Fresha pricing in 2026: what it really costs now

The direct answer first: Fresha stopped being free in July 2026. The free subscription that made it the default recommendation in every salon owners' group was replaced with paid plans, and most of what you will read online still describes the old model. Here is the current price list - the subscription, the cost per team member, the new-client marketplace fee, and payment processing - plus a worked example of where a $60 appointment actually goes. Every price in this post was checked in August 2026.

The current price list

Fresha now has three subscriptions. Independent is $19.95 a month and covers one bookable team member. Team is $14.95 a month for each bookable team member - not a base price plus add-ons, but $14.95 for every person who takes bookings, so a four-person salon pays 4 x $14.95 = $59.80 a month. Enterprise, for businesses with 20 or more team members, is priced on request. If you take payments through Fresha in the US, online payments cost 2.79% + $0.20 per transaction and manually keyed cards 3.30% + $0.20; in-person reader rates are lower, from roughly 2.2% + $0.20, and vary by country. New accounts get a 7-day trial, then choose a plan.

The new-client fee, explained

The subscription is only half of the model. When a client discovers your business through the Fresha marketplace - the app, the website, or Fresha's placements in search results - their first appointment carries a one-time fee of 20%, with a $6 minimum. Book a $60 gel set, and Fresha keeps $12 of it. The fee applies once per client: every visit after the first is fee-free, and so is anyone who books through your own booking link instead of the marketplace.

The $6 minimum deserves a second look if your menu has cheap services. On a $25 polish change, 20% would be $5, but the minimum lifts it to $6 - an effective 24%. The smaller the ticket, the harder the minimum bites.

A worked example

Take a solo nail tech on the Independent plan at $19.95 a month, with a $60 gel set on the books. Two versions of the same appointment:

A new client from the marketplace

• Marketplace fee: 20% of $60 = $12
• Card processing if she pays online through Fresha: 2.79% + $0.20, about $1.87
• You keep about $46.13 of the $60

A returning client who booked your link

• Marketplace fee: none - it only applies to new clients from the marketplace
• Card processing: about $1.87
• You keep about $58.13

The subscription sits on top of both. Spread $19.95 across a typical 80 appointments a month and it adds roughly $0.25 per visit - small on its own, but it is the line that did not exist before July 2026. The $12, by contrast, is real money: ten new marketplace clients in a month at that ticket and the fees come to $120.

Fresha vs the old free plan

Under the old model, the subscription cost nothing - unlimited team members included - and Fresha earned from the new-client fee and from payment processing. That deal ended in July 2026, when subscriptions became paid for everyone, existing accounts included. The new-client fee did not go anywhere: it now sits on top of the subscription rather than in place of one.

For people who signed up while the subscription was free, the change lands differently by size. A solo pro now pays $239.40 a year that used to be $0. A five-person team pays 5 x $14.95 = $74.75 a month. Nothing about the product got worse - the calendar, the POS, and the marketplace are the same - but keeping them stopped being free.

Is Fresha still worth it?

Credit where it is due: Fresha is one of the most polished products in the category, the marketplace is genuinely large, and the POS and inventory tools go deeper than most rivals. If marketplace clients keep finding you - and a one-time 20% of one visit, on a typical ticket $6 to $12, is cheap acquisition for a real new client - the subscription can still be a fair deal. A busy salon that fills even a few slots a month from Fresha search is likely getting its money's worth.

The math turns against you when the marketplace is not doing anything. If your clients come from Instagram, Google, and word of mouth, you are paying per team member for a marketplace you do not use - and a booking tool without one costs less. That is the calculation the July 2026 change forces: not "is Fresha good", but "is the marketplace earning its keep at this price".

The hey.booked comparison

hey.booked is our own product, so read this section as the maker's view. The model is deliberately simple: the free plan gives you one staff member, three services, and 30 confirmed bookings a month, and Pro is $15 a month or $150 a year with unlimited staff, services, and bookings. There is no marketplace, no new-client fee, and no per-member pricing - a team of five pays the same $15 as a solo.

The honest limit is payments: hey.booked has no built-in payment processing. You will never see a processing fee from us, but there are also no deposits and no card-on-file - you take payment at the appointment, however you like. If deposits are essential to how you run, some of the Fresha alternatives we compared handle them well; and if you want the two products side by side, the hey.booked vs Fresha comparison lays out exactly what you give up and gain.

Is Fresha really free?

Not anymore. Fresha ended its free subscription in July 2026, and new accounts get a 7-day trial before picking a paid plan. As of August 2026, plans start at $19.95 a month for one bookable team member.

How much does Fresha cost per month?

As of August 2026, the Independent plan is $19.95 a month for one bookable team member, and the Team plan is $14.95 a month for each bookable member - so a four-person salon pays $59.80. Enterprise, for 20 or more members, is priced on request. The 20% new-client marketplace fee and card processing come on top.

What is Fresha's new client fee?

As of August 2026, it is a one-time 20% of the first appointment, with a $6 minimum, charged when a new client finds you through the Fresha marketplace. Later visits from the same client carry no fee, and bookings through your own link never trigger it.

Does Fresha charge my existing clients?

No. As of August 2026, the 20% fee only applies to the first visit of a client who discovered you through the marketplace. Existing and returning clients - and anyone who books through your own link - cost nothing beyond normal card processing if you take their payment through Fresha.

What are the best Fresha alternatives?

It depends on what you want to keep. GlossGenius and Square Appointments if built-in payments matter, Booksy if you want another marketplace, Vagaro for feature depth, Acuity for scheduling logic, and hey.booked for a flat $15 with no fees on top. Our guide to Fresha alternatives compares all six with current prices.