Alternatives

Fresha alternatives: 5 appointment booking apps in 2026

What to use instead of Fresha: Bookora, Booksy, Square Appointments, Setmore and Calendly, with pricing, fees, reminders and Google Calendar sync. Checked 22 September 2026.

Bookora teamFacts checked September 22, 20268 min read

In short

Fresha costs $19.95 a month per professional and $14.95 per team member, and takes 20% of the first visit of a client who arrives through its marketplace. If you want a fixed price with no commission and bookings from a phone, the closest replacement is Bookora: $9.99 a month for two seats, email and Telegram reminders, Google Calendar, consumables and personal prices in the subscription. If the marketplace and a till matter more, Booksy; booking without a subscription plus card processing in eight countries, Square Appointments; booking without a subscription for a team of up to four, Setmore; online meetings with integrations, Calendly.

Why people look for a Fresha replacement

The reasons we hear most often, with the numbers behind them as of 22 September 2026:

  • A 20% fee on the first visit ($6 minimum) for a marketplace client. Under Fresha's terms it applies even when the client merely viewed your marketplace profile and then booked through your own link.

  • No free plan any more: after a 7-day trial, $19.95 a month per professional and $14.95 per team member.

  • Client discounts and rewards live in the paid Loyalty add-on at $59.95 a month per location.

  • The salon website and some settings are available on a desktop only.

5 Fresha alternatives

US prices as of 22 September 2026. Each service says who it is for, what it costs and where it falls short.

  1. Bookora

    An independent professional or a team of up to 20 who run bookings from a phone and do not want to give up a share of each client.

    Price: Premium $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year (≈ $5 a month) for two seats; team packs from $39.99 for 5 seats. Without a subscription, only the calendar and client base for one person.

    Pros

    • No commission on bookings or on clients

    • Automatic email and Telegram reminders in any country, WhatsApp in one tap

    • Two-way Google Calendar, consumables and personal prices included in the subscription

    • 9 interface languages, including Arabic, Japanese and Chinese; everything managed from the phone

    Cons

    • No online payments or deposits

    • No marketplace and no automatic SMS

    • No web dashboard and no roles or permissions

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  2. Booksy

    A salon with a receptionist, a till and clients from the marketplace.

    Price: $29.99 a month plus tax and $20 per staff member, 14-day trial. Boost brings marketplace clients for 30% of the first visit ($10 to $100); you can leave it off.

    Pros

    • A marketplace with a ready flow of clients

    • Online payments, deposits and a till

    • SMS and push reminders at no extra charge

    • Shifts, staff commissions and five permission levels

    Cons

    • Pricier than the rest of the list: $29.99 plus $20 per staff member

    • No Google Calendar sync, only an .ics import

    • Some settings only in the web version or on a tablet; no Russian, Arabic or Japanese

  3. Square Appointments

    A salon in one of Square's eight countries that wants booking without a subscription and card processing in one system.

    Price: One location without a subscription; Plus $49 a month per location. Card processing 3.3% + 30¢ per online payment.

    Pros

    • Online booking with SMS and deposits without a subscription

    • Staff at no extra charge: the price is per location, not per person

    • A till and Square card processing in one system

    Cons

    • 8 countries only: US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, France, Spain

    • Google Calendar, stock and permissions only on Plus at $49

    • Sync, shifts and permissions are set up in the web dashboard

  4. Setmore

    A team of up to four that wants online booking without a subscription and payment collection.

    Price: Up to 4 users without a subscription; Pro $12 per user a month or $5 billed yearly.

    Pros

    • Online booking is part of the free plan

    • Payment through Stripe, Square and PayPal

    • A booking page in 32 languages, four permission levels

    Cons

    • SMS on Pro only, and not sent to more than 200 countries and territories, including Germany, France, Spain and Russia

    • No stock and no personal prices

    • Interface in 4 languages; the app holds up to 6 staff, the rest is on the web

  5. Calendly

    Online meetings and calls: consultants, sales, hiring.

    Price: One event type without a subscription; Standard $12 a month or $10 billed yearly; Teams $20 or $16 per user.

    Pros

    • More than 100 integrations: Zoom, Google Meet, CRMs, forms

    • Payment through Stripe and PayPal with no Calendly cut

    • Round-robin and meeting routing for teams

    Cons

    • No per-client prices, no client base with history, no stock

    • Calendars, integrations and the team are set up in the web version only

    • SMS on credits and only from the Standard plan

Which one fits whom

In short, by type of business:

  • An independent professional who runs bookings from a phone and messages clients on WhatsApp and Telegram: Bookora.

  • A salon with a receptionist, a till and deposits that wants a flow of clients from a marketplace: Booksy, the same model as Fresha, but the 30% fee applies only with Boost turned on.

  • A salon in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, France or Spain with a Square till: Square Appointments.

  • A team of up to four that wants online booking without a subscription: Setmore.

  • A consultant whose booking is a Zoom call: Calendly.

How the list was made

The list holds the services that do the same job as Fresha: client booking, reminders and a calendar for a professional or a small salon. Calendly is included because people often try it for bookings, although it is built for meetings. The order follows how well a service covers an independent professional's needs without a commission; Bookora comes first because it is our product, and every card, ours included, lists its cons.

All prices are US prices in dollars, from the official pricing pages and help centers on the date checked; Bookora's are from the App Store. We do not use store ratings or reviews: they depend on a product's age and country. Every service has a detailed comparison with Bookora on a dozen or more criteria; the link is on its card.

How to move from Fresha

Export the client list from Fresha as CSV and import it into the new service; Bookora can also take clients from your phone contacts. Appointment history usually does not carry over: you create upcoming visits in the new calendar and keep the old one until its last appointment.

Then replace the booking link in your profile, signature and messages to clients, and send the new one to regulars on WhatsApp. The step-by-step guide for Fresha is in its comparison with Bookora.

Frequently asked questions

Which Fresha alternative takes no fee for new clients?

Bookora, Square Appointments, Setmore and Calendly take no commission on clients. Booksy takes 30% of a first visit only with Boost turned on. With no commission at all and bookings from a phone: Bookora at $9.99 a month for two seats.

Is there a free Fresha alternative?

Online booking without a subscription comes with Square Appointments (one location, in 8 countries only), Setmore (up to 4 users) and Calendly (one event type). Bookora without a subscription is only the calendar and client base for one person; online booking is Premium at $9.99 a month.

Fresha or Booksy: which to choose?

Both are built for a salon with a till and a marketplace. Fresha's subscription is cheaper ($19.95 against $29.99 plus $20 per staff member), but it takes 20% for every new marketplace client; Booksy's 30% fee applies only with Boost turned on, and it has shifts and permission levels. If you do not need a marketplace, both cost more than Bookora at $9.99.

Which Fresha alternative works in Arabic, Japanese or Chinese?

Bookora: an interface in 9 languages, including Arabic, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. Booksy has no Russian, Arabic or Japanese; Calendly and Square Appointments have 5 languages each, Setmore 4.

How do I move my clients out of Fresha?

Export clients as CSV from the Fresha web version and import the file into the new service. Bookora takes CSV and phone contacts; appointment history does not carry over.

How is Bookora different from Fresha?

Bookora sells a subscription and nothing on top of it: $9.99 a month for two seats, no commission and no paid add-ons, reminders on Telegram and by email, everything on the phone. Fresha has deposits, a till and a marketplace, which Bookora does not, but its subscription costs more and there is the 20% fee.

Sources

Facts checked: September 22, 2026 · Updated: September 22, 2026 · Bookora team

Service names belong to their owners; Bookora is not affiliated with any of them. Facts about competitors come from their official pricing pages and help centers on the date checked; "no" means the feature is not described there. Found an inaccuracy? Email support@bookora.me and we will check and fix it.

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