Fresha vs. GlossGenius – Which is the best for your salon, spa, or barbershop in 2024?
You’re not the only business owner asking that question.
If it’s only you in your business (or maybe you +1 or 2), these are two of the most popular alternatives right now.
These platforms offer a robust feature set and pricing that makes Fresha and GlossGenius attractive to even the smallest businesses.
Fresha (formerly known as Shedul) hit the marketplace with free monthly subscriptions. You only pay incremental fees when Fresha starts to generate income for you.
GlossGenius has captivated the salon and spa industry with its premium beauty-inspired design and app-only software. Teams can also use the app, but it’s primarily designed for solopreneurs.
There is a lot to learn about these two options. Let’s dive into features, pricing, and my review and verdict of the two systems.
Here’s what you’ll find in this post:
Fresha vs GlossGenius
Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.
Fresha
GlossGenius
Overall score
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Average price
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.
Who is it for
Ease of use
Customer Service
Countries
Available in 22 languages in over 120 countries worldwide
U.S.
Key features
- FREE subscription with unlimited staff
- Fresha marketplace where clients can discover your salon
- Easy to use with a modern minimalistic design interface
- Available in over 120 countries!
- Premium beauty-inspired interface design
- Professional-looking website in just a few clicks
- Integrated payment and card reader with customizable design
- Affordable, transparent, flat fee pricing
A Double-Click on Each System
Let’s cover what these systems are and the pros and cons of each.
Fresha At a Glance
Overall score
Fresha (formerly known as Shedul) is the only subscription-free software for salons and spas with no trial period and no limits on usage. Fresha is headquartered in London, UK, but is available in 120 countries.
The strengths of Fresha lie in the ease of use, the subscription-free plan, and the continuous development of the platform.
It’s important to note that subscription-free is not the same as free. You’re paying for each transaction, and when new clients find you on the Fresha marketplace.
Pros and Cons
- Free subscription for unlimited staff. Only usage-based pricing.
- User-friendly and easy to learn
- Available in many countries and languages
- Limited options to customize the appearance (default designs look good, though)
- Clients are required to create a Fresha account to book
- Online booking cannot be integrated with your website (need to link out to your Fresha page)
- Limited support for integration with other platforms. You’re locked into using the Fresha tools.
GlossGenius At a Glance
Overall score
GlossGenius is an all-in-one appointment, payment, and marketing app for salon and spa professionals in the USA.
It offers rich support for independent professionals. Teams can also use the app but it’s primarily designed for solopreneurs.
Here you manage your total business out of an easy-to-use, beautifully designed, mobile app.
In my opinion, it’s the design and premium beauty experience that GlossGenius delivers that makes this tool truly unique. You can even adapt the design of their credit card reader to fit your brand.
Pros and Cons
- Interface design that signals beauty (and not tech)
- Intuitive features that are easy-to-use
- Professional looking website in just a few clicks
- Integrated payments with beautiful hardware
- Affordable and transparent flat fee pricing
- Limited flexibility (you need to follow pre-defined standards)
- Can only be managed via app (only calendar can be accessed in web browser)
- No booking widget to integrate on existing website (need to link to your GlossGenius website)
How Do They Compare? Strengths and Weaknesses
Both Fresha and GlossGenius serve a similar customer base of independent professionals, even if Fresha also has rich support for teams.
They are both easy-to-use platforms designed with non-technical individuals in mind. So easy that, in both cases, it comes with an expense of flexibility. You can’t really adapt much on either of these platforms. The look and feel of each app are set in stone, with no real customization to be made. What you see is what you get.
GlossGenius is all about beauty and the experience of your brand. You can craft a professional look in mere minutes. The integrated payments come with beautiful hardware. Business owners also appreciate the affordable and transparent fees.
Fresha has its marketplace that can help you attract clients and, of course, the free subscription which makes this platform different from the alternatives out there.
Unfortunately, both these systems lack a booking widget to integrate into your existing website. Instead, you’ll need to link to your GlossGenius or Fresha pages. If a booking widget is essential to you, then you will probably want to read about other alternatives on my top salon and spa software list.
But let’s double-click on this and review how they compare the different aspects of the software.
Fresha vs GlossGenius
Let's kick off with an overview of the two platforms we're diving into today.
Ease of use
Design
Customer service
Pricing
Calendar and appointment management
Online booking
Point of sale and check out
Client data
Client communication
Inventory management
Team Management
Payroll
Marketing support
3rd party integrations
Mobile and tablet apps
Let’s Talk Features
What I appreciate most about Fresha is the simplicity factor. The same holds for GlossGenius. You can use both platforms without having tech skills. GlossGenius scores additional points for sheer beauty.
Feature Comparison
Fresha or GlossGenius. Let's go through what these features are and where they differ.
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Fresha
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GlossGenius
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| Online Booking | Fresha | GlossGenius |
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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? |
Note You can enable/disable parts of the notification and add an additional message. |
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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 | ||
Integrating with Other Platforms for Additional Features
One of the limits of Fresha and GlossGenius is that they do not offer integration with other platforms. If this is a must-have feature that you cannot live without, check out alternative platforms on my top salon and spa software list.
Integrations
These platforms do not offer integration support.
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Fresha
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GlossGenius
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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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Pricing
When comparing Fresha vs. GlossGenius, both offer affordable pricing.
The big draw for Fresha is of course the free subscription. I am always suspicious of free, so I was curious to explore Fresha. There are no monthly subscription fees.
The platform is free, but once you add Fresha Plus with access to things like the online booking market and credit card processing, you will incur fees through these transactions. This will kick in once Fresha starts growing revenue for you.
GlossGenius is straightforward with pricing models, along with one card transaction rates.
Fresha vs GlossGenius Pricing
GlossGenius has the most straight forward pricing model on the market. Fresha makes it a bit harder to understand what you really will pay.
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Fresha
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GlossGenius
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| Average Price | ||
| Trial Options | ||
| Minimum contract length | ||
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Plans
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| Plans | ||
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Add-ons
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| Add-ons | ||
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Credit card fees
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| Credit card fees | ||
What Do Users Think of These Platforms?
So you’ve read what I have to say about these two systems. You can find out more about user ratings below.
User Reviews Compared
Let's compare scores for these systems on the major user review sites.
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Fresha
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GlossGenius
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What Alternatives Should You Consider?
Fresha and GlossGenius are two great options for many smaller businesses, but they’re not the right fit for everybody. If you’re still unsure, consider the platforms below.
Mangomint is the highest-rated software for salons and spas. If you have a team and you want the best customer service in the industry, this is the alternative you should try.
Square Appointments is a popular alternative to Fresha and GlossGenius, serving independent professionals on a budget.
Mangomint vs Square Appointments
A quick comparison of the two Fresha and GlossGenius alternatives.
Mangomint
Square Appointments
Overall score
Note
The overall score considers ease of use, customer service, features, user ratings, and cost. Scores are determined solely by our editorial team.
Average price
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.
Who is it for
Ease of use
Customer Service
Countries
U.S. and Canada
U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK.
Key features
- Modern, intuitive, and easy to use
- Smart automations that help cut down on time spent managing business operations
- Open data ownership and no contracts (you’re not locked into anything)
- Can integrate with any other platform who allows for integrations
- Highest-rated customer service on the market
- Large amount of native integrations with other apps
- Comprehensive, easy-to-use, marketing tools
- Best looking POS hardware on the market
- Free, sophisticated, website builder and online store
Conclusion
I hope this comparison of Fresha and GlossGenesis has helped you decide on the right platform.
For more alternatives, I highly recommend you read my list of the best salon and spa software right now.
