Fresha alternatives for UK hair salons: the real fees compared in 2026

For years, Fresha was "the free one". No subscription, a polished online diary, and a promise that won over hair salons across the UK and far beyond. That era is over: Fresha is now subscription software, with usage fees on top of the monthly price. Plenty of comparison pages have never been updated and still describe Fresha as 100% free, so if you are weighing up alternatives for your salon, the first job is to get the real numbers straight.

This article is published on the blog of ViteUneCoupe, online booking software for hair salons that genuinely stays free, with no commission. We are not neutral, but we play fair: every figure below was checked on Fresha's own pricing page, help centre or partner terms, with the date we checked it, and we openly credit what Fresha does better than us. For a side-by-side view of the whole UK market, our comparison of hair salon booking software in the UK covers every major player.

Is Fresha still free in 2026?

No. Checked in October 2026, Fresha's official pricing page lists two subscription plans:

• Independent, for a one-person business, with a single calendar column, 20 free messages and 50 free marketing emails per month, after a 7 day trial;
• Team, priced per bookable team member per month, with the same message allowances per team member;
• above 20 team members, a custom-priced Enterprise offer.

One honesty note before any numbers: Fresha displays prices in the currency of the country you browse from, and we checked the page from continental Europe, where it shows 14.95 euros per month for Independent and 9.95 euros per bookable team member for Team. Browsing from the UK you will see the pound figures; we could not verify the exact GBP amounts ourselves, so open the pricing page from your salon before you budget. What we can verify is the structure, and the page states that rates exclude 20% sales tax, so count VAT on top of whatever headline price you see.

If a blog tells you "Fresha is completely free", you are reading content written under the old model. That is not an accusation: the switch is recent in web terms, and comparison pages age badly. It 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:

• online payments: 1.29% plus a small fixed fee per transaction (shown as 0.15 in your local currency) when a client prepays through Fresha;
• in-person payments: 0.59% plus the same fixed fee if you take payment through Fresha's card solution, with an extra charge per Tap to Pay authorisation and card terminals sold from 119 (local currency) per device;
• buy now, pay later: 4.99% plus a fixed fee per transaction for Klarna instalments;
• 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. More stylists, more prepayments, more reminders, more marketing sends, and the gap between the headline subscription and what leaves your bank account widens every month.

The marketplace new-client fee, explained properly

This is the fee most UK blogs get wrong, usually by quoting a percentage with no source. Here is what Fresha itself publishes, checked in October 2026 on its help centre article about marketplace new client fees:

• the fee is one-time, per new client who first discovers your salon on the Fresha marketplace and books online;
• it is calculated on the value of that client's first completed appointment, with a maximum cap for high-value services and a minimum fee for cheap or free appointments;
• it does not apply to returning clients, to clients already in your client list when they book, or to clients you imported before they booked;
• if the client cancels online through their Fresha account, the fee is deferred to their next booking; but if you or your team cancel the appointment on the client's behalf, or leave it unmanaged, the fee still applies;
• bookings through your own direct booking links, Facebook or Instagram buttons carry no fee.

What Fresha does not publish on the pricing page or in its partner terms is the actual rate, the cap or the minimum (checked in October 2026, the pricing page describes the fee without stating an amount). You will find precise percentages on third-party blogs, but we only repeat what we can verify, so our advice is simple: before you list your salon on the marketplace, ask Fresha in writing for the current new-client fee rate, minimum and cap for the UK, and keep the answer.

Two practical consequences follow. First, import your full client list before your profile goes live on the marketplace, otherwise a regular who happens to find you on Fresha counts as a new client and triggers the fee. Second, decide deliberately whether you want marketplace exposure at all: if your diary already fills through your own links and Google, you can use Fresha software without the marketplace, and the question becomes whether the subscription alone is the right deal. Our guide to direct bookings versus marketplaces for hair salons works through that trade-off.

What Fresha genuinely does well

Fresha did not become one of the biggest names in salon software by accident, and pretending otherwise would be silly.

• A very polished product. The interface is modern, quick and pleasant on a phone, and the scope is wide: diary, client records, point of sale, stock, marketing, waitlists, consultation forms. Few competitors match the finish.
• A low entry price for the scope. Whatever the exact pound figure on your screen, Fresha's per-member pricing sits at the affordable end of the market for software this complete.
• Real no-show protection, available today. Fresha supports upfront payments and cancellation fees at booking. That is a genuine strength, and an honest concession from us: ViteUneCoupe's bank-card no-show protection is still in preparation. If no-shows are your main problem right now, our guide to reducing no-shows in a UK hair salon covers what works with and without card details.
• An international marketplace. New clients can discover your salon through Fresha's consumer app and site, and you only pay the acquisition fee once per genuinely new client.

When Fresha fits, and when to look elsewhere

Fresha is a strong choice if you want one system that runs the till, stock and marketing as well as the diary, if upfront payments against no-shows matter to you today, and if you accept fees that scale with your volume in exchange for a low fixed cost.

Look at alternatives if you want a predictable bill that does not grow with every prepayment and text, if you have no use for a built-in card machine, if you would rather not depend on a marketplace whose acquisition rate is not on the public price list, or if you simply want a free online diary for a small salon.

Fresha alternatives for UK hair salons, compared

Figures below were checked in October 2026 on each vendor's own UK site. Prices exclude VAT unless stated. For the full market tour, see our UK-wide comparison linked at the top of this article.

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, staff schedules and rotas, your client database and your diary. No trial clock, no card required. UK mobile numbers in +44 format work normally in the client database, and the interface is available in English.

The Standard plan, from 29 € excluding VAT per month with no commitment, adds automatic emails (confirmation, reminder before the appointment, thank-you after) 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 VAT per month.

The honest limits for a UK salon: the subscription is billed in euros, not pounds (at 29 € a month the exchange difference is small and UK cards pay euro invoices without fuss, but if you need a sterling invoice, that matters); reminders go by email, not text; and there is no till, no card capture and no marketplace. If your need is a reliable online diary with a bill of exactly zero, that is precisely what it is for.

Square Appointments: the free till-and-diary combo

Square Appointments is the closest thing to old Fresha in the UK: checked in October 2026 on Square's UK pricing page, the free plan covers one person at a single location with unlimited scheduling and free text and email reminders, and you pay only card processing (1.75% in person on the free plan, 1.4% + 25p for online UK card payments). Plus at £29 per month per location adds waitlists, Google Calendar sync and cancellation policies with fees; Premium at £69 lowers in-person processing to 1.6% and adds staff tools. The trade-off: it is generalist booking software, not built around hair salon workflows, and its no-show tools sit behind the paid plans.

Booksy: fixed UK pricing with a marketplace you opt into

Booksy publishes real UK numbers, which deserves credit: £40 per month plus £5 per additional staff member, plus VAT, with a 7 day trial and no commitment (checked in October 2026 on Booksy's UK pricing page). Standard and marketplace bookings carry no commission; the paid acquisition programme, Boost, charges a one-time 30% fee (minimum £5) on a Boost client's first visit, and you switch it on or off yourself. 500 marketing texts per month are included. It is a more predictable version of the marketplace model; we compare it in depth in our Booksy alternative for UK hair salons.

Treatwell: the biggest UK marketplace, at a price

Treatwell's UK partner site is upfront about the model: 0% on repeat and direct bookings, but 35% commission on a new marketplace client's first booking, and a 2.5% plus VAT processing fee on online prepayments (checked in October 2026 on treatwell.co.uk's partner pricing page). The monthly subscription price is not published on that page. If footfall from a consumer marketplace is what you want, Treatwell has the largest UK beauty audience; whether a 35% first-booking commission beats spending the same money on your own visibility is the question, and our Treatwell alternatives for UK hair salons article digs into it.

Phorest: the premium suite, on quote

Phorest is salon-specialist software with a deep feature set (stock, rostering, marketing, loyalty) and a strong UK presence, but it publishes no prices: four tiers, all on quote, with no free trial (checked in October 2026 on phorest.com's UK pricing page). SMS cost 7p to 9.5p each depending on tier. It suits established salons with several staff that want an all-in-one system and accept a sales conversation to learn the price.

Leaving Fresha without losing your client list

If your sums point 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 list 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. Our step-by-step guide to switching salon booking software without losing bookings walks through the whole move, including what to tell clients and when.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fresha free or paid now?

Paid. Fresha runs on subscriptions: an Independent plan for one person and a Team plan priced per bookable team member, each with a 7 day trial, plus usage fees for payments and messages (checked in October 2026 on fresha.com). Pages describing Fresha as 100% free predate the model change.

How much is Fresha's marketplace new-client fee in the UK?

Fresha does not publish the rate on its public pricing page (checked in October 2026). The help centre confirms the fee is one-time per new marketplace client, based on the first completed appointment, with a minimum and a cap. Ask Fresha in writing for the current UK rate before listing your salon.

Does Fresha charge commission on my existing clients?

No. Returning clients, clients already in your list and clients you imported before they booked never trigger the marketplace fee, and bookings through your own links, Facebook or Instagram buttons are free of it. The fee only concerns brand-new clients who first find you on the Fresha marketplace.

What is the best free alternative to Fresha for a UK hair salon?

ViteUneCoupe offers a free plan with no time limit: unlimited online bookings, 0% commission, a personalised booking page, client database and diary. The honest trade-offs: email rather than text reminders (Standard plan), no till or card capture, and a subscription billed in euros. Square Appointments is also free for one person if you want integrated card payments.

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 VAT per month.

Why do so many sites still say Fresha is free?

Because Fresha was free for years and most comparison pages were never updated after it moved to subscriptions. Trust only figures verified on the vendor's own site, with a stated date, which is what this article does.