Beauty · head to head
Insight Salon Software vs Shedul

Insight Salon Software
Beauty
Intelligent salon management with deep analytics
- From
- $40/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Insight Salon Software cloud plans are login limited even at the top tier: Enterprise Premium Cloud is $250 a month for up to 8,000 SMS messages and only 5 logins; Shedul hidden costs beyond subscription including 20% marketplace commission, payment processing fees (2.19% + 20 cents), SMS fees (5-15 cents each), and $500 card terminal requirement
- They diverge on capability: Insight Salon Software covers Appointment booking, Shedul covers Appointment scheduling.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Insight Salon Software and Shedul actually diverge.
| Attribute | Insight Salon Software | Shedul |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $40/month | $14.95/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Api | Web, iOS, Android |
| Founded | 2012 | 2015 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Beauty).
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 Insight Salon Software
- Appointment booking
- Client management
- Staff scheduling
- Advanced analytics
- Revenue tracking
- Performance metrics
- Marketing automation
- Square
Only in Shedul
- Appointment scheduling
- Online booking
- Client database
- Inventory tracking
- Marketing campaigns
- Reports & analytics
- Mobile apps
- PCI DSS
Both cover
- Point of sale
- Stripe
- Google Calendar
- SSL encryption
- GDPR compliant
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Insight Salon Software
- Running point of sale and scheduling for a salon or spanot Shedul
- Sending automated two way SMS appointment reminders to clientsnot Shedul
Shedul
- Free salon managementnot Insight Salon Software
- Appointment schedulingnot Insight Salon Software
- Payment processingnot Insight Salon Software
- Client marketingnot Insight Salon Software
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Insight Salon Software
- Cloud plans are login limited even at the top tier: Enterprise Premium Cloud is $250 a month for up to 8,000 SMS messages and only 5 logins
- Premium Cloud's two way SMS is capped per tier, from 500 messages a month on Solo up to 8,000 on Enterprise
- The installed one time purchase version only includes free software upgrades for 1 year, after which upgrades are not covered
- Multi-year pre-purchase discounts of 10, 15 and 20 percent require paying 1, 2 or 3 years upfront
Shedul
- Hidden costs beyond subscription including 20% marketplace commission, payment processing fees (2.19% + 20 cents), SMS fees (5-15 cents each), and $500 card terminal requirement
- Premium support (phone and live chat) requires additional paid add-on, base plan only includes email support
- Limited customization and branding options in free tier compared to competitors
- Complex pricing structure with many add-on fees makes true cost of ownership difficult to calculate upfront
- Card payment terminal ($500) must be purchased separately for in-person payments instead of supporting third-party terminals
Pricing, plan by plan
Insight Salon Software
$40/month- Starter$40/month
- Appointment scheduling
- Client management
- Basic analytics
- Professional$70/month
- Everything in Starter
- Advanced analytics
- Staff performance tracking
- Enterprise$120/month
- Everything in Professional
- Multi-location analytics
- Custom reports
Shedul
$14.95/month- Independent$19.95/month
- Single calendar
- Single login
- Appointment scheduling
- Team$14.95/month per team member
- Multiple calendars
- Multiple team logins
- All Independent features
Which should you pick?
Choose Insight Salon Software if
- You need appointment booking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want client management.
Choose Shedul if
- You need appointment scheduling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want online booking.
Questions people ask
- Is Insight Salon Software or Shedul better?
- Neither clearly leads. Insight Salon Software starts at $40/month and Shedul at $14.95/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Insight Salon Software or Shedul?
- Insight Salon Software starts at $40/month and Shedul at $14.95/month.
- Does Insight Salon Software or Shedul run on more platforms?
- Insight Salon Software runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Shedul runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- What is Insight Salon Software best used for?
- Insight Salon Software is most often used for running point of sale and scheduling for a salon or spa, sending automated two way sms appointment reminders to clients. Of those, running point of sale and scheduling for a salon or spa and sending automated two way sms appointment reminders to clients are not what Shedul is typically brought in for.
- What can Insight Salon Software do that Shedul cannot?
- Insight Salon Software covers Appointment booking, Client management, Staff scheduling, Advanced analytics. Shedul covers Appointment scheduling, Online booking, Client database, Inventory tracking. Both handle Point of sale, Stripe, Google Calendar, Facebook.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Insight Salon Software: What is the price difference between cloud and installed versions?
Cloud starts at $25-55/month (Solo tier) and goes up to $140-250/month (Enterprise tier). Installed software is a one-time purchase ranging from $400 (Solo) to $1,700 (Enterprise). Installed versions include one year of support, while cloud subscriptions include unlimited support.
SourceShedul: Is Shedul/Fresha free to use?
No. Shedul, now rebranded as Fresha, charges $19.95 USD per month for the Independent plan (one person) and $14.95 per month per team member for the Team plan. However, there are additional costs beyond the base subscription including 20% commission on marketplace bookings, payment processing fees of 2.19% + 20 cents per transaction, SMS messaging fees of 5 to 15 cents per message, and a $500 card payment terminal if processing in-person payments.
SourceInsight Salon Software: Are there discounts for longer subscription commitments?
Yes. Cloud subscriptions receive discounts for multi-year commitments: 10% off for 1 year, 15% off for 2 years, and 20% off for 3 years.
SourceShedul: What features are included in Shedul/Fresha?
Shedul/Fresha includes appointment scheduling, client management with history and preferences, automated appointment reminders, online booking through website or Facebook, point-of-sale (POS) system, inventory and product management, client loyalty programs, and basic reporting and analytics. All features are available on all paid plans without additional feature-based tiers.
SourceInsight Salon Software: Can you pay for the installed version in installments?
Yes. Payment plans are available from 2 to 12 months. For example, Solo can be paid as $400 upfront or six payments of $80/month; Enterprise can be paid as $1,700 upfront or six payments of $325/month.
SourceShedul: What are the hidden costs beyond the subscription price?
Shedul/Fresha charges 20% commission on new client bookings through the Fresha marketplace, 2.19% plus 20 cents for card payment processing, SMS messaging at 5 to 15 cents per message, and requires a $500 card payment terminal for in-person credit card processing. According to industry analysis, true annual costs run approximately 70% higher than the published subscription price.
SourceInsight Salon Software: What messaging features are included in different cloud tiers?
Premium Cloud tiers include SMS messaging capabilities that vary by tier: Solo and Partner get 500 texts monthly, Growth gets 1,000, Small Business gets 2,000, and Enterprise gets 8,000 texts monthly.
SourceShedul: Does Shedul/Fresha work on mobile devices?
Yes, Shedul/Fresha is available as a web platform and has native mobile apps for iOS and Android. Clients can book appointments through the mobile apps, and staff can manage appointments from their phones.
SourceInsight Salon Software: Is a free trial available without contacting sales?
Yes, a free trial is available directly through the website without requiring a sales conversation.
SourceShedul: What support options are available?
Free and Team plans include email support only. Live chat and phone support (24/7) are only available with an optional premium add-on that costs extra per month. The Fresha Plus premium support is required to access phone and chat support.
SourceShedul: Can I export my salon data from Shedul/Fresha?
While Shedul/Fresha provides reporting and analytics features, the platform does not clearly document export options for bulk data transfer. Users should contact support to determine data export capabilities and formats.
SourceRelated pages
More on Insight Salon Software
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- Shedul vs Salon Iris
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- Shedul vs Resurva
- Shedul vs Rosy
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- Shedul vs Salon Ultimate
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