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Beauty · head to head

Salon Ultimate vs Shedul

Salon Ultimate logo

Salon Ultimate

Beauty

Complete salon management made simple

From
$69/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shedul logo

Shedul

Beauty

Free salon scheduling software

From
$14.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Salon Ultimate no per-seat pricing model, only per-location billing; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Salon Ultimate and Shedul actually diverge.

Attributes where Salon Ultimate and Shedul differ
AttributeSalon UltimateShedul
Starting price$69/month$14.95/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Founded20082015

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 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
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • 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

  • No per-seat pricing model, only per-location billing
  • Pricing applies per salon location, not per user

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

$69/month
  • BookedBy on Clover$69/month
    • Software and hardware included
  • Single Store$159/month
    • Advanced features for single location
  • Multi-Store$199/month
    • Multi-location management

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.
Salon Ultimate review

Choose Shedul if

  • You need inventory tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want marketing campaigns.
Shedul review

Questions people ask

Is Salon Ultimate or Shedul better?
Neither clearly leads. Salon Ultimate starts at $69/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 $69/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

Salon Ultimate: How much does SalonUltimate cost?

SalonUltimate offers three subscription tiers billed monthly per location: BookedBy on Clover at $69/month, Single Store at $159/month for individual salons, and Multi-Store at $199/month for businesses managing multiple locations.

Source
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.

Source
Salon Ultimate: What features are included in all SalonUltimate plans?

All SalonUltimate plans include online booking, check-in and check-out capabilities, employee scheduling, customer management, service and pricing administration, inventory tracking, standard reporting, email and SMS marketing, unlimited support and training.

Source
Shedul: 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.

Source
Salon Ultimate: Is there a free trial for SalonUltimate?

No free trial period is mentioned on SalonUltimate's pricing page. Demos are available by contacting sales at [email protected] or calling +1 (855) 466-9332.

Source
Shedul: 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.

Source
Salon Ultimate: What is the difference between BookedBy on Clover and SalonUltimate Single Store plans?

BookedBy on Clover at $69/month includes software and hardware shipped to your business. SalonUltimate Single Store at $159/month is designed for individual salon locations seeking advanced features with no hardware included.

Source
Shedul: 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.

Source
Shedul: 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.

Source
Shedul: 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
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