Software · head to head
Salon Ultimate vs Shedul
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Salon Ultimate multi-location businesses pay per location ($199 per location per month) rather than a flat enterprise rate, and the vendor charges $0.03 per additional SMS message on top of subscription plans, per its own pricing page.; 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: Salon Ultimate covers Inventory management, Shedul covers Inventory tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Salon Ultimate and Shedul actually diverge.
| Attribute | Salon Ultimate | Shedul |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | $14.95/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Founded | 2008 | 2015 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Salon Ultimate
- Inventory management
- Staff scheduling
- Reporting & analytics
- Email marketing
- QuickBooks
- Square
- Mailchimp
- Spanish language support
Only in Shedul
- Inventory tracking
- Marketing campaigns
- Reports & analytics
- Mobile apps
- Google Calendar
- GDPR compliant
Both cover
- Appointment scheduling
- Client database
- Point of sale
- Online booking
- Stripe
- PCI DSS
- SSL encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
- English language support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Salon Ultimate
- Appointment managementnot Shedul
- Client retentionnot Shedul
- Inventory controlnot Shedul
- Business reportingnot Shedul
Shedul
- Free salon managementnot Salon Ultimate
- Appointment schedulingnot Salon Ultimate
- Payment processingnot Salon Ultimate
- Client marketingnot Salon Ultimate
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Salon Ultimate
- Multi-location businesses pay per location ($199 per location per month) rather than a flat enterprise rate, and the vendor charges $0.03 per additional SMS message on top of subscription plans, per its own pricing page.
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
Salon Ultimate
$29/month- Basic$29/month
- Appointment scheduling
- Client management
- Basic reporting
- Professional$59/month
- All Basic features
- Online booking
- POS system
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 Salon Ultimate if
- You need inventory management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want staff scheduling.
Choose Shedul if
- You need inventory tracking.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want marketing campaigns.
Questions people ask
- Is Salon Ultimate or Shedul better?
- Neither clearly leads. Salon Ultimate starts at $29/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, Salon Ultimate or Shedul?
- Salon Ultimate starts at $29/month and Shedul at $14.95/month.
- Does Salon Ultimate or Shedul run on more platforms?
- Salon Ultimate runs on Web, Ios, Android. Shedul runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- What is Salon Ultimate best used for?
- Salon Ultimate is most often used for appointment management, client retention, inventory control, business reporting. Of those, appointment management and client retention are not what Shedul is typically brought in for.
- What can Salon Ultimate do that Shedul cannot?
- Salon Ultimate covers Inventory management, Staff scheduling, Reporting & analytics, Email marketing. Shedul covers Inventory tracking, Marketing campaigns, Reports & analytics, Mobile apps. Both handle Appointment scheduling, Client database, Point of sale, Online booking.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Shedul: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Source