The Fresha alternative without the commission.
For salons and beauty pros ready to own their booking page and client list. An honest look at what you gain, what you give up, and when Fresha is still the better call.
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Run both on your own numbers.
The honest version
When Fresha is the right call
Fresha is a real product, used by real salons, and the right pick in a few specific situations:
- You're newly opened and rely on marketplace discovery for most of your first-year bookings.
- You want a low subscription and are happy to pay a one-time fee on each new client the marketplace sends you.
- You don't need an independent brand — being listed alongside competitors is fine.
- You want card payments, deposits and inventory tools built in. Aasure does not take card payments yet.
When Aasure is the right call
Aasure is built for the next stage — once a salon has its own client base and wants to keep it:
- Most of your bookings are regulars or word-of-mouth referrals, not marketplace discovery.
- You want your own booking page, with your business name on every screen.
- You'd rather pay a flat monthly fee than a fee on every new client the marketplace sends you.
- You want the booking, the client record, and the follow-up to live in one place — not split across a marketplace and three other tools.
The honest version
Most salons we see aren't choosing between Fresha and Aasure on day one — they start on Fresha for the discovery, build a client base, and at some point notice the maths. Fresha's fee applies only to brand-new clients who find you through its marketplace, and it is charged once. Returning clients carry no fee. But as an illustration, say the marketplace sends you twenty new clients in a month, each worth £60 on the first visit. At Fresha's UK rate of 20%, that is £240 in fees that month, plus VAT. Check the current rate on Fresha's UK pricing page.
That's the moment Aasure starts to make sense. Not as a Fresha replacement on day one, but as the platform you grow into when your client list becomes the thing your business actually runs on. Read the full breakdown of marketplace commission costs. Weighing more than one option? We compared 14 Fresha alternatives on price, features and fit.
Fresha and Aasure, side by side. Read it row by row; the one that matters most to you decides it.
Most people looking for a Fresha alternative have hit the same wall: the commission. Fresha describes its marketplace as the world's largest for beauty and wellness, and that reach is real. Aasure isn't a marketplace at all. So the honest question isn't which is better — it's whether you still need discovery, or whether you now have the client list to stand on your own. Here's how they line up.
| How they compare | Fresha | Aasure |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | A subscription, plus a one-time fee on each new client found through its marketplace and fees on card payments | Flat monthly fee from $45, with no commission or new-client fee |
| Best fit | Salons that want exposure through a high-traffic marketplace | Independent salons and beauty pros driving their own clients |
| Client ownership | Marketplace clients find and book you through Fresha's app and website | Your own booking page and link, your client list — exportable any time |
| Booking experience | A listing on the Fresha marketplace, plus booking links for your own website and Instagram | Your own booking page with your name on every screen |
| Reminders & messages | Email and app notifications included; automated texts beyond a monthly free allowance, and WhatsApp messages, are charged per message | Email reminders for online bookings, included once you switch them on. No text or WhatsApp messages yet |
| New-client discovery | Built-in marketplace traffic and search | You drive traffic from Instagram, Google, referrals |
| Beyond bookings | Scheduling, payments, deposits, and retail and inventory tools | Bookings plus client records, follow-ups you switch on, email campaigns, and admin built around the relationship |
| Payments | Card payments and deposits built in | Not yet: card payments and deposits are on the way. You record payments by hand for now |
| Switching | — | We import your client list for you, free |
What Aasure looks like. The diary and a client record, filled with example bookings for a hair salon.
What matters to you? Pick one, and see which row decides it.
Choose a priority and it will say which row of the table decides it.
Switching from Fresha, step by step
- Get your client list out. Export it from Fresha as a spreadsheet if your account allows, or send us whatever list you have.
- Send it to us. Email it to hello@aasure.app and we import it into Aasure for you, free.
- Set up your services. Add your services and prices, connect your calendar, and your booking page is live. Most owners are set up in under an hour.
- Share your new link. Put it in your Instagram bio, on Google and in your next email to regulars. Keep a Fresha listing for new clients only if you still want the discovery.
As a launch offer, the first 200 businesses to sign up get a 60-day free trial. After that, every plan starts with a 30-day free trial. Neither needs a card or setup fee. Plans are $45, $85 or $125 a month, and every plan includes every feature. All prices include 10% GST.
Common questions
Is Aasure a Fresha alternative?
Yes — for independent salons and beauty pros who want their own booking page and their own client list. As salon booking software, Aasure charges a flat monthly fee, with no fee on new clients. Fresha is built around marketplace discovery. Aasure is built around running an independent practice.
Why would I leave Fresha?
The usual reason is the fee on new marketplace clients. It is charged once per new client, so it grows as the marketplace sends you more people. Some owners would rather have their own booking page than a listing beside other salons. None of that makes Fresha bad. If most of your clients are regulars, commission-free salon software can be a better fit.
What is Fresha?
Fresha is a booking platform and beauty marketplace used by salons, barbers and spas. Businesses use its software to take bookings and payments, and clients find businesses through its marketplace app and website. Aasure is booking software only: there is no marketplace, so you bring your own clients.
How much does Fresha cost?
In the UK, Fresha's pricing page lists £14.95 a month for one person, or £9.95 a month per bookable team member. Each brand-new client from its marketplace carries a one-time 20% fee, with a £4 minimum. Card payments cost 1.2% + 20p. All of these are before VAT, as read in October 2026. The free Real Bill Calculator adds them up for your own salon.
Can you move my clients from Fresha to Aasure?
Yes, and it is free. Send us your client list, and a spreadsheet export is fine. We import it into Aasure for you. Then add your services, connect your calendar and share your booking link. Most owners are live in under an hour.
Will I lose discovery if I switch from Fresha to Aasure?
You will lose the marketplace traffic. For salons whose bookings come mostly from regulars and word of mouth, that is a small trade. You also pay no fee on any client, new or returning. Salons that genuinely depend on marketplace discovery often keep a Fresha listing for new clients only. Regulars then run through their own salon booking system.
Is Fresha free?
Not in the UK. Fresha sets its prices by country. Its UK pricing page lists a monthly subscription from £14.95 plus VAT. It also lists a one-time fee on each brand-new client its marketplace sends you. Returning clients carry no fee. Card processing is extra if you take payments through Fresha.
Run the maths on your own salon.
The free Real Bill Calculator shows your full annual bill — subscription, marketplace commission and card processing — with the fees taken from Fresha's UK pricing page.
Open the calculator Or read: The Hidden Cost of Marketplace Booking AppsComparing other tools too?
See how Aasure stacks up against Square Appointments or Vagaro (both with card payments built in). Or browse all comparisons.