Comparison
A look at where Fresha is genuinely good — and where the fee stack surprises barbers who thought they were on a free plan.
| Feature | PerfectBarber | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly base price | $0 Free / ~$49 CAD Premium | US$19.95/mo Independent · US$14.95/mo per team member Prices as of July 2026 — check fresha.com/pricing. Fresha was previously "subscription-free" (Shedul); the plan names and tiers have changed more than once. |
| Per-staff fees | $0 — unlimited providers | US$14.95/mo per bookable team member On the Team plan; multiply by head count. |
| New-client commission | $0 — ever | 20% of a new marketplace client's first booking Min US$6. Multiple barbers report being charged this for clients who found them via Google or Instagram, not via Fresha. |
| Own website or marketplace profile? | Your own booking page | Marketplace-first — client reviews land on Fresha's platform, not yours |
| Client list ownership | Yours — full export within 48h by contract | Stored in Fresha; export process not contractually guaranteed |
| Canadian rails | CAD pricing, Interac e-transfer first-class, CASL + PIPEDA native | USD pricing; CA market available but not Canadian-first |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe public rate, we add 0%) | 2.29% + 20¢ in-person / 2.79% + 20¢ online (US rates); additional per-transaction fees reported by users Verify current rates at fresha.com/pricing. |
Prices change — verify at fresha.com/pricing before you decide.
The following are verbatim quotes from public review platforms, reported by users. They are their experiences, not ours.
"When I signed up with a Fresha Provider account (AKA Shedul), I was promised a 'free forever' account. It literally said fees introduced in the future will not apply to your account. When they recently introduced a mandatory subscription fee (or completely lose access), I reminded them of this promise, only to have the evidence completely disregarded."
— Nyk, Verified reviewer | ProductReview.com.au | est. late 2025 — reported by users on ProductReview.com.au
"if the client puts in your salon name and freshas website comes up before yours...it charges you 20% of that clients bill, even if they cancel."
— rosanna | ProductReview.com.au | est. mid 2025 — reported by users on ProductReview.com.au
"their hidden 20% 'new client fee.' This charge isn't transparently shown anywhere."
— Adam K., Hair stylist | Capterra | 4 stars | October 18, 2024 — reported by users on Capterra
"There is also a card payment fee, a confirmation fee, and if you happen to charge your no show or cancellation fees they take a percentage of that too."
— Skye | ProductReview.com.au | est. late 2025 — reported by users on ProductReview.com.au
"From complete Free in the past then charge 20% for first time customer now by 1st March 2025 you have to pay for month Subscription."
— Steve | ProductReview.com.au | est. mid 2025 — reported by users on ProductReview.com.au
$0 new-client commission. The 20% charge that users report even on Google-referred clients does not exist in our model. Your earnings from a new client are 100% yours.
One monthly price per shop. No per-staff charge, no per-SMS fee, no commission on your own no-show recovery. The bill you see is the bill you pay.
We do not offer "free forever" plans that later become mandatory subscriptions. Free is free; Premium is a stated monthly rate with a founding cohort price locked for life.
We commit in writing to deliver a full export of all your client data within 48 hours of request. You are not locked in. You own what you built.
If you run a full-service salon with 10+ staff, complex inventory, memberships, and gift cards — Fresha's feature depth is real and may match your needs better than we do today. We are built for barbers and barbershops, not multi-discipline salons.
If you rely on Fresha's marketplace for meaningful new-client volume — switching means building your own Google presence. That is doable, but it is real work. PerfectBarber is the right move when your referral engine already fills your book and you are done paying commission on clients who weren't Fresha's to claim.
No commission. No per-staff fees. Set up in 2 minutes. See pricing