Fresha vs Zenoti (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 1.8.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fresha grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on 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
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
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 Zenoti if
- Fits if you run several salons or spas and want payroll, stock and booking in one system
- Works for a med spa chain that can go through a demo and a quote
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a posted price, as every plan goes through a demo
- Watch out: the AI agents need the AI Plus package, and add-ons are priced separately
- Watch out: voice, SMS and messaging are billed by use
- Too light for a phone-first user, as the mobile app is tuned for tablets over 9.5 inches
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFreshaVery good | 1.8GPAZenotiWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo price is published. Every plan is a quote, so cost cannot be set against the $49.90 middle of the category. |
| 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 on record, so you pay before you use it. |
| 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. | CBooking, point of sale, payroll and commissions, inventory and a mobile app. The AI agents need the AI Plus package and add-ons are sold apart. |
| 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. A multi-site business has a long set-up before it works. |
| 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 iOS and Android apps, with one integration listed. The mobile app is tuned for tablets over 9.5 inches. |
| Best for | low-cost booking for salons, barbers and spas | spa and salon chain software |
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 Zenoti. How we grade
Where they differ
- Fresha also covers email campaigns, shift scheduling, inventory and review collection.
- Zenoti also covers reports and class booking.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAppointment booking
At a glance
| Fresha | Zenoti | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent) | Not published |
| 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 | Zenoti |
| Price read from | fresha.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Zenoti
- No prices are published: every plan is a quote through a demo request, so cost cannot be compared up front.
- AI agents need the AI Plus package, and add-ons are priced separately.
- Voice, SMS and messaging use is billed by consumption, with optional base packs.
- Zenoti Mobile is optimized for tablets larger than 9.5 inches, per the vendor.
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.
Zenoti
- Appointment book and online booking
- A scheduling book for providers and rooms, plus an online booking page, social booking and Reserve with Google.
- Point of sale and payments
- Checkout, payment processing, text-to-pay links, gift cards, loyalty rewards, memberships and packages.
- Payroll, commissions and staff
- Employee management, payroll and commission calculation, and staff performance goals sit in the same system.
- Inventory and multi-location tools
- Stock management, resource and room management, and franchise and multi-location controls with cross-location reporting.
- AI agents (Zenoti OS)
- Agents for phone answering, lead handling, marketing, scheduling and inventory. The vendor says they require its AI Plus package.
- Zenoti Mobile app
- A staff-facing app for schedules, check-ins, guest records, digital forms and payments, on iOS and Android.
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.
Zenoti
Pricing could not be confirmed. See zenoti.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fresha or Zenoti?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Fresha starts at $19.95 per month for one bookable team member (Independent), and Zenoti has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Fresha or Zenoti?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Fresha nor Zenoti has a free plan. Fresha 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.