Fresha pricing and fees in the UK, compared with Hopaby
Hopaby and Fresha compared for salons, barbers and beauty businesses. Every Fresha figure below links to the page it came from and shows the day we checked it; the oldest was checked on 29 October 2026. Hopaby charges no VAT.
The figures side by side
| Hopaby | Fresha | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | £0 on pay as you go; £29 on Pro. Hopaby charges no VAT. | £14.95 for one bookable person; £9.95 per bookable team member on Team. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Extra team members | Three team members included, then £5 a month each on pay as you go. Unlimited team members on Pro. | £9.95 a month for each bookable team member on Team. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Card, in person | 3% on pay as you go; 1.75% + 20p on Pro. | 1.19% + 20p, plus 7p per Tap to Pay authorisation. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Card, online | 3% on pay as you go; 1.75% + 20p on Pro. | 1.40% + 25p. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Deposits | A deposit confirms the appointment. You choose the amount, per service if you like. | A percentage or fixed-amount deposit, optionally non-refundable. Unpaid deposits cancel automatically after a window you set, 1 to 72 hours. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| No-show protection | Save a client’s card when they book, and charge a no-show or late-cancellation fee under your own policy. Card fees as above. | A no-show fee as a whole percentage of the booking, on a deposit or a held card; a late-cancellation fee as a percentage or fixed amount on a held card. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Texts | 5p a part on pay as you go; 4p a part on Pro. | 20 texts a month included on Independent, then 6p each; marketing texts 8p each. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Commission on new clients | 0%. Hopaby has no client marketplace, so it sends you no new clients. | 20% of a new client’s first booking from the Fresha marketplace, minimum £4. None on returning clients or on bookings from your own link. + VAT checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Contract | Monthly. No minimum term. | Monthly subscription. No minimum commitment; cancel any time. checked 29 October 2026, source |
| Taking your data with you | Yes, by request. | Client list exports to Excel or CSV. Saved card details cannot be exported or transferred. checked 29 October 2026, source |
Hopaby charges no VAT. Fresha prices are as published on the dates shown; ‘+ VAT’ means their price excludes VAT at 20%.
How we compared: we read Fresha’s public pages, listed below, and recorded each figure with the plan it applies to. We left out introductory offers and trials. Where a page does not give a figure we say so rather than guess. Where prices differ by plan, the plan is named.
A worked month
A four-chair salon taking £6,000 a month by card across 120 bookings of £50 each. 30 of those bookings are from new clients, shown two ways below. Texts are left out on both sides. We assume one card payment per booking; a deposit plus a balance would be two payments and two per-transaction fees.
None of the 30 new clients came through Fresha’s marketplace
Hopaby, pay as you go
£185.00
3% of £6,000.00 = £180.00 , plus 1 team member beyond the first three at £5 = £5.00. No monthly fee, no VAT.
Hopaby, Pro
£158.00
£29 + 1.75% of £6,000.00 (£105.00) + 120 × 20p (£24.00). No VAT.
Fresha
£135.20
Ex VAT; £162.24 with 20% VAT.
The arithmetic for Fresha: Team plan: 4 × £9.95 = £39.80. In-person card rate: 1.19% of £6,000 = £71.40, plus 120 × 20p = £24.00, so £95.40 (Tap to Pay’s extra 7p is left out). No new-client fee. Total £135.20 ex VAT; £162.24 with 20% VAT.
All 30 new clients came through Fresha’s marketplace
Hopaby, pay as you go
£185.00
3% of £6,000.00 = £180.00 , plus 1 team member beyond the first three at £5 = £5.00. No monthly fee, no VAT.
Hopaby, Pro
£158.00
£29 + 1.75% of £6,000.00 (£105.00) + 120 × 20p (£24.00). No VAT.
Fresha
£435.20
Ex VAT; £522.24 with 20% VAT.
The arithmetic for Fresha: Team plan: 4 × £9.95 = £39.80. In-person card rate: £95.40 as above. New-client fee: 30 × 20% of £50 = 30 × £10.00 = £300.00. Total £435.20 ex VAT; £522.24 with 20% VAT.
Assumption: one card payment per booking; a deposit plus a balance would be two payments and two per-transaction fees. Fresha’s prices were taken from its public pages on 29 October 2026. Hopaby’s are on our pricing page. Hopaby has no client marketplace, so the new-client fees above are the ones a marketplace charges for clients it sends you.
What Fresha does well
- A large marketplace of clients looking to book. If you want new clients to find you inside an app, Fresha has one and Hopaby does not.
- Detailed deposit rules: a percentage or fixed amount, limited to a service, a client group or a minimum booking value, with automatic cancellation if the deposit is not paid within a window you choose.
- A lower in-person card rate than Hopaby: 1.19% + 20p plus 7p per Tap to Pay authorisation, ex VAT.
- A wider product: point of sale, loyalty, retail and add-ons Hopaby does not have.
Moving from Fresha to Hopaby
What moves
- Your clients: names, mobile numbers and notes, by CSV or by typing them in.
- Your services and prices.
- Your team and their working days.
- Future appointments, by CSV where Fresha lets you export them, or re-entered by hand.
What stays behind
- Stored card details: Fresha says they cannot be exported or transferred, so clients save a card again with Hopaby.
- Marketplace reviews stay on Fresha; they do not travel with you.
- Your Fresha marketplace listing stays on Fresha until you close it.
The steps
- Set up Hopaby alongside Fresha: your services, prices and team.
- Import your client list. Export it from Fresha as a CSV and send it to us, or type in your regulars.
- Run both for a fortnight. Take new bookings on Hopaby, finish the ones already in Fresha, and send a card-save link to the clients you see most.
- When the diary on Fresha is empty, close or downgrade your Fresha account.
You do not have to switch in a day. Run both for a fortnight, and close Fresha only when its diary is empty.
See how Hopaby works for hair salons , barbers and nail techs .
Is Fresha still free?
Not for UK salons, as of 29 October 2026. Fresha’s UK pricing page lists £14.95 a month for one bookable person or £9.95 per bookable team member, ex VAT, with card fees and a new-client fee on top. It does list a 7-day trial.
What is Fresha’s new client fee?
Fresha’s UK pricing page says new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace carry a one-time 20% fee, with a minimum of £4 per client, ex VAT. Returning clients, and bookings from your own link, Facebook or Instagram, carry no fee. Checked 29 October 2026.
Fresha vs Booksy: which costs more?
On the four-chair salon in our worked month (£6,000 a month by card, 120 bookings of £50, prices checked 29 October 2026, ex VAT): with no marketplace clients, Fresha’s Team plan comes to £135.20 and Booksy to £138.40. If all 30 new clients came through each marketplace, Fresha comes to £435.20 and Booksy, with Boost, to £588.40, because Booksy’s new-client charge is 30% against Fresha’s 20%. Each figure links to its source in the tables on this page and on our Booksy page.
Can I export my clients from Fresha?
Yes. Fresha’s help centre says the client list exports to Excel or CSV, and that saved card details cannot be exported or transferred, so clients need to save a card again on the new system.
Is there a Fresha alternative with no new-client fee?
Hopaby takes no commission on your clients and has no new-client fee; it charges a card fee of 3% on pay as you go, or 1.75% + 20p on Pro at £29 a month. Hopaby has no client marketplace, so new clients have to find you another way.
No monthly fee for up to three people. 3% when you get paid. No commission on your clients, ever.
Fresha is a trade mark of its owner. Hopaby is not affiliated with it.