Why Barbers Are Leaving Fresha (And What They're Switching To)

If you've been on Fresha for a while, you've probably noticed the platform isn't quite what it used to be.

The original pitch was simple: free software, get discovered, grow your business. And for a while it worked. But something shifted. The fees crept up, the terms changed, and a growing number of barbers started asking the same question: am I building my business, or am I building Fresha's?

The commission problem

Fresha charges 20% on any client the platform considers "new." In theory, that means clients who found you through the Fresha marketplace. In practice, barbers report being charged for clients who found them through Google, through Instagram, or who simply Googled the shop name and ended up on the Fresha listing by mistake.

For a £25 haircut, that's £5 gone. On 50 new clients a year, you're paying £250 just for the privilege of being listed. And unlike Booksy's Boost — which is explicitly a marketing tool you opt into — Fresha's marketplace attribution is passive and automatic.

The card terminal situation

Fresha requires their proprietary card terminal at £499. That's fine if you're just starting out and need hardware anyway. But if you already have a terminal you're happy with, you're paying for something you didn't ask for.

What barbers actually say

On Trustpilot and Reddit, the recurring complaints aren't about the software itself — most people find it easy to use. The complaints are about unexpected charges, commission disputes, and customer support that goes quiet when money is on the line.

So what are barbers switching to?

Some move to Booksy, which has its own fee structure but is more transparent about it. Others move to flat-rate platforms where there's no commission on anything, ever. A small but growing number are choosing platforms like Vomni that focus not just on booking but on what happens after the appointment — review collection, customer re-engagement, and reputation management.

The platform you use should work for you, not the other way around. If you're paying a percentage of your revenue to a software company, it's worth asking whether you're getting enough back.