Are you looking for a low-cost, subscription-free appointment scheduler?
Then you’ve probably heard about the Fresha partner app (formerly known as Shedul). This is, in fact, the only 100% subscription-free salon software on the market. And a platform that I believe deserves to be part of the top software alternatives to consider right now.
But does subscription-free mean limited services and features? And what’s the difference between “free” and “subscription-free”?
This, and much more, is what I’m diving into in this review of Fresha for Business.
Fresha at a Glance
Fresha Reviews: How Users Rate & Score
Although there’s been some swirl around unexpected charges with Fresha’s pricing model, the app has many users who really like it and the system gets relatively high scores on review sites.
Fresha Alternatives
Here are my recommended alternatives to Fresha. Mangomint if you run a business with a team. GlossGenius if you are a solopreneur or have a small team.
Browse all Fresha Alternatives.
Mangomint
Read my detailed Fresha vs. Mangomint comparison
Who is it for
The highest-rated software for salons & spas. Designed for businesses with a team who want the best design experience, smart automations, and the flexibility to integrate with other systems.
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$245 per month
Supported countries
U.S. and Canada
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
GlossGenius
Read my detailed GlossGenius vs. Fresha comparison
Who is it for
For independent professionals who want to start accepting payments and get appointment scheduling, a website and marketing up fast without compromising on the experience of their brand
Note
Assumes you run a business with a mid-size team and have activated the more common add-ons. What you will pay will be lower or higher than this. See the separate section about pricing for full details.
$48 per month
Supported countries
U.S.
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
How does Fresha do on Features?
Apart from robust salon appointment scheduling, Fresha features a point-of-sale system, staff scheduling, product and stock management, payment processing, financial reporting and analytics, and various marketing tools.
Feature Comparison
Salon and spa software often includes the following common features. The table below indicates which of these features are supported by Fresha.
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Fresha
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| Online Booking | Fresha | |
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Website booking widget Note Can you integrate the entire online booking experience directly into your website? |
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Branding control Note Can you customize the look and feel of the booking experience to fit your brand? |
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No-show protection Note Can you store credit card details and charge deposits to reinforce your cancellation policy? |
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Service customization Note Can clients adapt their service when they book, and can this change the price and duration of the booked appointment? |
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Free from account creation Note Can clients book without having first to create an account with the software? |
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Integrated gift cards Note Can you sell digital gift cards as part of the booking process? |
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| Calendar and Appointment Management | ||
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Customize notification messages Note Can you change the text sent to your clients as part of appointment reminders and other messages? |
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Customize notification timings Note Can you change when reminders and other messages go out to your clients? |
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| Client waitlist management | ||
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Rooms and resource scheduling Note Can you manage equipment, rooms, and other resources required to complete a service? |
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Repeat appointments Note Can you schedule clients for recurring appointments? |
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Time block Note Can you block out time on your calendar? |
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Processing time Note Can you allow for double booking of service providers by accepting appointments during service processing time? |
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Duration and price by staff Note Can you adapt the price and time needed for a service based on who is performing the service? |
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Automated check-in Note Can clients check in to their appointments themselves? |
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| Point of Sale/ Check out | ||
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Tablet compatible Note Can you run the POS on any tablet or do you need special hardware? |
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Dedicated POS hardware Note Does the system provider offer hardware to improve the check out expereince? |
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Self check out Note Can clients check out from their appointment themselves? |
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Route payments to renters Note If you have booth renters in your business, can you route payments directly to them? |
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Cards on file Note Can you store credit card details and charge the customer later? |
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Integrated payments Note Does the software offer a first-party payment processing solution? |
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| Client Data & Communication | ||
| SMS Notification | ||
| Email Notificition | ||
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Dedicated business SMS number Note Do you get a business phone number that your messages and notifications are send from? |
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| Two way SMS communication | ||
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Forms Note Can you create intake forms, store SOAP notes, and have clients sign your forms? |
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Client notes Note Can you store notes about clients on their profile? |
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Client files and images Note Can you store files and image on in the client’s profile? |
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| Inventory and Product Types | ||
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Inventory tracking Note Will the system keep track of stock levels, notify you when it’s time to re-order? |
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Purchase orders Note Can the system create automatic purchase orders for you? |
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| Retail | ||
| Memberships | ||
| Packages | ||
| Gift cards | ||
| Team Support & Payroll | ||
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Fully integrated payroll Note Can you run payroll and cut paychecks directly through the software? |
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3rd party payroll integration Note Does the software allow you integrate and share data with a 3rd party payroll solution (e.g. Gusto, ADP, Paychex, etc)? |
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| Payroll reports |
Note Fresha offer reports on staff commission, working hours, tips, and service and product sales by staff |
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Commission support Note Can you track and report on commission for service, retail, and other product types? |
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Multi-location support Note Does the system have specific support for businesses with multiple locations |
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Booth renter support Note Can the system help with rent collection, payments, and other booth renter management tasks. |
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| Marketing Support | ||
| Email marketing | ||
| SMS marketing | ||
| Website builder | ||
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Client marketplace Note Does it offer a platform where potential clients can browse businesses using the software? |
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Add-on offers Note Can you promote service add-ons/upsells as part of the online booking flow? |
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| Cloud & Mobile App Access | ||
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Full-featured mobile app Note Can you access all software features in the mobile app? |
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| Web browser | ||
| iPad | ||
| iPhone | ||
| Android | ||
Integrations
No really.. They have the more standard Google integration but that’s about it.
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Fresha
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Custom integrations Note Does the platform allow you to create new integrations to support your business-specific needs? |
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Native integrations Note Built-in integrations that you can activate as needed |
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What’s the Price of Free?
Although there’s no monthly subscription, Fresha does male money. Probably a lot if you look at the commpany valuation :). With Fresha you pay when you use it instead of on a fixed monthly basis.
$80 per month
Free subscription
Cancel any time
- No fixed monthly charge
- Marketplace new client fee: 20% (min $6 per new client). This only applies to new clients who book via the Fresha marketplace.
- Automated notifications: $0.01 per text (50 included for free)
- Email blast campaigns: $0.02 per email
- Text blast campaigns: $0.02 per email
- Insights (enhanced reporting): $9.95 per team member
- Card: 2.19% + $0.20 per transaction
- Tap to Pay: $0.10 per authorization
Important Tip: Import Existing Client Data before Marketing Your Salon on the Fresha Marketplace
Fresha charges a new client fee if they help you get a new client on their marketplace, make sure you import information about your existing clients into Fresha before you promote your salon there. Otherwise, you run the risk that an existing client is treated as new, and you’ll be charged 20% on their appointment if they find you in the marketplace.
Fresha Features
Despite being free, Fresha beats most of the big players on features.
- Fresha POS & Payments
- Appointment Management
- Online Booking
- Appointment Notifications
- Client Data Management
- Inventory Management
- Staff Management
- Email & SMS Marketing
- Social Media Integration
- Fresha Apps
POS & Payments
Fresha offers POS support via the professional app or web interface. The recently updated POS feature is now integrated into the main account interface. This improves the user experience, as there’s no need to navigate to a separate POS dashboard.
One great benefit is the ability to check out same-day appointments and process payments directly from the appointment view. This eliminates extra steps for staff, making the checkout process much more efficient.
Fresha has also enhanced the item search function, allowing users to quickly find items across all categories. This will greatly improve the speed of sales completion.
After completing a sale, you can adjust tips and reassign items directly from the checkout screen. This is a significant time-saver, as it eliminates the need to go back to the appointment details.
Fresha also offers a credit card payment terminal that integrates with the software.
Appointments Calendar Management
The appointment calendar is at the heart of any local service business. This is the view you’ll look at several times a day to keep track of where you are and plan your week ahead.
Fresha has recently streamlined its sales, appointment, and client management features to make them more intuitive and efficient. The appointment view has been simplified, with key information displayed in a clear, accessible way.
Online Booking
Fresha provides you with an online booking page that you can link to from your website. The generic booking page you’re provided with looks good (see example image below). You cannot customize the design to reflect your branding.
It’s a good scheduler that is also listed in my list of the best appointment-scheduling software for salons and spas.
Notifications & Alerts
You can notify clients about new appointments, remind them about upcoming bookings, send thank you messages, and much more, using Fresha. Notifications can be sent as SMS, e-mail, or app notification (in case the user has the Fresha app installed).
Fresha gives you unlimited free SMS notifications.
You can personalize each message (as shown below). However, you cannot change the design of the notification which will always follow the pre-defined Fresha design (which looks really good btw).
Client Data Management
Fresha offers a simple client directory that allows you to search your clients, view upcoming/past appointments, and store basic information about the client.
The client card provides a quick view of a client’s details, including contact information, allergies, and staff alerts. Appointment details such as date, start time, recurring status, services included, and notes are all easily editable directly from the appointment view.
Inventory Management
Fresha has good support for inventory and supplier management. It’s not as advanced as some competitors but more than enough for most salons.
Staff Management
You can have multiple staff members at multiple locations in Fresha. The tool offers pretty advanced user permission levels so that you have full control over what different staff members should be able to access or not.
It does not have a payroll tool built-in but you can configure commission and pull monthly reports for staff members so that you can manage payroll effectively.
You can compare it to other alternatives in my salon management software top list.
Email & SMS Marketing
Fresha gives you access to built-in email and SMS campaigns. You can send custom blast messages or leverage the smart campaigns to, for example, reach people on their birthdays or before you lose them.
You can integrate your Fresha booking directly with Facebook, Instagram, and Google. You’ll also be able to manage customer reviews made on the Fresha marketplace. However, the tool does not support reputation management on other platforms – like Google or Yelp.
Fresha Apps
Fresha offers two apps – one for business and one for clients. They are available for both iOS and Android devices. I like the simplicity and ease of use of both apps.
Fresha business app has a 4,0 user rating score on both Android and iOS. The Fresha booking app for clients has a user rating of 4.9 on both systems.
Summary
I hope you found this Fresha review helpful and that you’ve been able to decide whether the platform is right for your business.
Fresha
I recommended Fresha for independent professional or business on a budget that want to avoid subscription fees and a big technical learning curve.
Operating System: iOS
Application Category: Business/Productivity
4.1
Pros
- Free subscription for unlimited staff
- User-friendly and easy to learn
- Available in many countries and languages
Cons
- Limited options to customize the appearance
- Clients are required to create a Fresha account
- Limited support for integration with other platforms
If you want to compare Fresha to other alternatives, I recommend you review my list of the best salon software.
Social Media Integration