vs Fresha
Fresha is free, which is great, until you realize the trade-off. Your clients book through fresha.com, see Fresha branding everywhere, and live inside Fresha's app afterward. The relationship is theirs, not yours. BKRDY gives you your own designed website at your own domain, 0% platform markup, and a brand that is actually yours. Here is how the two compare.
Short answer
Fresha is the right choice if you want $0 entry, are happy with marketplace exposure, and do not mind your clients booking under the Fresha brand. BKRDY is the better choice if you want to own your brand, own your client relationship, and have a designed website that is yours, not theirs. Most beauty pros end up choosing brand ownership.
Side by side
A line-by-line look at how the two stack up. Prices in USD. Last updated June 2026.
| BKRDY | Fresha | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | $15/mo (Solo) | $0 (free) |
| Transaction fees | 0% | 1% of card payments (or 1.69% via Fresha Pay) |
| Marketplace exposure | None (your brand only) | Yes (fresha.com listings) |
| Your own domain | Yes (Studio plan) | No (fresha.com/[business]) |
| Designed templates | 13 named, designed templates | One generic Fresha layout |
| Brand ownership | Yours | Fresha-branded |
| Client relationship | Yours | Shared with Fresha |
| Native mobile apps | Web-first (mobile-optimized) | iOS + Android |
| Multi-currency | USD only | Multiple currencies |
| Geographic coverage | United States | Global |
| Per-staff calendars | Yes (Studio plan) | Yes |
| Online booking | Yes | Yes |
| Smart calendar (per-date overrides, drops, capacity) | Yes (Availability 2.0) | Standard weekly |
| After-hours premium slots | Yes (native) | No |
| Squeeze-in slots on full days | Yes (native) | No |
| Cancellation waitlist queue | Yes (built-in) | Yes |
| Custom booking-form intake | Yes | Yes |
| Deposits at booking | Yes (Stripe) | Yes (Fresha Pay) |
| Tips + balance due | Yes (token-gated post-appointment) | Yes (Fresha Pay) |
| Customer hub (history, VIP) | Yes (built-in) | Yes |
| Reviews collection | Yes (Reviews 2.0, post-appointment, owner-moderated) | Yes (via Fresha marketplace) |
| Coupons / discount codes | Yes (built-in) | Yes (campaigns) |
| Social-media content cards | Yes (Content 1.0: 7 formats × 3 sizes) | No |
| Google Calendar sync | Yes (two-way) | Yes |
| SMS + email reminders | Email now, SMS soon | Yes (SMS extra cost) |
| Free migration | Yes, same day | Self-serve |
BKRDY wins
Own your brand
A Fresha profile says Fresha at the top, in the URL, in the search bar, and in the app store. Your clients book on Fresha, with Fresha branding, and the next time they want to book something else, they come back to Fresha, not to you. BKRDY gives you a designed website at your own domain. Your brand is on every page. Period.
Own your client relationship
Fresha is a marketplace. The traffic is theirs. The client relationship is shared. The day Fresha changes their algorithm or pricing, your business changes too. BKRDY has no marketplace. Your clients come from your Instagram, your word of mouth, your work. That relationship is yours forever.
0% platform markup
Fresha takes 1% of every card payment (or 1.69% via Fresha Pay). BKRDY takes 0%. On $5,000/mo in bookings, that is $50/mo Fresha keeps. BKRDY costs $15/mo and keeps $0. Net: you save money on bookings above ~$1,500/mo, and you get a designed website instead of a marketplace profile.
Designed website included
Fresha gives you a generic Fresha-branded layout, the same one every Fresha business uses. BKRDY gives you Velvet Theory, The Fade Room, Opaline, or one of four others, designed for beauty businesses. The first impression is your brand, not the platform.
Fresha wins
No platform is right for every business. Here is where Fresha is genuinely stronger today.
You want $0 entry
If cash flow is tight and you need to start charging clients before you can afford a subscription, Fresha's $0 entry is real. You pay the 1% per booking, no monthly fee. BKRDY starts at $15/mo. For solos doing under ~$1,500/mo in bookings, Fresha is technically cheaper.
You want marketplace traffic
Fresha lists ~23,000 salons globally, and people search "salons near me" on fresha.com directly. If you can stand the marketplace exposure and want a real channel for finding new clients (especially in tourist-heavy areas), Fresha's marketplace is a genuine asset. BKRDY does not have one and does not plan to.
You operate globally
If you run a salon in London, Sydney, or Madrid, Fresha is built for that, with multi-currency support, multi-language, and local payment methods. BKRDY is United States only today.
Switching from Fresha
Your Fresha export gives us your services, hours, staff, and client list. We rebuild it inside BKRDY and walk you through the new template. Usually the same day, included on every plan, no setup fee. You stay on Fresha until you decide to flip your Instagram bio link.
Questions
Yes. Fresha exports clients as CSV. We import every name, email, phone number, and booking history on your behalf during free migration.
It stays live as long as you keep your Fresha account active. You can keep both running during the switch (Fresha for marketplace traffic, BKRDY as your own website), then close Fresha when you are ready.
Switch your Instagram bio link, your Google Business Profile booking link, and your email signature to your BKRDY URL. New clients book there. Old clients see the new link and follow it.
No. We are not building one. Your clients find you through your own marketing (Instagram, word of mouth, Google), and the relationship is yours. If marketplace exposure is critical to your business, Fresha is the better choice.
Reviews collected on Fresha stay in Fresha. We help you re-engage your client list on BKRDY so new reviews start collecting on your site. We do not migrate reviews directly because of Fresha data policies.
Today, BKRDY is United States only (payments are Stripe US). International expansion is planned but not committed to a date. If you are outside the US, Fresha or a local platform is a stronger fit today.
No. BKRDY is free to start, so you can run both while you switch. Fresha is $0/mo so there is nothing to double-bill. Run both in parallel for a week, then switch your bio link.
Fresha: $0 + 1% of bookings. BKRDY: $15/mo + 0%. Break-even is $1,500/mo in bookings. Below that, Fresha is cheaper. Above that, BKRDY is cheaper AND you own your brand AND get a designed website. Most established beauty pros are above the break-even within 3-4 months.
Try BKRDY
Start free. no card. We will migrate you from Fresha for free, usually the same day.
Start free