Fresha vs Phorest: Complete Comparison 2026

An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.

Fresha

8.4(12,000 reviews)

Free salon and spa booking platform with built-in payments, marketing, and a massive consumer marketplace for client discovery.

8.0(3,200 reviews)

Salon software focused on client retention with built-in marketing, reputation management, and loyalty programs from $99/month.

Aspect	Fresha	Phorest
Best For	New salons and spas wanting professional booking software without any upfront or monthly subscription costs	Salons struggling with client retention that need systematic win-back campaigns and loyalty programs
Pricing Model	Freemium	Subscription
Starting Price	Free	$99/mo
Deployment	cloud	cloud
Platforms	WEB, IOS, ANDROID	WEB, IOS, ANDROID
Rating	8.4/10	8.0/10

Genuinely free core software with no monthly fees — full booking, POS, client management, and reporting at zero subscription cost
Massive consumer marketplace with millions of users drives new client discovery without advertising spend
Polished modern interface that feels professional — one of the best-designed salon platforms on the market
Unlimited users and locations included in the free tier — no per-staff or per-location charges
Available in 120+ countries with multi-currency and localization support for international businesses

Mandatory use of Fresha payment processing — you cannot bring your own payment processor for potentially better rates
20% commission on first appointments from marketplace clients adds up fast for businesses with high new client volume
Platform dependency grows over time — marketplace clients know Fresha, not your brand, creating switching risk
Premium features (blast marketing, advanced reports) cost extra, so truly active businesses pay $200-500/month in total
Limited customization options compared to paid competitors — booking page templates and branding have constraints

Best-in-class client retention tools — automated win-back campaigns and loyalty programs that measurably reduce client churn
Targeted marketing based on actual client behavior (visit frequency, spending, services) beats generic email blasts
Strong reputation management that monitors reviews and systematically generates positive feedback from happy clients
Particularly strong in European markets with native GDPR compliance, multi-currency, and local payment processing
Retention analytics identify at-risk clients before they leave so you can proactively reach out

Core booking and POS features are solid but not best-in-class — the platform shines in marketing, not operations
Interface design is functional but not as polished or fast as Mangomint or as intuitive as Fresha
Weaker presence in the US market compared to European markets where Phorest is more established
Retention tools require ongoing attention — set-and-forget doesn't work, you need to monitor and adjust campaigns
Starting price of $99/month doesn't include the best features — you really need the $199+ Grow plan for full value

Product	Pricing Model	Starting Price
Fresha	freemium	Free0
Phorest	subscription	$99/mo

Choose Fresha if...

New salons and spas wanting professional booking software without any upfront or monthly subscription costs

Choose Phorest if...

Salons struggling with client retention that need systematic win-back campaigns and loyalty programs

Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.