Fresha vs Salonist (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 2.4.
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 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
Salonist
Salon and spa management with unlimited staff on every plan
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 Salonist if
- Fits if you have a big or changing team and don't want to pay per stylist
- Works for salons that want to test the marketplace listing before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as the listing caps at 50 appointments a month and has no point of sale or reminders
- Watch out: a new client from the marketplace costs 15% of that first visit
- Pricey if you need loyalty, SMS or inventory, which start on Advance at $109 a month
- Watch out: Digital Wallet Cards from $39 a month and the AI Receptionist are separate add-ons
- Skip it if you run several branches, as multi-branch reporting is on Expert at $179 a month
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFreshaVery good | 2.4GPASalonistFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CEssential is $59 a month and unlimited staff, so the price doesn't climb with headcount. That sits between the category's middle of $49 and its dearer quarter at $99. |
| 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. | CA free listing with online booking and a calendar, capped at 50 appointments a month, plus a 7-day trial with no card. You'll hit the cap fast. |
| 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. | BBooking, point of sale, memberships, commissions, gift cards, campaigns and inventory all appear across the tiers. Some pieces sit on dearer plans, but the core salon job is covered. |
| 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 salon system with point of sale and inventory means setup. |
| 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 plus iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Stripe, Mailchimp, WhatsApp and Shopify links. No computer app. |
| Best for | low-cost booking for salons, barbers and spas | salons that want unlimited staff on every plan |
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 Salonist. 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. Salonist starts at $59 a month and scores 2.7.
Fresha scores higher and starts $39.05 a month lower. Of the other salon, spa and studio booking apps on the chart, none scores higher than Fresha for less, and 4 score higher than Salonist 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 review collection.
- Salonist also covers time clock, sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Fresha | Salonist | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent) | $59 per month, billed monthly (Essential) |
| Free plan | None | Marketplace Listing: online booking, calendar, shift management and staff reports for up to 50 appointments a month. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fresha.com SV Ltd | Salonist |
| Price read from | fresha.com | salonist.io |
| 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.
Salonist
- A brand-new client who finds you through the Salonist marketplace costs 15% of that first visit, once; card fees are separate.
- The free listing stops at 50 appointments a month and omits point of sale and reminders.
- Optional add-ons cost extra: Digital Wallet Cards from $39 a month, and the AI Receptionist is quoted by conversation volume.
- Annual billing is shown as 10 times the monthly price ($590, $1,090, $1,790); groups of several locations get custom pricing.
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.
Salonist
- Calendar and online booking
- Drag-and-drop calendar and room calendars, with booking from the salon's own link, website widget, Instagram and Google.
- Point of sale
- Desk and mobile checkout with tips and split payments, plus SalonistPay for card processing.
- Memberships, packages and gift cards
- Subscriptions, e-wallet balances, packages and gift cards; gift cards and membership subscriptions start at Advance.
- Campaigns and reminders
- WhatsApp, SMS and email reminders and campaigns; the pricing page lists unlimited notifications from the Advance plan.
- Retail, inventory and staff data
- Stock, purchase orders and service-usage tracking, with commissions, timesheets and login permissions.
- Client booking app
- A client-facing booking app for iOS and Android, and a marketplace where new clients can find the salon.
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.
Salonist
Marketplace Listing$0
Up to 50 appointments a month, online booking, calendar, staff shifts and a free listing on the Salonist marketplace.
Essential$59
per month, billed monthly, with unlimited staff
Adds point of sale, memberships and e-wallet, commissions, tips, retail products, service reminders and phone support.
Advance$109
per month, billed monthly, with unlimited staff
Adds loyalty points, gift cards, SMS, email and WhatsApp campaigns, inventory, timesheets and one-on-one onboarding.
Expert$179
per month, billed monthly, with unlimited staff
Adds QuickBooks, multi-branch reporting, a dedicated account manager, forms, waitlists and AI marketing automation.
Ways to pay less
Fresha
No public discounts listed.
Salonist
- Annual discount
Pay yearly: $590, $1,090 or $1,790
The pricing page's Annual toggle lists Essential at $590, Advance at $1,090 and Expert at $1,790 a year, against $59, $109 and $179 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fresha or Salonist?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fresha starts at $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent), and Salonist starts at $59 per month, billed monthly (Essential). 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 Salonist?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Salonist has a free plan. Fresha does not, though it has 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.