole year

A monthly subscription is only one part of the decision. Ask each provider to quote the same studio size, payment volume and features so you can compare like with like.

Stacked bars comparing three providers’ first year by subscription, payment fees, and add-ons and setup, showing the headline price is only one segment and one quote still has costs to confirm

What is included in the quoted plan, and what costs extra for each location, staff member or active client?
What percentage and fixed fees apply to each payment method? Are there separate platform fees, minimum fees or different rates for international cards?
What do SMS messages, branded experiences, integrations, training and setup cost? Are there usage allowances or overage charges?
What happens to fees when a payment fails, is refunded or is disputed? Which charges are returned and which are retained?
Is GST included? What will the price be after an introductory offer, and what changes as the studio grows?

Ask for: Ask for an itemised quote showing the first year and a typical ongoing year. Record the currency, GST treatment, plan, quote date and expiry.

Use one cost model for every quote

Estimated first-year cost = setup and migration + 12 months of subscriptions and recurring add-ons + payment processing + expected usage and incident fees + any subscription overlap.

For a percentage-plus-fixed payment rate, estimate the percentage charge from the payment value and the fixed charge from the transaction count. Calculate each payment method separately. Use the same assumptions for every provider, avoid counting an included fee twice, and list anything excluded or still unknown. Repeat with your expected growth and with introductory discounts removed.

Cost model adding setup and migration, 12 months of subscriptions and add-ons, payment processing, usage and incident fees and subscription overlap, with payment processing calculated per method as payment value times percentage rate plus transaction count times fixed fee

Contracts: understand the commitment

Before committing, make sure the agreement gives you a clear picture of how you start, renew and leave.

Contract timeline from start through the minimum term to the notice deadline and automatic renewal, with prompts about fees for changing plan, price changes in writing and the export window when the agreement ends

Is the subscription monthly or annual, and is there a minimum term or upfront payment?
Does it renew automatically? How much notice is needed to cancel, and how must notice be given?
Can you reduce your plan, pause it or close a location? What fees or remaining payments would apply?
How are price or service changes communicated during the term?
What happens to access, prepaid fees and data when the agreement ends? Are sales promises included in the written agreement?

Ask for: Request the agreement and cancellation terms before signing. Mark the renewal date and notice deadline in your worksheet.

Payouts: know when money reaches you

A successful client payment and money arriving in your bank account are separate moments. Ask the provider to explain the full path between them.

Payment path from client payment to processing, payout and funds in your bank, with holds, reserves, refunds, disputes and negative balances as exceptions to ask about, and a note that weekends and public holidays can change timing

Who processes payments, and who is responsible for payout questions?
What is the usual time from a successful payment to funds reaching the bank? How do weekends, public holidays and the first payout affect it?
Are faster payouts available, who is eligible and what do they cost?
When can funds be held, delayed or reserved? How will you be notified and what is the review process?
How are refunds, disputes and negative balances recovered? Can you reconcile each payout with its payments and fees?

Ask for: Request a sample payout report and a worked timeline for a normal trading week. Confirm the timing and exceptions in writing.

Support: test the help you will rely on

Consider a failed payment run or a booking problem just before an early class. The useful question is how help works at the times your studio operates.

Example studio day with classes from 5:30am to 8:30am and 5pm to 8pm against support staffed from 9am to 5pm, asking who helps at 5:45am

Which support channels are included, and what are their staffed hours and time zone?
Is there help on weekends or public holidays? How are urgent booking or payment issues escalated?
Are response targets stated, and do they distinguish an initial reply from a resolution?
Who helps with onboarding and staff training? Is follow-up training included?
How are outages communicated, and where can you check service status?

Ask for: Send a realistic support question during your evaluation. Record the clarity of the answer as well as the response time.

Branding: follow the client journey

Ask to see the experience your clients will actually use, from their first booking to their next receipt.

Client journey across a booking page, confirmation, reminder, receipt and bank statement, asking whose name, sender, business details and statement descriptor appear at each step

Where will your studio name, logo and colours appear, and where will the provider’s branding remain?
Is the booking experience on your website, a provider page or an app? What does the client need to download or create?
What do booking confirmations, reminders, receipts and bank statement descriptions look like?
Which branding options are included, which cost extra and who manages updates?
Can you try the journey on a phone and with a keyboard, including an error, cancellation and rebooking?

Ask for: Request a live example on the plan you are considering. Walk through it as a new client, rather than relying only on screenshots.

Booking apps: modern, small and easy to use

Your booking app is part of the experience clients have with your studio. Before asking them to install it, check how much they need to download, how it feels on their phone and how easily they can get to their next class.

Are there native apps built for iPhone and Android? Ask to try both and check that the features your clients need are available on each.
What is the current download size on each platform, and how much storage does the app use after installation? Record these separately, along with the app version and device used.
How quickly can a new client install the app, find your studio and make a first booking? Try the journey on mobile data as well as Wi-Fi.
Does the app feel responsive when opening the timetable, buying a pack or changing a booking? Can clients find those actions without hunting through menus?
When was each app last updated, and what has improved recently? Which phones and operating-system versions are supported?
Does it work well with larger text and a screen reader? Are buttons easy to use and error messages clear about what to do next?

Ask for: Links to both app-store listings and a working example to try on your own phone. Compare the same tasks and record the download size for each platform, rather than judging the experience from screenshots alone.

How Clovo compares: Clovo’s modern native booking apps have download sizes of 11 MB on iOS and 5 MB on Android. These figures refer to the download, not storage used after installation. That keeps the initial download small when a client is ready to start booking. Explore Clovo’s booking apps and try the experience for yourself.

Make the decision with the gaps visible

Review your essentials first. An unanswered question about a must-have feature, payout process or data export deserves a follow-up before you commit. Compare the ongoing cost, the client experience and the amount of work left for your team.

Scorecard comparing three providers on must-have features, payout process, data export, ongoing cost, client experience and team workload as confirmed, to confirm or gap, with Provider A preferred and two items still to confirm in writing

Keep the quote, agreement, demo notes and migration plan together. In the worksheet, record your preferred provider, the reasons for choosing it and any conditions that still need a written answer.

Considering Clovo? Start with Clovo pricing and ask our team to work through your shortlist of questions.