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Free booking software for a solo business in Japan: freee vs STORES
For a solo business in Japan with more than 50 monthly bookings, freee Reservation Starter is a candidate for uncapped bookings without a subscription. Within 50 bookings and two pages, compare STORES Reservation Free too: prepayment is normally 5.5%, or 5.2% after approval for the special small-business rate, versus freee’s 6%.
All contents
Free booking plans for a solo business in Japan
| Item | freee Reservation Starter | STORES Reservation Free |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | ¥0 | ¥0 |
| Monthly bookings | Unlimited | 50 |
| Booking pages | Booking site; advanced customer management is paid | 2 published pages |
| Online prepayment | 6% | Normally 5.5%; approved small-business rate 5.2%; no fixed per-payment fee |
Checked September 25, 2026. STORES rates assume its Free package; the special rate requires application and approval. Bank transfers, refunds and optional functions are excluded.
Estimate your booking payment fees
Both free plans, with the STORES Free package. Enter a busy month; only prepaid bookings incur the fees below.
- Monthly prepaid sales
- ¥200,000
- freee · 6%
- ¥12,000
- STORES · 5.5%
- ¥11,000
STORES payment fees are ¥1,000 lower in this example. Check its two-page limit and required functions before choosing.
Estimate, checked September 25, 2026. Excludes transfers, refunds, paid functions and rounding differences. Inputs stay in this page and are not saved or sent. Sources
Test a booking from creation to deletion
Use your own test contact details and the provider’s payment test mode where available.
Set a busy-month estimate
List bookings, services, staff and public pages. Check whether exceeding an allowance blocks bookings or adds a fee.
Try each notification
Check confirmation, reminder, change and cancellation messages. Record channel, included volume, extra fees and sender details.
Check payment and refund handling
Use a supported test method to inspect payment, cancellation, refunds and payout timing. Do not create a real charge just to test a screen.
Export and delete the records
Check that the required customer and booking fields are included, and inspect staff permissions and deletion options.
Choose by booking volume and payment method
At 80 bookings in a busy month, STORES Reservation Free’s 50-booking cap is insufficient. Check whether freee Starter supports the menus, notifications and customer management you need. At 20 bookings, both free plans remain candidates.
For one ¥5,000 prepayment, the stated rates give ¥300 for freee, ¥275 for STORES normally, or ¥260 with its approved special rate. STORES does not charge a fixed ¥99 per-payment fee. The ¥9,000 crossover previously shown in this article does not apply to the current rates.
These are estimates of online payment fees only, excluding transfers, refunds, paid features and rounding differences. On-site payments do not incur these online payment fees.
Japan example: unlimited bookings can still carry payment fees
On September 25, 2026, freee Reservation listed Starter at JPY 0 per month with unlimited monthly bookings, but a 6% advance-payment fee. On-site payment carries no booking fee. Compare appointment volume and payment method separately.
For illustration, 100 monthly bookings at JPY 5,000 with half prepaid produce JPY 15,000 in payment fees: 5,000 × 50 × 6%. This is not an all-in cost including plan, refund or payout charges. Check the plan table for paid features such as customer management and custom email text. This is a Japan-specific example, not a claim about availability elsewhere.
Use peak volume, not an average
Count bookings in campaigns and busy periods. Determine whether exceeding the allowance stops bookings or creates an overage fee.
A free plan that sends overflow back to phone calls can recreate the administrative work the system was meant to remove.
Price every notification channel
Map confirmations, reminders, changes and cancellations across email, SMS and messaging. Note included volume, overage rate and any separate contract.
Test sender name, message content and delivery fallback. Failed messages create support work that belongs in the cost model.
Model payments and refunds
Calculate processor percentages and fixed charges for no prepayment, partial adoption and full prepayment scenarios. Include payout timing.
Check how cancellations and refunds work, including whether processing fees are returned. A system may take bookings automatically while still requiring you to handle each refund manually.
Try exporting and deleting customer records
Booking records can include identities, contact details and sensitive service notes. Review staff permissions, deletion and export fields.
Use fictional data to book, modify, export and delete. Estimate manual migration if important fields cannot leave the system.
Example: 40 prepayments of ¥5,000
Assume the booking volume and required features fit each free plan. Other fees are excluded from this calculation.
- Prepaid sales
- ¥5,000 × 40 = ¥200,000
- freee
- ¥200,000 × 6% = ¥12,000
- STORES (normal / approved special rate)
- ¥200,000 × 5.5% = ¥11,000 / × 5.2% = ¥10,400
STORES has lower payment fees in this example, provided the business fits its 50-booking and two-page limits. Check the busiest month and required functions as well as the subscription.
Things to watch for
Using average volume only
A campaign or busy season can create a higher cost or a booking interruption.
Assuming messages are free
SMS and messaging services may have separate rates or contracts.
Leaving exports untested
Check the records you will need for analysis or a future move.
Compare busy-month costs and manual work
Estimate bookings, notifications and prepaid transactions during peak periods. Add the time spent on calls, exceptions and refunds. Confirm export and deletion before putting real customer records into the system.
Frequently asked questions
Is the appointment limit enough to choose a free booking tool?
No. Also check pages, staff, notices, payments, cancellations and customer-data exports using the volume of a busy month.
How do I calculate prepayment costs?
Multiply prepaid bookings by price and the processing rate, then add applicable fixed, payout and refund charges.
Should I use real customer data for the first test?
Start with fictional records. Before using customer information, confirm the contract, staff access, storage, sharing and deletion rules.
Scope and key points
Who this helps
- You are comparing free booking systems for a small business.
- You need to assess reminders, payments and customer records.
Limits of this guide
- Use fictional records during the initial test.
- Plan for busy months as well as average booking volume.
Key points
- Peak-month appointment volume matters more than the average
- Messaging and payments can add variable fees
- Data export and deletion define the exit path
What the sources say
freee Starter: no monthly booking limit; online prepayment at 6%, checked September 15, 2026
Privacy and external-transmission guidance is relevant to booking records and connected services.
freee Reservation lists Starter with unlimited bookings and a 6% advance-payment fee, checked September 7, 2026.
STORES Free-package prepayment costs 5.5%, or 5.2% with approved small-business status, with no fixed payment charge
References
- 1.利用料金・プラン
STORES 予約 · Retrieved Sep 25, 2026
- 2.個人情報保護法ガイドライン
個人情報保護委員会 · Retrieved Aug 19, 2026
- 3.外部送信規律
総務省 · Retrieved Aug 19, 2026
- 4.freee予約 料金プラン・よくあるご質問
freee · Retrieved Sep 25, 2026
- 5.事前クレジットカード決済の手数料はいくらですか？
STORES 予約 · Retrieved Sep 25, 2026
- 6.個人事業主向け料金プラン
freee予約 · Retrieved Sep 25, 2026
About this article
On September 25, 2026, we rechecked both vendors’ pricing and the STORES payment-fee FAQ and corrected the former fee figures. Comparisons and calculator outputs are editorial analysis of published terms, not hands-on booking or payment tests.
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