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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Fresha vs Timely

Fresha logo

Fresha

Scheduling & Booking

Free salon and spa software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Timely logo

Timely

Scheduling & Booking

Smart scheduling software with AI-powered features

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; Timely starter is capped at 20 projects and a maximum of 5 users, at $11 per user per month billed monthly or $9 billed yearly
  • They diverge on capability: Fresha covers Appointment management, Timely covers AI-powered scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fresha and Timely actually diverge.

Attributes where Fresha and Timely differ
AttributeFreshaTimely
Pricing modelfreesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling & Booking), founded (2015).

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

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

Only in Timely

  • AI-powered scheduling
  • Automated reminders
  • Staff management
  • Client management
  • Resource allocation
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Mobile app
  • PayPal

Both cover

  • Online booking
  • Google Calendar
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Stripe
  • SSL encryption
  • GDPR compliant
  • Cloud deployment

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

Timely

  • Automatic time tracking across apps and websites for billing clientsnot Fresha
  • Reporting billable hours and monitoring project budgetsnot Fresha
  • Team capacity planning and timesheet approvalnot 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

Timely

  • Starter is capped at 20 projects and a maximum of 5 users, at $11 per user per month billed monthly or $9 billed yearly
  • Premium is capped at a maximum of 50 users, at $20 per user per month billed monthly or $16 billed yearly
  • Unlimited users requires the Unlimited plan at $28 per user per month billed monthly or $22 billed yearly
  • Capacity management and reporting, overtime and undertime tracking, Azure user management and 50+ currencies are all on the Unlimited plan only
  • Team management, budgets and costs, and accounting and project management integrations are excluded from Starter
  • The Enterprise plan is contact sales only with no published price
  • Tasks is sold as a paid add-on rather than being included

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

Timely

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic scheduling
    • Online booking
    • Automated reminders
  • Starter$29/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Staff management
    • Customer management
  • Professional$69/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Advanced analytics
    • Marketing tools

Which should you pick?

Choose Fresha if

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

Choose Timely if

  • You need ai-powered scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want automated reminders.
Timely review

Questions people ask

Is Fresha or Timely better?
Neither clearly leads. Fresha starts at Free and Timely at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fresha or Timely?
Fresha starts at Free and Timely at Free.
Does Fresha or Timely run on more platforms?
Fresha runs on Web, Ios, Android. Timely runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
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 Timely is typically brought in for.
What can Fresha do that Timely cannot?
Fresha covers Appointment management, Client database, Point of sale, Inventory management. Timely covers AI-powered scheduling, Automated reminders, Staff management, Client management. Both handle Online booking, Google Calendar, Instagram, Facebook.
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