Best Fresha Alternatives in 2026 (Honest Comparison)

Is Fresha really free?

Not quite. Fresha charges 20% commission on every new client you acquire through their marketplace (minimum NZ$7 per booking), plus 2.49% + $0.30 on every payment processed. Add SMS credits at $0.18/text and you can easily pay $200–500/month without ever signing up for a "paid plan." If you're researching alternatives, you're probably doing the math.

This page compares the seven most popular Fresha alternatives with honest pros, cons, and real pricing — so you can pick the one that actually fits your business, not just the one with the best marketing.

20% Fresha marketplace commission on new clients
2.49% Fresha payment processing fee per transaction
$0.18 Per SMS after 20 free messages/month
$500+ Realistic monthly cost for a busy salon

Fresha pricing as of 2026 (NZD). Varies by region.

Quick comparison

Platform Monthly cost Commission Free plan Best for
BookrHub $0 to start 0% ✅ Yes Salons, barbers, any service business
Setmore $0–$12/user 0% ✅ Yes (200 appts) Small teams, simple needs
Square Appointments $0–$149/location 0% ✅ Solo only Solo operators using Square payments
SimplyBook.me €0–€49.90 0% ✅ 50 bookings Multi-language, international
Acuity Scheduling $16–$49 0% ❌ Trial only Established businesses, strong integrations
Vagaro $30+/month (+ add-ons) 0% ❌ Trial only Beauty industry, but watch the add-ons
Timely NZD $39–$70 0% ❌ No ANZ salons, Xero accounting users
Calendly $0–$16/seat 0% ✅ 1 event type ❌ Not for salons — meeting scheduling only

1. BookrHub — Best free option with 0% commission

What it is: A booking system built specifically for service businesses — barbers, salons, nail techs, massage therapists, personal trainers, cleaners. No marketplace, no commission, no monthly fee to get started.

✅ Pros

  • Genuinely free — no commission ever, on any plan
  • No marketplace dependency (your clients stay yours)
  • Automated SMS + email reminders to cut no-shows
  • Online payments with deposit collection
  • Works for any appointment-based business
  • Set up in under 5 minutes

⚠️ Cons

  • No built-in marketplace — you drive your own traffic
  • Smaller brand recognition than Fresha or Square

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans for advanced features. No commission on any plan.

Best for: Any salon, barbershop, or service business that wants to own their client relationships and keep 100% of their revenue.

Start free with BookrHub →

2. Setmore — Best free plan for small teams

What it is: A straightforward scheduling tool with a genuinely useful free tier. Simple to set up, not overloaded with features you don't need.

✅ Pros

  • Free plan allows up to 4 users and 200 appointments/month
  • Very easy to learn — minimal onboarding time
  • Good customer support reputation
  • Affordable paid tier at $5/user/month (annual)
  • Integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook

⚠️ Cons

  • SMS reminders locked behind paid plan ($12/user/month monthly)
  • Weak client management — no intake forms, no package tracking
  • Calendar sync can be slow and glitchy
  • Per-user pricing gets expensive as team grows
  • Not built specifically for beauty/salon industry

Pricing: Free (4 users, 200 appts/month) · Pro: $5/user/month (annual) or $12/user/month (monthly)

Best for: Very small teams (2–4 people) who want a free tool and don't need SMS reminders or client intake forms.

3. Square Appointments — Best if you already use Square

What it is: Square's scheduling product, tightly integrated with their payment hardware and ecosystem. Makes sense if your POS is already Square. Otherwise, it boxes you in.

✅ Pros

  • Free plan for solo operators — genuinely functional
  • Seamless payment processing if you already use Square hardware
  • Clean, easy-to-use interface
  • Good mobile app
  • Handles invoices and customer notes

⚠️ Cons

  • Free plan is solo only — any team member requires the $49/location/month plan
  • Locked into Square payment processing (2.5–3.3% + fees)
  • No marketplace or client discovery features
  • Paid tiers expensive at $49–$149/location/month
  • Limited customisation on booking page
  • Missing beauty industry-specific features

Pricing: Free (1 user, 1 location) · Plus: $49/month/location · Premium: $149/month/location

Best for: Solo practitioners who already use Square for card payments and want booking to sit alongside it. For any team larger than one, costs escalate fast.

4. SimplyBook.me — Best for international or multi-language businesses

What it is: A feature-rich scheduling platform with genuine multi-language support (15+ languages natively) and no transaction fees on bookings. Popular with healthcare, wellness, and international businesses.

✅ Pros

  • No transaction fees on bookings (rare)
  • Native support for 15+ languages
  • HIPAA compliant for healthcare providers
  • Gift cards, loyalty points, POS system included
  • Free plan available (50 bookings/month)
  • 14-day trial with premium features, no credit card required

⚠️ Cons

  • Free plan capped at 50 bookings/month — very low for a working salon
  • Pricing tied to booking volume, not users — creates anxiety at busy periods
  • Add-on costs stack up (SMS credits $8/100, custom domain $119/year)
  • Steep learning curve — complex setup compared to competitors
  • Interface design feels dated

Pricing: Free (50 bookings) · Basic: €11.90/month · Standard: €24.90/month · Premium: €49.90/month (annual rates)

Best for: Businesses operating in multiple countries or languages, or healthcare providers needing HIPAA compliance.

5. Acuity Scheduling — Best UI, no free plan

What it is: One of the longest-standing scheduling platforms, now owned by Squarespace. Excellent user experience, strong integrations, no commission — but no free plan either.

✅ Pros

  • Best-in-class user experience — easy to learn and use
  • 50+ integrations (Zoom, HubSpot, Mailchimp, etc.)
  • Flexible intake forms
  • Multiple payment processor options (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo)
  • Packages, gift certificates, memberships on mid tier
  • Solid calendar sync with automatic timezone detection

⚠️ Cons

  • No free plan — 7-day trial only
  • SMS reminders locked behind the $27/month plan (not the cheapest tier)
  • Email-only support — no phone or live chat
  • Mobile app missing desktop features
  • Limited reporting on lower tiers
  • Interface design feels a little dated

Pricing: Starter: $16/month · Standard: $27/month · Premium: $49/month (annual billing; 20% cheaper than monthly)

Best for: Established businesses generating consistent revenue who want a polished, reliable tool and don't mind paying monthly.

6. Vagaro — Affordable base, expensive in practice

What it is: A salon and spa-focused platform with a low starting price that grows quickly once you start adding the features you actually need. Popular in the US beauty industry.

✅ Pros

  • Beauty industry focus — built for salons and spas
  • Low entry price ($24–$30/month for solo)
  • Client booking, rescheduling, and cancellation self-service
  • Good UI — rated 4.7/5 on Capterra for ease of use
  • 30-day free trial

⚠️ Cons

  • Add-ons cost more than the base plan — SMS marketing $20/month, forms $10/month, website builder $20/month, branded app $100/month
  • Real-world cost for a 3-person salon: ~$330/month all-in
  • 1-in-3 users report technical glitches daily
  • No offline functionality
  • Clients can't view or modify bookings after confirmation
  • Payment processing: 2.2–3.5% depending on volume

Pricing: Solo: $24–$30/month · +$10/month per additional staff · Add-ons: $10–$100/month each

Best for: US-based beauty businesses that want industry-specific features and are prepared to pay for add-ons. Check your real monthly total before committing.

7. Timely — Best for ANZ multi-location salons

What it is: A New Zealand-born scheduling tool with a strong following in Australia and NZ. One of the few that integrates with Xero for accounting. No free plan.

✅ Pros

  • Built with ANZ businesses in mind — regional pricing in NZD/AUD
  • Xero accounting integration (rare in this category)
  • Good multi-location team management
  • Automated SMS/email reminders included
  • Clean reporting and analytics

⚠️ Cons

  • No free plan
  • Starts at NZD $39/month (~USD $23) for a single staff member
  • Pricing scales steeply with team size
  • Smaller integrations ecosystem than Acuity
  • Less well known outside ANZ

Pricing: NZD $39/month (1 staff) · NZD $59/month (up to 5) · NZD $70/month (up to 50)

Best for: Australian and New Zealand salons, especially those using Xero for their accounts.

What about Calendly?

Calendly gets mentioned in many "alternatives" lists but it's not designed for salons or service businesses. It's a meeting scheduling tool — no service catalogue, no staff roster, no client intake forms, no beauty industry features. The free plan limits you to one event type. Skip it.

So which one should you choose?

  • You want free, forever, 0% commission: BookrHub
  • You want a free tier for a small team: Setmore (up to 4 users, 200 appts/month)
  • You're already using Square hardware: Square Appointments
  • You serve clients in multiple countries/languages: SimplyBook.me
  • You want best-in-class UX and integrations (and can pay): Acuity
  • You're US beauty industry and want industry-specific features: Vagaro (check the real monthly total)
  • You're in Australia or NZ and use Xero: Timely
Does any Fresha alternative have a built-in marketplace like Fresha?
None of the alternatives listed here have a consumer marketplace equivalent to Fresha's. Fresha's marketplace is genuinely valuable for new client acquisition — that's the trade-off. If client discovery through a marketplace is critical to your growth strategy, Fresha or Vagaro (which has its own directory) are the main options. The alternatives on this list give you more control and lower fees, but you're responsible for driving your own traffic.
Can I switch from Fresha to another platform without losing my client data?
Yes, in most cases. Fresha allows you to export your client list as a CSV. BookrHub, Acuity, Setmore, and most others can import that file. The process typically takes a few hours. Your booking history and reviews on Fresha's marketplace won't transfer, but your client contact data will.
What's the real cost of staying on Fresha for a busy salon?
It depends heavily on how many new clients you acquire through Fresha's marketplace. A salon doing 150 bookings/month at an average of $70, with 30% acquired through Fresha's marketplace, would pay roughly: 45 bookings × $70 × 20% marketplace commission = $630/month in commission alone, plus 2.49% payment processing on all 150 bookings ($70 × 150 × 2.49%) = $261/month. Total: ~$891/month. A platform with a flat monthly fee and 0% commission typically saves several hundred dollars per month at this scale.
Is BookrHub actually free or is there a catch?
BookrHub has a free plan with no commission on bookings — ever. Paid plans exist for advanced features like custom branding and priority support. The free plan is not a trial — there's no expiry date and no credit card required to start.

Ready to switch? Start with BookrHub — free, no commission, 5 minutes to set up

No credit card required. No marketplace commission. No monthly fee to get started.

Create your free booking page

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