Softwr

Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Fresha vs PlanetScale

Fresha logo

Fresha

Scheduling & Booking

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Database & Data Management

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/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; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Fresha covers Online booking, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fresha and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Fresha and PlanetScale differ
AttributeFreshaPlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
CategoryScheduling & BookingDatabase & Data Management
Founded20152018

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 PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

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 PlanetScale
  • Attracting new clients through the Fresha consumer marketplacenot PlanetScale
  • Sending appointment reminders and marketing campaigns to clientsnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

  • MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Fresha
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Fresha
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Fresha
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot 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

PlanetScale

  • EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
  • ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments

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

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale 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 PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is Fresha or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Fresha starts at Free and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fresha or PlanetScale?
Fresha has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fresha and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Fresha or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Fresha runs on Web, Ios, Android. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Fresha for free?
Yes. Fresha has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/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 PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Fresha do that PlanetScale cannot?
Fresha covers Online booking, Appointment management, Client database, Point of sale. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.
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