Softwr

Beauty · head to head

SalonBiz vs Shedul

SalonBiz logo

SalonBiz

Beauty

Complete salon and spa management suite

From
$160/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: SalonBiz pricing is per location: $160 per month for Basic, $265 for Essential and $370 for Premium; 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: SalonBiz covers Inventory management, Shedul covers Online booking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SalonBiz and Shedul actually diverge.

Attributes where SalonBiz and Shedul differ
AttributeSalonBizShedul
Starting price$160/month$14.95/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20052015

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 SalonBiz

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

Only in Shedul

  • Online booking
  • Inventory tracking
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Reports & analytics
  • Mobile apps
  • Google Calendar
  • Instagram
  • PCI DSS

Both cover

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Point of sale
  • Client database
  • Stripe
  • Facebook
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • English language support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

SalonBiz

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

Shedul

  • Free salon managementnot SalonBiz
  • Appointment schedulingnot SalonBiz
  • Payment processingnot SalonBiz
  • Client marketingnot SalonBiz

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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

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

SalonBiz

$160/month
  • Basic (Salon)$160/month
    • Full platform included
  • Essential (Salon)$265/month
    • Full platform included
  • Premium (Salon)$370/month
    • Full platform included
  • Essential (School/Institute)$315/month
    • Full platform included

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 SalonBiz if

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

Choose Shedul if

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

Questions people ask

Is SalonBiz or Shedul better?
Neither clearly leads. SalonBiz starts at $160/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, SalonBiz or Shedul?
SalonBiz starts at $160/month and Shedul at $14.95/month.
Does SalonBiz or Shedul run on more platforms?
SalonBiz runs on Web, Windows. Shedul runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is SalonBiz best used for?
SalonBiz is most often used for salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per location, integrated card payments through salonbiz payments, beauty school and institute management with student records. Of those, salon appointment booking and point of sale priced per location and integrated card payments through salonbiz payments are not what Shedul is typically brought in for.
What can SalonBiz do that Shedul cannot?
SalonBiz covers Inventory management, Staff management, Marketing automation, Business reporting. Shedul covers Online booking, Inventory tracking, Marketing campaigns, Reports & analytics. Both handle Appointment scheduling, Point of sale, Client database, Stripe.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SalonBiz: How much does SalonBiz cost?

SalonBiz salon pricing ranges from $160/month (Basic with 5 professionals) to $370/month (Premium with 20 professionals). School and institute pricing ranges from $315/month (Essential with 100 students) to $420/month (Premium with 200 students). Pricing is billed per location.

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
SalonBiz: Does SalonBiz charge per location?

Yes, SalonBiz pricing is per location. If managing multiple locations, the selected plan price applies to each location individually.

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
SalonBiz: What is the difference between SalonBiz plans?

SalonBiz salon plans differentiate by number of service professionals: Basic (5), Essential (12), and Premium (20). All plans include the full platform. Overage charges apply at $55/month per 10-person addition beyond the plan capacity.

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
SalonBiz: Is there a long-term contract requirement for SalonBiz?

No, SalonBiz requires no long-term contract. Customers can cancel before their next billing date with no penalties or fees.

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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