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Software · head to head

Fresha vs RudderStack

Fresha logo

Fresha

Software

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RudderStack logo

RudderStack

Software

The open-source customer data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; RudderStack on the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • They diverge on capability: Fresha covers Online booking, RudderStack covers Data collection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fresha and RudderStack actually diverge.

Attributes where Fresha and RudderStack differ
AttributeFreshaRudderStack
Pricing modelfreeusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted
Founded20152018

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

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 RudderStack

  • Data collection
  • Event tracking
  • Audience segmentation
  • Warehouse ingestion
  • Real-time sync
  • Data transformation
  • Privacy controls
  • 200+ destinations

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

RudderStack

  • Collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and toolsnot Fresha
  • Building a warehouse first customer data pipelinenot 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

RudderStack

  • On the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • The free plan allows 250,000 events a month
  • Growth starts at $265 a month for 1 million events, with volume sold in tiers up to 25 million
  • Overage is charged as the gap to the next tier's price rather than per event, so a small excess costs a full tier step

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

RudderStack

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
  • Cloud$100/month
    • Cloud hosted
    • Email support
  • Enterprise$500/month
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced features

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 RudderStack if

  • You need data collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want event tracking.
RudderStack review

Questions people ask

Is Fresha or RudderStack better?
Neither clearly leads. Fresha starts at Free and RudderStack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fresha or RudderStack?
Fresha starts at Free and RudderStack at Free.
Does Fresha or RudderStack run on more platforms?
Fresha runs on Web, Ios, Android. RudderStack runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Fresha for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 RudderStack is typically brought in for.
What can Fresha do that RudderStack cannot?
Fresha covers Online booking, Appointment management, Client database, Point of sale. RudderStack covers Data collection, Event tracking, Audience segmentation, Warehouse ingestion. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.
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