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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Cal.com vs Fresha

Cal.com logo

Cal.com

Scheduling & Booking

Scheduling infrastructure for everyone

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fresha logo

Fresha

Scheduling & Booking

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cal.com free plan limited to single user only; 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: Cal.com covers Custom booking pages, Fresha covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cal.com and Fresha actually diverge.

Attributes where Cal.com and Fresha differ
AttributeCal.comFresha
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, Mobile app, Browser extensionWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20212015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling & Booking).

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 Cal.com

  • Custom booking pages
  • Team scheduling
  • Collective scheduling
  • Routing forms
  • Webhooks
  • Outlook
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet

Only in Fresha

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

Both cover

  • Google Calendar
  • Stripe
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Cal.com

  • Schedule meetings and manage availabilitynot Fresha
  • Accept payments via Stripe and PayPalnot Fresha
  • Integrate with Salesforce and HubSpotnot Fresha

Fresha

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

Where each one falls short

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

Cal.com

  • Free plan limited to single user only
  • Free plan restricted to 1 user account
  • Teams plan requires yearly billing at $12/user/month
  • Organizations plan requires yearly billing at $28/user/month
  • Free plan lacks team collaboration features

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

Cal.com

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cal.com review.

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 Cal.com if

  • You need custom booking pages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app, Browser extension.
  • You also want team scheduling.
Cal.com review

Choose Fresha if

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

Questions people ask

Is Cal.com or Fresha better?
Neither clearly leads. Cal.com starts at Free and Fresha at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cal.com or Fresha?
Cal.com starts at Free and Fresha at Free.
Does Cal.com or Fresha run on more platforms?
Cal.com runs on Web, Mobile app, Browser extension. Fresha runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Cal.com for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cal.com best used for?
Cal.com is most often used for schedule meetings and manage availability, accept payments via stripe and paypal, integrate with salesforce and hubspot. Of those, schedule meetings and manage availability and accept payments via stripe and paypal are not what Fresha is typically brought in for.
What can Cal.com do that Fresha cannot?
Cal.com covers Custom booking pages, Team scheduling, Collective scheduling, Routing forms. Fresha covers Online booking, Appointment management, Client database, Point of sale. Both handle Google Calendar, Stripe, Web support.
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