Which Salon Software is Right for You?

Selecting the right salon management platform affects every part of your business. From how clients book to how much you pay in fees, it shapes your profitability and your brand reputation. Yocale and Fresha are both known in the industry, but they follow very different models when it comes to cost, control, and long-term growth.

Booking Experience & Marketplace Concerns

Fresha is built around its marketplace.
Clients book through the Fresha app or website, and your business is listed alongside competing salons in your area. This structure introduces a few key issues:

Fresha promotes similar businesses to yours in the same area through ads
Competing salons are often shown directly on your listing page
It can lead to price pressure, making it harder to maintain healthy margins

Yocale takes a different approach. It prioritizes direct bookings through your website and Google. This improves your visibility through search engines and ensures you own the client relationship from the beginning. You do not compete with other businesses on a third-party directory, and your brand remains front and center.

Pricing and Hidden Fees

Fresha’s pricing is based on add-ons and usage. While there is no monthly base fee for a single user, the actual cost adds up quickly:

20 percent commission on new marketplace clients
$9.95 monthly per additional team member
$14.95 monthly for 24/7 phone and chat support
Optional features such as Loyalty ($59.95), Insights ($9.95 per user), Review Boost

Yocale uses a flat subscription model:
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No booking commissions
No per-user support fees
No hidden charges for core features
Payment processing is included at standard rates, and
support is part of every plan

Support and Onboarding

Fresha includes basic email support. If you want phone or live chat access, you will need to subscribe to premium support at an additional cost of $14.95 per month.

Yocale includes everything you need to get started and stay supported:

One-on-one onboarding
Phone, live chat, and email support
Assistance with setup and data migration
No added support charges regardless of team size

We'll transfer your client history for free!

Ready to make the weitch but feel stuck? Our migration team can help you import your client and appointment history, replicate your forms and more.

Book a demo

Salon Software FAQ:
Why Yocale Is a Better Alternative to Fresha

1. What is salon software and why does it matter which platform you choose?

Salon software affects every part of your operations—from how clients book to how you get paid and how your brand is represented online. Choosing the right platform can impact your client retention, revenue, and long-term growth.

Salons using Yocale report:

64% more bookings
41% improvement in client retention
40+ hours/month saved on admin

2. Why is Yocale a better alternative to Fresha?

Fresha is built around a public marketplace that lists your business alongside competitors. Yocale gives you full control over your brand, client journey, and pricing—with no marketplace competition or commission fees.

With Yocale, you can:

Direct bookings via your website and Google
SEO-optimized public booking pages
No competitor ads or third-party listings
Transparent subscription pricing (no surprise add-ons)
Real support with every plan—no extra fees

3. Does Fresha show my competitors on my booking page?

Yes. On Fresha’s marketplace, other salons in your area may be promoted alongside or even above your business listing. This can lead to price competition and client loss.
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Yocale avoids this entirely by:

Keeping your booking page private and brand-specific
Eliminating ads for competing businesses
Prioritizing your Google and website traffic, not theirs

4. Is Fresha really free, or are there hidden fees?

Fresha promotes itself as a “free” salon management platform, but the reality is that costs scale quickly as your business grows.
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While solo professionals can access a limited free version, team-based businesses face multiple recurring charges that can significantly reduce profit margins.
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Here’s how the fees add up with Fresha:

CA$19.95/month per bookable team member (after 14-day trial)
20% one-time commission on new clients booked through the Fresha marketplace (minimum CA$6.00)
CA$29.95/month for 24/7 phone and chat support
CA$79.95/month per location for Loyalty features
CA$13.95/month per team member for Insights reports

What starts as “free” quickly becomes a pay-as-you-grow model with significant operating costs—especially for salons with teams, retail sales, or premium support needs.
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Yocale offers:

Flat, transparent monthly pricing
No booking commissions
No surprise upgrade charges
All support and onboarding included
CA$13.95/month per team member for Insights reports

5. How does client booking differ between Yocale and Fresha?

Yocale directs clients to your branded booking page or embeds booking directly into your website—preserving your brand experience.
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Fresha:

Sends clients to a third-party marketplace
Introduces distraction from competitor listings
May reduce brand loyalty and conversions

6. Does Yocale give me more control over how I run my business?

Yes. Yocale lets you customize booking workflows, pricing, branding, and staff management. You’re not locked into a one-size-fits-all system or a marketplace model.

With Yocale, you control:

Deposit and cancellation policies
Email/SMS reminders
Staff roles and access levels
Branding across all client touchpoints

7. Which salon software alternative offers better customer support—Fresha or Yocale?

Yocale delivers full-service, human support on every plan—at no extra cost. Whether you're a solo provider or a multi-location business, Yocale includes everything you need to get started and stay supported.

Yocale support includes:

1:1 onboarding and setup assistance
Live chat, phone, and email support
Full data migration from your existing system
Ongoing training and real human guidance

In contrast, Fresha only includes basic email support with a typical 24-hour response time. If you want 24/7 phone or chat support, it’s an added cost of CA$29.95/month—per team member.

Yocale is the better alternative for businesses that value fast, personalized, and unlimited support—without hidden fees.

8. Can Yocale support my business as I scale to more locations or services?

Yes. Yocale is built for growth—supporting everything from solo providers to large, multi-location teams.

‍Scalable features include:

Multi-location scheduling and reporting
Location-based staff and access control
Enterprise-ready dashboards and insights

9. Does Yocale offer deeper reporting than Fresha?

Yes. Yocale goes beyond basic analytics with customizable reports on revenue, staff performance, no-shows, client retention, and more.
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You can track:‍

Rebooking rates
Retail sales performance
Service-specific revenue
Commission tracking and payroll insights

10. Why are salons switching from Fresha to Yocale?

Because Yocale gives business owners what Fresha doesn’t: full control over their brand, pricing, and client experience—without being dragged into a competitive marketplace model.
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Fresha’s platform redirects your clients into a marketplace where competing businesses are promoted alongside yours. This creates price pressure, brand dilution, and a loss of client ownership.
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Salons are choosing Yocale instead because it offers:

No marketplace competition—your clients stay focused on you
No booking commissions or add-on charges
Direct, SEO-optimized booking through Google and your website
Real, unlimited human support—at no extra cost
Built-in features like client forms, retail tools, rebooking, and reporting
Scalable tools for solo pros and growing teams alike

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Yocale helps you grow on your terms—without hidden fees, platform noise, or third-party interference.

A Better Experience at a Fraction of the Cost

Switching to Yocale is easy — Book a 30-minute demo, and we’ll make sure we’re the right fit for your business before setting up your account and getting you up and running.