5 Best Fresha alternatives in 2026 - honest comparison

Why switch away from Fresha?

Fresha is fine software, but four reasons regularly drive owners to look elsewhere. First, cost: Fresha built its reputation on free software, but per independent pricing guides it introduced paid subscriptions in 2025 (around $19.95/month for an individual plan and roughly $14.95 per team member per month) - on top of the transaction fees you already pay. Second, the payment model: Fresha earns a fee per payment. Per their pricing and fees page, card fees via Fresha Payments sit around 1.19% to 2.29% + roughly €0.20 per in-person transaction, with higher rates for online (around 2.79% + €0.20) and manually keyed payments (around 3.30% + €0.20), depending on country and method. Third, the marketplace: new clients who book via the Fresha marketplace cost, per Fresha, a 20% commission (minimum around €6) on the first booking. Fourth, local fit: you cannot connect your own Stripe or Mollie account, iDEAL is not the primary payout method, VAT settings are not native NL-proof, and Dutch-language support is not guaranteed. All 5 alternatives in this list address at least one of these points better for the Dutch market.

1. Salonnare - best for NL free plan and iDEAL flexibility

Disclosure: Salonnare is our own product. We place ourselves at #1 because we believe we are the best pick for Dutch salons that want to save on transaction fees and keep their own payment relationship - but we evaluate ourselves honestly on pricing and features. Pros: forever-free plan (1 staff member, 50 bookings/month, all core features), paid plans starting at €29 (Starter, up to 3 staff) or €59 (Pro, unlimited staff + advanced modules). Where Fresha forces you through Fresha Payments, with Salonnare you connect your own Stripe or Mollie account. That means you negotiate your own transaction fees and receive iDEAL, Apple Pay, and card payouts directly to your account without a middle layer and without a % commission on your bookings. Modern V2 UI, Dutch VAT-correct POS (21% services, 9% retail), audit trail ready for the tax authority, GDPR-compliant EU servers, an encrypted health-data vault (AES-256-GCM, GDPR Art. 9) for allergies and medication, role-based access per staff member (RBAC), and support in Dutch, English, German, French, and Spanish. Extras: no-show fee system via pre-authorization, recurring memberships, marketing campaigns (email), SSO (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook), and a Progressive Web App so staff works on any device. Coming soon: Google review automation and a multi-location dashboard. Cons: younger product than Fresha, so a smaller international community and fewer case studies. Some niche features (advanced inventory forecasting) are still in development. Pricing: €0 Free / €29 Starter / €59 Pro. Annual prepay includes 2 months free. Best for: solo hairdressers, estheticians, nail salons, and chains up to 10 locations looking for a modern, Dutch-first solution without a % fee on every payment. Start today with the free plan - no credit card required. See all features or the direct Salonnare vs Fresha comparison.

2. Salonized - best for established Dutch salons

Salonized is one of the best-known Dutch salon software packages and a logical Fresha replacement if you deliberately want a NL-first product. Pros: fully Dutch solution with native VAT-correct POS, iDEAL as a first-class payment method, Dutch-language support, and a long track record in the NL market. Solid online booking, client records, inventory, and reporting. Unlike Fresha, payments are not forced through a single processor with a fixed marketplace commission. Cons: no free tier - the entry plan sits around €30/month, so starters carry a fixed monthly cost from day one. Advanced marketing automation and memberships only appear in higher plans, quickly pushing you to €50-70/month. The UX is solid but a bit more dated than Fresha's app-first design, and flexibility around a fully owned Stripe/Mollie account is more limited than with Salonnare. Pricing: from around €30/month, no free plan. Best for: established Dutch salons with an existing client base that value a proven NL vendor and prefer a fixed monthly price over Fresha's fee-per-payment model. Torn between NL-first and starting free? Compare Salonnare vs Salonized.

3. Treatwell - best for marketplace reach

Treatwell is not traditional salon software; it is a marketplace with a built-in booking tool. Customers find your salon through the Treatwell app and website (think Booking.com for salons), and you pay commission per new booking. Pros: direct access to hundreds of thousands of active beauty shoppers in NL, BE, FR, UK, and IT. Strong acquisition channel for salons wanting new clients fast. Integrated booking, basic POS, and client records included. Cons: commission on new clients who book via the marketplace (per Treatwell, around 35% on the first booking) plus a transaction fee on online prepayments. With many new marketplace clients this adds up fast - often more than a fixed SaaS subscription or Fresha's marketplace fee. Your clients receive Treatwell-branded communication, reducing your grip on the customer relationship, and reviews stay on Treatwell instead of your own Google Business profile. The software side is less deep than pure salon software. Pricing: software from around €50/month + per-booking commission. Best for: salons without an existing client base that need acquisition fast, or salons in tourist areas where marketplace traffic delivers many new visitors. Less suited as a pure Fresha replacement - consider a hybrid with Salonnare as backoffice and Treatwell purely for acquisition.

4. Booksy - best for mobile-first freemium

Booksy is a mobile-first salon platform with strong apps for both clients and stylists, originally from Poland and the US - closest to Fresha in audience. Pros: excellent mobile apps (iOS + Android) for both staff and clients; booking via the app feels native. Freemium model with a free starter (1 staff member) and Pro from around $29.99/month (per Booksy). Built-in Booksy Biz marketplace where clients can find you, plus Boost ads for extra visibility. Strong review automation and client retention tools. Cons: primary markets are the US and Poland, so NL-specific features like iDEAL, VAT-correct POS, and GDPR/tax compliance are less polished than a NL-first product. Boost ads run on commission (per Booksy, around 30% on a new marketplace client's first booking), which, like Fresha, adds up fast. Support is English, and the app-first approach means desktop functionality is more limited. Pricing: free starter / approx. $29.99 Pro / $69.99 Pro+ (per Booksy, 2025). Best for: modern salons operating from phone/tablet with little desktop use, or salons with a young audience booking through mobile apps. Less suitable for multi-location chains or salons with heavy inventory/reporting needs.

5. Shortcuts - best for enterprise and chains

Shortcuts Software is a robust enterprise platform aimed at larger salons, spa chains, and franchise formulas, originally from Australia - a logical step beyond Fresha when you scale heavily. Pros: deep functionality for multi-location operations, extensive reporting with custom dashboards, advanced inventory management, staff performance tracking, loyalty programs, and franchise-level rollups. Dedicated account manager on enterprise tiers and a track record in large implementations (100+ locations). Cons: pricing starts around €100+/month per location and there are often implementation fees between €500-€2000 for setup and training. Contracts are usually annual with no monthly flexibility. The platform is broad and complex, so starters and solo salons get far more functionality than they need. NL-specific features (VAT, iDEAL) are present but not always first-class, and the UI is functional but less modern than Fresha or Salonnare. Pricing: from €100+/month per location + setup fees. Best for: large hair chains (15+ locations), spa franchises, training salons, and organizations with their own IT team. Overkill for most Fresha users - only consider it if you scale beyond 10 locations.

How do you migrate away from Fresha?

Switching from Fresha to an alternative is less complex than it seems. Step 1: export your data from Fresha. Fresha lets you export your client list; full appointment history export can be more limited, so plan extra time or ask Fresha support for a complete export. Do this on a quiet Friday evening so you have the weekend to test. Step 2: pick your new platform and create a free account (Salonnare has a free plan to test with). Step 3: import your client base via CSV - most platforms accept the same column structure (name, email, phone, notes). Step 4: configure services, prices, staff, and opening hours. In Salonnare this setup takes under an hour via the onboarding wizard, including connecting your own Mollie or Stripe account for iDEAL. Step 5: place the new booking widget on your website and update the booking link in your Google Business profile, Instagram bio, and WhatsApp Business. Step 6: inform your regulars via a short email that your booking system has been refreshed - Salonnare can send this automatically on your first campaign. Step 7: keep Fresha running in parallel for 1 month so historical data stays accessible, then cancel. Watch for any pending payouts in Fresha Payments before you close the account. The whole process usually takes less than one business day.

Which alternative fits which type of salon?

The best choice depends on your salon type, size, and growth stage. Solo esthetician or pedicurist (1 person): choose Salonnare Free. It costs €0 as a base and, via your own Mollie account, you keep the full iDEAL proceeds without a % fee - where Fresha always withholds a transaction fee on online payments. Starting hair salon (2-3 staff): Salonnare Starter (€29) or Booksy Pro (approx. $29.99). Salonnare is cheaper thanks to no extra transaction fees and full NL compliance. Established NL salon (4-8 staff): Salonnare Pro (€59) or Salonized on a higher tier. Salonnare Pro offers unlimited staff plus all modules without a fee per payment. Chain (2-10 locations): Salonnare Pro with multi-location. Enterprise (10+ locations): Shortcuts, unless your IT team is small - then Salonnare Pro remains workable up to around 15 locations. International growth or many foreign clients: here Fresha itself is often strong thanks to brand recognition and the marketplace; staying can be a fine choice. Salon with strong marketplace needs: use Treatwell as an acquisition channel alongside Salonnare as backoffice. For pure Dutch salons with heavy iDEAL volume, Salonnare usually works out cheaper than Fresha, precisely because there is no % commission on your bookings.

Frequently asked questions