Booking and payments with a 20% uncapped new-client fee on top — or a platform built to get you discovered, booked, and growing. Only one pairs your book with a marketplace, Smart Pricing, and AI marketing.
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Fresha charges paid add-ons for marketing features you may need to grow your business — StyleSeat doesn't. Add-on prices come from Fresha's own pricing pages.
| FEATURE | Fresha | StyleSeat |
|---|---|---|
| THE BASICS | ||
| Online booking & calendar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client profiles & history | ✓ | ✓ |
| No-show & late-cancel protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| FRESHA'S ADD-ONS — PRICED SEPARATELY | ||
| Marketing texts | 8¢ per text | Included* |
| Marketing emails | 50 free/mo, then 2¢ each | Included |
| Client Loyalty | $59.95/mo | Included |
| Custom website (Smart Website) | $15.95/mo | $10/month |
| Google review requests (Rating Boost) | $14.95/mo | Included |
| AI Concierge | $99.95/mo per location | Included |
| New-client marketplace fee | 20% of first sale · $6 minimum · no cap | 30% of first appointment · capped at $50 · once per client, never again |
| POS & inventory | ✓ Included | Product in salon check out included |
| Per-team-member pricing | $14.95/mo per bookable member | None — $35 flat |
| GROWTH TOOLS AND AI | ||
| New Client Delivery | ✗ | Included |
| Smart Pricing | ✗ | Included |
| Smart Waitlist | ✗ | Included |
| Marketplace discovery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated marketing | Limited | Included |
| Premium ranking boost | ✗ | Included |
| AI marketing tools | ✗ | Included |
| AI social post builder | ✗ | Included |
| PRICING & FEES | ||
| Card-present processing | 2.29% + 20¢ | 2.5% + $.30 |
| Online processing | 2.79% + 20¢ | 2.5% + $.30 |
| Monthly pricing | $19.95 +$14.95/seat +add-ons | $35 flat |
*Text marketing on StyleSeat starts with 500 free one-time text credits; outbound sends after that draw from purchased credits — no monthly add-on. POS, inventory, and multi-location tools are genuine Fresha strengths StyleSeat doesn't yet offer. Fresha figures from fresha.com pricing pages, September 2026.
Switching from Fresha to StyleSeat actually pays you. You gain $3,643 in revenue per year, when you add up StyleSeat's growth features minus its subscription cost.
Before marketing texts (8¢ each) and the uncapped 20% new-client fee. No Smart Pricing or AI marketing at any tier.
Every growth feature included in the $35.
Smart Waitlists $2,331 + New Client Connection $1,904 + Smart Pricing $385
New Client Connection $370 + Smart Pricing fees $187 + Premium subscription $420
"I love the fact that stylist will promote you and help you get new clients. I was a new braider when I signed up and it help bring a lot of NEW people."
"StyleSeat is literally like my personal / online assistant. Clients can find me easily, StyleSeat does the marketing part while I just sit back and see my schedule fill up. Thank you for helping me grow my business."
"I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy. Highly recommend."
"You guys have built my barber clientele tremendously by bringing me new clients! I can't thank you enough! I greatly appreciate you!"
"Before I started using StyleSeat, I spent a lot of time texting back and forth to confirm appointments… Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly."
"I have been using StyleSeat for over 10 years and I can honestly say it has truly 100% grew my business!"
"Been using StyleSeat for three years. My clientele has expanded far beyond my expectations. Not to mention the innovative tools to help my business become what it is today. Highly recommend."
"Being a Top Pro on Styleseat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year."
"I recently had a situation with a client who complained to StyleSeat about a deposit, which is non refundable. I like how StyleSeat supported me and made me feel confident about my business policies. I have gotten 38 new clients from January to July 1st."
"I love that I can require deposit, it is super easy for my clients to book… I absolutely love that I can link it to my Instagram or any social media."
"Client history and reminders are fantastic."
"I love the fact that stylist will promote you and help you get new clients. I was a new braider when I signed up and it help bring a lot of NEW people."
"StyleSeat is literally like my personal / online assistant. Clients can find me easily, StyleSeat does the marketing part while I just sit back and see my schedule fill up. Thank you for helping me grow my business."
"I love waking up to new bookings overnight and when my gaps get filled without me having to do a thing. It's kept my books full even in this difficult economy. Highly recommend."
"You guys have built my barber clientele tremendously by bringing me new clients! I can't thank you enough! I greatly appreciate you!"
"Before I started using StyleSeat, I spent a lot of time texting back and forth to confirm appointments… Once I got on StyleSeat, clients could see my availability in real time and book themselves. It's helped me raise my prices confidently over time because clients see the value clearly."
"I have been using StyleSeat for over 10 years and I can honestly say it has truly 100% grew my business!"
"Been using StyleSeat for three years. My clientele has expanded far beyond my expectations. Not to mention the innovative tools to help my business become what it is today. Highly recommend."
"Being a Top Pro on Styleseat has been extremely beneficial to my business. I've been connected to over 40 new clients since the beginning of the year."
"I recently had a situation with a client who complained to StyleSeat about a deposit, which is non refundable. I like how StyleSeat supported me and made me feel confident about my business policies. I have gotten 38 new clients from January to July 1st."
"I love that I can require deposit, it is super easy for my clients to book… I absolutely love that I can link it to my Instagram or any social media."
"Client history and reminders are fantastic."
Fresha ended its free plan — it now costs $19.95/month for independent professionals or $14.95/month per bookable team member, before add-ons like Client Loyalty ($59.95/month), Google Rating Boost ($14.95/month) or Smart Website ($15.95/month). StyleSeat is $35/month with loyalty, review requests, your website, and marketing tools included.
No. Fresha discontinued its free subscription. As of September 2026, Fresha costs $19.95/month for independent professionals or $14.95/month per bookable team member after a 7-day trial — with payment processing and the 20% new-client marketplace fee charged on top.
Both run marketplaces, but the fees differ. Fresha charges a one-time 20% fee (minimum $6, no cap) on a new marketplace client's first sale. StyleSeat charges 30% of the first appointment, capped at $50, once per client and never again. The two break even at a $250 first appointment — above it, StyleSeat's cap makes it the cheaper acquisition cost.
No. Fresha's service prices are static. StyleSeat's Smart Pricing raises your price when demand peaks: professionals who use it average $385 a year in extra service revenue, with the top 10% clearing $1,000+, and StyleSeat's fee on it is about 5.5% of the smart-priced service.
Fresha charges 2.29% + $0.20 in-person and 2.79% + $0.20 online in the US. StyleSeat charges 2.5% + $.30.
Fresha is a strong fit for multi-staff salons and spas: POS and retail, inventory tracking, multi-location support, and operations outside the US — things StyleSeat doesn't yet do. If you need those, Fresha might be your choice. If you're an independent US pro who wants discovery, predictable pricing, and growth tools included, StyleSeat is built for you.
Unedited reviews from Trustpilot, the Apple App Store, Google Play, G2, and Capterra — the same reviews on StyleSeat’s own Fresha comparison page, dated and sourced.
“As a business owner, I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Fresha and what I consider to be completely unreasonable Marketplace charges. The system clearly shows that although an appointment was accidentally marked as completed, the payment was refunded and the treatment never took place — yet Fresha still charged us the Marketplace new-client fee. In my experience, it feels unfair, inflexible and heavily weighted against the businesses that actually provide the treatments.”
“Clients who find me organically through Google or Instagram get charged as ‘new Fresha clients’ anyway — an estimated 90% of my new clients come from Google, not Fresha, yet still trigger the fee.”
“A user since Fresha’s 2016 alpha: the platform has become increasingly expensive while still remaining frustratingly buggy.”
“Trying to click on an appt and the name and credentials won’t appear — just the scheduled service. The new subscription model has introduced more problems than the previous seven years under the free version.”
“They charged me more for no reason, and when I asked, the reason was unclear. This has happened twice — I’d recommend removing your saved payment method, since refunds aren’t guaranteed.”
“Gift vouchers were easy and clients were able to access them easily, but the platform was designed for hairdressers rather than massage therapists — I couldn’t use session packs either. I have moved away from Fresha now.”
“There’s no cost-of-products-sold report — you need to pull data from two different reports, and I’ve seen unexplained negative inventory costs. Support is slow to respond, and our account rep keeps changing.”
