First 200 Mississippi businesses are Founding Merchants
Switch from StyleSeat
StyleSeat takes ~30% of every new client's first visit. Good Circles takes 1% of profit.
StyleSeat is cheap for the clients you already have — but it charges a monthly subscription and takes 30% of every new client's first visit (capped at $50), which is exactly the customer it's supposed to bring you. Good Circles brings new local clients at no acquisition fee, with no subscription, a 1% fee on profit, your customer saving ~10%, and a local nonprofit funded. Free to join.
A $100 service, side by side
A $100 service that costs you $30 to deliver, at a 25% tax rate, assuming 60 bookings a month. Notice the gap isn't on repeat clients — it's on the new client StyleSeat charges you $30.00 to book.
| Per service | Good Circles | StyleSeat (repeat) | StyleSeat (new client) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer pays | $90.00 (saves $10.00) | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Cost to deliver | ($30.00) | ($30.00) | ($30.00) |
| Processing · subscription / booking | $0 · $0 | ($2.90) · ($0.58) | ($2.90) · ($0.58) |
| New-client fee (first visit) | — | — | ($30.00) |
| Good Circles fee · donation | ($0.60) · ($6.00) | — | — |
| Pre-tax profit | $53.40 | $66.52 | $36.52 |
| After-tax profit (25%) | $40.05 | $49.89 | $27.39 |
| Customer saves / community funded | $10.00 / $6.00 | $0 / $0 | $0 / $0 |
| Total local value created | $56.05 | $49.89 | $27.39 |
StyleSeat terms reported/verified 2026-06-22 (help.styleseat.com): ~$35/mo ($420/yr) + ~2.6% + $0.30 processing + a one-time 30% new-client fee on the first visit (capped $50). Repeat clients are cheap; the cost is the subscription and acquiring new clients. Good Circles has no subscription, no merchant card cost (the customer pays processing if they use a card), and no acquisition fee. Illustration, not tax advice.
Calculator
Run your salon's numbers
Booking apps are cheap for repeat clients but charge a monthly subscription and a fee to acquire new ones. Enter your numbers to see a repeat client and a new client side by side, against Good Circles.
Per service, side by side
| Per service | Good Circles | Platform (repeat) | Platform (new client) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer pays | |||
| Less: customer savings (10%) | — | — | |
| Less: cost to deliver | |||
| Less: payment processing | $0.00 (customer pays if card) | ||
| Less: subscription (per booking) | $0.00 | ||
| Less: new-client fee (first visit) | — | — | |
| Less: Good Circles fee (1% of profit) | — | — | |
| Less: donation (deductible) | — | — | |
| Pre-tax profit | |||
| After-tax profit | |||
| Memo: customer saves / community | $0 / $0 | $0 / $0 | |
| Total local value created |
Illustration only — not tax advice. Subscription, processing, and new-client fees are reported platform terms (verified 2026-06-22) and vary by plan, team size, and market — set the subscription to yours. Good Circles applies its ~10% customer discount to the sale; booking-platform clients pay full price. Confirm tax treatment with your CPA.
You pay the most for the customers you most want
A booking app is genuinely handy for managing your chair and your regulars. But StyleSeat makes its money on the new client — taking up to $50 of that first visit — which is the one part of your business that's hardest to grow. You're paying a premium precisely where you need help most.
Good Circles is a customer channel, not a toll booth: new local clients come through nonprofits and their supporters at no acquisition fee, you keep about 89% of your profit, your customer saves ~10%, and a local cause is funded. Keep your booking app if you like it — let Good Circles bring the new faces. See the full comparison »
Questions
StyleSeat vs Good Circles — FAQ
How does StyleSeat charge stylists?
StyleSeat charges about $35/month plus payment processing (~2.6% + $0.30), and a one-time new-client fee of 30% of the first appointment, capped at $50. Repeat clients only cost you processing, but every new client you book through StyleSeat costs up to $50 on top of the subscription.
Will I keep more on Good Circles than StyleSeat?
For repeat clients, StyleSeat's per-visit cash is similar - you give your Good Circles customer ~10% back, which StyleSeat doesn't. The big difference is new clients: StyleSeat takes up to $50 of a new client's first visit, while Good Circles brings new local clients at no acquisition fee. On a $100 first visit you keep about $40 after tax on Good Circles versus about $27 on StyleSeat - plus there's no monthly subscription.
Can I use StyleSeat and Good Circles together?
Yes. Many stylists keep a booking app for their calendar and use Good Circles as the channel that brings new local clients - without a 30% first-visit fee, with customers saving ~10%, and with a local nonprofit funded on every appointment. Good Circles is free to join with a 1% fee on profit.
Bring new clients without the 30% first-visit fee
Free to join. A 1% fee on profit only when you sell. The first 200 Mississippi businesses are Founding Merchants.