Looking for a Fresha alternative? When switching makes sense
· 4 min read
Fresha is popular for one simple reason: the software costs nothing per month. For a studio that is just starting, that sounds like the obvious choice. The question is not whether Fresha is good, it is whether its way of earning money fits the way your clients reach you.
How Fresha earns money
Fresha gives away the calendar and earns on what flows through it. There are two main sources: fees on card payments processed through the platform, and fees for new clients who find and book you through the Fresha marketplace.
This model has a clear upside. If the marketplace brings you people you would never have reached yourself, paying for them can be a good deal. If you take most payments in cash or by your own terminal, the payment fees barely touch you.
When Fresha is a good fit
- You want payments, stock, staff and booking in one platform with no monthly bill.
- You are happy to take card payments through Fresha and accept its fees.
- The marketplace really sends you new clients every month.
If all three are true, staying is reasonable. Switching costs time, and time is the one thing a small studio never has spare.
When it starts to cost more than it looks
The free plan gets expensive when your clients are already yours. A regular who has come to you for two years and books through a marketplace link can be counted as a marketplace client. A studio that grows mostly through word of mouth and Instagram ends up paying for reach it does not use.
The second issue is predictability. With a flat monthly price you know the cost before the month starts. With fees tied to payments and new clients, the bill moves with your turnover, and a good month is also an expensive one.
The third is the shop window. A marketplace profile looks like every other profile next to it, with competitors one tap away. Your own site with booking keeps the client on your page.
What to compare in an alternative
Before you choose, write down how your bookings arrive today: regulars, Instagram, Google, the marketplace. Then compare:
- Monthly cost at your size, including people and locations, not only the starting price.
- Commission. Does the system take anything from bookings or new clients?
- Your own site. Is there a site with booking on your own address, or only a profile?
- Client list. Can you export it at any time?
- Reminders. Does the client get a confirmation and a reminder the day before?
Our detailed comparison of Termeva and Fresha goes through these points one by one.
How Termeva handles the same job
Termeva gives a studio its own website with online booking. Clients pick a service, a person and a free time without creating an account, and get an email confirmation and a reminder the day before, with a link to cancel. New bookings arrive in Telegram.
There is no commission on bookings on any plan. Free costs nothing for one person and 25 bookings a month, Solo is 9 € a month, Studio is 19 € for up to 5 people and Salon is 39 € with no limit on people. Right now every new studio gets 3 months of Salon free, with no card. The details are on the pricing page.
How to move without losing clients
- Export your client list from Fresha first and keep the file safe.
- Set up services, prices and hours in the new system. In Termeva they come pre-filled for your trade.
- Replace the booking link in your Instagram bio and your Google profile. Here is how to add it to Google.
- Tell your regulars in one short message where to book from now on.
- Run both for two weeks. Existing bookings stay where they were made, new ones go to the new link.
After two weeks, check that no new bookings arrive in the old system, and only then close it.
Questions
Is Fresha really free?
The software has no monthly fee. Fresha earns on card payments processed through it and on fees for new clients who book you through its marketplace, so what you pay depends on how your bookings arrive.
Can I take my client list with me from Fresha?
Export your client list before you cancel anything and keep the file. Then import or add your regular clients in the new system and tell them where to book from now on.
How long does it take to switch booking systems?
Setting up the new system takes an evening. Plan two weeks when both run side by side: new bookings go to the new link, existing ones stay where they were made.
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