Softwr

Accounting & Finance · head to head

Airbase vs Fresha

Airbase logo

Airbase

Accounting & Finance

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Fresha logo

Fresha

Accounting & Finance

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Fresha has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbase airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.; Fresha fresha charges a 50 percent one time commission on each new client booked through its marketplace, subject to a minimum fee per client
  • They diverge on capability: Airbase covers Corporate cards, Fresha covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and Fresha actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and Fresha differ
AttributeAirbaseFresha
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
CategoryAccounting & FinanceUnknown
Founded20172015

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbase

  • Corporate cards
  • Bill payments
  • Expense management
  • Procurement
  • Approvals
  • NetSuite
  • Sage Intacct
  • QuickBooks

Only in Fresha

  • Online booking
  • Appointment management
  • Client database
  • Point of sale
  • Inventory management
  • Staff scheduling
  • Marketing tools
  • Reports & analytics

Both cover

  • PCI DSS
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot Fresha
  • Expense reportingnot Fresha
  • Vendor paymentsnot Fresha

Fresha

  • Running appointment booking and point of sale for salons and spasnot Airbase
  • Attracting new clients through the Fresha consumer marketplacenot Airbase
  • Sending appointment reminders and marketing campaigns to clientsnot Airbase

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbase

  • Airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.

Fresha

  • Fresha charges a 50 percent one time commission on each new client booked through its marketplace, subject to a minimum fee per client
  • Online card payments carry a 4.90 percent plus fixed fee per transaction charge on top of the subscription
  • Only 20 SMS or WhatsApp notifications and 50 marketing emails are free each month; everything beyond that is billed per message
  • Team and Enterprise plans are quoted as custom rates with no published figure
  • Add ons such as Team Connect and Insights are billed per team member per month on top of the plan
  • Enterprise pricing applies to businesses with 20 or more team members

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbase

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense reports
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$10/month
    • Advanced approvals
    • NetSuite sync
    • Procurement
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

Fresha

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Unlimited staff
    • Online booking
  • Payments (Add-on)$2.19/transaction
    • Card payments
    • Contactless payments
    • Online payments
  • Marketing (Add-on)$0.01/message
    • Email campaigns
    • SMS marketing
    • Automated messages

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbase if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want bill payments.

Choose Fresha if

  • You need online booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want appointment management.

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or Fresha better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and Fresha at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or Fresha?
Fresha has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Airbase and Free for Fresha.
Does Airbase or Fresha run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Fresha for free?
Yes. Fresha has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Airbase starts at $29/month.
What is Airbase best used for?
Airbase is most often used for spend management, expense reporting, vendor payments. Of those, spend management and expense reporting are not what Fresha is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that Fresha cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement. Fresha covers Online booking, Appointment management, Client database, Point of sale. Both handle PCI DSS, Web support.

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