CelerBook vs Fresha
Last updated: 10 September 2026
Salon software with pay-as-you-go pricing in euros, from €0.25 excl. VAT per appointment. See how CelerBook compares to Fresha on price, features and the marketplace model.
CelerBook is online appointment software with a pay-as-you-go pricing model: €0.25 excl. VAT per completed appointment, capped at €30 excl. VAT plus €5 excl. VAT per additional staff member. No usage in a month means no invoice. Fresha is a global salon marketplace plus booking software, headquartered in London. Since 2025 Fresha charges a fixed monthly fee per fresha.com/pricing: €14.95 excl. VAT for the Independent plan (single calendar) or €9.95 excl. VAT per team member per month for the Team plan, plus a one-time new-client fee for bookings that come in via the Fresha marketplace.
Where CelerBook works differently than Fresha
Pay-as-you-go, not a fixed monthly fee
CelerBook charges €0.25 excl. VAT per completed appointment with a cap of €30 plus €5 per additional staff member. No usage in a month means no invoice. Fresha charges a fixed monthly fee of €14.95 (Independent) or €9.95 per team member (Team) regardless of volume, plus a one-time new-client fee for bookings via the Fresha marketplace. For a just-launched salon or a business with seasonal peaks, the CelerBook model is structurally cheaper in quiet months.
No marketplace, no new-client fee
CelerBook gives you your own page at yoursalon.celerbook.com. Clients book directly with you and you never pay a per-booking commission, whether that client is new or returning. Fresha is first and foremost a consumer marketplace: new clients you acquire via the Fresha app or fresha.com cost a one-time new-client fee per fresha.com/pricing. Fresha does not publish the exact percentage on its pricing page.
Everything in the base plan, no add-on creep
Client page with stats, per-client reliability score, weekly analytics email, quarterly VAT export and auto-assign strategies ship in every CelerBook account from day one. Fresha moves a number of core features behind paid add-ons: Client Loyalty €59.95 excl. VAT per location per month, Insights €9.95 excl. VAT per bookable team member per month, Google Rating Boost €13.95 excl. VAT per location per month, Data Connector €245 excl. VAT per location per month and Premium support €14.95 excl. VAT per month on top of the base fee.
Pricing compared
All amounts excluding VAT as both companies communicate. Fresha publishes the EU price list explicitly excluding 21 percent VAT.
| Item | CelerBook | Fresha |
|---|
| Base price per month | €0.25 per completed appointment | €14.95 (Independent, one calendar) or €9.95 per team member (Team) |
| Monthly cap | €30 plus €5 per additional staff member | No cap, linear per team member |
| Per extra staff member | €5 towards the cap | €9.95 per team member (Team plan required) |
| Contract | None, no usage means no invoice | Cancellable monthly |
| Setup fee | None | None |
| Free trial | First 5 appointments per month free, ongoing | 7 days, no credit card |
| Marketplace commission | Not applicable, no marketplace | One-time new-client fee via Fresha marketplace (percentage not public) |
| Online payments (Fresha Pay) | Not offered, client pays in store | 1 percent plus €0.20 per transaction |
| In-person payments (Fresha Pay) | Not offered | 0.89 percent plus €0.10 per transaction |
| Buy now pay later (Klarna) | Not offered | 3.49 percent plus €0.50 per transaction |
| VAT on price list | Excluded | Excluded 21 percent VAT (EU price list) |
Example: solo hairdresser with 80 appointments per month, all amounts excl. VAT. CelerBook: 75 × €0.25 = €18.75. Fresha Independent: €14.95 flat, plus the new-client fee if new clients book via the Fresha app. With 20 appointments in a quiet month you pay €3.75 in CelerBook; Fresha still charges €14.95. For a team of three, CelerBook costs at most €40 (cap €30 plus 2 × €5); Fresha Team costs €29.85 flat (3 × €9.95) plus any new-client fees and payment fees.
When Fresha fits better
You actively want marketplace reach for new clients
Fresha is first and foremost a consumer marketplace: clients search for a salon or barber in the Fresha app or on fresha.com and book through Fresha. CelerBook has no marketplace; clients find you via Google, Instagram, your website or a direct link. If you actively want new clients via a marketplace, Fresha fits better. Keep in mind that every new client via the marketplace costs a one-time new-client fee (percentage not public).
Gift cards, memberships, packages and online payments are essential
Fresha ships gift cards, memberships, packages, online deposits via Fresha Pay (1 percent plus €0.20), an own card terminal (€119 excl. VAT) and Tap to Pay on phone as standard. CelerBook does not offer these. If your salon runs daily on gift cards, deposits or a membership model, Fresha fits better today.
You need CSV import and intake forms immediately
Fresha offers CSV import for existing client lists and consultation forms per service. CelerBook currently has no CSV import and no intake forms. If you have a large existing client list you want live within an hour, or you collect intake info per service upfront, Fresha fits better today.
Frequently asked questions about CelerBook vs Fresha
What is the main difference between CelerBook and Fresha?
The main difference is that CelerBook is pure software with euro pay-as-you-go and Fresha is a marketplace plus software with a fixed monthly fee plus a one-time new-client fee for bookings via the Fresha app. CelerBook charges €0.25 excl. VAT per completed appointment with a cap of €30 excl. VAT per month plus €5 excl. VAT per additional staff member. Fresha charges €14.95 excl. VAT per month for Independent or €9.95 excl. VAT per team member for Team, plus marketplace fees. Want marketplace reach and integrated payments, pick Fresha. Want transparent pay-as-you-go without marketplace fees, pick CelerBook.
Which is cheaper, CelerBook or Fresha?
It depends on volume and team size. For a solo hairdresser with 80 appointments per month, CelerBook is €18.75 excl. VAT (75 × €0.25), Fresha Independent is €14.95 excl. VAT flat plus any new-client fees. In a quiet month with 20 appointments, you pay €3.75 in CelerBook and Fresha still charges €14.95. For a team of three, CelerBook is at most €40 excl. VAT (cap €30 plus 2 × €5) and Fresha Team is €29.85 excl. VAT (3 × €9.95) plus marketplace fees. From six team members onwards CelerBook is cheaper: Fresha Team costs €59.70 excl. VAT and our cap sits at €55, because the cap grows by €5 per extra staff member and Fresha by €9.95. Factor in marketplace fees and the balance tips in CelerBook's favour sooner.
How much does Fresha cost per month?
Fresha charges €14.95 excl. VAT per month for Independent, which is one calendar, or €9.95 excl. VAT per month per team member on Team, per fresha.com/nl/pricing. That page states the amounts exclude 21 percent VAT, and it is a real euro price list for the Netherlands. A three-person salon therefore pays €29.85 excl. VAT in base fees. On top of that come the one-time new-client fee for bookings through the Fresha marketplace and the paid add-ons listed further down. There is a 7-day free trial. CelerBook charges €0.25 excl. VAT per completed appointment instead, capped at €30 plus €5 per additional staff member.
What does Fresha offer that CelerBook doesn't?
Fresha has a consumer marketplace (the Fresha app and fresha.com) where clients search for salons and book directly. Fresha also ships gift cards, memberships, packages, online deposits via Fresha Pay (1 percent plus €0.20), in-person payments (0.89 percent plus €0.10), an own card terminal (€119 excl. VAT) and Tap to Pay on phone as standard. CSV import for clients and consultation forms per service are also standard. CelerBook does not offer these features today and is deliberately software-only without a marketplace.
Does Fresha offer a free trial?
Yes, Fresha offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card per fresha.com/nl/pricing. After 7 days the monthly subscription starts at €14.95 excl. VAT (Independent) or €9.95 excl. VAT per team member (Team). CelerBook gives the first 5 appointments per month free, ongoing with no time limit. A just-launched salon pays nothing in its first weeks.
What exactly is Fresha's new-client fee?
Fresha mentions a one-time fee on the pricing page for brand-new clients who discover your salon via the Fresha marketplace. Fresha does not publish the exact size of that fee transparently on fresha.com/nl/pricing; the precise percentage shows up inside the Fresha business environment or via support. Returning clients no longer cost a fee. CelerBook has no marketplace and therefore no comparable commission model.
What do Fresha's add-ons cost on top of the base fee?
Fresha sells a number of core features as separate paid add-ons on top of the base fee: Client Loyalty €59.95 excl. VAT per location per month, Insights (deeper analytics) €9.95 excl. VAT per bookable team member per month, Google Rating Boost €13.95 excl. VAT per location per month, Data Connector €245 excl. VAT per location per month and Premium support €14.95 excl. VAT per month. In CelerBook, KPI dashboard, weekly analytics email and quarterly VAT export ship in the base pay-as-you-go rate without add-on creep.
How easy is it to switch from Fresha to CelerBook without losing client data or disrupting my business?
There is no automatic import, CelerBook has no CSV import for clients. You do not lose your client list and your business does not go down. Request a data export from Fresha support, then enter the clients yourself via Clients - New client. A list of up to a few hundred clients you can do yourself, for larger lists email info@celerbook.com. Fresha keeps running in the meantime: you only cancel once CelerBook is set up, so you do not start with an empty calendar.
Does Fresha have a long contract period?
No, Fresha is cancellable monthly with no commitment per fresha.com/nl/pricing. CelerBook works without a contract: pay-as-you-go. Stop scheduling new appointments and your invoice automatically returns to zero. No cancellation period, no exit fee.
Do I lose my marketplace reach if I switch to CelerBook?
Yes, if you currently acquire clients through the Fresha consumer app or fresha.com, you lose that channel on cancellation. CelerBook has no marketplace. For salons whose new-client flow runs on Google, Instagram and word of mouth, that is no loss. For salons where the Fresha marketplace channel delivers more than 20 percent of new clients, this counts as a direct switching cost. At the same time the new-client fees that Fresha takes per marketplace booking also disappear.
Does Fresha have online payments that CelerBook doesn't?
Yes. Fresha Pay offers online payments at booking (1 percent plus €0.20 per transaction) and in-person payments (0.89 percent plus €0.10) plus Tap to Pay on phone. CelerBook does not offer integrated payments; clients pay in store after the service. If you want to prevent no-shows with deposits or want integrated POS, Fresha fits better on this point.
What should I consider when choosing a cloud-based salon software solution?
Look at four things before you look at the feature list. First, where the data lives: CelerBook runs inside the European Union and hosts data in Germany at Hetzner, so client records stay in the EU. Second, the contract, because a yearly plan is one you sit out. CelerBook has no contract and charges 0.25 excluding VAT per completed appointment, capped at 30 excluding VAT per month plus 5 per extra staff member, so a quiet month costs nothing. Third, what you can take with you if you leave. The VAT export comes out of the dashboard as PDF or CSV per month and per quarter, a per-client export is not in the product yet, and deleting a client along with their data does work. Fourth, the connection. Cloud software needs internet, CelerBook included: you can read the current week while the tab stays open, but adding an appointment needs a connection, so keep a phone on 4G as your fallback.