Vagaro vs Fresha: Which Salon Platform Wins in 2026?

How much does Fresha cost in 2026?

Fresha's US prices could not be read for this update: its pricing page shows prices by country, and from our reading location on September 25, 2026, it showed only Canadian dollars. Fresha's pricing page lists an Independent plan for a single calendar, a Team plan billed per bookable team member, custom Enterprise rates, card processing with separate rates for online, in-person and manually keyed payments, paid add-ons, and a one-time commission, with a minimum fee, on each new client who books you through the Fresha marketplace; returning clients are free. Open that page from a US location and write down the plan price for your headcount, the new-client commission and its minimum, and the card rate before you compare. Our Fresha pricing page covers its plans, and our Fresha vs Timely comparison has a quote worksheet for pricing a growing team.

Vagaro vs Fresha vs Twizzlo: monthly subscription as the team grows (September 2026)

Subscription only; excludes card processing, texts and add-ons. Vagaro: US help center price list, read September 25, 2026 ($23.99 is a limited-time rate; the regular price is not printed). Fresha column: Vagaro's monthly total divided by the team size, rounded to the cent. Fresha's pricing page lists its Team plan per team member (read September 25, 2026, when the page served Canadian prices); divide your US quote's monthly total by your headcount before you compare. Twizzlo: its own pricing page, read September 28, 2026.

Does the marketplace commission actually matter?

It depends on one number: how many brand-new clients the Fresha marketplace sends you monthly. Each new client the marketplace sends costs Fresha's one-time commission on that first visit, or its minimum fee if that is higher, so the monthly bill is your US commission rate times your average first visit times your new marketplace clients. Vagaro's US help center price list shows no marketplace commission; its one booking-related charge is an optional feature, Fill My Books, listed there with a "Booking Fee" and no amount (read September 25, 2026). Vagaro's Fill My Books help article sets that fee at 20% of a new customer's first booking, or 5% for a returning customer when the feature fills gaps in your schedule (read September 27, 2026). Two protections if you choose Fresha: import your existing client list on day one so regulars are never miscounted as new marketplace clients, and track your own-channel share, because Fresha's pricing page lists the commission only for new clients who come through its marketplace. To see the same marketplace fee set against a plan that bills per location instead, read our Fresha vs Square comparison.

Marketplace-sourced new clients: commission bill at an $80 average first visit

Illustrative arithmetic, not a traffic forecast. Fresha's pricing page lists a one-time commission with a minimum fee per new marketplace client; its US rate could not be read on September 25, 2026. Vagaro's help center lists no marketplace commission; its optional Fill My Books feature carries a "Booking Fee" there, which Vagaro's Fill My Books help article sets at 20% of a new customer's first booking, or 5% for a returning customer when it fills schedule gaps (read September 27, 2026). Returning clients carry no Fresha commission.

Vagaro vs Fresha on features: who is ahead where?

Both vendors publish long feature lists, so the difference is how they sell them. Vagaro's base subscription includes inventory and retail, classes and memberships, and email marketing with 1,000 free credits, and it sells text marketing, payroll, forms, a website builder, a branded app, a check-in app and QuickBooks and Xero integrations as add-ons, per its US help center (read September 25 and 28, 2026).

Fresha's draw is its marketplace, which puts your business in front of clients browsing Fresha; Fresha charges its commission only when the marketplace brings you a new client. Its pricing page lists retail and inventory, consultation forms, marketing tools, gift cards, packages and memberships on both plans, commission tracking and timesheets on Team, and paid add-ons such as Client Loyalty, Insights, Xero Accounting and a Smart Website (read September 28, 2026). Vagaro lists businesses on the Vagaro Marketplace too, free in the US (read September 28, 2026), and prices its extras one by one.

Ratings and complaints

Review scores change over time, so read them on Capterra and G2 on the day you decide; this update did not re-read them. Test billing and support before you commit: ask each vendor how a disputed charge is handled and how fast support answers payment questions. When numbers disagree, trust the page you will actually sign up on, and note the date you checked it.

Fresha vs Vagaro: the team size where the cheaper one flips

Fresha costs less than Vagaro only while its US price per member stays below Vagaro's cost per calendar, which falls from $23.99 for one calendar to $12.80 at five and $10.50 at eight, according to Vagaro's US help center (read September 25, 2026). Vagaro's cost per calendar keeps falling after seven because it stops charging for new employees, while Fresha's Team plan charges for every bookable team member, so the larger the team, the lower Fresha's US price has to be.

The marketplace commission moves that point. Each new marketplace client adds Fresha's commission on the first visit, so a team with regular marketplace clients needs Fresha's subscription to come in below Vagaro's by more than those commissions.

• 1 to 3 members, bookings from your own channels: Fresha costs less only if its US price is below $23.99 solo, $17.00 per member at two or $14.66 at three.
• 1 to 3 members with regular marketplace clients: add the commission on each new marketplace client to Fresha's side before you compare.
• 5 or more members: Fresha needs a US price below $12.80 per member at five and $10.50 at eight to beat Vagaro's subscription.

Which should you pick?

Pick Vagaro if your team is large enough that Fresha's US price per member sits above Vagaro's cost per calendar in the table above, if you want Vagaro's add-ons, such as payroll or a branded app, in the same system, and if you prefer a predictable subscription. Vagaro stops charging for new employees after seven licenses, at $83.99 a month on its limited-time rate (read September 25, 2026). Pick Fresha if you are solo or a small team with a loyal book, get a US quote below Vagaro's cost per calendar for your headcount, and can keep most bookings on your own channels, since the commission applies only to new marketplace clients. If you are weighing a move off either platform, the switching guides at apps like Vagaro and Fresha alternatives cover the landscape, and the sibling comparisons at Vagaro vs Booksy, Fresha vs Booksy and Vagaro vs Acuity complete the picture.

The flat-rate third path: Twizzlo

If Vagaro's add-on stack and Fresha's commission both feel like meters running, the third model is one flat price for everything you use daily. Twizzlo is web-based online booking and appointment scheduling software for appointment-based service businesses. Twizzlo Business Pro is $29.99 a month per business with unlimited bookings, unlimited staff and unlimited locations, 50 SMS a month and then $0.03 each, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It covers the booking page, email reminders (SMS on Business Pro), prepaid bookings, online payments (see payment processing), and client records. Online payments carry your Stripe processing rate plus a 1.5% Twizzlo platform fee. Twizzlo Free is $0 a month for up to 150 bookings, with unlimited staff and locations and no SMS; it is free forever, not a trial.

Twizzlo does not run a consumer marketplace, so it fits businesses that already bring in their own clients; the trade-off is that discovery stays your job through Google, referrals, and social. Business Pro stays at $29.99 a month at every team size in the table above. For the full setup, see Twizzlo's salon appointment software page or the Business Pro and Free plan details.

Vagaro vs Fresha: frequently asked questions

Bottom line

Vagaro wins for established teams that want a predictable subscription that stops rising after seven calendars; Fresha wins for solos and small books whose US quote comes in under Vagaro's cost per calendar and who can live with the commission model. Run the two numbers that decide it, your headcount and your monthly new-client volume, and the winner usually declares itself.