Fresha vs Vagaro (2026): Fees, Add-Ons & Real Costs

Fresha vs Vagaro: Which Fits Your Salon or Spa? (2026)

Fresha and Vagaro are two of the most common choices for salon and spa booking software, and they represent two genuinely different pricing philosophies. Fresha keeps the subscription low and charges for usage - payment processing on transactions and a commission when its marketplace brings you a new client. Vagaro charges per bookable calendar and sells many capabilities as monthly add-ons.

Neither model is universally cheaper. Which one costs less for your salon depends almost entirely on how your clients find you, how many staff calendars you need, and which features you actually switch on. This comparison walks through both models honestly, with the numbers that matter.

Prices below are US list prices at the time of writing and change often - verify current pricing at fresha.com and vagaro.com before deciding.

The Two Pricing Models

Fresha: low subscription, usage-based fees

Fresha's subscription is inexpensive - roughly $19.95/month for an independent professional, or about $14.95 per bookable team member on the team plan (verify at fresha.com). The real cost sits in usage:

• Marketplace new-client commission. When a brand-new client discovers you through the Fresha marketplace, Fresha charges a one-time commission on that first booking - around 20%, with a minimum of roughly $6. Clients from your own website, Google profile, or Instagram are not charged.
• Payment processing. Card payments run through Fresha's processing at published per-transaction rates (in-person and online rates differ).
• SMS costs. Text reminders and marketing campaigns carry messaging costs.

For a salon that fills most of its book from the marketplace, the commission is a real acquisition cost - you are effectively paying a finder's fee per new head. For a salon that generates its own demand, the commission rarely triggers and the low subscription is what you actually pay.

Vagaro: per-calendar subscription, add-on menu

Vagaro starts around $23.99–$30/month for a single bookable calendar, with each additional staff calendar adding roughly $10/month (verify at vagaro.com). A three-stylist salon is paying for three calendars before anything else. On top of the base:

• Add-ons are a menu. Text marketing, intake forms, website hosting, payroll, branded apps, and accounting integrations are separate monthly charges. Reviewers regularly report the total climbing toward $100/month once the add-ons they actually need are enabled.
• Payment processing applies per transaction, with rates depending on how the card is taken.
• No new-client commission. Vagaro has a marketplace, but its model leans on subscription revenue rather than per-client commissions.

Cost Comparison: Three Salon Profiles

Profile	Fresha (typical)	Vagaro (typical)
Solo, own clientele	Low subscription + processing	Base calendar + chosen add-ons
3 chairs, mixed acquisition	Team plan + commissions on marketplace clients + processing	3 calendars + add-ons (texts, forms)
6+ chairs, marketplace-driven	Commissions become a meaningful share of new-client revenue	Per-calendar cost stacks; add-ons shared across team

Both columns exclude hardware and assume US list pricing - model your own numbers, and verify current pricing at each vendor before purchasing.

The pattern: Fresha's cost scales with how many new marketplace clients and transactions you have; Vagaro's cost scales with headcount and how many add-ons you enable. A high-volume salon with its own demand often finds Fresha cheap. A team salon that needs texts, forms, and payroll often finds Vagaro's add-on stack adds up - but predictable.

Beyond Price: What Actually Differs

Marketplace reach. Fresha's consumer marketplace is a genuine discovery channel in many cities. If walk-in demand from the app matters to you, that's a real feature Vagaro doesn't match at the same scale - and it's what the commission pays for.

Feature bundling. Vagaro's add-on menu means you pay only for what you enable, but the essentials for many salons (text marketing, forms) are on that menu. Fresha bundles more of the day-to-day into the base.

Client ownership. On any marketplace platform, read the terms on client data and rebooking. Clients acquired through a marketplace exist in that ecosystem - if you leave the platform, the marketplace keeps its users. Test a client-list export on whichever platform you pick, early, so switching later stays realistic - a clean export needs client contact details, appointment history, notes, and any outstanding balances, not just names and phone numbers.

No-show protection. Both platforms support deposits and card-on-file in some form. If no-shows are your main revenue leak, compare the deposit flow specifically - see our guide to appointment deposit policies for salons and barbers for which policy fits which service length.

When Fresha Is the Better Fit

• You're solo or a small team and want the lowest fixed monthly cost.
• Marketplace discovery genuinely brings you clients you wouldn't otherwise get, and you're happy paying a one-time commission for each.
• You prefer usage-based costs over a stack of fixed add-ons.

When Vagaro Is the Better Fit

• You want predictable monthly billing without per-client commissions.
• You'll actually use the add-ons you pay for (texts, forms, payroll) across a team.
• Marketplace reach matters less than running your own book.

Where Tregovia Fits

Full disclosure: this blog is published by Tregovia, so read this section as our own positioning rather than neutral ground.

Tregovia is a CRM and operations platform for service businesses - salons included - with a flat EUR 47/month base plan that covers client records, appointments, SMS and email reminders (SMS charged per message via credits), online booking, and billing. Two staff accounts are included; extra seats come in EUR 10/month packs of five. Deposits and payment collection are available with the Online Payments add-on (EUR 15/month), and packages or memberships with the Memberships add-on (EUR 12/month).

There is no marketplace and no commission - which is exactly the trade-off to understand. If Fresha's or Booksy's discovery feed drives your new-client flow, Tregovia doesn't replace that. If your clients come from Instagram, Google, and referrals, you're not paying for a marketplace you don't use, and your client list lives in your own CRM. See how we compare in detail on our Fresha alternatives and Vagaro alternatives pages, or read our no-show reduction playbook.

The Bottom Line

Price lists don't answer this comparison - your acquisition mix does. Count how many of last quarter's new clients came from a marketplace versus your own channels, count your bookable staff, and list the add-ons you'd actually enable. Then put real numbers into both models. Fresha wins on low fixed cost and discovery; Vagaro wins on commission-free predictability for teams; and a standalone CRM like Tregovia wins when you own your demand and want the client list to be unambiguously yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fresha really cheaper than Vagaro?

At list price, often yes - Fresha's Independent plan is around $19.95/month while Vagaro starts near $23.99–$30/month for one calendar. But totals flip depending on usage: Fresha charges a one-time commission (around 20%, minimum $6) on new clients from its marketplace plus payment processing on every transaction, while Vagaro charges per bookable calendar and sells texts, forms, and other features as add-ons. Model your own volume before deciding. Verify current pricing at fresha.com and vagaro.com.

What is the Fresha new-client fee?

When a brand-new client finds and books you through the Fresha marketplace, Fresha charges a one-time commission on that first booking - around 20% with a minimum of roughly $6 at the time of writing. Clients who book through your own website, Google profile, or social links are not charged this fee. Verify the current rate at fresha.com.

Does Vagaro charge per staff member?

Vagaro charges per bookable calendar. One calendar starts around $23.99–$30/month, and each additional staff calendar adds roughly $10/month, so a three-person team pays for three calendars before any add-ons. Admin staff without bookable hours typically don't need a paid calendar. Verify current pricing at vagaro.com.

Which is better if most of my clients come from Instagram and Google?

If you generate your own bookings, a marketplace's discovery feed matters less, and paying marketplace commissions or living with marketplace rules gives you less benefit. In that case compare on subscription cost, the features you actually use (reminders, deposits, forms), and how easily you can export your client list - not on marketplace reach.

Can I move my client list out of Fresha or Vagaro later?

Both platforms let you export client data, but check before you commit: export completeness varies (notes, history, and gift card balances often need manual handling). Whichever platform you choose, do a test export early so you know what switching would look like.

Where does Tregovia fit in this comparison?

Tregovia - the platform behind this blog - is a CRM for service businesses with a flat EUR 47/month base plan (2 staff included, extra seats in EUR 10/month 5-seat packs), online booking, reminders, and billing included, and no marketplace commission because there is no marketplace. It suits salons that generate their own bookings; it does not replace marketplace discovery.