Fresha Fees 2026: Is It Really Free for Salons?

Fresha is one of the most popular booking systems for UK salons, largely because it advertises itself as free. But "free" comes with conditions. Here's the real cost picture for 2026.

Where Fresha makes its money

Fresha's calendar and booking tools are genuinely free to use. The costs come from three places:

New-client commission — when a customer finds you through the Fresha marketplace, you pay commission on that first booking, typically around 20%.

Card processing fees — payments taken through Fresha carry a processing fee per transaction, usually a little higher than going direct with a provider like Stripe.

Add-ons — features like text-message marketing and no-show protection cost extra.

A real example

Say you take 30 new-client bookings a month through the marketplace at £40 each, plus card fees on £2,000 of payments:

- 30 × £40 × 20% commission = £240 - Card fees on £2,000 ≈ £40 - SMS marketing add-on ≈ £20 - Total: around £300/month

That's £3,600 a year on "free" software.

The relationship problem

Like Treatwell, the marketplace owns the customer. Fresha can show your competitors next to your listing, and if you leave, your client list doesn't always come with you cleanly.

When Fresha makes sense

Fresha is a reasonable starting point if you have zero online presence and want bookings fast. The smart move is to use it for discovery while building your own website where repeat customers book with zero commission.

The flat-fee alternative

A done-for-you website charges one predictable monthly fee — no per-booking commission, ever. For a busy beauty salon or nail salon, that usually works out far cheaper than commission once you pass a handful of bookings a week.

Compare your options: Fresha vs Treatwell.