Booking Shortlist

For: Barbershops · Tanning salons · Spas · Massage

Fresha alternatives in 2026: 6 apps on fees and price, plus our pick

By Booking Shortlist · Published · Updated · Prices checked on · Based on public documentation

Disclosure: Our #1 pick is MeetScarlet, and we are affiliated with them. We also cover competing tools and where they shine. We may earn commissions from links on this page. Details

The short answer: Fresha’s own pages show four reasons to look elsewhere: a one-time 20% fee (minimum $6) on brand-new marketplace clients, online booking tied to the marketplace, per-person pricing and card fees. GlossGenius fixes the most, having no marketplace, then Square, whose marketplace app is free for businesses. Boulevard describes direct booking through your own website but has a 12-month contract; Vagaro, Booksy and MassageBook charge new-client fees only if you opt in. Checked November 4, 2026. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, has no marketplace and so no new-client fee, but it costs $349 a month plus $999 setup, and its store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks (checked November 5, 2026).

Key takeaways

  • Fresha charges a one-time 20% commission, with a $6 minimum, on each brand-new marketplace client, including clients who view your Fresha profile and then book on your own website (checked November 4, 2026).
  • Fresha's help centre says unlisting your marketplace profile switches off all your online booking channels.
  • GlossGenius has no marketplace, and Square says its Square Go marketplace is free for businesses. Vagaro (Fill My Books), Booksy (Boost) and MassageBook (directory bookings) charge new-client fees only if you opt in.
  • For one person, only Square's $0 Free plan costs less than Fresha's $19.95 a month on this page. For five people, Square ($0 or $49, no resource booking), GlossGenius Gold ($56, billed monthly) and Vagaro ($70.00) cost less than Fresha's $74.75, by our arithmetic.
  • Card fees barely change: most published in-person rates beat Fresha's 2.29% + $0.20 only on smaller payments, and Vagaro's 2.29% + 19¢ above $4,000 a month in card sales adds a $10 monthly fee.

What Fresha is (and isn’t), so you know what you’d give up

Fresha calls itself “Simple, flexible and powerful booking software for your business”: a calendar, point of sale, payments and a consumer marketplace, with pages for barbers, spas, massage and tanning. More in our Fresha review. Leaving means giving up:

  • A low solo price: $19.95 a month for one bookable person.
  • Resources with capacity limits for rooms and equipment, on both plans.
  • Fresha’s marketplace clients, which the fee pays for.

Why businesses look for Fresha alternatives

From Fresha’s own pages, checked November 4, 2026:

  1. The 20% new-client fee: a “20% one-time commission”, $6 minimum, on each brand-new marketplace client, including clients who “view your Fresha marketplace profile first” and then book on your website or social pages (help article).
  2. Online booking needs the marketplace: unlisting your profile “will disable all your online booking channels”.
  3. Per-person pricing: “$14.95 per team member monthly”, or $74.75 for five (our arithmetic); fees “and/or the rate of Commission” can change on 30 days’ notice (Partner Terms).
  4. Card fees: 2.29% + $0.20 in person and 2.79% + $0.20 online, and saved-card membership billing works through Fresha Payments.

How we chose these alternatives

  • Fixes Fresha’s documented pain points: the four reasons above, marked for every app below.
  • Fits Fresha’s business types, to be included: the vendor has its own pages for barbers, spas, massage or tanning.
  • Prices, fees, terms and switching help from each vendor’s own pages, checked November 4, 2026.
  • We haven’t used these apps hands-on, so this list is based on public documentation. See our method and our tanning salon and massage pages.

The shortlist at a glance: prices, fixes and biggest limitations

Why this order: by how many of the four reasons each app fixes (Yes), then partly fixes, then how many of Fresha’s four business types it has pages for. It’s a count of documented fixes, not a quality ranking; we don’t score apps. Fresha is for reference, and our pick, MeetScarlet, sits outside the order.

AppPrice for 5 people a month (checked November 4, 2026)1. New-client fee2. Leave the marketplace, keep online booking3. Cheaper than Fresha for 5 people4. In-person card costBiggest limitation
MeetScarlet (our #1 pick, not placed by this rule)$349 plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year with setup free; one location, 5 staff logins (owner included)Yes: no marketplace, so no marketplace clients eitherYes: no marketplace; clients book in your own app and booking linkNo: $349 vs $74.75No: we found no in-person rate; in-app payments are Stripe’s fees plus 1%, Stripe’s rate not stated, and on once your Stripe account is approvedCard payments on once your Stripe account is approved; its help says “no live card payment has been run yet”; store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks
Fresha (for reference)$74.75 ($14.95 per team member)No: 20%, $6 minimumNo: unlisting disables online booking(benchmark)2.29% + $0.20 (benchmark)20% fee on new marketplace clients
GlossGenius$56 on Gold, billed monthly ($48 billed annually), up to 9 staffYes: no marketplaceYes: no marketplaceYesPartly: 2.4% + $0.15, cheaper under about $45No marketplace clients at all
Square Appointments$0 on Free or $49 on Plus per location (no resource booking); $149 on PremiumYes: Square Go is free for businessesYes: you “may opt out” of being “listed in the app”; Square Go needs your “online booking site turned on”Partly: cheaper on Free or Plus, which lack resource bookingPartly: 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, cheaper under about $24Room and resource booking needs Premium
Boulevard$159 on Essentials per location, billed monthly (up to 5 providers)Yes: its own comparison describes booking through your website (column 2)Yes: “Direct booking through the business’s website”, per its comparison with VagaroNoNo: only “Starting at 2.65%” published12-month contract by default
Vagaro$70.00 ($63.99 for the first 6 months), one locationPartly: only with Fill My Books, 20% on brand-new clientsPartly: only a 2023 Vagaro guide says listing is your choiceYesPartly: 2.6% + 10¢ under $4,000/month, cheaper under about $32Free reader means 12 months of Vagaro processing
Booksy$109.99 plus taxPartly: only with Boost, 30% of a first visit, up to $100Yes: “Yes. You can turn marketplace visibility off and still use Booksy for booking and management.”NoPartly: 2.49% + $0.10 on its reader, cheaper under $50$20 a month per extra team member
MassageBook$99 on Clinic per location (unlimited staff)Partly: 15% ($6 minimum) only if you opt in; 30% on LaunchYes: the listing “can be toggled off”, and your page stays viewable “even if your Business Listing is offline”NoPartly: 2.6% or 2.7% + $0.15, cheaper under about $12 to $16Each extra location pays full price

Yes: stated on the vendor’s own pages, or, in column 3, cheaper by our arithmetic. Partly: only if you opt in, on some plans, on smaller payments, or per an older page. No: an unavoidable fee, a higher price, or a rate not fully published. Card figures are our arithmetic on card-reader rates. US dollars, before tax.

Monthly price by team size (one location, billed monthly, before tax and card fees; checked November 4, 2026, from the pricing pages below):

App1 person5 people10 people
MeetScarlet (our #1 pick)$349 + $999 setup ($3,490 a year, setup free, on yearly billing)$349 + $999 setup (5 staff logins, owner included)$499 (Scarlet Pro, 20 staff logins) + $999 setup
Fresha$19.95 (one-person plan)$74.75$149.50
GlossGenius$28 (Standard)$56 (Gold)$168 (Platinum)
Square Appointments$0 (Free)$0 (Free) or $49 (Plus); $149 (Premium) for resourcesSame as 5 people
Boulevard$159 (Essentials)$159 (Essentials)$260 (Premier, limited-time; normally $325)
Vagaro$30.00 ($23.99 for 6 months)$70.00$90.00 (7+ calendars)
Booksy$29.99 + tax$109.99 + tax$209.99 + tax
MassageBook$29 (Launch, 3 services) or $59 (Practice)$99 (Clinic)$99 (Clinic)

Fresha’s and Booksy’s team totals and Vagaro’s 5-person price are our arithmetic. MeetScarlet: pricing and team logins help, checked November 4, 2026.

The best Fresha alternatives in 2026

1. GlossGenius, best for leaving marketplaces behind entirely

GlossGenius has no consumer marketplace: “no clients seeing your competitors on marketplaces”. Clients book on your own booking website, so there’s no fee and no listing to keep.

Standard is $28 a month billed monthly ($24 annually), but its one extra team member can’t be assigned services. Gold, $56 billed monthly ($48 annually), covers “businesses up to 9 staff”, with a waitlist and room and resource management. In-person cards cost 2.4% + $0.15 on every plan. Data transfer is free, with a free 14-day trial.

Where it loses: you find every new client yourself. Deposits are charged at the card-not-present rate, 3.4% + $0.15. Ten or more staff need Platinum ($168 billed monthly), and its terms say “All Subscription Fees are non-refundable”.

Best for: established businesses with their own client base. See GlossGenius’ pricing page.

2. Square Appointments, best for a free start and a fee-free marketplace

Square’s Free plan costs $0 a month per location, with an online booking site, reminders and unlimited staff calendars. Plus is $49 and Premium $149 per location a month, and both “offer a free 30-day trial, and you can cancel or switch plans anytime”. Square Go, its marketplace app, “is completely free for businesses and clients to use”; you’re listed once your online booking site is on, and you can opt out.

Where it loses: resource management, for rooms, stations, equipment or chairs, is Premium only, about double Fresha’s five-person price (our arithmetic). Free has no waitlist or no-show fees, Square Go “is not yet available for Android”, we found no Square page for massage or tanning, and there’s no refund for “any Subscription Fee already due or paid”.

Best for: barbers on a budget, and teams wanting one flat price per location. Read our Square Appointments review.

3. Boulevard, best for bigger salons and spas that can commit to a year

Boulevard’s own comparison with Vagaro describes its “Marketplace exposure” as “Direct booking through the business’s website, booking links, social media booking”, against Vagaro’s “Consumer-facing marketplace”. Essentials is $159 per location a month billed monthly ($143 annually) for up to 5 providers; Premier, with unlimited providers, is $260 billed monthly, a “Limited-time offer” (normally $325). It “can migrate stored credit cards”, but Fresha says card details can’t be exported, so ask how that works.

Where it loses: unless your order says otherwise, the term is 12 months, and leaving early means “paying all Fees owed for the entire Term”. Setup and migration fees may appear on your first invoice, unpriced. Card rates are only “Starting at 2.65%”, and support runs “Monday – Saturday 9AM – 9PM ET”, with no phone number.

Best for: established multi-staff salons, spas and barbershops. See Boulevard’s pricing page.

4. Vagaro, best for growing teams that want a marketplace

Vagaro’s barber page offers its “free marketplace” with “no booking fees”. One location costs $23.99 a month for one calendar for 6 months, then $30.00, plus $10 per extra calendar up to seven, after which more staff cost nothing. Every plan includes “Calendar & resource management”. It transfers your data “for FREE” and offers a 30-day free trial.

Where it loses: its optional Vera Fill My Books, released July 1, 2026, charges “a per-booking fee (5% for existing customers, 20% for brand-new ones)”, and businesses using it rank “higher in local search”. We found only a January 2023 guide saying marketplace listing is your choice. “Cancel anytime with no cancellation fees” carries an unexplained “Exclusions apply”; the free card reader means 12 months of Vagaro processing or “a $150 early cancellation fee”; and “All purchases are final sale”.

Best for: teams of five or more that want marketplace clients. Read our Vagaro review or Vagaro vs Fresha.

5. Booksy, best for barbers who want to choose when they pay for new clients

Booksy costs $29.99 a month plus tax, plus $20 a month per extra team member, with “No commitment”. Its marketplace listing is free; Boost, if you turn it on, charges a “One-time 30% fee” on a new client’s first visit, “up to a maximum of $100”. Its FAQ says you can turn marketplace visibility off and keep using Booksy. It has pages for barbers, tanning, massage and spas, assigns “rooms or equipment” to services, and offers free data transfer, 24/7 live chat and a 14-day free trial.

Where it loses: profiles that buy its optional new-client service “will appear higher in the search results”, and Booksy “will not refund you for the period already paid for”.

Best for: barbers and small shops that want to pay for marketplace clients only when they choose. Read our guide to booking software for barbers.

6. MassageBook, best for massage therapists

MassageBook says it’s “Built by massage therapists, for massage therapists”. Launch is $29, Practice $59 and Clinic $99 a month; Clinic, needed for two or more providers, has “Unlimited Staff Seats”. Its directory fee is opt-in: “If you opt in and a new Client books through your Business Listing”, it’s 15% ($6 minimum; 30% on Launch), and Reserve with Google bookings carry the same 15%. Bookings through your MassageBook Business Website carry no fee.

Where it loses: its Provider Terms (updated December 18, 2024) set a $100 “Opt-Out Fee” per client to take a directory client’s first payment outside MassageBook. Each extra location pays “full price”, “There is not a way to import historical appointments”, it publishes two card rates (2.6% and 2.7% + $0.15), and support runs weekdays only, 9:30am to 8:00pm EST.

Best for: solo therapists and massage clinics. See our guide to booking software for massage therapists, or read our MassageBook review.

Where our pick, MeetScarlet, fits

MeetScarlet has no marketplace, which cuts both ways: no new-client fee, and no marketplace clients. It says it isn’t the right fit for “Businesses that want new clients mainly from a marketplace app”; clients book in your own branded app on iPhone, Android and the web. It costs $349 a month plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year with setup free, for one location and 5 staff logins; Scarlet Pro, at $499 a month, “includes up to 3 locations”. Its terms page says “Scarlet is live, and founding studios can join now”. Founding studios pay $299 a month instead of $349 for the first 24 months, on monthly billing, with the $999 setup included at no charge; MeetScarlet plans 10 places (checked November 5, 2026). Text reminders (coming soon) need Scarlet Pro, and its Jane comparison page says “email reminders are built but not sending yet”. Its payments help says card payments (Stripe’s fees plus 1%) go through your own Stripe account and turn on once Stripe finishes checking it, but its appointments help still says “no live card payment has been run yet”, so check with MeetScarlet before counting on card payments (both checked November 5, 2026). Its terms say plans renew automatically, and cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period. Part-used months or years aren’t refunded, except under its founding-plan rules. You can export the member list as a CSV file at any time, and your data stays available after you cancel until you ask for it to be deleted. It imports clients, “not booking or payment history”. For support, its terms say to message @meetscarletapp on Instagram, and “We aim to reply within one business day” (checked November 5, 2026). We found no third-party reviews as of November 4, 2026. Choose MeetScarlet, our pick, if you want your own app with no marketplace fee and can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps; choose an app above for marketplace clients, payments today or a lower price.

Which alternative fits your reason for leaving?

If you’re leaving because…TryWhy
The 20% fee on new marketplace clientsGlossGenius, Boulevard or MeetScarlet (our pick) to book only through your own site or app; Square to keep a marketplaceGlossGenius and MeetScarlet have no marketplace; Boulevard’s comparison describes direct booking through your website; Square Go is free for businesses; MeetScarlet’s store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks
You want online booking without a marketplace listingGlossGenius, Boulevard, Square, Booksy or MassageBookNo marketplace, direct booking through your website, or the vendor says you can turn the listing off
Your team is growingSquare, GlossGenius Gold or Vagaro$0 or $49 (no resource booking), $56 or $70.00 for five people, vs Fresha’s $74.75 (our arithmetic)
You want marketplace clients, but only when you choose to payVagaro, Booksy or MassageBookA fee only while Fill My Books, Boost or directory bookings are switched on
You want clients booking in your own branded appMeetScarlet (our #1 pick)iPhone, Android and web app under your name; store apps take about 4 to 6 weeks, and card payments turn on once your Stripe account is approved

Switching checklist

  • Export your client list yourself first, “in either Excel or CSV format”, because cancelling removes access to your workspace. Card details “cannot be exported or transferred”.
  • Give written notice: the FAQ says “cancel at any time”, but the Partner Terms say “not less than 30 days’ written notice”.
  • Ask what moves: Vagaro, GlossGenius and Booksy advertise free data transfer; MassageBook can’t import past appointments; MeetScarlet imports clients only.
  • Update your booking links, and run both systems for one billing cycle.

The verdict

GlossGenius fixes the most of Fresha’s documented pain points, at the cost of marketplace clients; Square keeps you on a marketplace that’s free for businesses. Boulevard suits bigger teams ready for a 12-month contract, and Vagaro, Booksy and MassageBook charge new-client fees only if you opt in. For one to three people, Fresha costs less than most. Our pick, MeetScarlet, sits outside that count: it suits a business that wants its own app with no marketplace fee and can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for its store apps. Try GlossGenius or Booksy (14-day free trials), Vagaro or MassageBook (30-day free trials), or Square Appointments free (30-day trials on Plus and Premium). Boulevard offers a demo rather than a free trial.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Fresha alternative?
It depends on why you're leaving. On Fresha's documented pain points, GlossGenius fixes the most because it has no marketplace, followed by Square, whose Square Go marketplace is free for businesses. Our #1 pick, MeetScarlet, suits businesses that want their own branded app and can wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps.
Is there a free Fresha alternative?
Square Appointments' Free plan costs $0 a month per location, with an online booking site, reminders and unlimited staff calendars, but no waitlist, no-show fees or resource booking. Square says its Square Go marketplace "is completely free for businesses and clients to use". Checked November 4, 2026.
Which apps like Fresha don't charge a new-client fee?
Square says Square Go is free for businesses, GlossGenius has no marketplace, and Boulevard's own comparison describes direct booking through your website. Vagaro's marketplace has "no booking fees" unless you opt into Fill My Books (20% on brand-new clients), Booksy charges only with Boost (30% of a first visit, up to $100), and MassageBook only if you accept directory or Reserve with Google bookings (15%, minimum $6).
Can I leave Fresha's marketplace and keep online booking?
No. Fresha's help centre says your profile must be listed on its marketplace to take online bookings through your website and social pages, and that unlisting "will disable all your online booking channels".
Is Fresha cheaper than the alternatives?
For one person, yes, except for Square's $0 Free plan: Fresha costs $19.95 a month. For five people, Square ($0 or $49, without resource booking), GlossGenius Gold ($56 billed monthly) and Vagaro ($70.00 after its 6-month promotion) cost less than Fresha's $74.75, by our arithmetic.
How do I move my client list off Fresha?
Fresha's help centre shows how to download your client list yourself in Excel or CSV format, so do it before you cancel, because cancelling removes access to your workspace. It says client card details "cannot be exported or transferred", and its Partner Terms mention 30 days' written notice to end the agreement.
Does MeetScarlet charge a marketplace fee?
No, because it has no marketplace: clients book in your own branded app, so there's no new-client fee but also no marketplace clients. It costs $349 a month plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year with setup free. Card payments go through your own Stripe account and turn on once Stripe finishes checking it (checked November 5, 2026).

Sources

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