What Fresha actually costs in the UK in 2026

Home / Articles / What Fresha actually costs

Published 23 August 2026 · Prices verified 22 August 2026 · Marketplace fee rules verified 23 August 2026

Fresha is not free in the UK. An independent professional pays £14.95 a month + VAT. Teams pay £9.95 per bookable team member a month + VAT. Fresha also charges a one-time 20% Marketplace fee, with a £4 minimum, for each brand-new client it says discovered the business through its marketplace. Payment processing, messages and add-ons can increase the total.

These charges are not hidden. Fresha lists them on its pricing page and in its help centre. But the monthly subscription is only one part of the cost, so this guide separates the fixed fee from the charges that depend on how you use the platform.

Source check: Fresha’s official UK pricing page was verified 22 August 2026. Its Marketplace fee help page and Partner Terms were verified 23 August 2026. Prices and terms can change, so check the linked sources before making a buying decision.

The short answer: Fresha’s UK price has four parts

For most UK businesses, Fresha’s cost comes from four separate buckets:

1. A monthly Independent or Team subscription.
2. A one-time acquisition fee for eligible new Fresha Marketplace clients.
3. Payment and communication charges when you use those services.
4. Optional add-ons such as AI Concierge, Client Loyalty or Insights.

Fresha says all rates on its UK pricing page exclude 20% sales tax. The figures below therefore use “+ VAT” unless a VAT-inclusive total is shown explicitly.

There is no single Fresha monthly total that fits every business. A solo professional with no Marketplace clients, no card processing, no chargeable messages and no add-ons starts at £14.95 + VAT, or £17.94 including VAT. The total rises only when one of the variable charges applies.

How the Fresha Marketplace new-client fee works

Fresha describes the fee as 20% of an eligible new Marketplace client’s first completed appointment, with a £4 minimum. The charge is one-time, not a commission on every future booking from that client. Its help centre also sets out exceptions for cancellations, rescheduling, no-shows and later price changes.

Fresha’s help centre says the fee applies when all three conditions are met:

• The client is not already in the business’s client list.
• The client first discovers the business through Fresha Marketplace and books online.
• The client confirms they have not visited the business before.

The same help page says the fee does not apply when the client is already saved or imported before the booking, when the client confirms they have visited before, or when the client returns after the first completed appointment.

However, Fresha’s public help page does not explain where or how the client makes that previous-visit confirmation, and its Partner Terms do not promise a specific client-facing control. Do not tell readers that clients can rely on a visible “visited before” button or checkbox.

Fresha tells businesses to import existing clients before the first booking and merge duplicate records. Its Partner Terms say Fresha links a user to a client record when verified contact details match, and that businesses must detach suspected incorrect matches. The Terms also say the source of the booking link matters, and place responsibility on the business to use the correct link. These published rules show why client records and booking links need checking, but they do not prove that Fresha routinely misclassifies existing clients.

There is one discovery detail worth understanding. Fresha says a client who first views the business’s Marketplace profile can still carry the fee if they later book through another online channel, including the business’s website or social page. In contrast, Fresha’s pricing FAQ says a genuinely direct new client who finds the business through its own website, Google or social media does not carry the Marketplace fee.

Fresha’s help centre also says a maximum cap applies to high-value services, but its public UK pricing table did not show the cap amount when checked on 22 August 2026. Ask Fresha to confirm the cap if your first appointments are unusually high value.

What happens if the price changes or the appointment is cancelled?

The fee can be based on the amount originally booked, not the amount finally charged. Fresha says that if a business reduces the price later in store or at checkout, the Marketplace fee still uses the original online booking value. If a discount was already built into the online booking, the fee uses that discounted booking price. Services or products added later at checkout do not increase the fee.

For example, if a client books a £100 treatment and the business later reduces it to £60 at checkout, Fresha says the Marketplace fee remains £20 + VAT, or £24 including VAT. If the £60 discounted price was confirmed when the client booked online, the fee would be £12 + VAT, or £14.40 including VAT.

Cancellation does not always remove the fee. If the client cancels online, Fresha says the fee is deferred to that client’s next appointment. If the business cancels on the client’s behalf, or the appointment is rescheduled or left unmanaged, Fresha says the fee still applies. Marking a client as a no-show on the same day avoids the fee on that appointment, but the fee is deferred if the client books again. Fresha also describes the Marketplace new-client fee as non-refundable.

Fresha payment and messaging charges

Fresha Payments is optional, so payment processing should not be added to every cost estimate automatically. When it is used, Fresha’s current UK rates are:

• Online: 1.40% + 25p per transaction + VAT.
• In person: 1.19% + 20p per transaction + VAT.
• Tap to Pay: add 7p per authorisation + VAT.
• Manual card entry: 2.20% + 20p per transaction + VAT.
• Klarna Buy Now Pay Later: 4.49% + 50p per transaction + VAT.
• Terminals: from £99 per device + VAT. Fresha says Team businesses may receive a terminal free subject to processing volumes.

Communication allowances and usage charges are separate:

• Automated text and WhatsApp notifications: 20 free per month for Independent, or 20 free per bookable team member for Team. After that, texts cost 6p each and WhatsApp messages cost 5p-10p each, plus VAT.
• Marketing emails: 50 free per month for Independent, or 50 free per bookable team member for Team. After that, emails cost 2p each + VAT.
• Marketing texts: 8p each + VAT.

What Fresha’s optional add-ons cost

These add-ons are optional. Do not include them in a Fresha estimate unless the business will use them.

For example, an Independent subscription plus AI Concierge is £94.90 + VAT, or £113.88 including VAT, before Marketplace fees, payment processing or chargeable messages. Add Client Loyalty as well and the subtotal becomes £144.85 + VAT, or £173.82 including VAT.

Worked example: one £100 first booking

This example models one month for an Independent professional with one brand-new Fresha Marketplace client whose first completed appointment is £100. It excludes optional add-ons and counts the subscription once.

The £41.94 figure is the subscription plus the Marketplace fee. The £43.92 figure also includes Fresha’s online payment rate of 1.40% + 25p. The payment line is shown separately because a business does not have to use Fresha Payments.

Worked example: one £200 first booking

This uses the same assumptions, but the new Marketplace client’s first completed appointment is £200.

The subscription stays fixed. The Marketplace fee rises with the first booking value until Fresha’s unpublished high-value cap applies. These examples use the public 20% rate and do not assume a cap amount that Fresha has not published on its UK pricing table.

How JENA’s pricing and ownership model differs

JENA is our product, so this section is disclosed rather than presented as an independent recommendation. Its current UK subscription prices are:

• Starter: £9/month or £79/year, VAT included.
• Pro: £29/month or £249/year, VAT included.
• Max: £49/month or £399/year, VAT included.

JENA Collectives is a separate collaboration option for independent professionals working together. It costs £15 per person/month. Do not add VAT wording to that price because its tax treatment has not been confirmed in the approved source.

JENA takes zero commission on bookings. UK card payments are processed through Stripe from 1.5% + 30p per transaction, and SMS marketing costs 5p per message.

For a £100 or £200 booking, JENA’s booking commission remains £0. Subscription, card-processing and any chargeable messaging costs are separate.

Who JENA is designed for

JENA is designed for independent solo professionals in appointment-based hair, nails, beauty, aesthetics and wellness. That includes hairdressers, colourists, barbers, nail technicians, lash and brow artists, beauty therapists, aestheticians and massage therapists, as well as appointment-based fitness professionals and coaches.

It is best suited to someone running a home salon, mobile business or single-chair studio who wants to grow their own brand and manage direct client relationships.

JENA also supports Collectives: groups of independent solo professionals who share a space or storefront while each continues to run their own business and manage their own bookings and client relationships. Collectives connects their full JENA accounts through one shared booking link, lets members see each other’s calendars and helps them manage appointments together while keeping their independence. It costs £15 per person/month and is useful for chair renters, shared studios and mobile teams.

That is different from an employee-based multi-staff salon chain. JENA is not a consumer marketplace for businesses relying on platform discovery, or enterprise software for traditional salon teams.

Your brand stays in front

JENA is not a marketplace. It is booking and business management software designed to put the solo professional’s brand in front and keep the software behind it. The professional gets a branded website and direct booking link, rather than a consumer Marketplace profile that places other businesses alongside them.

The professional controls how the business looks, what services cost, when and where they work, which services are available on each day, booking intervals, buffer times and cancellation windows. Their client database and booking history sit inside their business account and can be exported.

JENA still provides the operating layer. It handles bookings, payments, consultation forms, confirmations and reminders for the professional’s business, and gives clients a portal to view, cancel or reschedule when enabled. These tools support the professional’s direct client relationship instead of operating a consumer marketplace around it.

This is not a like-for-like feature comparison. The right plan depends on the tools a business needs. See the current JENA pricing page for plan inclusions, or use the separate JENA vs Fresha comparison for the full feature and suitability comparison. You can also review JENA’s booking and scheduling tools and its payments and deposits separately.

The bottom line

Fresha’s minimum recurring UK cost for an Independent professional is £14.95 + VAT a month. The actual total depends on Marketplace acquisition, payment processing, messages and optional add-ons.

The Marketplace fee is not charged on every appointment. It is a one-time 20% charge, with a £4 minimum, for an eligible new client who first discovers the business through Fresha Marketplace. Returning clients and genuinely direct clients do not carry that fee under Fresha’s published rules.

The amount and timing still need care. Fresha says a later in-store price reduction does not reduce the fee, partner-cancelled and rescheduled appointments can still carry it, and a client cancellation normally defers it rather than removes it.

JENA uses a different model: a fixed subscription with VAT included, no booking commission, and a branded booking journey built around the professional’s direct client relationship. Payment processing and chargeable messaging remain separate.

Before choosing a platform, model your own mix of direct clients, Marketplace clients, card payments, messages and add-ons. That gives a more useful answer than comparing the subscription prices alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fresha free in the UK?

No. Fresha’s current UK Independent plan is £14.95/month + VAT. The Team plan is £9.95 per bookable team member/month + VAT. A 7-day trial is shown for both plans.

Does Fresha take 20% of every booking?

No. Fresha describes it as a one-time 20% fee for an eligible brand-new client who discovered the business through Fresha Marketplace, with a £4 minimum + VAT. Its help centre says later price changes, cancellations, rescheduling and no-shows can affect when the fee is charged or the value used. Returning clients do not carry the fee under Fresha’s published rules.

What happens to Fresha’s Marketplace fee if the booking is reduced or cancelled?

Fresha says a later in-store or checkout price reduction does not reduce the fee: it remains based on the original online booking value. If the client cancels online, the fee is deferred to the next appointment. If the business cancels for the client, or the appointment is rescheduled or left unmanaged, Fresha says the fee still applies. It describes the fee as non-refundable.

Does Fresha charge for clients from Instagram or Google?

Fresha’s pricing FAQ says a new client who genuinely finds the business through its own website, Google or social media does not carry the Marketplace fee. Its help centre adds that the fee can still apply if the client first viewed the business on Fresha Marketplace and then booked through another online channel.

Are Fresha’s UK prices shown with VAT included?

No. Fresha’s official UK pricing page says its rates exclude 20% sales tax. This article labels that as “+ VAT” and shows VAT-inclusive totals explicitly in the worked examples.

Sources and verification

Prices were checked on 22 August 2026. Fresha’s Marketplace fee rules and Partner Terms were checked on 23 August 2026. JENA is our product. Fresha and JENA can change their pricing or terms, so use the official pages below as the final source before making a buying decision.

• Fresha, “Pricing”, UK page. Verified 22 August 2026
• Fresha Help Centre, “Marketplace new client fees”. Verified 23 August 2026
• Fresha, “Partner Terms of Business”. Verified 23 August 2026
• JENA, “Pricing”. Verified 22 August 2026