Fresha Pricing 2026: Plans, Fees and Primzy Compared

Quick answer: Fresha costs $19.95 a month for one person and $14.95 per team member, plus 20% (minimum $6) on a new client's first marketplace booking. Primzy is $40 for one pro; teams use Salon mode, $60 plus $5 per employee. Fresha is cheaper up to five people and Primzy from six, on subscription alone.

Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so confirm every figure on each vendor's site before you decide. This is not tax or legal advice.

Fresha built its name as the free booking tool for salons. That is no longer how it prices, and the old comparisons that still circulate got several numbers wrong. We rebuilt this one from Fresha's own pricing page, its help center, and dated 2026 reviews, and we checked the arithmetic in Python. We make Primzy, so we say where Fresha is the better choice, and in this case that includes small teams on price.

About 48% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists and 29% of skincare specialists were self-employed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (hairstylists page and skincare specialists page, both modified August 27, 2026). If you are one of them, the booking bill comes out of your own pocket, so every line matters.

What Changed With Fresha's Pricing

Fresha's pricing page today lists two paid plans and a custom Enterprise tier. There is no free plan. Bizzly's guide (updated September 7, 2026) says plainly that Fresha is no longer free and describes a 7-day trial followed by a paid plan. Bizzly quotes prices in pounds, so it is useful for the story and not for US dollars.

Sources also disagree on the trial. Fresha's pricing page (accessed October 12, 2026) says 7 days, while The Salon Business review (February 26, 2026) says 14. We go with Fresha's own page.

How Fresha Pricing Works

All of the following comes from Fresha's pricing page (accessed October 12, 2026), which shows no effective date and says rates exclude local sales taxes.

Subscription. Independent is $19.95 a month for one team member and one calendar column. Team is $14.95 per bookable team member per month, with multiple calendar columns. Enterprise is custom, for businesses with more than 20 team members. Fresha says there is no minimum commitment.

Marketplace commission. Direct booking links, Facebook, and Instagram bookings are free. New clients who book through the Fresha marketplace carry a one-time 20% commission with a $6 minimum, and returning marketplace clients are free. Fresha's marketplace page (accessed October 12, 2026) says returning clients who rebook with you are not charged marketplace commission. Pabau's guide (updated September 22, 2026), a competitor's source, reports the same 20% and $6 minimum.

Card processing. Fresha lists 2.79% + $0.20 for online payments, 2.29% + $0.20 in person (plus $0.10 per Tap to Pay authorization), and 3.30% + $0.20 for manual entry. Pabau reports 2.19% in person, so the two sources conflict, and Fresha's page is the one to trust. Terminals start at $139 on Independent and are listed as free on Team, subject to processing volumes.

Messages. Automated texts and WhatsApp notifications include 100 free a month (per team member on Team), then $0.02 per text. Marketing texts are $0.08 each, and marketing emails include 50 free, then $0.02. An RZRV explainer (June 11, 2026) reported a 20-message allowance, which looks out of date against Fresha's current page.

Add-ons. Client Loyalty is $59.95 per location, Insights is $9.95 per bookable team member, Google Rating Boost is $14.95, Smart Website is $15.95, and Team Connect is $2.95 per team member. These are optional, so budget for the ones you will really use.

Primzy's side is shorter. We charge $40 a month for one pro; a team uses Salon mode at $60 a month plus $5 a month per employee seat. Commission is 0% on bookings through your own shared link. Card processing fees are paid by your clients at checkout, so they cost you $0 on Primzy. There is a 30-day free trial, no card needed.

A Note on Our Marketplace and the 15%

Primzy runs a local client discovery marketplace. A one-time 15% commission applies to a brand-new client's first booking found there, on the base service only (not tax, fees or tips). Bookings through your own shared link, and every repeat booking, are 0%. Where a number in this post includes that 15%, we say so.

Comparison Table

	Primzy	Fresha
Solo price	$40/month	$19.95/month (Independent)
Each added person	$5/month per employee, on a $60 Salon mode base	$14.95/month (Team plan, per person)
Commission on your own clients	0% via shared link	0% via direct link, Facebook, Instagram
New-client marketplace	Live; one-time 15% of a new client's first marketplace booking	Live; 20% of first booking, $6 minimum
Card processing	$0 to the pro (clients pay at checkout)	2.29% to 3.30% + $0.20 (Fresha's page)
Automated texts	Unlimited confirmation and reminder texts	100 free a month, then $0.02
Marketing texts	500 texts a month included, $5 per 250 extra	$0.08 per text
Waitlist	Included	Listed
Packages and memberships	We do not claim them here; confirm on our features page	Listed
No-show protection	30% deposit, authorized at booking and captured when you confirm; no stored-card charge for no-shows	Deposits and card-based no-show fees
Team payroll tools	We do not claim them	Shift scheduling, wages, pay runs, timesheets (Team plan)

Real Numbers: Subscription by Team Size

Assumption: each person is one bookable team member on Fresha and one person on Primzy (the owner plus employees, in Salon mode). This is subscription only; Fresha's card processing is extra, while on Primzy clients pay it.

People	Fresha	Primzy	Cheaper on subscription
1	$19.95	$40.00	Fresha by $20.05
2	$29.90	$65.00	Fresha by $35.10
3	$44.85	$70.00	Fresha by $25.15
4	$59.80	$75.00	Fresha by $15.20
5	$74.75	$80.00	Fresha by $5.25
6	$89.70	$85.00	Primzy by $4.70
10	$149.50	$105.00	Primzy by $44.50

The break-even sits between five and six people. Each person you add after the first costs $14.95 on Fresha and $5 on Primzy (Primzy's totals are Salon mode: $60 plus $5 per employee), so from the sixth person on the gap moves $9.95 per hire in Primzy's favor.

Real Numbers: What the 20% Fee Does

Fresha's commission is a marketing cost for clients Fresha finds you. Assumption: a solo pro gets 3 new marketplace clients in a month, each paying $80 for a first visit. The fee is 20% of $80, or $16 each, so $48. With the $19.95 subscription, Fresha totals $67.95 for the month, before processing.

Now the honest part. Those three clients came from Fresha's marketplace. If the same clients had instead booked through your own link on either platform, the fee would be $0. Primzy's one-time 15% on the same three first visits found in its marketplace would be $36, against Fresha's $48; through your own link both are $0. A marketplace is a purchase of introductions, and for some pros $16 for a client who then rebooks for years is a fair price.

For a 3-person team with 6 new marketplace clients at $75 each, Fresha's fee is 20% of $450, or $90. Add $44.85 in subscription and the month is $134.85, against a $70 Primzy subscription (owner plus two employees). If all six clients had come through Primzy's marketplace instead, its one-time 15% would be $67.50, for $137.50 in total. That is what a team that leans on a marketplace pays. A team whose clients book through its own link pays $0 in commission on either platform.

Real Numbers: Text Messages

Assumption: one text counts as one message on both platforms, and a solo pro sends marketing texts only.

• 100 marketing texts: $8.00 on Fresha at $0.08 each. On Primzy they fall inside the 500 texts included each month.
• 1,000 marketing texts: $80.00 on Fresha. On Primzy that is 500 included plus two $5 packs of 250, so $10.00.
• Reminders: Fresha's 100 free automated texts cover about 100 appointment reminders. A pro sending 250 pays $3.00 for the extra 150 at $0.02. Primzy's confirmation and reminder texts are unlimited.

If you text your list rarely, this is noise. If you run frequent promotions by text, it is a real gap. Verify Fresha's per-message rates before a big send, since the page shows no effective date.

What Fresha Users Say

Fresha scores 4.8 out of 5 from 1,448 reviews on Capterra (updated October 8, 2026). That is a strong number, and we say so first. On Capterra, the most negative theme is an opaque and increasing fee structure, at 68% negative among 40 reviews that mention it.

Fresha's page lists phone support on the Team plan only. The Salon Business review (February 26, 2026), whose parent company sells competing software, lists reviewer-reported cons that include clients needing a Fresha account to book and limited integrations. Clients book on Primzy without creating an account.

Where Fresha Pulls Ahead

Price for one to five people. The table above is plain. Up to five people, Fresha's subscription is lower.

Team tools on the Team plan. Fresha's page lists shift scheduling, login permissions, sales commissions, wages, pay runs, and timesheet clock in and out. We do not claim a time clock, labor scheduling, tip management, or payroll.

Packages, memberships, and gift cards. Fresha's page lists them. We do not claim packages or memberships in this comparison, so confirm on our features page.

Card-based no-show fees. Fresha's help center says no-show fees can be charged to a client's saved card, up to the limit in the client's payment policy, and that a charged fee cannot be reversed. We take a deposit at booking and do not charge a stored card for no-shows; a late cancellation keeps the deposit, and you receive 85% of it.

When Primzy Is Not the Best Fit

We would rather you pick the right tool than regret ours.

You are solo or a team of up to five and price is the deciding factor. Fresha is $5.25 to $35.10 cheaper a month on subscription.

You rely on Fresha's marketplace for new clients today. Keep it while you move your regulars to your own link; Primzy's marketplace charges a one-time 15% instead of Fresha's 20% on a new client's first booking there.

You want payroll-style tools in the booking software. Fresha's Team plan lists wages, pay runs, and timesheets. We do not claim them.

You sell packages or memberships and want them confirmed in writing. Fresha lists them. We ask you to confirm ours with us first.

You want a fee charged to a saved card for no-shows. We use a deposit at booking instead.

What Primzy Adds

The base $40 includes Growth Studio marketing tools, a cancellation waitlist, and a walk-in queue with text notifications. The client CRM keeps private notes, a formula library linked to clients, client photos, a Beauty Passport, and direct messaging. Booking history and reports export to CSV; there is no client-list export. Smart Analytics adds a receipt expense reader and a take-home simulator, and website customization and Beauty Boards help you show your work.

Around the software sit forums, Beauty Journals, and the Professional Freedom Grant. Clients get SMS, email, and in-app notifications, and Google Calendar sync and custom service disclaimers on the booking page are included. Salon Workspace, in Salon mode at $60 a month plus $5 per employee seat, gives multi-staff calendars, per-employee conflict detection, and inventory with usage logging and low-stock alerts. You can see how the pieces fit together on our how it works page.

Card Processing: Ask Every Platform

Processing is a separate bill on any platform. Fresha publishes its rates, which we list above. On Primzy your clients pay the card fee at checkout; for the pro it is $0. On any other platform, ask two plain questions in writing: what is the card rate on online deposits and in-person payments, and who pays it. On $4,000 of monthly online payments, Fresha's 2.79% + $0.20 across 50 payments works out to $121.60, and a different rate or payer changes that line sharply, so do not compare subscriptions alone.

Before You Switch

The Federal Trade Commission's consumer advice says to read the terms before any trial or auto-renewal, note how and when to cancel, and watch your statements for unexpected charges (FTC Consumer Advice, last modified December 9, 2025). The Small Business Administration's software checklist likewise favors month-to-month plans so you are not locked in (SBA, June 26, 2018), which is dated but still sound. Fresha says there is no minimum commitment. Export your client list before you cancel anything, send your regulars the new link, and keep the old calendar open until every future appointment has moved. Treat the software fee like any other business cost, and ask your tax pro what is deductible; the IRS keeps a guide to business expense resources (reviewed June 27, 2026).

How to Choose

If your biggest issue is the lowest monthly bill for one to five people: Choose Fresha and keep your own-link bookings at $0 in commission.

If your biggest issue is a growing team: Primzy's Salon mode ($60 plus $5 per employee) is cheaper from the sixth person, and the gap then widens by $9.95 per hire. Create your Primzy account and add seats as you hire.

If your biggest issue is finding new clients today: Compare Fresha's marketplace (20% of a first booking, $6 minimum) with Primzy's (a one-time 15%), and count either as advertising.

If your biggest issue is text costs: Estimate your monthly marketing texts and price them at $0.08 on Fresha against our 500 included texts a month and $5 packs of 250.

If your biggest issue is payroll-style tools: Look at Fresha's Team plan, since we do not claim them.

If your biggest issue is fees on clients you already have: Book them through your own link on either platform, where the commission is 0%.

Primzy is a beauty booking platform, CRM, and career investment community built exclusively for independent beauty professionals.

Ready to try it? Get started on Primzy. We built it so a pro keeps every dollar from the regulars she already has.

Related Reading

• Primzy vs Booksy pricing: the same team-size math against Booksy.
• True cost of 7 booking platforms: where flat fees beat percentages.
• Booth rent vs commission: how percentage fees compare with flat costs.
• No-show and deposit policy templates: wording for a deposit policy.

Sources

• Primzy, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026)
• Primzy, "Features" (accessed October 12, 2026)
• Fresha, "Pricing" (accessed October 12, 2026), vendor-sourced
• Fresha, "Attract New Clients with Fresha Marketplace" (accessed October 12, 2026), vendor-sourced
• Fresha Help Center, "Charge no-show and cancellation fees" (accessed October 12, 2026), vendor-sourced
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists," Occupational Outlook Handbook (page modified August 27, 2026)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Skincare Specialists," Occupational Outlook Handbook (page modified August 27, 2026)
• Federal Trade Commission, "Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscriptions" (last modified December 9, 2025)
• U.S. Small Business Administration, "Checklist for Choosing Business Software" (June 26, 2018)
• Internal Revenue Service, "Guide to business expense resources" (reviewed June 27, 2026)
• Capterra, "Fresha" listing (updated October 8, 2026), reviewer-reported
• Pabau, "Fresha Pricing" (updated September 22, 2026), competitor-sourced
• The Salon Business, "The Ultimate Fresha Review" (February 26, 2026), competitor-sourced
• RZRV, "Fresha Fees Explained" (June 11, 2026; updated July 6, 2026), third-party
• Bizzly, "Fresha Pricing" guide (updated September 7, 2026), third-party, prices in pounds