Fresha vs NailSoft (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 1.6.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fresha grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use 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
NailSoft
Nail salon point of sale, booking and marketing with unlimited texts
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 NailSoft if
- Fits if you run a nail salon and want the till and booking from one vendor
- Works for salons that want texts without a per-message bill
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the $149.95 to $249.95 range has no billing period or reason for the spread
- Skip it if you have fewer than 20 techs and want a price, as Essential is a custom quote
- Watch out: unlimited texts leave out marketing campaigns, billed separately
- Not for you if you want software only, as it's sold with all-in-one POS hardware
- Tight if you want a trial, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFreshaVery good | 1.6GPANailSoftWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CThe page shows $149.95 to $249.95 with no billing basis, and Essential has no price. We can't place it, so it sits in the middle. |
| 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. | FNo free plan and no trial listed on the vendor pages, so nothing here is free. |
| 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. | CPoint of sale, booking, gift cards, loyalty, marketing and unlimited texts. But marketing campaigns are billed separately and it's sold with hardware. |
| 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 store rating on record, and a hardware point-of-sale setup comes with it. |
| 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. | CWeb, sold with POS hardware, with owner, technician and customer apps named. No integrations on record. |
| Best for | low-cost booking for salons, barbers and spas | nail salons that want a point-of-sale bundle |
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 NailSoft. How we grade
Where they differ
- Fresha also covers email campaigns, shift scheduling and inventory.
- NailSoft also covers payroll, time clock and sMS marketing.
At a glance
| Fresha | NailSoft | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent) | $149.95 to $249.95 for Premium Unlimited, billing basis not shown |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fresha.com SV Ltd | NailSoft |
| Price read from | fresha.com | nailsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
NailSoft
- The page shows $149.95 to $249.95 for Premium Unlimited without saying what sets the price or the billing period.
- Essential, for salons with fewer than 20 techs, has no published price.
- Unlimited SMS excludes marketing campaigns, which are billed separately.
- The software is sold with all-in-one POS hardware; the site does not list a browser-only version.
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.
NailSoft
- Smart POS
- Checkout, schedules and payroll tracked from one system, with the owner able to monitor the business remotely.
- Online booking and gift cards
- Customers book online, buy advanced gift cards and earn rewards through a referral and loyalty program.
- Unlimited SMS
- Appointment texts are unlimited on the plans shown; marketing campaigns are excluded from that allowance.
- Smart check-in and payments
- A check-in kiosk option and payment processing with Tap To Pay on the POS.
- Marketing 360
- Website design, graphic design, SEO, social media and review management, offered as managed services.
- Apps
- Apps for the owner and technicians, and a customer app the vendor says is available only on NailSoft.
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.
NailSoft
EssentialCustom
For salons with fewer than 20 techs; a custom package priced after contacting NailSoft, which advertises savings of up to 60%.
Premium Unlimited$149.95
page shows $149.95 to $249.95; billing basis not shown
Unlimited messaging, online booking, gift cards, loyalty and referrals, marketing automation and owner, technician and customer apps.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fresha or NailSoft?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fresha starts at $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent), and NailSoft starts at $149.95 to $249.95 for Premium Unlimited, billing basis not shown.
Which has a free plan, Fresha or NailSoft?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Fresha nor NailSoft has a free plan. Fresha has a free trial.
Which platforms do Fresha and NailSoft run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Fresha lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. 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.