Barberly vs Fresha (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Fresha: it is second in our ranking of salon, spa and studio booking apps, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Barberly grades higher on platforms. Fresha grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Barberly
Barbershop booking software with a branded mobile app
Fresha
Salon and spa booking with a consumer marketplace for new clients
Which one is for you
Pick Barberly if
- Fits if you run a barbershop and want a walk-in queue
- Works for shops that want their own branded app
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a 30-day trial exists
- Pricey if you text a lot, at $0.03 a message past 500
- Tight if you run marketing campaigns, billed at $0.03 per message
- Watch out: billing is in arrears and the price shown is for the United States
Pick Fresha if
- Fits if you're a solo stylist or barber who wants a booking calendar for $19.95 a month
- Works for salons that want new clients from a booking marketplace and accept a fee on each one
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if most new clients find you on Fresha's marketplace, since each costs a one-time 20% commission, at least $6
- Watch out: card fees are 2.79% + $0.20 online, 2.29% + $0.20 in person and 5.99% + $0.30 with Klarna, and terminals start at $139
- Tight if you text a lot: reminder texts past the free allowance are $0.02 each and marketing texts $0.08
- Pricey if you want loyalty ($59.95), Google review prompts ($14.95) or fuller reports ($9.95 a member), each a monthly add-on
- Skip it if you need more than a week to decide: the trial is 7 days and there's no free plan
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABarberlyGood | 3.0GPAFreshaVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$25 a month for 1 team member and a $45 flat fee for 2 to 5, so five barbers pay $9 each. Inside the cheapest quarter for booking tools. | BIndependent is $19.95 a month for one bookable person, and Team $14.95 a member, so five people pay $74.75. That's inside the cheaper quarter of this category ($29.99 or less), but each new marketplace client costs a one-time 20% commission, at least $6. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day trial with every feature and no card. No free plan. | CNo free plan, only a 7-day free trial that needs no credit card. A week is short to move a client list and a team across. |
| Features | BBranded mobile app, self check-in and queue, booking, payments, loyalty, memberships and a booking API. The gaps named are message costs. | BCalendar and online booking with waitlists, group bookings and resources, deposits and no-show fees, retail stock, memberships, packages, shifts, timesheets, commissions and pay runs. That's the whole booking job, with loyalty and review prompts as add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Services, barbers and payments have to be set up. | AFresha rates 4.8 on the US App Store from 3,923 ratings, which puts it at A on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows, with Square, Stripe, SumUp, WhatsApp and a booking API. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with booking from Facebook, Instagram and the Fresha app, plus Klarna, Google Analytics and Meta Pixel. No API on record and no desktop app. |
| Best for | a barbershop booking app with self check-in | low-cost booking for salons, barbers and spas |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Barberly and Fresha. How we grade
Price against what you get
Barberly starts at $25 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Fresha starts at $19.95 a month for each person and scores 3.3.
Fresha scores higher and starts $5.05 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than Barberly for less, and none scores higher than Fresha for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Barberly also covers reports, sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging.
- Fresha also covers email campaigns, shift scheduling, inventory and review collection.
At a glance
| Barberly | Fresha | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per month for 1 team member | $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Barberly | Fresha.com SV Ltd |
| Price read from | barberly.com | fresha.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Barberly
- SMS beyond 500 messages a month costs $0.03 each; WhatsApp notifications are $0.01 a message.
- SMS and WhatsApp marketing campaigns are billed at $0.03 per message.
- Billing is in arrears: the invoice arrives on the first of the next month.
- The pricing page has a country selector; the prices above are the one shown for the United States.
Fresha
- Each new client who finds you through the Fresha marketplace costs a one-time 20% commission, with a minimum of $6.
- Card fees: 2.79% + $0.20 online, 2.29% + $0.20 in person, 3.30% + $0.20 keyed in, and 5.99% + $0.30 with Klarna. Terminals start at $139.
- Texts beyond the free allowance cost $0.02 each, marketing texts $0.08 each, and WhatsApp messages $0.04 to $0.11.
- Loyalty ($59.95), Google review prompts ($14.95) and richer reports ($9.95 a member) are monthly add-ons, mostly per location.
Key features
Barberly
- Branded mobile app
- A custom-branded app for clients, published to the App Store and Google Play at no extra fee, plus an app for team members.
- Self check-in and queue
- A self check-in kiosk, walk-in queue and an appointment board for a TV, with an app for Apple TV and Google TV.
- Booking and payments
- Online booking, deposits, a waitlist and scan-to-book QR codes. Payments run through Square, Stripe or SumUp.
- Loyalty and memberships
- A loyalty program and barbershop memberships are included in the subscription.
- Booking API
- A booking API is available so shops can connect their own tools to the booking system.
Fresha
- Calendar and online booking
- Clients book through a direct link, Facebook, Instagram or the Fresha app, with waitlists, group bookings, processing times and resources handled on the calendar.
- Fresha marketplace
- Businesses are listed on Fresha's consumer marketplace. New clients found there cost a one-time 20% commission, at least $6; returning clients carry no fee.
- Point of sale and payments
- Take deposits and no-show fees, sell retail stock, gift cards, packages and memberships, and accept cards online, in person on a Fresha terminal or with Klarna.
- Team pay and scheduling
- Shift schedules, clock-in timesheets, commissions, tips, wages and pay runs, with service prices and durations set per team member.
- Reminders and marketing
- Email reminders are free and unlimited. Reminder texts beyond 100 a month (per member on Team) cost $0.02 each, and marketing emails beyond 50 cost $0.02 each.
- AI Concierge and add-ons
- Paid add-ons include an AI Concierge that answers messages ($29.95 a location) or calls and messages ($99.95), client loyalty, Google review prompts and a website.
Plans
Barberly
1 team member$25
per month, flat fee
Every feature included. 500 SMS messages a month included.
2 to 5 team members$45
per month, flat fee
Every feature included, for shops of two to five barbers.
5+ team members$9
per barber / month
Every feature included. Enterprise pricing is offered above 20 team members.
Fresha
Independent$19.95
per month for 1 bookable team member
One calendar column, 100 free reminder messages and 50 free marketing emails a month, with email and chat support.
Team$14.95
per bookable team member / month
Several calendar columns and locations, commissions, timesheets and pay runs, with message allowances per member and phone support.
EnterpriseCustom
Quoted rates for high-volume businesses with more than 20 team members.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Barberly or Fresha?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Barberly starts at $25 per month for 1 team member, and Fresha starts at $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Barberly or Fresha?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Barberly nor Fresha has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Barberly and Fresha run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Barberly lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.