If you've been using Fresha and the economics no longer make sense, you're not alone. Many salons and spas start researching Fresha alternatives once monthly seat fees, marketplace charges, and payment lock-in begin to outweigh the convenience. Fresha is still a capable beauty-and-wellness platform: it gives salons, spas, and barbers a marketplace profile, booking tools, payments, and daily business management in one place.
This guide compares seven Fresha alternatives for salons, spas, barbershops, and wellness businesses in 2026. Booknetic is the only WordPress option in this lineup; the other six are SaaS tools. That split matters because most businesses replacing Fresha are choosing between two different models: owning the booking experience on their own site, or using a hosted platform that trades flexibility for convenience. We focus on the trade-offs that matter most: how pricing scales as your team grows, whether clients book on your own site, how much payment flexibility you keep, and how much control you retain over branding and customer relationships.
Why Look for a Fresha Alternative?
Fresha built a loyal following largely because its scheduling software was genuinely free for several years. That model ended in 2025, and here's what's pushing users toward alternatives now.
Monthly subscription fees now apply to every team member. Fresha's current pricing: $19.95/month for solo practitioners (Individual plan) or $14.95/month per bookable team member (Team plan). A salon with 6 staff pays a minimum of $89.70/month in base subscription fees — before any commission or payment processing charges.
A 20% new-client commission adds a significant recurring cost. On top of the subscription fee, Fresha charges 20% of the first appointment value (minimum $6) for every new client who discovers your business through the Fresha marketplace. For a salon generating 20 new clients per month at an $80 average service ticket, that's $320/month in commissions alone. The fee applies even if a client cancels their first appointment — as long as they eventually complete one.
The payment processor is locked to Fresha Payments. There is no way to use Stripe, PayPal, Square, or any third-party processor. In-person transactions cost 2.29% + $0.20; online bookings cost 2.79% + $0.20. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers report being charged the 20% new-client fee for clients who arrived via Google Search or personal referrals — not the marketplace — with limited ability to dispute those charges.
Clients book on fresha.com, not your own website. Fresha provides a hosted booking URL (a redirect to fresha.com), not an embeddable widget. Every booking pulls clients off your website and into Fresha's platform — where they create a Fresha account and enter Fresha's ecosystem.
Client data lives in Fresha's CRM, not yours. When clients book through the Fresha marketplace and create Fresha accounts, they enter Fresha's database — where they're exposed to promotions from competing businesses. Multiple salon owners report difficulty fully exporting their client list when trying to leave the platform.
Fresha Alternatives at a Glance
Tool
Type
Starting Price
Free Plan
Booking on Your Own Site
Payments
Best For
Booknetic ⭐WP Plugin
$45/yr
❌
✅ Fully embedded
10+ gateways via add-ons
WordPress salons that want full ownership
Square Appointments SaaS
Free / $49/mo per location
✅
✅ Booking site + widget
Square ecosystem
US salons already using Square POS or payments
SimplyBook.me SaaS
Free / £12.9/mo
✅
✅ Booking site + widget
Payments on paid plans
Highly customizable international setups
Setmore SaaS
Free / from $5/user/mo annually
✅
✅ Booking page + website button
Stripe, Square, PayPal, LawPay
Budget-conscious teams needing a free start
Acuity Scheduling SaaS
$16/mo (annual)
❌
✅ Embeddable
Stripe, Square, PayPal
Service businesses wanting flexible SaaS
Vagaro SaaS
$23.99/mo
❌
✅ Widget + marketplace presence
Vagaro Payments
Salon-first SaaS with flat monthly pricing
Timely SaaS
Region-based per-staff pricing
❌
✅ Embeddable + social booking
TimelyPay, PayPal, Stripe + regional
Beauty businesses in ANZ/UK markets
Prices checked on official vendor pages on April 19, 2026. Some vendors localize pricing by country.
Detailed Reviews
1. Booknetic — Best WordPress-Based Fresha Alternative for Full Ownership
Type: WP Plugin | Starting price: $45/yr
Booknetic is a self-hosted WordPress appointment booking plugin built for businesses that want their booking flow on their own website instead of inside a marketplace ecosystem. It is especially compelling for salons, spas, clinics, fitness studios, and other service businesses that already run on WordPress and want predictable licensing instead of monthly per-seat billing.
What makes Booknetic stand out against Fresha is control. Clients book through an embedded widget on your site, your brand stays front and center, and you choose whether to use cash, local payment, or one of many gateway add-ons. There is no commission on new clients, no dependency on a marketplace profile, and REST API access is included across all plans.
Key features:
Fully embedded booking widget on your WordPress site — clients never leave your domain
Multiple locations, group appointments, recurring bookings, and multi-service cart support
10+ payment gateways available as add-ons, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mollie, Razorpay, WooCommerce, and more
Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar sync available as add-ons
Loyalty points, gift cards, coupons, custom forms, and white-labeling available as add-ons
iOS and Android mobile app for staff and admins available as an add-on
REST API included on all plans
35+ locales, a visual translator module, and RTL support
Pricing: Basic $45/yr | $99 lifetime · Standard $99/yr | $199 lifetime (6 add-ons included) · Premium $199/yr | $399 lifetime (16 add-ons included) · Elite $299/yr | $799 lifetime (all 50+ add-ons included). See Booknetic pricing and Booknetic features for the current plan breakdown.
Best for: Salon, spa, and wellness owners on WordPress who want to remove per-staff subscription costs, avoid commissions, and keep full control over branding, payments, and client data.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: Booknetic directly solves the main reasons people leave Fresha. Pricing does not rise every time you add another team member. There is no 20% marketplace fee on new clients. Clients book on your own site instead of a Fresha-hosted page, and you decide how payments work rather than being forced into a single processor.
What to watch for: There is no free plan, and WordPress is required. The Basic plan does not include paid add-ons like Stripe, the mobile app, or loyalty points, so most salons comparing against Fresha will want to look closely at Standard, Premium, or Elite. If you want to test the workflow first, use the live demo .
2. Square Appointments — Best SaaS Pick for Salons Already Using Square
Type: SaaS | Starting price: Free / $49 per location per month
Square Appointments is a hosted booking and POS platform built around the Square payments ecosystem. It is especially attractive to US salons, barbershops, nail studios, and med spas that already use Square for checkout or retail and want scheduling, staff calendars, reminders, and payments under one vendor. Unlike Fresha, Square does not charge a separate marketplace commission when a new client books with you.
Key features:
Free plan for solo businesses, with paid Plus and Premium plans per location
Online booking site, website widget, QR code booking, and Google/Facebook/Instagram booking integrations
Unlimited staff calendars plus custom scheduling controls
Deposits, cancellation policies, no-show fees, and automated reminders
Waitlist, multi-staff appointment booking, and resource management on higher plans
Google Calendar sync and a Bookings API for external integrations
Deep connection with Square POS, gift cards, loyalty, marketing, payroll, and hardware
Pricing: Square Free $0/location · Square Plus $49/location/month · Square Premium $149/location/month. Square Plus and Premium each offer a 30-day free trial. In-person processing currently starts at 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium.
Best for: US-based salons and spas already using Square payments or POS, and wanting booking plus checkout inside one ecosystem.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: There is no 20% marketplace fee on new clients, you can offer bookings through your own branded booking site or widget, and Square is much stronger than Fresha on the payments/POS side if you also sell retail or take in-person payments all day.
What to watch for: Square is still an ecosystem decision. The experience is strongest if you are comfortable running payments, appointments, and other tools inside Square. Advanced appointment tools sit in Plus or Premium, and monthly subscription fees are charged per location rather than as a one-time license.
3. SimplyBook.me — Best SaaS Alternative for Customization and International Teams
Type: SaaS | Starting price: Free / £12.9 per month
SimplyBook.me is a hosted booking system built for businesses that want deep customization without moving to WordPress. It supports beauty and wellness businesses well, but also works across healthcare, fitness, education, and professional services. For salon and spa owners comparing it with Fresha, the biggest appeal is flexibility: you can run a hosted booking website, embed a widget, add custom features, and grow into higher plans without giving up your own brand experience.
Key features:
Free plan with 50 bookings, 1 provider, booking website, booking widget, admin app, and WordPress widget
Payments, deposits, tips, and POS on paid plans
Branded client app, HIPAA options, and SAML SSO on higher tiers
Recurring appointments, event bookings, multilingual support, and Zapier integration
70+ custom features plus optional booking packages, WhatsApp/SMS credits, and social media tools
White-label and enterprise options for larger operations
Pricing: Free £0 · Basic £12.9/month or £10.9/month annually · Standard £25/month or £20.8/month annually · Premium £55/month or £45.8/month annually · Enterprise custom pricing. A 14-day free trial is available and extra booking packages can be purchased if you outgrow your monthly limit.
Best for: International salons, spas, and wellness teams that want a hosted platform with more customization depth than Fresha.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: There are no marketplace commissions, clients can book through your own branded booking experience, and SimplyBook.me gives you far more control over how the booking flow looks and behaves than Fresha's marketplace-driven model.
What to watch for: SimplyBook.me's pricing model is more configurable than Fresha's, but also more layered. Limits on bookings, providers, and custom features can push growing teams into higher plans, and some of the most attractive options — like stronger branding controls — sit in upper tiers.
4. Setmore — Best Free SaaS Starting Point Instead of Fresha
Type: SaaS | Starting price: Free / from $5 per user per month annually
Setmore is a cloud scheduling platform with one of the strongest free starting points in this category. For salons and spas that want to leave Fresha without immediately committing to another expensive monthly platform, Setmore is attractive because the free plan already includes online payments, branded booking pages, a mobile experience, and up to four users. The Pro plan then unlocks recurring appointments, 2-way calendar sync, SMS reminders, branding removal, and API access.
Key features:
Free plan for up to 4 users and 200 appointments per month
Branded booking page, website button/widget, and mobile app experience
Online and in-person payments, deposits, and cash register support
Reserve with Google plus Facebook and Instagram Book Now buttons
Pro adds recurring appointments, 2-way calendar sync, SMS reminders, branding removal, and Google review requests
Mailchimp, HubSpot, Zapier, GA4, and API access on supported plans
Payment connections with Square, Stripe, PayPal, and LawPay
Pricing: Free $0 for up to 4 users · Pro from $5/user/month with annual billing (monthly billing is higher). Setmore's free plan includes 200 appointments per month; Pro removes that cap and adds the deeper automation and branding tools most growing salons will want.
Best for: Small salons, solo practitioners, and wellness teams that want a real free SaaS booking system before committing to a larger monthly subscription.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: It lets you leave Fresha's marketplace-fee model without paying upfront for another heavyweight platform. Clients book through your own booking page or website button, and you still get payments, reminders, team scheduling, and common integrations.
What to watch for: Setmore is more general-purpose than salon-specific. It is a great budget-friendly option, but it does not offer the same beauty-first operational depth you get from tools like Vagaro, Square Appointments, or Timely. Many of the most useful controls for scaling teams are also gated to Pro.
5. Acuity Scheduling — Flexible SaaS Booking for Service Businesses
Type: SaaS | Starting price: $16/mo (annual billing)
Acuity Scheduling (owned by Squarespace) is a cloud-based booking platform with 250,000+ customers and a 4.8/5 Capterra rating from 5,700+ reviews. It works on any website without requiring WordPress and carries no consumer marketplace or commission structure — making it the most relevant SaaS-based Fresha alternative for non-WordPress businesses.
Key features:
Embeddable booking widget compatible with any website platform
Staff calendars: 1 on Starter, up to 6 on Standard, up to 36 on Premium
Packages, memberships, and gift certificates (Standard and above)
Two-way calendar sync with Google, Outlook, Exchange, iCloud, and Outlook.com
Zoom, Google Meet, and GoToMeeting auto-link generation on all plans
Zapier integration for connecting to 500+ external apps
HIPAA compliance with BAA available (Premium only)
REST API and custom CSS (Premium only)
Pricing: Starter $16/mo annual ($192/yr) · Standard $27/mo annual ($324/yr) · Premium $49/mo annual ($588/yr). No free plan — 7-day free trial available. No lifetime option.
Best for: Coaches, therapists, spa owners, and service businesses not on WordPress that want a mature, commission-free SaaS tool with strong calendar integration.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: No per-client commissions. Flat monthly fee regardless of booking volume. Stripe, Square, and PayPal all supported — no proprietary processor lock-in. Booking page is branded to your business.
What to watch for: There is no built-in waitlist on the pricing page, which can be a real gap for busy salons. SMS reminders, memberships, packages, and gift certificates start on Standard ($27/mo annually), while API access, custom CSS, HIPAA support, and logo removal require Premium ($49/mo annually). Acuity is also more general service-business software than salon-first software.
6. Vagaro — US-Focused Salon SaaS with Marketplace Discovery
Type: SaaS | Starting price: $23.99/mo (1 calendar, promotional rate)
Vagaro is a US-focused salon, spa, and fitness management platform with 250,000+ professionals and a 4.7/5 Capterra score. Like Fresha, it pairs a consumer marketplace (vagaro.com) with business management software — but unlike Fresha, it uses a flat per-calendar monthly fee rather than a 20% commission on every new marketplace client.
Key features:
Free consumer marketplace listing on vagaro.com included with every subscription
Flat per-calendar pricing capped at $83.99/month for 7+ staff — no per-client commission
Loyalty program, gift certificates, packages, and memberships in the base subscription
1,000 free email marketing messages/month included
Payroll processing with Gusto integration (add-on: $34/mo + $5/staff)
SOAP notes for spa and medical spa practitioners
Booth renter management for salon suite owners
Pricing: 1 calendar $23.99/mo · 2 $33.99 · 3 $43.99 · 4 $53.99 · 5 $63.99 · 6 $73.99 · 7+ $83.99/mo. No annual discount. Key add-ons: Text marketing $20/mo · Forms $10/mo · Vagaro MySite $20/mo · Branded App $100/mo · Payroll $34/mo + $5/staff.
Best for: US-based multi-staff salons, barbershops, and spas that want marketplace visibility and predictable flat-fee costs without Fresha's 20% new-client commission.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: No new-client commission on any booking. Monthly costs are capped and transparent. Vagaro Payments rates (2.2%–2.6% + $0.10–$0.19) are competitive for high-volume businesses.
What to watch for: Vagaro still keeps you inside its own ecosystem through Vagaro Payments, its listing pages, and a growing list of paid premium features. Add-on costs can accumulate quickly: Forms, Text Marketing, MySite, branded apps, and APIs/webhooks all cost extra. There is no annual billing discount, and availability remains limited to the US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
7. Timely — Salon-Specific SaaS with No Commission Fees
Type: SaaS | Starting price: Region-based per-staff pricing
Timely is a cloud-based salon management platform used by 55,000+ hair and beauty professionals in 90 countries. It's focused exclusively on beauty and wellness — no consumer marketplace, no new-client commissions. Timely is particularly strong in the ANZ and UK markets and is designed for businesses that want a clean, simple tool without the complexity of an all-in-one platform.
Key features:
Embeddable booking widget for your own website
Smart scheduling to cluster bookings and reduce idle calendar gaps
AI-powered SMS marketing tool for client re-engagement ("Textie Bestie")
Consultation forms and pre-appointment intake (Elevate plan and above)
Client loyalty packages (stamp-style session bundles)
Google Calendar sync; Stripe and PayPal payment support
30+ text/table reports covering staff, clients, and financials
Mailchimp integration (Elevate and above); Zapier (Innovate plan only)
Pricing: Timely uses localized per-staff pricing that varies by market. In Timely's February 8, 2026 help docs for New Zealand, Build is NZ$42 per staff member/month, Elevate is NZ$65, and Innovate is NZ$79, all billed monthly. There is no annual discount, and your monthly cost rises with every active bookable staff member.
Best for: Solo stylists and small-to-mid beauty salons — particularly in ANZ and UK — wanting a clean, commission-free SaaS tool for salon scheduling without a steep learning curve.
Why it's a good Fresha alternative: No marketplace commission on any client. Clients book through your own branded widget. Predictable per-staff subscription with no new-client fee layered on top.
What to watch for: Timely becomes expensive as your staff count grows because pricing is charged per active bookable team member and there is no annual discount. Some of the stronger client-experience tools — like digital consultation forms, waitlist management, and more advanced messaging — start on Elevate or higher. Timely is also intentionally focused on beauty and wellness, so it is less flexible if your business expands beyond that niche.
How to Choose the Right Fresha Alternative
If you want full ownership on WordPress → Booknetic
Booknetic is the strongest fit if your salon or spa already runs on WordPress and you want your booking flow on your own website, under your own brand, without recurring per-staff SaaS fees or marketplace commissions. It is the only WordPress option on this list by design.
If you already run payments or POS on Square → Square Appointments
Square Appointments makes the most sense when you want bookings, payments, gift cards, retail, and front-desk checkout inside the same platform. For US salons already using Square, it can feel like the cleanest operational switch away from Fresha.
If you want a salon-first SaaS with marketplace visibility → Vagaro
Vagaro is the closest SaaS match to Fresha's beauty-industry positioning. It keeps the salon/spa focus, offers a marketplace listing, and replaces Fresha's new-client commission model with flat monthly pricing per calendar.
If you want flexible hosted software without WordPress → Acuity Scheduling or SimplyBook.me
Acuity is the cleaner, more mainstream SaaS choice for service businesses that want simple scheduling, payments, packages, and calendar integrations. SimplyBook.me is the better option if you want more customization layers, multilingual support, and a broader menu of optional features.
If you want a free SaaS starting point → Setmore
Setmore is the best low-risk starting point in this group if you want to leave Fresha but are not ready to commit to another expensive subscription immediately. The free plan is real, not just a trial, and Pro is still relatively affordable for growing teams.
If you're in ANZ or the UK and want beauty-specific SaaS → Timely
Timely is especially relevant for salons and beauty professionals in ANZ and UK markets that want a beauty-first platform without Fresha's marketplace commission model. It is less universal than Acuity, but more tailored to beauty workflows.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Fresha?
If a free SaaS starting point matters most, Setmore , Square Appointments Free , and SimplyBook.me Free are the best places to start on this list. Setmore is the strongest general free option for small teams, Square Free is excellent for solo businesses already inside the Square ecosystem, and SimplyBook.me Free is useful if you want a hosted booking website with room to customize as you grow.
What is the best SaaS alternative to Fresha for salons?
That depends on how your salon operates. Vagaro is the closest salon-first SaaS competitor to Fresha. Square Appointments is the better choice if payments, POS, and retail are central to your workflow. Acuity Scheduling is stronger for general service businesses that want a cleaner, more flexible scheduling tool without a beauty-only focus.
Is Booknetic better than Fresha?
For WordPress-based businesses, Booknetic is usually the better fit when ownership and long-term cost matter more than marketplace exposure. Key differences:
No marketplace commission on new clientsNo per-staff monthly billing that grows as your team expandsClients book on your own site , not on a Fresha-hosted pageYou choose your payment setup instead of being locked into a proprietary processorREST API and deeper customization are available for businesses that want more control
The main reason to stay with Fresha is its built-in marketplace. If lead generation from that ecosystem matters more than ownership, Fresha can still make sense. For pricing and features, compare Booknetic pricing and Booknetic features .
Can I switch from Fresha to another system without losing my whole workflow?
Yes, but think of it as a structured rebuild, not a one-click migration. Most businesses export client and booking data from Fresha, recreate services and staff schedules in the new system, connect payments, test the booking flow, and only then replace booking links on Instagram, Facebook, Google Business Profile, and their website.
Is Fresha still free in 2026?
No. As of 2026, Fresha uses monthly subscription pricing plus payment processing, and it still applies a one-time marketplace new-client fee when a client discovers your business through the Fresha marketplace. Pricing varies by region and currency, but the old "free forever" positioning no longer reflects the total cost most businesses actually pay.
Conclusion
Fresha's shift to paid subscriptions — on top of its marketplace and payment costs — changed the equation for many salons, spas, and wellness businesses that originally joined for the free model.
If you want the strongest ownership play on WordPress, Booknetic is the best fit: bookings stay on your own site, there are no marketplace commissions, and you are not punished with higher pricing every time your team grows.
If you want SaaS instead, the right choice depends on your setup. Square Appointments is excellent for businesses already running Square, Vagaro is the closest salon-first SaaS competitor to Fresha, Acuity Scheduling is the most versatile general service-business option, SimplyBook.me is the best pick for customization, Setmore is the strongest free starting point, and Timely is especially relevant for beauty businesses in ANZ and UK markets.
Explore Booknetic's plans at https://www.booknetic.com/pricing . A live demo is available at https://demo.booknetic.com — no account required.
→ See also: Top 12 Wellness Booking Software to Automate Reservations
