Research note / 001
“Free” means different things
in booking software.
Imagine a small business choosing an online booking platform in Japan. We checked five providers' own pricing and help pages. The question is what to check after confirming that each offers a free starting point.
The finding
The monthly fee is only
the first question.
All five have a free entry point. Booking volume, online prepayment, and the number of staff or locations change which limits and fees matter.
STORES Reservation lists 50 bookings per month on its free plan. Air Reserve lists unlimited monthly bookings on its free plan. Neither figure alone chooses the right service: the required features and payment method also matter.
Five source notes
Different conditions,
different follow-up questions.
STORES Reservation
Free plan: ¥0 per month, 50 bookings per month, two public booking pages. Check advance-payment fees and paid-plan contract terms.
Official pricing ↗RESERVA
Paid plans are upgrades after free registration. Its pricing page says bank transfer requires twelve months' payment in one installment.
Official pricing ↗Air Reserve
Free plan: ¥0 per month with unlimited monthly bookings. Reminder emails are excluded from the free plan; online payment requires a separate application.
Official plan guide ↗Square Appointments
Free, Plus, and Premium plans; monthly subscription fees apply per location. Check the fee for the particular way customers will pay.
Official FAQ ↗SelectType
Free plan without a time limit. The free tier has booking-window limits, and payments incur separate transaction fees.
Official pricing ↗Before choosing
Three questions for the buyer.
Include the busiest month when comparing free-tier limits and overage fees.
Check processing fees and any separate application needed to accept prepayment.
Staff access and per-location pricing can alter the final cost.
This is a format sample, not a product recommendation or exhaustive implementation guide. We use AI to organize information and draft text, and checked the stated facts against the linked official pages. Details may change after the date above.
Your question, researched
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