Short answer: Most booking software publishes its fees, so they are rarely hidden in the strict sense. What catches vendors out is everything outside the headline monthly price: card and bank transfer processing, the gap between the annual and the monthly price, plans that climb as you book more or add people, fees for faster payouts, add ons and commissions, and dispute fees. Check each one on the pricing page of any tool before you sign up.
Key takeaways
- The headline price is often the annual rate shown per month. Paying month to month usually costs more.
- Payment processing is the largest cost after the subscription, and terms differ more on bank transfers than on cards.
- Some plans rise with your booking volume or your number of users.
- Faster payouts and card disputes carry their own fees.
- BookNox is $29 a month, flat, plus applicable sales tax, with a 0% platform fee, and you pay Stripe's standard processing on your own Stripe account.
Does booking software have hidden fees?
Usually not hidden: the companies below all list their prices on a public pricing page. The costs that surprise vendors are the ones they did not look for. Six are worth checking on every tool.
1. The annual price shown as a monthly price
Many pricing pages lead with the monthly price when billed for a year. HoneyBook's Essentials plan is $49 a month billed yearly and $59 billed monthly, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from honeybook.com/pricing. Check Cherry's Standard plan is $29 a month billed annually, and its plans start at $39 a month month to month, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from checkcherry.com/pricing. Bonsai's Essentials plan is $19 per user a month billed annually and $25 per user a month billed monthly, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from hellobonsai.com/pricing.
2. Plans that climb with your bookings or your team
Check Cherry prices its plans by upcoming bookings, at $29, $59 and $139 a month billed annually, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from checkcherry.com/pricing. HoneyBook's plans run from $29 to $109 a month billed yearly, with features added at each tier, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from honeybook.com/pricing. Bonsai prices per user, at $19 per user a month billed annually for Essentials, so a second person on the account is a second seat, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from hellobonsai.com/pricing.
3. Payment processing
Every tool that takes payments charges processing, and it is the biggest cost after the subscription. Stripe's standard rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents for a domestic card and 0.8% for ACH Direct Debit, capped at $5, accurate as of October 6, 2026, from stripe.com/pricing.
HoneyBook acts as the payment processor itself and states card fees from 2.7% plus 10 cents and 1.5% for bank transfers, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from honeybook.com/pricing. Its pricing page publishes no cap either way, so ask what a transfer of your typical balance costs.
GlossGenius charges a flat 2.6% on card payments, accurate as of October 6, 2026, from glossgenius.com/pricing.
4. Faster payouts
Getting paid sooner can cost extra. On Stripe, payouts on the standard schedule are free, and Instant Payouts cost 1.5% of the amount with a 50 cent minimum, accurate as of October 6, 2026, from stripe.com/pricing. Stripe notes that this pricing differs for Connect users, and BookNox connects your Stripe account through Connect, so confirm the instant payout rate for your own account before you count on it.
GlossGenius charges an additional 1.8% for instant payouts, accurate as of October 6, 2026, from glossgenius.com/pricing.
5. Add ons and commissions
17hats lists a bank connect add on at $5 a month, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from 17hats.com/pricing.
Pixieset charges a 15% commission on store sales on its free plan only, and none on paid plans, accurate as of September 22, 2026, from pixieset.com/pricing.
6. Card disputes
When a client disputes a card payment, the processor charges a fee for it. Stripe charges $15.00 for each dispute you receive, accurate as of October 6, 2026, from stripe.com/pricing.
Where BookNox stands
BookNox is $29 a month, flat, plus applicable sales tax, the same price at any booking volume, billed monthly with no annual lock in. It charges a 0% platform fee: deposits are direct charges on your own Stripe account, so you pay Stripe's standard processing above and nothing to BookNox per booking. BookNox does not offer galleries, automations or team seats, so if you need those, price them into whichever tool you compare.
How to check any tool in five minutes
- Open the pricing page and switch between annual and monthly billing.
- Read the processing line for cards and for bank transfers, and look for a cap.
- Look for per user, per seat or per booking wording.
- Look for instant payout and dispute fees.
- Ask support, in writing, what your typical year costs in total.
To see what a percentage per booking costs across a year, use the free booking fee calculator. For processing on a single payment, use the Stripe fee calculator. For a full year's comparison, how to compare flat fee booking software without hidden costs works through one.
Sources
Every figure above comes from the company's own published pricing page, linked where it appears. Stripe and GlossGenius figures are accurate as of October 6, 2026. HoneyBook, Check Cherry, Bonsai, 17hats and Pixieset figures are accurate as of September 22, 2026. Prices change without notice, so confirm current rates before you rely on them.
FAQ
Does booking software have hidden fees?
Rarely hidden, often overlooked. The fees are usually on the pricing page, but they sit outside the headline monthly price: processing, annual versus monthly billing, plans that climb with volume or users, payout speed fees, add ons and dispute fees.
What is the biggest cost after the subscription?
Payment processing on the money your clients pay you. Card rates are similar across most tools; bank transfer terms differ more, so check whether a cap applies.
Does BookNox charge a booking fee?
No. BookNox charges a 0% platform fee. You pay $29 a month, flat, plus applicable sales tax, and Stripe's standard processing on your own Stripe account.
Are payment processing fees a hidden fee?
No. They are published by the processor and apply to every tool that takes payments. They are simply the cost most often left out of a comparison.
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