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A Fresha alternative with a free plan and no commission
Uply Meet is a Fresha alternative for spas, massage therapists, barbers, nail, lash and tattoo studios that want a free plan and no commission on new clients. Fresha does not have a free plan: its pricing page lists Independent at $19.95 a month and a 7-day trial, plus a 20% one-time commission on new clients who find you on the Fresha marketplace. Uply Meet Free costs $0 for one staff member and up to 100 online bookings a month, and no plan takes a commission.
Fresha combines booking with a marketplace, card payments and text messaging, and for a team that wants all of that in one place it is strong value. This page lays out where each one wins, using the official Fresha pricing page as shown to visitors in the United States on 25 October 2026. Fresha shows prices in your local currency, so yours may differ.
Fresha prices on the official Fresha pricing page
The short answer
Stay with Fresha if you want new clients from its marketplace, card payments and text or WhatsApp messages in the same tool, or if you have a team of two to five. Choose Uply Meet if you work alone, want to start for $0 and never want a commission taken from a new client.
Fresha vs Uply Meet, side by side
Only facts we could confirm on each official pricing page. Where a page is silent, we leave it out instead of guessing.
| What you get | Fresha | Uply Meet |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No. A 7-day trial | Yes: 1 bookable staff member and 100 online bookings a month |
| Price for one person, billed monthly | Independent: $19.95 per month | Pro: $12 per month |
| Price for a team, billed monthly | Team: $14.95 per bookable team member | Studio: $20 a month for 2 staff, plus $8 for each extra staff member |
| Email reminders | Automated email notifications: free, unlimited | Email 24 hours and 2 hours before, on every plan |
| Text and WhatsApp reminders | 100 free a month, then $0.02 per text or $0.04 to $0.11 per WhatsApp message | Not offered |
| Fee on new clients | Marketplace only: 20% one-time commission, minimum $6 per client | None: Uply Meet takes no commission |
| Fee on returning clients | None | None |
| Online payments | 2.79% + $0.20 per transaction | No payments yet; depositsComing soon |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
What Fresha does better
An honest list. If any of these matter most to you, Fresha may be the right choice.
A marketplace with new clients
Clients can discover your business on the Fresha marketplace. You pay a one-time 20% commission (minimum $6) only on brand new clients who find you there, and returning clients never carry a fee. Uply Meet has no marketplace.
Text and WhatsApp messages
Fresha includes 100 free text messages a month, then charges per message, and can send WhatsApp notifications. Uply Meet sends email only.
Payments built in
Fresha takes online payments for 2.79% plus $0.20 per transaction. Uply Meet does not take payments yet, and deposits are Coming soon.
Where Uply Meet is the better fit
A real free plan
Fresha's pricing page lists paid plans with a 7-day trial and no $0 plan. Uply Meet Free costs $0 for one staff member with no end date, including email reminders.
No commission on any client
Every booking on Uply Meet costs you nothing extra, whether it is a new client or a regular. There is no marketplace fee because there is no marketplace.
Lower solo price
Pro is $12 a month, or $9 billed yearly, against $19.95 for Fresha Independent.
A lower team price
Studio is $20 a month for two staff and $8 for each extra. A six-person spa pays $52 a month on Studio against $89.70 on Fresha Team.
Who should pick which
Pick Uply Meet if
- You work alone or with one or two others and bring your own clients.
- You want to start at $0 and only pay when you outgrow 100 online bookings a month.
- You never want a percentage of a new client's booking to go to a platform.
- You have a team and want a lower monthly bill than per-member pricing.
Stay with Fresha if
- You rely on the Fresha marketplace for new clients.
- You want one tool with a marketplace, payments and messaging, and the subscription price matters less.
- You want text or WhatsApp reminders and card payments in the same tool.
Monthly cost by team size
For one person Uply Meet Pro costs $7.95 less per month than Fresha Independent. For a team, Uply Meet Studio costs less at every size: $20 against $29.90 for two staff, and $8 against $14.95 for each extra member. Fresha's marketplace commission and text message charges come on top of the subscription, and only apply when you use them.
| Bookable staff | Fresha | Uply Meet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $19.95 | $12 |
| 2 | $29.90 | $20 |
| 3 | $44.85 | $28 |
| 4 | $59.80 | $36 |
| 6 | $89.70 | $52 |
Is Fresha still free?
No. Fresha's pricing page on 25 October 2026 showed two plans, Independent and Team, each with a 7-day trial and a monthly price, plus an Enterprise option for businesses with over 20 team members. There was no $0 plan, so check what your own account will cost before you rely on it being free.
Fresha also charges per use for some things: text and WhatsApp messages beyond the free allowance, online payments, and new clients from its marketplace. Each is reasonable on its own, but together they make the monthly total harder to predict than a flat subscription.
Reading Fresha booking system reviews
When you read Fresha salon software reviews, notice which fee each reviewer is talking about. In the forum threads we read while researching this page, several cost complaints were about fees on new clients rather than the subscription, and some quoted a different percentage from the one on Fresha's own page. Officially, the commission applies only to brand new clients who discover you through the Fresha marketplace.
If most of your clients come from your own Instagram, Google profile or referrals, that commission rarely applies, and the main question is the monthly price. If the marketplace is where your clients come from, the commission is the cost of that discovery. Either way, start from the official numbers above and your own client mix. For a solo spa software setup with no commission at all, Uply Meet Free is a simple place to start.
Moving from Fresha to Uply Meet
Recreate your services
Add each Fresha service with its duration and price, and buffers for room turnover or cleanup.
Set staff and hours
Add your team on Studio, with working hours, breaks and days off per person.
Share your own link
Use your Uply Meet link and QR code on Instagram, Google and your website, so bookings come straight to you.
Bring over upcoming visits
There is no import tool. Add upcoming bookings to the Uply Meet calendar by hand before you close your Fresha account.
Fresha alternative: questions
Is Fresha free?
No. On 25 October 2026 the Fresha pricing page for the United States listed Independent at $19.95 per month and Team at $14.95 per bookable team member per month, each with a 7-day trial, and no free plan.
What commission does Fresha charge?
Fresha charges a 20% one-time commission, with a minimum fee of $6 per client, on brand new clients who discover your business through the Fresha marketplace. Returning clients carry no fee.
How do Uply Meet and Fresha prices compare?
It depends on team size. For one person, Uply Meet Free is $0 and Pro is $12 a month, against $19.95 for Fresha Independent. For a team, Uply Meet Studio costs less at every size: $20 a month for two staff plus $8 for each extra, against $14.95 per member on Fresha Team.
Does Uply Meet have a marketplace like Fresha?
No. Uply Meet gives you a booking page with your own link and QR code. Clients come from your channels, and there is no commission on any booking.
Can Uply Meet send text or WhatsApp reminders?
No. Uply Meet sends email reminders, by default 24 hours and 2 hours before each visit. You can chat with the Uply Meet team on WhatsApp, but client reminders are email only.
Other comparisons
See how Uply Meet compares with other tools, or read the overview of all six.
Ready to try a Fresha alternative?
Start on the Free plan with 1 staff member and 100 online bookings a month, or ask us anything on WhatsApp first.
Fresha is a trademark of its owner. Uply Meet is not affiliated with Fresha. Facts about Fresha come from its official pricing page, checked 25 October 2026; check that page for current prices.