Pricing
freemium
Best For
New salons and spas wanting professional booking software without any upfront or monthly subscription costs
Rating
8.4/10
Last Updated
Mar 2026
TL;DR
Fresha's pitch is irresistible: free booking software with no monthly fees. They make money from payment processing (2.19% + $0.20 per transaction) and a 20% commission on new clients acquired through their marketplace. For salons with an existing client base, the cost can be very low. For businesses heavily dependent on marketplace discovery, that 20% commission on new clients adds up fast. Over 120,000 businesses in 120+ countries use it. The product is polished, the marketplace is massive, and the free entry point is genuinely compelling.
What is Fresha?
Free Is a Powerful Word
Fresha disrupted salon software by eliminating monthly fees entirely. No subscription cost. No per-user fees. No setup charges. You sign up, configure your services, and start taking bookings. They monetize through payment processing fees and marketplace commissions, which means you only pay when you're actually making money. For an industry full of $30-500/month subscriptions, this model was revolutionary.
The Marketplace Advantage
Fresha's consumer marketplace is its biggest asset. Millions of consumers use the Fresha app and website to find and book beauty services. Being on Fresha means potential clients discover you while browsing. The catch: Fresha charges 20% commission on the first appointment from marketplace-acquired clients. After that, the client is yours with no ongoing commission. For businesses in competitive urban markets, this marketplace traffic is worth the commission. For established businesses with full books, it's less necessary.
What Free Actually Includes
Everything you need to run a salon: online booking with a professional booking page, POS with Fresha's card reader, client management with full appointment history, automated reminders and confirmations, basic marketing tools, inventory tracking, staff scheduling with commission tracking, reports, and multi-location support. The free tier is genuinely full-featured, not a stripped-down trial.
The Real Costs
Payment processing at 2.19% + $0.20 per transaction is competitive but not the cheapest. On $10,000/month in card transactions, you're paying about $240 in processing fees. The 20% marketplace commission on new client first visits varies wildly by location — busy urban salons might pay $200-500/month in commissions, while established businesses in quieter areas pay almost nothing. Premium features (blast marketing, advanced reports) cost extra. Total monthly cost is usually $200-500 for an active salon, but it scales with revenue rather than being a fixed fee.
The Fresha Lock-In
There's a catch to "free" — Fresha requires you to use their payment processing. You can't bring your own payment processor. If you're getting a better rate elsewhere, Fresha's processing fees may offset the monthly subscription savings. Also, clients booked through Fresha's marketplace know the Fresha brand, not necessarily yours. There's a platform dependency that grows over time.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- 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
Cons
- 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
Fresha Pricing
Free
- Online booking
- POS
- Client management
- Automated reminders
- Inventory
- Reports
- Multi-location
Plus Features
- Blast marketing campaigns
- Advanced reporting
- Google Ads integration
- Custom branding
Pricing last verified: March 26, 2026
Who is Fresha Best For?
- New salons and spas wanting professional booking software without any upfront or monthly subscription costs
- Businesses in urban areas that benefit from marketplace discovery to attract new clients passively
- Multi-location salon groups wanting free software with unlimited users and locations included
- International beauty businesses needing multi-currency support across 120+ countries
Technical Details
The Bottom Line
Fresha scores 8.4/10. It stands out for genuinely free core software with no monthly fees — full booking, pos, client management, and reporting at zero subscription cost. Best suited for new salons and spas wanting professional booking software without any upfront or monthly subscription costs. Keep in mind that mandatory use of fresha payment processing — you cannot bring your own payment processor for potentially better rates. There is a free plan to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on editorial analysis