Web studio · MoroccoComparison
Booking website or free app: which should you choose?
For a small salon with a few services and no need for a brand, a free booking app is often enough, and we will tell you so. As soon as your brand matters, you pay commissions, or your offers are richer than a list of services, a website in your own name becomes more profitable. And you can also keep your app and add the website alongside it.
Comparison
Free app or your own site?
| Criterion | Free booking app | NextEdge website |
|---|---|---|
| A page in your name and on your domain | Weakness: Usually not. Your page lives on the app's own site. | Strength: Yes. Your name, your web address, your identity. |
| Competitors shown next to you | Weakness: Often yes. Other businesses can appear near yours. | Strength: No. Your visitors only see your business. |
| Fees or commissions on bookings | Depends: Depends on the app and the plan: free, fees or commission. Check before you commit. | Strength: No commission. A one-time build price, then a monthly care plan. |
| WhatsApp confirmation | Depends: Not always. Often an email or an app notification. | Strength: Yes. Every request lands on your WhatsApp, with the name and the chosen time. |
| French, Arabic, darija | Depends: Depends on the app. Darija is rarely supported. | Strength: Yes. Your site speaks your clients' language. |
| Custom offers (rituals, rooms, packages, gift cards) | Depends: Limited. Mostly services with a duration and a price. | Strength: Yes. Built around your offers. |
| Visibility on Google and Google Maps | Depends: Partial. The visibility benefits the app first, not your brand. | Strength: Yes. A site of your own, built to be found on Google and Google Maps. |
| Support in Morocco | Depends: Mostly online support, rarely local. | Strength: Yes. Setup done for you, changes on WhatsApp. |
The right choice
When to choose what?
When a free app is enough
Let's be clear: in these cases, you don't need us.
- You have a small salon, few services and simple prices.
- You don't need a strong brand: your clients come from the neighbourhood or word of mouth.
- You want to try online booking without investing.
- Your clients already use the app and book without difficulty.
When a NextEdge website pays off
A site of your own makes the most sense in these situations.
- Your brand is premium: your name, your style, your domain, with no competitors next to you.
- You run a riad or a guesthouse and you pay commissions on your bookings.
- Your offers are complex: composed rituals, rooms, packages, gift cards.
- Your clients go through WhatsApp and you want the request to arrive already prepared.
Worked example
The riad case.
A worked example to understand the mechanism. It is not a forecast: these are assumptions, to be replaced with your own figures.
Assumptions- A stay booked through a platform brings in 3,000 MAD.
- The platform takes 15% commission on every stay.
- The site costs 5,500 MAD to build.
- These stays would have gone through a booking platform. They now arrive directly, through your Instagram, your Google Maps listing or word of mouth.
Direct stays per monthCommission saved per monthSite paid back in
2900 MADabout 6.5 months
52,250 MADabout 2.5 months
104,500 MADabout 1.5 months
The more direct stays you receive, the faster the site pays for itself. If no stay comes in directly, it earns nothing. Excluding care (from 400 MAD per month after the 3 included months). A site does not fill a riad on its own: it avoids the commission on the guests you already attract. Check the commission rate in your contract.
Already using an app? Keep it, we build the site around it.
Talk about it on WhatsApp
You don't have to stop everything. Keep your app for the clients who already use it. Your site becomes your storefront, and you gradually send your clients there so they book directly.
Pricing
Clear prices. No surprises.
One-time build price in Moroccan dirham. You own the site, and the first year of domain and hosting is included.
Booking systemMost chosen
5,500MAD
Clients book themselves, 24/7.
- Full site with your services and prices
- Online booking calendar
- Found on Google and Google Maps
- French + English
- 3 months of care included
- Live in 14 days
Booking + dashboard
On quote
See your whole business on one screen.
- Everything in Booking system
- Your own dashboard: bookings, clients, revenue, staff
- Manage services, prices and availability yourself
- Ready for Instagram and Facebook ads
- French, English + Arabic
- 3 months of care included
Care · from 400 MAD / month
Ask about care
After your included months: hosting, changes, new photos and fixes within 48h. We handle the tech, you handle the clients.
Custom needs? You get a fixed quote before we start.
FAQ
Your questions.
Is a free app enough for my salon?
Often yes, if you have few services, no need for a brand and little competition around you. During the free audit, we tell you honestly whether a website is worth the investment in your case.
I pay commissions to a platform. Can a website reduce them?
Yes, for the clients who book directly: your site takes no commission on those bookings. You still have to bring your clients there, through Instagram, Google Maps or word of mouth. You can keep the platform for the clients it brings you.
Can I keep my current booking app?
Yes. We build the site around it. You keep the app for your regulars, and you send your new clients to your website.
Does the website work with WhatsApp?
Yes. The client chooses their service and their time, and the request lands on your WhatsApp with their name and the chosen time. You confirm with one message.
How much does a NextEdge website cost, and are there fees on my bookings?
From 5,500 MAD, paid once. The first year of domain and hosting is included, along with 3 months of care. After that, care starts at 400 MAD per month. No commission is taken on your bookings.
Free · no commitment · reply within 24 h
One message is enough.
Send your Instagram or current site on WhatsApp. We reply with three free ideas to bring in more bookings.