Fresha alternatives for Australian hair salons: real costs compared in 2026

Fresha is everywhere in Australia: salons in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth list their availability on it, and for years the platform marketed itself as completely free. If you are shopping for booking software for your hair salon, Fresha is probably on your shortlist, alongside a dozen comparison pages that still describe the old free model. Before you sign anything, two things deserve a careful look: Fresha now runs on subscriptions with usage fees on top, and its marketplace new-client fee follows precise rules that are far better understood before you join than after.

This article is published on the blog of ViteUneCoupe, a free hair salon booking system with no commission. We are not neutral, but we play fair: every fact below was checked on the vendor's own pages with the date of the check, we say plainly what we could not verify from outside Australia, and we openly credit what Fresha does better than us. For a side-by-side view of the whole local market, our comparison of hair salon booking software for Australia covers every major player.

Is Fresha still free in 2026?

No. Checked in October 2026, Fresha's official pricing page lists two subscription plans, each after a 7-day trial:

• Independent, for a one-person business with a single calendar column;
• Team, priced per bookable team member per month;
• above 20 team members, a custom-priced Enterprise offer.

Here is an honesty note few comparison pages make. Fresha's pricing page detects the visitor's country and shows that country's rates: there is no public Australian-dollar price list you can consult from abroad. Our check was made from Europe, where the page displayed 14.95 euros per month for Independent, 9.95 euros per bookable team member for Team, 1.29% plus a fixed fee per online payment and about 0.10 per text beyond the free allowance. Those are not your numbers. Open fresha.com/pricing from your salon, note the Australian-dollar amounts for every line (subscription, online payment, in-person payment, text message, terminal), and keep a dated screenshot. The page states that displayed rates exclude sales tax, so expect GST on top of whatever your screen shows.

If a blog tells you "Fresha is completely free", you are reading content written under the old model. Comparison pages age badly, which is exactly why every figure deserves a source and a date.

The usage fees on top of the subscription

The subscription is only the first line of the bill. From the same pricing page, checked in October 2026 (amounts shown in our browsing currency; your Australian rates may differ):

• online payments: 1.29% plus a small fixed fee per transaction when a client prepays through Fresha;
• in-person payments: 0.59% plus a fixed fee per transaction through Fresha's card solution, with an extra charge per tap-to-pay authorisation and card terminals sold from about 119 per device;
• texts and WhatsApp: 20 free messages per month (per team member on the Team plan), then roughly 0.10 per text and 0.09 to 0.23 per WhatsApp message;
• marketing emails: 50 free per month, then about 0.02 per email.

None of these fees is scandalous on its own. The point is the shape of the bill: it grows with your activity. A salon sending a confirmation plus a reminder for 300 appointments a month burns through a 20-message allowance on the first morning, and every prepayment, terminal tap and marketing send adds its own line. Our guide to the real cost of salon software for an Australian salon works through that arithmetic across vendors.

One question the public page does not answer for Australia: how debit transactions are routed. Australian clients tap debit cards all day, and whether those payments go through the cheaper EFTPOS network or an international scheme changes your cost per transaction. If you plan to run payments through Fresha, ask in writing for the Australian processing grid, including how debit is routed, before you commit.

The marketplace new-client fee, explained properly

This is the part most blogs get wrong, usually by quoting a percentage with no source. The rules below come from Fresha's official help centre article on marketplace new-client fees, checked in October 2026.

First, the reassuring part: the fee does not apply to every appointment. It targets only the first booking of a brand-new client who discovered your salon through the Fresha marketplace. Your existing clients, returning clients and clients already saved in your client list are not concerned.

But the details matter, from the same official article:

• the fee is calculated on the value of the first booking the client made online, with a minimum for free or low-value services and a maximum cap for expensive ones;
• it applies even if you or your team cancel the appointment on the client's behalf, and even if the appointment is rescheduled or left unmanaged in your calendar;
• it is deferred, not cancelled, if the client cancels online through their own account or you mark a no-show the same day: it will be charged on the value of their next booking;
• it can apply to a booking made from your own website or social media pages if the client first viewed your profile on the Fresha marketplace;
• it is non-refundable, and the only way to stop being exposed to it is to unlist your marketplace profile, which, per the same article, disables all your Fresha online booking channels, including the booking widgets on your own website and social pages;
• the exact rate, minimum and cap are not stated in the help article: Fresha points to its pricing page, which geo-localises by country. We could not view the Australian figures from Europe, so check them on fresha.com/pricing from your salon, or ask Fresha in writing for the current Australian rate, minimum and cap, in Australian dollars, and keep the answer.

Two practical consequences. First, import your full client list before your profile goes live, otherwise a regular who happens to find you on Fresha counts as a new client. Second, notice the structural point: on Fresha, online booking and the marketplace come as a package. If your chairs already fill through your own booking link and Google, you cannot keep the booking tool and simply switch the acquisition machine off. That trade-off between direct bookings and marketplace acquisition deserves a deliberate decision before any signature.

What Fresha genuinely does well

Fresha did not become one of the biggest names in salon software by accident.

• A very polished product. Calendar, client records, point of sale, inventory, marketing: the interface is modern, quick and pleasant on a phone. Few competitors match the finish.
• A real marketplace presence in Australia. Salons from Bondi to Fremantle are listed, and a client hunting for a last-minute opening can genuinely find you there. Paying once for real acquisition is a healthier model than a commission on everything.
• No-show protection, available today. Fresha supports upfront payments and cancellation fees at booking. That is an honest concession from us: ViteUneCoupe's bank-card no-show protection is still in preparation. If empty chairs are your main problem, our playbook for reducing no-shows in an Australian hair salon covers what works with and without card details.

Two Australian questions to ask before signing

Where do your clients' personal details go?

Fresha is an international company headquartered in London. Here is a nuance specific to Australia: under the Privacy Act, businesses with an annual turnover of A$3 million or less are generally not covered by the Australian Privacy Principles, with exceptions, so most independent salons sit outside the strict legal regime (see the OAIC's overview of who the Privacy Act covers, checked in October 2026). That is a lighter legal burden than salon owners in Europe carry, but your client file is still your most valuable asset, and clients still expect you to know where it lives and how to get it back out. Our guide to hair salon client records and privacy in Australia turns that into a short checklist that applies to every vendor in this article, not just Fresha.

What will reminders really cost you?

The version of the pricing page we saw shows 20 free texts or WhatsApp messages per month, then per-message billing. Check the Australian amounts from your account: with 150 appointments a month and one text reminder each, the "messages" line becomes a real budget item. Our comparison of appointment reminders for Australian hair salons prices that trade-off, including what the Spam Act means for promotional messages.

Fresha alternatives for Australian hair salons, compared

Figures below were checked in October 2026 on each vendor's own site. Where a page localises prices by country or does not label its currency, we say so instead of guessing.

ViteUneCoupe: the free plan that actually stays free

Since Fresha left the free ground, we might as well say it plainly: ViteUneCoupe occupies it. The free plan includes unlimited online bookings with 0% commission forever, a personalised booking page for your salon, your service catalogue with photos, staff schedules, your client database and your calendar. No trial clock, no credit card at sign-up, no marketplace between you and your clients: the booking link is yours, on your Google Business Profile, your Instagram and your voicemail. Australian phone numbers in +61 format work normally, and the interface is available in English and French.

The Standard plan, from 29 € excluding tax per month with no commitment, adds automatic emails (confirmation, reminder, thank-you) and calendar sync in ICS format with Apple, Google or Outlook. Bank-card no-show protection is coming soon in a Standard + Anti No-Show plan at 49 € excluding tax per month.

The honest limits for an Australian salon: the subscription is billed in euros, not Australian dollars, so the amount on your card statement moves with the exchange rate and your bank may add a foreign transaction fee (at 29 € a month the stakes are small, but it is your call); reminders go by email, not text; and there is no point of sale, no card capture and no marketplace. If what you want is a reliable online calendar with a bill of exactly zero and no cut of your work, that is precisely what it is for.

Timely: the trans-Tasman favourite with SMS included

Timely, built in New Zealand and widely used in Australian salons, is probably the most natural like-for-like move from Fresha. Its pricing page publishes a genuine Australian figure: plans start from $42 AUD per month and scale with team size across the Base, Build, Elevate and Innovate tiers, with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required and no lock-in contracts (checked in October 2026 on gettimely.com's pricing page). Two details matter for ex-Fresha salons: Timely states it charges no new-client fees, and its own FAQ confirms SMS is included in Australia, so the reminder line does not grow with your bookings. Payments are available in Australia with processing fees on top. The trade-off is simply that nothing is free: the entry price buys one bookable staff member, and a bigger team moves you up the tiers. Our dedicated guide to Timely alternatives for Australian hair salons looks at it from the other direction.

Square Appointments: a published AUD grid and a real free plan

Square is the most direct alternative for a salon that also wants payments, and it publishes a real Australian grid: a Free plan for a single location with unlimited staff, a booking site and automatic text and email reminders, then Plus at $40 AUD and Premium at $90 AUD per month per location, with card processing at 1.6% in person and 2.2% online, and no long-term commitments (checked in October 2026 on Square's Australian Appointments pricing page). For a solo stylist who wants free software with text reminders and integrated payments, it is a very strong offer. The trade-off: Square is a generalist, booking is one module in a payments ecosystem rather than a tool built around salon workflows, and the software is designed to pull you into Square processing. Our guide to Square Appointments alternatives for Australian hair salons digs into the details.

Kitomba: the ANZ hair specialist, priced by quote

Kitomba has deep roots in Australian and New Zealand hair salons, with features that generalists lack: targeted marketing, benchmarking reports built for salons, staff targets and payroll-friendly reporting. The honest reserve is transparency: Kitomba publishes no price list. Its pricing page lists four packages (Lite, Grow, Pro and Enterprise) and states that the price depends on package, features and staff count, with a quote provided after a demo; a note adds that complimentary SMS is a limited-time promotion based on user numbers (checked in October 2026 on kitomba.com's pricing page). If you are leaving Fresha because you dislike unpredictable bills, ask Kitomba for the full quote in writing, including SMS rates after any promotion ends, before you commit. Our guide to Kitomba alternatives for Australian hair salons covers the comparison in depth.

Shortcuts: the Brisbane veteran, demo-led

Shortcuts is one of the longest-standing names in Australian salon software, headquartered in Brisbane, with its Fusion platform covering appointments, point of sale, stock and marketing, plus ShortcutsPay for payments. Like Kitomba, it does not publish prices: the website, checked in October 2026 on shortcuts.com.au, routes you to a demo and a tailored quote. Shortcuts suits established salons that want an all-in-one system with local support and are comfortable negotiating; it is a heavier commitment than a self-serve booking tool, so ask explicitly about contract length, exit terms and data export before signing. Our article on Shortcuts alternatives for Australian hair salons goes further.

Ovatu and Simple Salon: self-serve options, check the currency on your screen

Two more names Australian salon owners will meet. Ovatu, an Australian-built company (Ovatu Pty Ltd), offers a Neat plan at $25 per month plus $7 per additional staff member and a Loaded plan at $38 plus $10, with SMS reminders around 4 cents per message and a generous 30-day free trial; the public page displayed US dollars from our location, so confirm the Australian-dollar amounts on your own screen (checked in October 2026 on ovatu.com's pricing page). Simple Salon publishes three tiers from $20 to $41 per month that scale with operator count and cap at the 7-operator rate, with SMS allowances of 0, 200 or 300 messages per operator depending on the plan, a 14-day trial and no contracts; the same caveat applies, the page showed USD from where we browsed (checked in October 2026 on simplesalon.com's pricing page). Neither runs a consumer marketplace: bookings come through your own link, which is exactly the structural difference from Fresha.

Leaving Fresha without losing your client list

If your maths points to a move, do not cancel anything until your data is out and your new booking link is live. Export your client list and appointment history first (Fresha's help centre documents client import and export), open your new booking page, then update the link on your Google Business Profile, Instagram and website before you close the old account. Give clients one clear message with the new link, and keep both systems alive through one full colour cycle so nobody falls between calendars. Remember the structural detail verified above: unlisting your Fresha marketplace profile disables all Fresha online booking channels at once, so have the replacement link ready the same day. If you relied on Fresha's prepayment to protect your mornings, read our guide to cancellation policies and deposits for Australian hair salons before you switch, so the protection does not lapse with the software. The full step-by-step lives in our guide to switching salon booking software in Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fresha free or paid in Australia?

Paid. Fresha runs on subscriptions: an Independent plan for one person and a Team plan priced per bookable team member, each after a 7-day trial, plus usage fees for payments and messages and a one-time fee on new marketplace clients (checked in October 2026 on fresha.com). The Australian-dollar amounts display on fresha.com/pricing when consulted from Australia; the page is geo-localised, so dated screenshots from your own screen are the only figures worth budgeting with.

Does Fresha charge commission on my existing clients?

No. Returning clients, clients already in your client list and imported clients never trigger the marketplace fee. It applies only to the first booking of a brand-new client who found you on the Fresha marketplace, with a minimum and a cap. Note the fine print from the official help centre (checked in October 2026): the fee also applies if you cancel the appointment yourself, and can apply to a booking from your own website if the client first viewed your marketplace profile.

How much is Fresha's new-client fee in Australia?

Fresha's help centre does not state the rate, minimum or cap; it points to the pricing page, which shows each country its own figures. We could not view the Australian numbers from abroad. Check fresha.com/pricing from your salon, or ask Fresha in writing for the current Australian rate, minimum and cap before listing your salon on the marketplace.

What is the best free alternative to Fresha for an Australian hair salon?

Two serious options. Square Appointments has a free plan with a published Australian grid and text reminders included, tied to Square's payment processing at 1.6% in person. ViteUneCoupe has a free plan with no commission and no acquisition fees: unlimited bookings, a personalised booking page, client database and calendar; the trade-offs are email rather than text reminders, no payments, and an optional paid plan billed in euros.

Does Fresha protect against no-shows?

Yes, and it is a real strength: Fresha supports upfront payments and cancellation fees when clients book. ViteUneCoupe's equivalent, bank-card no-show protection, is coming soon in the Standard + Anti No-Show plan at 49 € excluding tax per month. Until then, reminders and a clear written policy already remove a large share of misses.

Can I use Fresha's online booking without the marketplace?

Not according to Fresha's own help centre (checked in October 2026): to take bookings online through Fresha via your website and social media pages, your profile must be listed on the marketplace, and unlisting it disables all your online booking channels. If you want a booking link with no marketplace attached, that is a structural reason to look at the alternatives above rather than a setting to toggle.