Fresha vs StyleSeat: Fresha operates, StyleSeat multiplies.
Fresha costs $19.95 a month, then charges 8¢ per marketing text and $59.95 a month for loyalty. StyleSeat is $19 a month after trial with loyalty included, texts from under 1¢, $0 card fees for 21 days and 1.9% + 30¢ for six months.
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Two very different paths
You get cheap booking, but loyalty and marketing texts cost extra
You grow the business you want
Feature by feature
Fresha sells loyalty, Google review requests and its AI Concierge as paid add-ons, and charges 8¢ per marketing text. StyleSeat includes loyalty and marketing tools in its $19 plan. 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 | 750 credits for $5* |
| Marketing emails | 50 free/mo, then 2¢ each | Included |
| Client Loyalty | $59.95/mo | Included |
| Custom website (Smart Website) | $15.95/mo | May cost extra |
| Google review requests (Rating Boost) | $14.95/mo | Available |
| AI Concierge | $99.95/mo per location | Ask us |
| New-client marketplace fee | 20% of first appointment · $6 minimum · capped (amount not published) | 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 | No salon plan or seat fees. Each pro has their own account and plan. |
| GROWTH TOOLS AND AI | ||
| New Client Connection | Marketplace new clients, 20% fee | 30% of first visit, capped at $50 |
| Smart Pricing | Smart pricing (you set the days and times) | Included, 5.5% fee on smart-priced appointments |
| Smart Waitlist | Waitlist | Available |
| Marketplace discovery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated marketing | Included (rebook, birthday, win-back) | Included |
| Premium ranking boost | No paid boost (verification and reviews raise ranking) | Available |
| AI marketing tools | AI email writing; AI Concierge $99.95/mo | Available |
| AI social post builder | ✗ | Available |
| PRICING & FEES | ||
| Card-present processing | 2.29% + 20¢ (+10¢ Tap to Pay) | 1.9% + 30¢ for 6 months, then 2.5% + 30¢ |
| Online processing | 2.79% + 20¢ | 1.9% + 30¢ for 6 months, then 2.6% + 30¢ |
| Monthly pricing | $19.95 solo, or $14.95 per member | $19/mo after trial |
*StyleSeat text marketing starts with 500 free one-time credits, then packs from $5 for 750 credits. A text up to 160 characters uses one credit; longer texts use two. Full POS, inventory and multi-location tools are genuine Fresha strengths. Prices checked on each company's website in September 2026 (fresha.com/pricing).
Fresha pricing vs StyleSeat, per year
Compare 12 monthly payments at your current StyleSeat price with Fresha's subscription and add-ons. Fresha's $59.95 loyalty add-on costs about $719 a year. New-client fees are separate on both platforms.
Before card processing, marketing texts at 8¢ each and new-client fees on either platform.
Marketing tools, loyalty and your marketplace listing are included. New clients from the marketplace cost 30% of the first visit, capped at $50.
First-year subscription and card fees before add-ons and new-client fees: solo pro, $6,000 a month, $120 average ticket, all in person
21 days at $0 card fees, six months at 1.9% + 30¢, then 2.5% + 30¢, plus $19$228 (12 monthly payments after the trial). The card-fee assumptions total $1,650; your subscription price updates with your offer.
$239 (12 monthly payments after Fresha's free trial) plus 2.29% + 20¢ per payment. After your first six months Fresha is cheaper per in-person payment; total costs also depend on your subscription and add-ons.
350,000 people agree: StyleSeat works
Pros who made the switch
"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 vs. StyleSeat, answered
How much does Fresha cost per month?
Fresha costs $19.95 a month for independent pros or $14.95 per team member on its Team plan, before add-ons like Client Loyalty ($59.95/month), Google Rating Boost ($14.95/month) or Smart Website ($15.95/month). StyleSeat is $19 a month after a 21-day free trial, with loyalty and marketing tools included.
Is Fresha still free?
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.
Does Fresha charge for new clients?
Yes. Fresha charges a one-time 20% fee, minimum $6, on a new marketplace client's first appointment, with a cap on higher-value services that its pricing page does not state. StyleSeat charges 30% of the first appointment, capped at $50, and $0 during your trial. For first visits between $20 and $250, Fresha's fee is lower.
Does Fresha have surge or peak-hour pricing?
Yes. Fresha's Smart pricing raises online prices at peak times and lowers them in quiet periods, on days and times you choose. StyleSeat's Smart Pricing also raises your price when demand peaks, and StyleSeat's fee is 5.5% of the full price of each smart-priced appointment, and $0 during your trial.
Is StyleSeat cheaper than Fresha?
It depends on your current offer, sales and add-ons. Compare the monthly price and the model above. StyleSeat offers $0 card fees for 21 days, then 1.9% + 30¢ for six months. After that, Fresha's in-person rate of 2.29% + 20¢ is cheaper than StyleSeat's 2.5% + 30¢. Online, StyleSeat's 2.6% + 30¢ is cheaper than Fresha's 2.79% + 20¢ on payments above about $53.
What does Fresha do better?
Fresha suits multi-staff salons and spas that need POS, inventory, multi-location tools or work outside the US, and it costs less per in-person payment after your first six months. If you're an independent US pro who wants loyalty, cheap texts and a capped new-client fee in one plan at $19 a month after trial, StyleSeat may be the better fit.
What Fresha users are actually saying
Excerpts from reviews on Trustpilot, the Apple App Store, Google Play, G2 and Capterra, 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.”