Vol. 02 / Alternatives Report

Alternatives to Fresha

The best Fresha alternative for UK barbershops

If you're looking for a Fresha alternative, you're not alone. Fresha's "free" plan costs £9.95/month per staff member and takes 20% commission on every new client from their marketplace. For a three-chair barbershop, that's £30/month before a single booking. This page compares the main alternatives so you can find the right fit.

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Side by side

How the alternatives compare

Fresha

Monthly price (1 person)

£0/mo base

Per-staff fee

£9.95/mo per staff

Commission taken

20% on marketplace new clients

White-label booking

No lock-in / data export

Booksy

Monthly price (1 person)

£40/mo

Per-staff fee

£5/mo per staff

Commission taken

30% Boost (new clients)

White-label booking

No lock-in / data export

Treatwell

Monthly price (1 person)

£0/mo base

Per-staff fee

None listed

Commission taken

20-35% on marketplace bookings

White-label booking

No lock-in / data export

Setora - £14.99/mo

Monthly price (1 person)

£14.99/mo

Per-staff fee

None - unlimited barbers

Commission taken

0%

White-label booking

No lock-in / data export

Switch signals

Why barbers leave Fresha

  • The free plan can stop feeling free once per-staff charges, SMS overages, payment processing, and paid add-ons are added to the monthly bill.
  • Marketplace dependency means new-client discovery can come with 20% commission, and shops may need to keep steering clients back through Fresha to protect marketplace visibility.
  • Client data and booking history live inside Fresha's platform, so exporting records or moving away can take more planning than many barbers expect.
  • Generic salon and beauty workflows can feel heavier than a barbershop needs, especially when the priority is fast bookings, walk-ins, deposits, and a branded client experience.

Why Setora

Why barbershops choose Setora

Setora charges a flat £14.99/month for your whole location - no per-staff fees, no marketplace commission. As a barber-focused platform, every feature is designed around how barbershops actually work.

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Already decided?

Leave Fresha with a clear migration plan

View the full Setora vs Fresha page for feature-level differences, migration notes, and practical switch guidance.

Common questions about Fresha alternatives

Setora is a strong alternative if you want barbershop-specific features and predictable flat-rate pricing. Booksy offers a large marketplace if discovery is a priority. Treatwell is another marketplace option but takes higher commission rates than Fresha.

Fresha's base plan has no monthly subscription fee, but it charges £9.95/month per staff member and takes 20% commission on new clients who book through their marketplace. For a shop with three barbers, that's nearly £30/month before any marketplace commission.

Setora charges 0% commission on all bookings - no marketplace, no third-party fees. Booksy charges 30% Boost commission on new clients. Treatwell charges 20-35% on marketplace bookings. If zero commission is a requirement, Setora is the only option in this comparison.

Yes. Setora includes walk-in queue management as a core feature. Barbers can manage both pre-booked appointments and walk-ins from the same dashboard.

Fresha allows you to export client data, though the process requires going through their support team for full appointment history. Under GDPR you are entitled to your data. When migrating to Setora, we provide import assistance for client records.