Fresha alternatives in Australia: how to compare

Six questions to ask first

1. Where do your new clients come from? If Fresha’s marketplace brings a steady flow you’d never get otherwise, it can be worth paying for, and leaving has a real cost.
2. How is the subscription priced? Per staff member, or per location? For a growing team, this matters more than the headline price.
3. Is there a fee on new clients? And if so, when exactly does it apply?
4. Where do card payments go, and at what rate? Compare rates on your own mix of in-person and online payments.
5. Which features do you actually use? Forms, stock, packages, memberships, a card terminal. Don’t pay for, or give up, what you don’t know you rely on.
6. What moves when you switch? Clients and appointments usually do; notes, held deposits and stored cards usually don’t.

Fresha, for reference

Fresha lists Independent at A$44.95 a month and Team at A$29.95 per bookable team member a month, excluding GST. It charges a one-time 20% fee (minimum A$8) on a new client who finds you through its marketplace. Returning clients, and new clients who come straight to your own booking link, pay no fee. Fresha says the fee is capped for higher-value services; it doesn’t publish the cap. The Fresha fees guide has the detail.

Timely

Priced per staff member: Build A$42, Elevate A$65, Innovate A$79 a month, excluding GST, with a monthly SMS allowance on each plan. Its page says “No new client fees”. Timely includes consultation forms (sent automatically on Innovate, and through its iOS Consult app), stock, packages, card terminals and Tap to Pay. Suits teams that want those extras in one system and are comfortable paying per person.

Square Appointments

Priced per location: Free $0 for a single location, Plus $40 and Premium $90 a month, with no employee limit. Prepayments on every plan; cancellation fees from Plus. Strong at the counter with its own readers and terminals. Suits businesses that also sell product or already use Square.

Kitomba and Phorest

Both are established salon systems with stock, point of sale and marketing tools. Neither lists Australian prices on its pricing page: Kitomba gives tailored pricing after a short questionnaire, or through a demo, and Phorest asks you to request a quote. Kitomba’s page says its plans have “no new client charges”. Suits salons that want stock, point of sale and marketing in one system.

Preen

One price per location, not per seat. Plans from $0. Solo $19, Studio $49, Growth $89 a month, GST included. No booking commission, new client or returning. Card payments go through your own Stripe account. Preen adds nothing on top of Stripe’s rate. Stripe’s fees apply. See stripe.com/au/pricing.

Preen has consultation forms and tracks stock on the products you sell. What it doesn’t do: no packages, memberships or loyalty, and no card terminal. Bring your clients, services, staff and diary across by CSV. Notes history, held deposits, stored cards and your old booking link don’t move.

Questions people ask

What is the main reason owners look for a Fresha alternative?

Cost is a common reason: the per-member subscription on Fresha's Team plan, and the one-time 20% fee on new clients from its marketplace. Both are worth checking against your own numbers before you decide.

Which Fresha alternatives charge no fee on new clients?

Timely and Kitomba say so on their pricing pages, and Square Appointments lists none. Preen charges no booking commission, new client or returning.