Fresha vs GlossGenius (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 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 2.4.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fresha grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fresha
Salon and spa booking with a consumer marketplace for new clients
GlossGenius
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and medspas
Which one is for you
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
Pick GlossGenius if
- Fits if you're a solo stylist or small salon that wants booking, deposits and card payments in one app
- Works for medspas that want charting and client photos kept beside the booking calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want to stay free: there's no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and every card payment carries a fee of 2.4% + $0.15 in person or 3.4% + $0.15 online
- Pricey if you need forms and waivers, the automated waitlist or included text credits, which start on Gold at $48 a month billed yearly ($56 monthly)
- Pricey if you want payroll or the AI phone receptionist: payroll is $40 a month plus $6 a seat and Reception is $50 a month, on top of the plan
- Not for you if you run a medspa on a small budget, as charting starts on Practice Essentials at $148 a month billed yearly ($168 monthly)
- Watch out: teams of 10 or more need Platinum at $148 a month billed yearly, and each extra location pays its own plan price, less 15%
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFreshaVery good | 2.4GPAGlossGeniusFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CStandard is $24 a month billed yearly ($28 monthly), and Gold covers up to 9 staff for $48, so a team of five pays about $9.60 a head. GlossGenius is the only booking tool on our site so far, so this category is too thin to compare yet, and it sits at the ordinary grade until there's something to set it against. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of any plan with no credit card. After that it's $24 a month at least, and card payments carry fees on top: 2.4% + $0.15 in person and 3.4% + $0.15 online. |
| Features | 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. | BA booking site, a staff calendar with deposits, payments and point of sale, email and text marketing, forms, SOAP notes, commissions and reports, with charting on the medspa plans. Nothing in the booking job is missing, but forms, the automated waitlist and text credits need Gold, and payroll costs extra. |
| Ease of use | AFresha rates 4.8 on the US App Store from 3,923 ratings, which puts it at A on our ease ladder. | CNo app store rating on record. Before clients can book and pay, you set up a booking site from templates, your services, staff and deposit and cancellation rules, and card readers or Tap to Pay. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Tap to Pay on both phones, plus Reserve with Google, Google Reviews and two-way calendar sync. No desktop app and no API on record, which keeps it from an A. |
| Best for | low-cost booking for salons, barbers and spas | booking and payments for salons 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: Fresha and GlossGenius. How we grade
Price against what you get
Fresha starts at $19.95 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. GlossGenius starts at $24 a month and scores 2.7.
Fresha scores higher and starts $4.05 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, none scores higher than Fresha for less, and 1 scores higher than GlossGenius 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
- Fresha also covers shift scheduling and inventory.
- GlossGenius also covers forms, payroll, clinical notes and sMS marketing.
At a glance
| Fresha | GlossGenius | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent) | $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fresha.com SV Ltd | GlossGenius, Inc. |
| Price read from | fresha.com | glossgenius.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
GlossGenius
- There is no free plan. In-person card payments cost 2.4% + $0.15 and online payments 3.4% + $0.15, with invoices at 2.9% + $0.30.
- Payroll is an add-on at $40 a month plus $6 per seat, and Reception, the AI phone and text answering service, is $50 a month.
- Forms and waivers, the automated waitlist, chargeback protection and included text credits start on the Gold plan.
- Each additional location is charged its own plan price, at a 15% discount.
Key features
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.
GlossGenius
- Booking website and calendar
- A booking site with templates and team profiles, 24/7 online booking without a client login, gap and processing times, and two-way calendar sync.
- No-show protection and waitlist
- Deposits, card-on-file and cancellation policies on every plan; the automated waitlist and room and resource booking start on Gold.
- Payments and point of sale
- Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, card readers, split payments, tips, invoices, gift cards, memberships, packages and Buy Now, Pay Later.
- Email and text marketing
- Unlimited marketing emails on every plan, with text credits included on Gold (500) and Platinum (2,500) and an AI marketing assistant.
- Forms, notes and EMR
- Intake forms and waivers the vendor describes as HIPAA-compliant, SOAP notes, and charting with photo markup on the medspa plans.
- Staff, payroll and reports
- Roles and permissions, commissions, time tracking, sales and staff reports, and add-on payroll that files payroll taxes in all 50 states.
Plans
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.
GlossGenius
Standard$24
per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly)
Booking website, unlimited client notifications, email and text marketing, inventory and retail, packages and memberships.
Gold$48
per month, billed annually ($56 billed monthly)
For teams of up to 9 staff: adds forms and waivers, Google booking and reviews, automated waitlist, time tracking and 500 text credits.
Platinum$148
per month, billed annually ($168 billed monthly)
For teams of 10 or more: unlimited team members, goal setting, custom commissions, Google marketing analytics and 2,500 text credits.
Practice Essentials$148
per month, billed annually ($168 billed monthly)
Medspa and aesthetics plan with EMR charting, photo markup, medical director sign-off and 50 GB of client photos.
Practice Advanced$248
per month, billed annually ($298 billed monthly)
Medspa plan for unlimited providers with the full AI clinical suite, 100 GB of client photos and premium support.
Ways to pay less
Fresha
No public discounts listed.
GlossGenius
- Annual discount
Save up to 14% with annual billing
The pricing page lists a 14% saving on Standard, Gold and Practice Essentials and 12% on Platinum and Practice Advanced when billed annually.
- Other savings
15% off each additional location
GlossGenius charges each additional location the plan price at a 15% discount.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fresha or GlossGenius?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Fresha starts at $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent), and GlossGenius starts at $24 per month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly). 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, Fresha or GlossGenius?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Fresha nor GlossGenius has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
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.