Softwr

Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Fresha vs Freshdesk

Fresha logo

Fresha

Scheduling & Booking

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

All industries

Delight your customers, effortlessly

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fresha has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fresha fresha charges a 50 percent one time commission on each new client booked through its marketplace, subject to a minimum fee per client; Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • They diverge on capability: Fresha covers Online booking, Freshdesk covers Ticketing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fresha and Freshdesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Fresha and Freshdesk differ
AttributeFreshaFreshdesk
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryScheduling & BookingAll industries
Founded20152010

Identical on both: 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 Fresha

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

Only in Freshdesk

  • Ticketing
  • Automation
  • Self-service
  • Team collaboration
  • Multi-channel support
  • SLA management
  • Reporting
  • Mobile apps

Both cover

  • Google Calendar

What people use each for

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

Fresha

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

Freshdesk

  • Help desk and ticketing systemnot Fresha
  • Customer support portal and knowledge basenot Fresha
  • Multi-channel support coordinationnot Fresha
  • AI-assisted support agent interactionnot Fresha

Where each one falls short

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

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

Freshdesk

  • Growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • Skill-based routing available only on Enterprise tier
  • Freddy AI Copilot requires separate £29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise plans
  • AI agent sessions charged beyond initial 500 sessions: £49 per additional 100 sessions
  • Day passes for non-agents vary by tier: £2 (Growth), £7 (Pro), £12 (Enterprise)

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Freshdesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Freshdesk if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You also want automation.
Freshdesk review

Questions people ask

Is Fresha or Freshdesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Fresha starts at Free and Freshdesk at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fresha or Freshdesk?
Fresha has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fresha and $19/month for Freshdesk.
Does Fresha or Freshdesk run on more platforms?
Fresha runs on Web, Ios, Android. Freshdesk runs on Web.
Can I use Fresha for free?
Yes. Fresha has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshdesk starts at $19/month.
What is Fresha best used for?
Fresha is most often used for running appointment booking and point of sale for salons and spas, attracting new clients through the fresha consumer marketplace, sending appointment reminders and marketing campaigns to clients. Of those, running appointment booking and point of sale for salons and spas and attracting new clients through the fresha consumer marketplace are not what Freshdesk is typically brought in for.
What can Fresha do that Freshdesk cannot?
Fresha covers Online booking, Appointment management, Client database, Point of sale. Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Automation, Self-service, Team collaboration. Both handle Google Calendar.
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