Fresha vs Booksy: Which Is Better for Your Barbershop in 2026?
If you're choosing booking software for your barbershop, Fresha and Booksy will come up in every conversation. Both are polished, widely used platforms. Both also charge commission on new clients. Here's the honest comparison.
The Business Model Comparison
Before features: understand how each platform makes money.
Fresha: Free subscription. Charges 20% commission on new clients who book through the Fresha marketplace. No per-booking fee for existing clients who rebook directly.
Booksy: Paid subscription (from ~£29.99/month). Booksy Boost — the feature that promotes you in the marketplace — charges up to 30% commission per booking.
Both platforms monetise your growth. The more new clients you acquire through their marketplace, the more you pay.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Fresha | Booksy |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | Free | ~£29.99/month |
| New-client commission | 20% | Up to 30% (Boost) |
| Direct booking link | ✓ | ✓ |
| Staff management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automated reminders | ✓ | ✓ |
| Review management | Basic | Basic |
| Client data export | ✓ | ✓ |
| WhatsApp integration | ✗ | ✗ |
| Marketplace directory | ✓ | ✓ |
Where Fresha Wins
Price floor. The free plan is genuinely useful for a solo barber who books all clients through direct links and never uses the marketplace.
UI quality. Fresha's interface — both the business dashboard and the client-facing booking flow — is among the best in the category.
Payment processing. Fresha has integrated payment tools that handle deposits, packages, and gift vouchers cleanly.
Where Booksy Wins
Marketplace traffic in barbering. Booksy has stronger brand recognition specifically in barbering in the UK, which means Boost can deliver real new-client volume — at a cost.
Instagram integration. Booksy's Instagram booking button integration is more polished than Fresha's.
The Honest Verdict
Choose Fresha if: You have a solid existing client base, you don't plan to use the marketplace, and you want zero subscription cost.
Choose Booksy if: You're a new barber building your initial client base and you need marketplace visibility. Be clear-eyed about what Boost costs.
Consider neither if: You want to own your client relationships and build a business that isn't commission-dependent. Flat-fee platforms like Vomni don't take a cut of any booking — new or returning — and include review automation and rebooking reminders that both Fresha and Booksy charge extra for or don't offer at all.
The Long-Term Maths
A barbershop with 25 new clients per month at £30 average spend:
| Year | Fresha (20%) | Booksy Boost (30%) | Flat fee (£29/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £1,800 | £2,700 | £348 |
| Year 3 | £5,400 | £8,100 | £1,044 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fresha charge for no-shows? No. Fresha doesn't charge fees for no-shows. You can set deposit requirements to protect yourself, which they process through their payment system.
Is Booksy Boost worth it? For a new barber with no existing client base and no Google presence, Boost can accelerate initial client acquisition. Once you have 30+ Google reviews and a direct booking link in your Instagram bio, the marginal value of Boost drops significantly.
Can I use both Fresha and Booksy at the same time? Technically yes, but double-booking risk makes this inadvisable. Pick one, optimise it, then build direct booking channels alongside it.
What do Fresha and Booksy do with my client data? Both platforms store client data on their systems and both allow export. The concern isn't data loss — it's that clients who discover you through a marketplace associate the platform with booking you, not your own brand.
Ready to skip the commission entirely?
Vomni is a flat-fee booking platform for barbershops — no commissions on new or returning clients, with built-in review automation and rebooking reminders. Start your free trial →