Looking for a Fresha alternative?
Fresha is one of the best-known booking platforms for hair, beauty and spa businesses, and its headline is hard to argue with: no monthly subscription. But "free" software still has to earn somewhere — Fresha does it through a fee on new clients who book via its consumer marketplace, plus payment-processing fees on transactions you run through Fresha Pay. For a busy salon that leans on the marketplace, those costs add up quietly and scale with your success.
BooknGo takes a different deal: one flat subscription, no marketplace, and no commission on any booking — a system that runs under your brand with the operations a service business uses daily: online booking, deposits and payment at booking (including PayNow and GrabPay), memberships and packages, client records, and WhatsApp reminders. You pay a predictable monthly fee and keep 100% of what you earn.
The short version
Choose BooknGo if you want predictable, commission-free pricing, a fully branded booking experience, and a platform that fits beyond hair and beauty — clinics, fitness, tuition, automotive and more. Fresha remains a strong choice for a beauty or hair business that wants zero software cost, relies on the Fresha marketplace for new clients, and is comfortable using Fresha for payments and paying its new-client fee.
BooknGo vs Fresha at a glance
| BooknGo | Fresha | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ✓One flat subscription for the business — no commission on bookings | ✓No subscription, but a new-client marketplace fee + payment-processing fees |
| Commission on bookings | ✓None — flat software subscription | —A percentage fee on new clients acquired through the Fresha marketplace |
| Your booking page | ✓Your brand only — clients never see another business | —Your own page, plus a listing in the Fresha consumer marketplace alongside competitors |
| Payments at booking | ✓PayNow, GrabPay, Visa/Mastercard, payment links, cash recording, deposits | ✓Card payments via Fresha Pay, with a processing fee per transaction |
| Built for | ✓Any appointment business — beauty, clinics & TCM, fitness, tuition, automotive | ✓Strongest for hair, beauty, nails and spa |
| Memberships & packages | ✓Session packs, memberships, term plans, shareable family packages — auto-deducted | ✓Packages and memberships supported, geared to beauty/wellness |
| Classes & capacity | ✓Recurring timetables, per-class capacity, automatic waitlists, attendance | —Limited — built around 1:1 appointments, not class timetables |
| Reminders | ✓WhatsApp, SMS, and email — timings configurable per service | ✓Email/SMS reminders; marketing blasts are a paid add-on |
| Invoices & tax | ✓Automatic GST-compliant tax invoices on every payment | ✓Sales reporting; local tax-invoice handling left to you |
| Client records | ✓Profiles build themselves; consent at booking, role-based access (PDPA-first) | ✓Full client management; data lives inside the Fresha ecosystem |
| Payment flexibility | ✓Use your own payment options; cash and payment links supported | —Payments steer toward Fresha Pay to unlock deposit/no-show features |
| Marketplace reach | —None — by design, your clients are yours | ✓Large beauty-focused consumer marketplace can introduce new clients |
| Support | ✓Singapore-based team; guided setup, live in days | ✓Global support; largely self-serve |
Comparison reflects publicly available information about Fresha at the time of writing — features and plans change, so check their site for the latest.
What it actually costs
Fresha’s "free" headline is real — there is no monthly software fee — but the cost shows up as a new-client marketplace fee and payment-processing fees. BooknGo charges a flat subscription with no commission, so your cost is the same whether you take 50 bookings or 500.
BooknGo
- One flat subscription — see our pricing page for current plans.
- No commission on any booking or payment you take.
- WhatsApp/SMS reminders, memberships, deposits, and client records included — not add-ons.
- Personalised setup included; most businesses take live bookings within days.
Fresha
- No monthly subscription fee for the core booking software.
- A percentage fee applies to NEW clients who book via the Fresha marketplace.
- Card payments run through Fresha Pay, which charges a per-transaction processing fee.
- Marketing blasts, extra hardware, and some features are paid add-ons.
Fresha’s fee structure (new-client marketplace fee + Fresha Pay processing rates) is from its published pricing as of June 2026 and varies by region — verify on fresha.com before deciding.
What "free" actually costs
Fresha makes the booking software free and earns on the transaction side. The two lines that matter: a fee on new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace, and a processing fee on every card payment taken through Fresha Pay. For a salon whose growth comes mostly from the marketplace, that new-client fee is a real, recurring cost — and it scales with your success rather than staying flat.
BooknGo has no marketplace and no commission. Your booking page shows your brand, your services, your prices — and 100% of every booking and package is yours. New clients come from your own channels (Google, Instagram bio, WhatsApp), and your monthly cost is the same in a quiet month as a busy one. If your growth comes from your own audience rather than a discovery app, paying a per-new-client fee is paying for reach you may not need.
Beyond the salon chair
Fresha is built around the beauty world — hair, nails, spa, aesthetics — and it does that well. The moment your business looks different, the fit loosens: a clinic that needs consult workflows and patient records, a studio that runs class timetables with capacity and waitlists, a tuition centre with term plans and parent-managed bookings, or a workshop scheduling by bay and service type.
BooknGo is built for that range. The same engine handles appointments, classes, memberships, deposits and reminders across beauty, clinics and TCM, fitness, education and automotive — and it handles the operations a service business runs on day to day: PayNow and GrabPay at checkout, GST-compliant invoices, memberships, and WhatsApp reminders clients actually read.
Why businesses switch to BooknGo
Predictable cost, no commission
A flat monthly subscription instead of a per-new-client fee, so your software cost does not rise every time the marketplace sends you business. Every dollar of every booking and package is yours.
Your clients stay yours
No marketplace means your regulars are never shown a competitor mid-booking, and your booking page carries only your brand, services and prices.
Fits more than beauty
Clinics, fitness studios, tuition centres and workshops get first-class support — classes and capacity, memberships, consult workflows and records — not just 1:1 beauty appointments.
Payments and reminders that fit
PayNow and GrabPay at checkout, GST-compliant invoices, WhatsApp reminders, and PDPA-aligned client records with role-based access — set up with a Singapore-based team.
When Fresha might be the better fit
No tool wins every time. In fairness, Fresha is likely the stronger choice if:
- You run a hair, beauty, nails or spa business and want zero monthly software cost above all else.
- The Fresha consumer marketplace is a meaningful source of new clients for you, and you are happy paying the new-client fee as an acquisition cost.
- You are comfortable using Fresha Pay for card processing and do not need local payment options beyond card.
- Your needs are mostly 1:1 appointments — you do not run class timetables, complex memberships, or multi-vertical operations.
How switching actually works
Moving from Fresha is a one-week project, not a rebuild. Export what you can from Fresha and we set the rest up with you.
- 1 Book a demo — we map your Fresha services, staff, and pricing to BooknGo together so you see exactly what carries over.
- 2 Export your client list from Fresha as CSV and import it into BooknGo — profiles are created instantly and future bookings and payments link to them.
- 3 We rebuild your services, deposits, memberships and reminder timings with you in onboarding.
- 4 Run a week in parallel: existing Fresha bookings finish their course while new bookings come through your BooknGo page.
- 5 Repoint your links — Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, website buttons — to your BooknGo booking page, and you are fully switched.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fresha really free?
The booking software has no monthly subscription, but Fresha earns through a fee on new clients booked via its marketplace and a processing fee on card payments taken through Fresha Pay. So it is free to install, not free to run — your cost scales with transactions. BooknGo is a flat subscription with no commission, so your cost is predictable. Verify Fresha’s current rates on fresha.com.
Is BooknGo a good Fresha alternative for a salon or spa?
Yes — online booking, deposits and payment at booking, memberships and packages, client records, and WhatsApp/SMS reminders are all core product, under your own brand with no marketplace fee. What you give up versus Fresha is the consumer marketplace; if your new clients come from your own channels rather than the Fresha app, you are not losing the part that drives your growth.
Does Fresha charge commission?
Fresha charges a fee on NEW clients who discover and book you through the Fresha marketplace (returning clients are not charged the same way), plus payment-processing fees via Fresha Pay. BooknGo charges no commission on any booking — it is a software subscription only; your payment methods carry only their own standard processing costs.
Can I move my clients and history from Fresha?
Yes. Client lists export from Fresha as CSV and import directly into BooknGo, and our onboarding team rebuilds your services, deposits and memberships with you. Most businesses run the two systems in parallel for a week, then repoint their booking links.
What if I need more than beauty bookings?
That is where BooknGo fits especially well — the same platform runs class timetables with capacity and waitlists, clinic consult workflows with role-based records, tuition term plans with parent-managed bookings, and workshop scheduling, alongside the beauty-style appointment booking Fresha focuses on.
See the difference on your own services
Book a personalised demo — we’ll set up your services and timetable so you can compare with what you use today.