Slotly vs Fresha
Fresha is a popular booking and business platform for salons, spas, and barbershops, best known for its no-monthly-subscription model — the core software is free to use, and Fresha makes its money through payment processing, a new-client marketplace fee, and optional add-ons. Slotly is a subscription-based, booking-first scheduler that works across many industries, keeps your existing Google or Outlook calendar as the source of truth, and includes payments, reminders, intake, and team routing on flat monthly plans. The choice often comes down to pricing model and breadth: Fresha's fee-based salon suite versus Slotly's flat-rate, general-purpose scheduler.
Slotly vs Fresha: feature by feature
| Feature | Slotly | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plans ($19–$99) | No subscription; processing + marketplace fees |
| Free to start | 14-day free trial | Core software free |
| Two-way Google + Outlook sync | Both | Limited / Fresha-centric |
| Payments & deposits | Built in (Stripe / PayPal) | Built in (Fresha processing) |
| Integrated POS, inventory & payroll | ✕ | ✓ |
| Consumer discovery marketplace | ✕ | ✓ |
| Team round-robin & collective events | ✓ | Per-staff scheduling |
| Routing / qualification forms | ✓ | Intake forms |
| SMS + email reminders with one-tap reschedule | ✓ | Reminders (SMS often metered) |
| Custom domain & branding | ✓ | Limited |
| Open / self-hostable core | ✓ | ✕ |
Why choose Slotly
- Flat, predictable monthly pricing with no per-transaction processing cut or new-client marketplace fee taken from your bookings
- Works for any appointment business — consultants, clinics, agencies, coaches — not just salons and spas
- Calendar-agnostic two-way sync with both Google and Outlook instead of a single proprietary calendar
- Stronger team routing with round-robin, collective events, and qualification forms, plus custom branding and a custom domain
- Open, self-hostable core for data control and portability
Slotly trade-offs
- Slotly charges a monthly subscription, whereas Fresha's base software is free — fee-sensitive solo operators may prefer paying only on transactions
- No built-in salon POS, product inventory, or staff payroll for running a physical shop end to end
- No consumer marketplace, so you won't receive new-client discovery traffic from Fresha's app — you drive bookings yourself
- Newer, smaller brand than an established beauty-and-wellness booking platform
Fresha strengths
- No monthly subscription for the core software — appealing for businesses that prefer fee-based pricing
- Purpose-built for salons, spas, and barbershops with POS, inventory, and team management included
- Consumer marketplace and app can bring in new-client discovery traffic
- Widely used in beauty and wellness, with integrated card processing and hardware options
Fresha weaknesses
- Payment processing fees and a new-client marketplace fee mean the 'free' software still has real per-booking costs
- You're generally required to use Fresha's own payment processing to unlock card payments and deposits
- Calendar sync and branding are more constrained, and it's geared to in-person salon workflows rather than online-first or mixed Google/Outlook teams
- Team routing, collective events, and qualification routing are more limited than a purpose-built scheduler
How to migrate from Fresha
- List your Fresha services with durations, prices, staff assignments, and intake questions, plus any resources or rooms you schedule.
- Recreate each service as a Slotly event type, setting per-provider and per-resource availability where you have multiple staff or rooms.
- Connect the same Google or Outlook calendar so existing commitments block availability immediately, and connect Stripe or PayPal for deposits and payments.
- Turn on SMS and email reminders with one-tap reschedule, rebuild your intake or qualification questions, and add your custom domain and branding.
- Swap your Fresha booking links across your site, social profiles, and email signature, run both in parallel for a week, then retire Fresha once bookings flow cleanly — keeping it only if you still rely on its POS, inventory, or marketplace.
Fresha is a strong choice for salons, spas, and barbershops that like its no-subscription model and want POS, inventory, integrated processing, and a consumer marketplace bundled into one beauty-and-wellness platform — accepting that processing and marketplace fees are how it gets paid. Slotly is the better fit if you want flat, predictable monthly pricing with no cut taken from your bookings, a scheduler that works across many industries, two-way Google and Outlook sync, team routing, custom branding, and an open self-hostable core. Choose Fresha for an all-in-one, fee-based salon suite; choose Slotly for a focused, flat-rate booking platform you fully control.
Start free with SlotlySlotly vs Fresha: FAQs
Is Slotly a good Fresha alternative?
Yes, if you want a flat-rate, booking-first scheduler that isn't tied to salon-specific POS and marketplace fees, and that works across many industries. If you run a salon or spa and depend on Fresha's free base software, integrated processing, POS, and new-client marketplace, Fresha's all-in-one model may suit a physical beauty business better than a booking-only tool.
Is Fresha really free, and how does Slotly's pricing compare?
Fresha's core booking software has no monthly subscription, but it earns through payment processing fees and a new-client marketplace fee, so there are still real per-booking costs. Slotly charges a flat monthly subscription (Starter $19, Pro $49, Business $99) with a 14-day free trial, and doesn't take a cut of your bookings — which model is cheaper depends on your transaction volume and how much marketplace traffic you'd use.
Do I have to use Fresha's payment processing?
With Fresha, card payments and deposits generally run through its own processing. Slotly takes deposits and payments through Stripe or PayPal instead, so you're not tied to a single processor. If you're already standardized on Fresha's processing and hardware, factor a processor change into your decision.
Will I lose Fresha marketplace traffic if I switch?
Yes. Fresha's consumer marketplace and app are part of its ecosystem, so moving off Fresha means you no longer get discovery bookings from that channel (and the associated new-client fee). Slotly drives bookings from your own website, social profiles, and links, so weigh how much of your new business comes from the marketplace before switching.
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