How to choose booking software in Greece (salon, events or home services)
Not every tool fits every business. Use this checklist before you switch calendars or pay for another subscription.
Salon-only apps are good at one thing: staff slots in a chair. They start to break when you also sell workshop tickets, rent a boat for a weekend, book a cleaner across postcodes, or share one laser machine between two therapists. If your real business is wider than a classic appointment grid, a narrow tool will push you into a second calendar, a second payment tool and a second client list.
Greece adds extra constraints. You serve locals and visitors. You need Greek on the Store and English (or more) for tourists. You may take cash, card, Apple Pay and deposits. You do not want a 20 to 35% marketplace commission on clients you already have, and you do not want a €35 monthly SaaS bill in a quiet month.
Planoora is a booking and discovery platform, not a salon-only competitor. Time slots, date-range stays, events with capacity, packages, resources and field services live in one Store calendar. Clients can book from your link at 0% platform fee, and optionally find you in the Planoora app when you want new demand.
Start with your booking types, not the logo on the app
Write down every way money comes in this month. Haircut at 10:00. A 90-minute home visit. A Saturday workshop with 12 seats. A two-night stay. A package of five sessions. Shared equipment that cannot be double-booked. If the software cannot express those types, you will invent workarounds, and workarounds become no-shows and angry staff.
Ask vendors to show those exact flows, live, in Greek. Screenshots of a barbershop demo are not proof they can sell tickets or block a yacht column.
Marketplace, Store link, or both
A marketplace is useful when you want new clients. It is expensive when it taxes every returning client who already knows you. A widget on your website is useful when you already have traffic. It does nothing for discovery on a Tuesday in Thermi.
The combination that works for most partners is both, with different economics. On Planoora, Store bookings from your own link have 0% platform fee. App bookings that Planoora helps you win follow a transparent fee, shown upfront, and you choose who pays. You are not locked into a salon marketplace commission model.
Checklist before you switch
Can clients book from your own link without high platform fees on people you already know?
Do you need events and ticket sales, range bookings for stays or rentals, and resources, not only hourly staff slots?
Can you run Greek and English (or more) for tourists and locals on the same Store?
Does the marketplace actually bring new clients, or does it only replace your notebook at a high commission?
Can the team run the day from a phone, including payments, notes and no-show policy, not only from a desktop?
Is pricing honest: €0 monthly software on Planoora founding access, versus a fixed SaaS fee plus 20%+ commissions elsewhere?
How to migrate without chaos
Do not import five years of messy Excel on day one. Load staff, services, hours and the next two weeks of already-promised appointments. Put the Store link live for new bookings immediately. Keep WhatsApp as a backup for one week, then stop quoting times in chat.
Tell regulars once, in a story and an SMS: “Book here from now. Same team, live times.” Most people only need the link once. After that, the calendar is faster than asking you.
FAQ
Is a marketplace always better than a booking widget?
Not always. You need both: a Store link for existing clients (0% platform fee on Planoora Store bookings) and optional discovery in the Planoora app for new clients.
What if I only need a simple calendar?
Start with your Store link and core services. You can add events, packages, staff and resources later without switching platforms.
Does Planoora only work in Greece?
Planoora launched in Greece and is built to work globally: multiple languages, mobile-first booking, and a Store you can share anywhere. The marketplace density is strongest where partners are live.