Softwr

Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Fresha vs SalonBiz

Fresha logo

Fresha

Scheduling & Booking

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SalonBiz logo

SalonBiz

Beauty & Salon

Complete salon and spa management suite

From
$89/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; SalonBiz pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium
  • They diverge on capability: Fresha covers Online booking, SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fresha and SalonBiz actually diverge.

Attributes where Fresha and SalonBiz differ
AttributeFreshaSalonBiz
Starting priceFree$89/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Windows
CategoryScheduling & BookingBeauty & Salon
Founded20152005

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
  • Staff scheduling
  • Marketing tools
  • Reports & analytics
  • Google Calendar
  • Apple Calendar
  • Instagram

Only in SalonBiz

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Staff management
  • Marketing automation
  • Business reporting
  • QuickBooks
  • Google
  • Desktop deployment
  • Windows support

Both cover

  • Client database
  • Point of sale
  • Inventory management
  • Facebook
  • Stripe
  • SSL encryption
  • 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 SalonBiz
  • Attracting new clients through the Fresha consumer marketplacenot SalonBiz
  • Sending appointment reminders and marketing campaigns to clientsnot SalonBiz

SalonBiz

  • Salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per locationnot Fresha
  • Integrated card payments through SalonBiz Paymentsnot Fresha
  • Beauty school and institute management with student recordsnot 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

SalonBiz

  • Pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium
  • Each tier caps service professionals at 5, 12 and 20 respectively, with extra staff sold in blocks of 10 at $55 per month
  • Not using SalonBiz Payments raises the monthly fee by $25 to $45 depending on tier
  • School and institute plans are capped at 100 students on Essential and 200 on Premium, with extra students at $15 per month per 25
  • Enterprise and multi location pricing is quote only with no published rate

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

SalonBiz

$89/month
  • Standard$89/month
    • Scheduling
    • POS
    • Client database
  • Premium$179/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Inventory
    • Staff management

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 SalonBiz if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want staff management.
SalonBiz review

Questions people ask

Is Fresha or SalonBiz better?
Neither clearly leads. Fresha starts at Free and SalonBiz at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fresha or SalonBiz?
Fresha has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fresha and $89/month for SalonBiz.
Does Fresha or SalonBiz run on more platforms?
Fresha runs on Web, Ios, Android. SalonBiz runs on Web, Windows.
Can I use Fresha for free?
Yes. Fresha has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SalonBiz starts at $89/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 SalonBiz is typically brought in for.
What can Fresha do that SalonBiz cannot?
Fresha covers Online booking, Appointment management, Staff scheduling, Marketing tools. SalonBiz covers Appointment scheduling, Staff management, Marketing automation, Business reporting. Both handle Client database, Point of sale, Inventory management, Facebook.
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