Fresha vs Vagaro (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 (Vagaro is third), and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fresha grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
Vagaro
Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios
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 Vagaro if
- Fits if you run a salon, spa or barbershop on one to seven bookable calendars
- Works for studios that run classes alongside appointments in one calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: $23.99 a month lasts 6 months, then one calendar is $30 and each added calendar $10, up to seven
- Pricey if you want text marketing, a branded app or a MySite website, as the page sells them à la carte with no price
- Watch out: the free card reader needs Vagaro Merchant Services, whose rates are advertised from 2.2%
- Skip it if you have several locations and want a price up front, as multi-location plans are quoted by sales
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFreshaVery good | 2.6GPAVagaroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BOne calendar is $30 a month after an introductory $23.99 for 6 months, level with this category's cheaper quarter ($29.99). Each added calendar is $10 up to seven, so five people pay $70, but extras like text marketing have no published price. |
| 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 30-day free trial. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. |
| 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 from its marketplace, Google, Apple Maps and Instagram, classes and resources, checkout with Affirm, memberships, forms and SOAP notes, payroll and multi-location tools. That's the whole booking job, for salons and studios alike. |
| 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 rating for the business app is on record, since the App Store listing found is the client-facing app. You set up services, staff and payments before taking bookings. |
| 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 QuickBooks, Xero, Affirm, Google, Apple Maps, Instagram, Facebook and Salesforce, and APIs and webhooks for multi-location accounts. No desktop app. |
| Best for | low-cost booking for salons, barbers and spas | booking for salons, spas and fitness studios |
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 Vagaro. 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. Vagaro starts at $23.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Fresha scores higher and starts $4.04 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 Vagaro 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 review collection.
- Vagaro also covers forms, payroll and class booking.
At a glance
| Fresha | Vagaro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent) | $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fresha.com SV Ltd | Vagaro, Inc. |
| Price read from | fresha.com | vagaro.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.
Vagaro
- The $23.99 price lasts 6 months; after that one calendar costs $30 a month and each added calendar $10, up to seven.
- The pricing page calls its model à la carte but gives no prices for extras such as text marketing, a branded app or a MySite website.
- The free card reader requires signing up for Vagaro Merchant Services, which advertises processing rates from 2.2%.
- Multi-location pricing is quoted by sales, with each location priced by the features chosen for it.
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.
Vagaro
- Online booking and calendar
- Clients book through Vagaro's marketplace, a website widget, Google, Apple Maps, Instagram, Facebook or Alexa, with waitlists, classes and resource scheduling.
- Checkout and card readers
- Take Apple Pay, Google Pay and cards on Vagaro's own readers and terminals, offer Affirm pay-later plans, and sell memberships, packages and gift certificates.
- Forms and SOAP notes
- Intake forms and SOAP notes sit on each client profile, which also tracks history, retention and loyalty points.
- Vera AI assistant
- Vera helps write marketing and service descriptions, answers client messages, and its Fill My Books feature promotes open slots to Vagaro's customer network.
- Payroll and team access
- Vagaro Payroll pays staff and booth renters, tracks hours and time off, and access levels set what each employee can see at each location.
- Multi-location tools
- Sync services, clients, classes, products and pricing across locations, with SSO and SCIM, APIs and webhooks, and exports to Power BI, Salesforce and other tools.
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.
Vagaro
One location$30
per month for 1 calendar, plus $10 per added calendar
Advertised at $23.99 a month for the first 6 months. Calendars beyond seven cost nothing extra; 1,000 emails a month and a marketplace listing are included.
Multiple locationsCustom
Features chosen per location, with SSO, data lake exports, a dedicated success manager and data migration, through sales.
Ways to pay less
Fresha
No public discounts listed.
Vagaro
- Other savings
$23.99 a month for the first 6 months
Vagaro's pricing page shows a one-calendar account at $23.99 a month for the first 6 months, against the regular $30.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fresha or Vagaro?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Fresha starts at $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent), and Vagaro starts at $30 per month for 1 calendar, after $23.99 a month for the first 6 months. 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 Vagaro?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Fresha nor Vagaro 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.