Questions, answered
Everything people ask before they start. Still unsure? Talk to us - we would rather tell you it is a bad fit than sell you the wrong thing.
Is Melbarrel software, or an agency?
Both, and that is the point. Melbarrel is a business platform - bookings, customers, staff, invoicing and your website - and the same team also designs your logo, builds your site, runs your SEO and manages your ads. You can buy only the software, only the services, or both; the difference is that the people doing your branding already have your data in front of them.
Do I have to move everything to Melbarrel at once?
No. Most teams start with one part of Melbarrel - usually customers or bookings - and move the rest across as they get comfortable. Your data stays connected either way, so nothing is stranded in the meantime.
Is my industry really supported, or is it a generic template?
Melbarrel ships 30 industry modules, each with its own workflows, fields and reports. A dental practice gets an odontogram and a recall schedule; a restaurant gets tables, courses and a kitchen display; a law firm gets matters, hearings and retainer balances. Same platform, different tools.
How much does Melbarrel cost?
Plans start at 69 CAD a month and go up by scale, not by feature: more team members, branches, websites and AI tokens. Paying yearly takes two months off. Services are priced separately and can be bought on their own: branding from 39 CAD, website builds from 99 CAD, marketing and SEO from 19 CAD a month.
What is Melbear AI, and does it make things up?
Melbear is the AI assistant built into Melbarrel. It answers from your own customer records - this appointment, this invoice - rather than from the open internet, and it hands over to a human instead of guessing when it cannot find the answer. Every automated action it takes is logged and reversible.
Where is my data stored, and who can see it?
Your data belongs to you. Each business on Melbarrel is isolated from every other business on the platform. We do not use your data to train anything and we do not sell it. You can export it at any time.
Can I use my own domain name?
Yes. You point your domain at Melbarrel, we verify the DNS records and issue the TLS certificate automatically. Your site is live on the platform address straight away; your own domain follows once DNS has propagated, which is out of our hands and usually takes a few hours.
Can customers book from my website themselves?
Yes. The website builder includes a booking widget wired into the same calendar your team uses, so a booking taken online is the same record your staff see - there is nothing to copy across.
Can I take payments online?
Yes, through Stripe. Card details are entered directly into Stripe and never stored on Melbarrel servers. Invoices are linked to the job they came from, so the payment lands against the right record.
Does Melbarrel handle more than one location?
Yes. Branches are separate inside one account: staff, customers and reporting can be scoped per branch, and permissions decide who sees which one.
Am I locked into a contract?
No. Plans are billed for the period you choose - monthly or yearly - and can be cancelled at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the period you have already paid for, and you keep your data.
Can I get my data out if I leave?
Yes. Your content stays yours. Ask us and we will provide an export of your customers, bookings and invoices; after an account closes we keep the data for a limited grace period so it can still be restored or exported.
Still have a question?
A real person answers. If Melbarrel is the wrong fit for your trade we will say so.