Comparison · Updated September 20, 2026
Fresha vs Vagaro for salons and spas
Fresha
B+
Fresha is the London-based booking and business platform for salons, barbershops, spas and wellness studios, founded as Shedul in 2015 by William Zeqiri and Nick Miller and renamed in 2019. It became a unicorn in May 2026 when KKR invested $80 million at a valuation above $1 billion, at which point it said it served more than 130,000 businesses, handled 35 million appointments a month and about $15 billion a year in gross merchandise value, and was profitable on a $140 million revenue run-rate. Payments are embedded in the software through Adyen for Platforms: as of September 2026 the US rate card is 2.29% plus $0.20 in person (plus $0.10 per Tap to Pay authorisation), 2.79% plus $0.20 online, 3.30% plus $0.20 for manually keyed cards and 5.99% plus $0.30 for Klarna instalments, with payouts the next business day, no contract and no early-termination fee. The software itself stopped being free in 2025 — plans are $19.95 a month for one person or $14.95 per bookable team member — and clients who find you on the Fresha marketplace cost a one-off 20% commission with a $6 minimum. Trustpilot rates it 4.8 from more than 7,000 reviews. It grades B+ on clear pricing and terms, with the marks held back by the marketplace fee, the 2025 pricing shift and the payout holds that come with any aggregator.
Vagaro
B
Vagaro is booking, point-of-sale and marketing software for salons, spas, barbers, medical spas, gyms and studios, sold from Pleasanton, California since 2009 by founder and chief executive Fred Helou. Card processing is built in through Vagaro Merchant Services, a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., and priced on two published plans: small merchants under $4,000 a month pay 2.6% + $0.10 for swiped, dipped and tapped cards with no monthly fee, and large merchants above that pay 2.29% + $0.19 for $10 a month. Every keyed, online, card-on-file and membership charge is 3.5% + $0.19 on either plan, card-brand FANF and Mastercard location fees pass through, buy-now-pay-later through Affirm costs 6% + $0.30, and surcharging is not allowed. Deposits arrive the next business day after a batch, with same-day and instant payouts at 1.75%. The software is $30 a month for one calendar (currently $23.99 for the first six months) plus $10 a calendar up to seven, month to month with no cancellation fee, and the US marketplace listing is free — Vagaro only takes a 20% cut when you opt into its Fill My Books promotions. The rate card is clear and competitive in person; the weak spots are the keyed rate, a BBB review score of 1.09 out of 5 with recurring complaints of duplicate charges and hardware warranty disputes, and the lack of any way to pass fees on to clients.
VS
Overview
Fresha and Vagaro are the two booking platforms a salon, barbershop, spa or studio is most likely to shortlist, and both build card processing into the calendar so deposits, no-show charges and checkout run from the same screen. They price it differently. Fresha, graded B+ on Payment Review, charges $19.95 a month for one person, 2.29% + 20¢ on its terminal and 2.79% + 20¢ online, and takes 20% of a new client's first booking when that client found you on its marketplace. Vagaro, graded B, charges $30 a month for one calendar ($23.99 for the first six months), matches Fresha in person at 2.29% + 19¢ once you process $4,000 a month, charges 3.5% + 19¢ on every online, saved-card and membership payment, and lists you on its marketplace for nothing, taking 20% only on bookings you solicit through its Fill My Books promotions. Fresha is cheaper for a solo professional and for anyone who takes deposits and memberships online; Vagaro is cheaper for a business that fills its book from the marketplace or runs seven or more calendars, and it is the only one of the two with same-day and instant payouts.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Fresha charges 2.79% + 20¢ on online deposits, saved cards and prepayments where Vagaro charges 3.5% + 19¢ on everything not swiped, dipped or tapped — including memberships and cards on file — which is the row that decides the comparison for most salons.
- ✓In person the two are almost level: Fresha's 2.29% + 20¢ has no monthly fee, while Vagaro's 2.29% + 19¢ needs $4,000 a month of volume and $10 a month, and under that threshold Vagaro is 2.6% + 10¢.
- ✓Vagaro is the better deal for marketplace-driven growth: its US listing is free and the 20% new-client fee applies only to Fill My Books campaigns you turn on, where Fresha takes 20% with a $6 minimum on every new client its marketplace sends.
- ✓Vagaro offers same-day and instant payouts at 1.75%; Fresha pays out the next business day and has no faster option.
- ✓Fresha's reputation is much stronger: Trustpilot 4.8 from more than 7,000 reviews against Vagaro's 3.6 from 697, and Vagaro's BBB customer reviews average 1.09 out of 5.
Fresha
Fresha is for a solo professional or small team that sells online — deposits, prepayments, saved cards — wants the lowest monthly cost and the cleaner reputation, and does not depend on the Fresha marketplace for new clients.
Vagaro
Vagaro is for a salon, spa or studio that wants a free marketplace listing with promotions it controls, runs many calendars, needs same-day or instant access to takings, or wants memberships, forms, payroll and rent collection in one system and accepts the 3.5% online rate to get them.
Overall Winner
🏆 Winner
Fresha
B+expert grade
Runner-up
Vagaro
Why?
Fresha, for most salons and spas. It is cheaper for one person, cheaper in person for almost everyone, and materially cheaper on the payments a modern salon increasingly takes — online deposits, saved cards and memberships — at 2.79% + 20¢ against Vagaro's 3.5% + 19¢, with no monthly processing fee and no network pass-throughs. Its reputation is also far stronger, with a 4.8 Trustpilot score from more than 7,000 reviews. Vagaro wins three rows that matter to specific businesses: a free marketplace listing with an opt-in 20% promotion fee rather than Fresha's 20% on every marketplace client, capped per-calendar pricing that undercuts Fresha from about seven team members, and same-day and instant payouts Fresha does not offer. Payment Review grades Fresha B+ and Vagaro B, and the verdict follows the grades: Fresha unless your growth comes from the marketplace or your team is large.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Software subscription (US pricing, September 2026)
| Feature | Fresha | Vagaro |
|---|---|---|
| Price for one person | $19.95 a month (Independent plan) Winner | $30 a month for one calendar; $23.99 for the first six months |
| Both are month to month with no cancellation fee. Vagaro's pricing page shows $30 struck through to $23.99 for six months; the review copy is the standard $30. Fresha's software was free until 2025. | ||
| Each additional team member | $14.95 per bookable team member a month (Team plan) | $10 per bookable calendar up to seven, then no extra charge Winner |
| At three people Fresha costs $44.85 against Vagaro's $50; at six it is $89.70 against $80; from eight calendars Vagaro caps at $100 while Fresha keeps adding $14.95 a head. Fresha quotes custom pricing above 20 team members. | ||
| Free trial | 7 days, no card required | 30 days Winner |
| Contract and cancellation | Month to month; cancel from Settings > Billing; no fee | Month to month; 'cancel anytime with no cancellation fees' |
| Vagaro bills premium features and the $10 large-merchant plan through the end of the current cycle even if you switch them off mid-cycle. | ||
Price for one person
Fresha
$19.95 a month (Independent plan)
Winner
Vagaro
$30 a month for one calendar; $23.99 for the first six months
Both are month to month with no cancellation fee. Vagaro's pricing page shows $30 struck through to $23.99 for six months; the review copy is the standard $30. Fresha's software was free until 2025.
Each additional team member
Fresha
$14.95 per bookable team member a month (Team plan)
Vagaro
$10 per bookable calendar up to seven, then no extra charge
Winner
At three people Fresha costs $44.85 against Vagaro's $50; at six it is $89.70 against $80; from eight calendars Vagaro caps at $100 while Fresha keeps adding $14.95 a head. Fresha quotes custom pricing above 20 team members.
Free trial
Fresha
7 days, no card required
Vagaro
30 days
Winner
Contract and cancellation
Fresha
Month to month; cancel from Settings > Billing; no fee
Vagaro
Month to month; 'cancel anytime with no cancellation fees'
Vagaro bills premium features and the $10 large-merchant plan through the end of the current cycle even if you switch them off mid-cycle.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Solo stylist, barber or aesthetician
Recommended
Fresha
Fresha's $19.95 Independent plan is $10 a month less than Vagaro's standard price, its in-person rate has no monthly fee, and online deposits cost 2.79% + 20¢ instead of 3.5% + 19¢.
Salon that takes deposits online and sells memberships
Recommended
Fresha
Every deposit, prepayment, saved-card and membership charge is a keyed-in transaction at Vagaro's 3.5% + 19¢; Fresha charges 2.79% + 20¢ for the same payments.
New business relying on a marketplace for clients
Recommended
Vagaro
Vagaro lists you free and charges 20% only on Fill My Books bookings you choose to run; Fresha takes 20% with a $6 minimum on every new client its marketplace sends, which on a $20 service is 30%.
Multi-chair salon or spa with seven or more calendars
Recommended
Vagaro
Vagaro charges $10 per additional calendar up to seven and nothing beyond, so a ten-person business pays $100 a month where Fresha's Team plan costs $149.50, and Vagaro adds payroll, forms and rent collection for booth renters.
Business that needs its takings the same day
Recommended
Vagaro
Vagaro's same-day and instant payouts cost 1.75% and move up to $2,500 a day within about 30 minutes; Fresha's fastest option is the next business day.
Business that wants to pass card fees to clients
Neither. Vagaro does not allow surcharges or convenience fees, and Fresha's pricing page does not offer a surcharging option; a business set on surcharging needs a standalone merchant account and a booking tool that lets it.
Fresha: Best for 2 use cases
Vagaro: Best for 3 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
For one person Fresha is cheaper: $19.95 a month against Vagaro's $30 ($23.99 for the first six months). In person Fresha's 2.29% + 20¢ has no monthly fee, while Vagaro charges 2.6% + 10¢ until you process $4,000 a month and then 2.29% + 19¢ for $10 a month. Online is where the gap opens: Fresha charges 2.79% + 20¢ on deposits, prepayments and saved cards, Vagaro 3.5% + 19¢ on every payment that is not swiped, dipped or tapped, including memberships. Vagaro becomes the cheaper software from about seven calendars, because it charges $10 per calendar up to seven and nothing beyond, and it is cheaper for a business that gets its clients from the marketplace, since its listing is free and Fresha takes 20% of each marketplace-sourced new client's first booking.
Not in the same way. Fresha charges a one-off 20% commission, with a $6 minimum, on the first booking of any new client who discovers you through its marketplace; returning clients and clients who book through your own links are free. Vagaro's US marketplace listing carries no fee. Vagaro charges 20% of a new client's first booking only when you turn on a Vera Fill My Books campaign, which promotes your discounted availability to nearby users, and 5% when a returning client books a last-minute deal; if the appointment is cancelled with at least 24 hours' notice the fee is refunded. In the UK, Vagaro charges a 20% new-customer fee on all new bookings.
On the standard schedule they are the same: the next business day. Fresha sends funds collected before midnight the next business day once the balance passes $50, or weekly or monthly if you prefer, and weekend takings go out on Monday. Vagaro batches at 3 pm Pacific by default (midnight is an option) and deposits the next business day, with Friday to Sunday sales landing on Monday. Only Vagaro offers anything faster: same-day deposits or instant payouts within about 30 minutes for 1.75% of the amount, between $25 and $2,500 a day, once you have processed 35 card transactions totalling $2,500 and your bank supports RTP or FedNow.
Fresha runs on Adyen for Platforms: Adyen is the regulated processor and Fresha is the platform you contract with, which manages your account and any payout reviews. Vagaro Merchant Services is a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., so Vagaro is a reseller with PNC as the sponsoring bank. In both cases your merchant account is tied to the software subscription — Vagaro's merchant accounts close when the subscription is cancelled, and Fresha payments are a feature of the workspace.
Not with Vagaro: its rates article says it does not allow passing processing fees on to the customer, and its support staff point businesses to a cash-discount programme instead. Fresha's pricing page does not offer a surcharging option either. If surcharging is essential, you will need a standalone merchant account that supports it and a booking tool that can add the fee at checkout.
Fresha, clearly. As of September 2026 it holds a 4.8 Trustpilot score from 7,065 reviews, 88% of them five-star, and replies to 98% of negative reviews; its BBB profile is unrated with seven complaints in three years. Vagaro's Trustpilot score is 3.6 from 697 reviews with 19% one-star, and while its BBB rating is B+ with accreditation since 2015, its BBB customer reviews average 1.09 out of 5 from 57 reviews and its 34 complaints in three years describe duplicate charges, hardware warranty disputes and billing that continued after cancellation. Fresha's own complaints centre on payouts paused for review, the risk that comes with any aggregator. Payment Review grades Fresha B+ and Vagaro B.
No. Fresha's software was free for most of its history, with revenue from card processing and marketplace commission, but it introduced paid plans in 2025: Independent at $19.95 a month for one bookable team member and Team at $14.95 per bookable team member, each with a 7-day trial and no minimum commitment. Vagaro has always charged for its software and currently offers a 30-day trial.