If you are comparing salon management platforms, you have probably come across both Defte and Altegio — known to many as Yclients, the Russian salon software brand that relaunched internationally under the Altegio name. Both platforms manage appointment scheduling and business operations, but they differ substantially in pricing, feature depth, geographic focus, and the type of business they are best suited for. This article gives you a clear, objective comparison.
This comparison is written by the Defte team. We have made every effort to represent Altegio accurately. Our goal is to help you make the right decision for your specific business situation.
Defte is an appointment booking and business management platform designed for service businesses in multilingual markets, with a particular focus on Turkey and regions where Turkish, Russian, and English-speaking clients coexist. The platform was built to make professional booking infrastructure accessible to businesses at any stage — from solo practitioners to multi-location operations — without upfront cost or complex onboarding.
Core features include a public-facing booking page (with an installable per-salon PWA for client push notifications), multi-staff scheduling and calendar management, automated push and email reminders at 1 hour and 30 minutes before appointments, a built-in client review system, business analytics, and an AI management assistant on paid plans. Clients book in seconds with only a name and phone number.
Defte operates on a freemium model: a permanent free tier for businesses getting started, and paid plans (Pro, Enterprise) for higher capacity and advanced features. No commission is charged on any booking at any plan level.
Altegio is the international brand identity of Yclients, a long-standing Russian salon management platform. Founded in Russia in 2010, Yclients became one of the most widely used management tools in the Russian beauty and wellness industry. The Altegio rebrand targets international expansion while the Yclients brand continues to operate in Russian-speaking markets.
Altegio offers a comprehensive feature set geared toward established, larger businesses: online booking, multi-staff calendar management, a sophisticated CRM with client history and segmentation, loyalty programmes and gift cards, integrated point-of-sale, inventory tracking, payroll management, and detailed business analytics. It is a mature, deep product with years of development behind it.
Altegio operates on a paid subscription model with plans typically ranging from approximately $30 to over $100 per month, depending on business size and features required. The platform is primarily designed around Russian business operations, with Russian-first support and documentation. International localisation, including Turkish and full English support, is partial.
| Feature | Altegio (Yclients) | Defte |
|---|---|---|
| Price (base) | ~$30–$100+/month | Free (permanent free tier) |
| Free plan | ❌ No permanent free tier | ✅ Permanent free tier |
| Languages (UI) | Russian (primary), partial others | Turkish, English, Russian (all native) |
| Turkey support | ⚠️ Limited localisation | ✅ Fully native Turkish |
| CRM / client history | ✅ Advanced CRM + segmentation | ✅ Client records + visit history |
| Loyalty programme | ✅ Full loyalty + gift cards | ⚠️ Review system (loyalty in roadmap) |
| Analytics depth | ✅ Advanced business analytics | ✅ Dashboard overview |
| Push notifications | ✅ In-app push | ✅ Web push + Android FCM |
| Automated reminders | ✅ SMS + push | ✅ Push + Email (1h + 30min before) |
| PWA / installable client app | ⚠️ Mobile app only | ✅ Per-salon PWA + native Android |
| POS integration | ✅ Full POS | ❌ Not available |
| Inventory management | ✅ Full inventory tracking | ❌ Not available |
| Payroll management | ✅ Built-in payroll | ❌ Not available |
| Setup complexity | ⚠️ Complex — many features to configure | ✅ Simple — live in minutes |
| AI assistant | ❌ | ✅ (Pro plan) |
| Commission on bookings | ❌ None (subscription model) | ❌ None at any plan level |
Pricing is one of the starkest differences between these two platforms.
Altegio (Yclients) is a premium, paid-only platform. Subscription prices vary by region and plan tier, but businesses typically pay from approximately $30 to over $100 per month for a full-featured account. There is no permanent free tier. The pricing reflects the platform's maturity and the breadth of its feature set — it is designed for established businesses with predictable revenue that can justify the ongoing software investment.
Defte offers a permanent free tier with no time limit. Up to 20 services, 5 staff members, unlimited appointments, push notifications, email reminders, and the full client booking workflow are available at no cost and with no commission. Paid plans (Pro, Enterprise) unlock unlimited services and staff, higher email send volumes, AI assistant access, and premium themes. The free plan is designed to be genuinely useful — not a crippled trial.
Pricing bottom line: For new businesses or those in markets where Altegio is not well-established, Defte removes the cost barrier entirely. Altegio's subscription cost is justified for larger, established businesses in Russia and the CIS that need deep CRM, loyalty management, POS, and payroll tools integrated in one place.
Defte offers a permanent free tier with no time limit: up to 20 services, 5 staff members, unlimited appointments, push notifications, and automated email reminders — with no commission on any booking. Altegio (formerly Yclients) is a paid platform with subscription plans typically ranging from $30 to over $100 per month. There is no permanent free tier in Altegio.
Altegio is primarily designed for the Russian and CIS market and is not natively localised for Turkey. Its interface, support, and billing are Russian-first. Defte was built specifically for the Turkish market with full Turkish-language support across the dashboard, client booking pages, and automated notifications, as well as proper Turkish time zone handling.
Yclients rebranded to Altegio for the international market. Both names refer to the same platform. Compared to Altegio/Yclients, defte.co offers a free entry point, native Turkish and English support alongside Russian, a simpler onboarding experience, and per-salon installable PWAs. Altegio/Yclients offers deeper CRM, loyalty programmes, POS integration, and payroll tools better suited to larger established businesses in Russia and the CIS.
Set up your booking page in under 5 minutes. No credit card. No commission. No time limit on the free plan.
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