Wemu vs Fresha: what “free” salon software actually costs
Fresha and Wemu get you to the same place — online bookings, a till, reminders — by two very different business models. One is free until you grow. The other is flat forever. Which model suits you depends on where your clients come from.
Wemu Team
Product
Fresha earned its market position honestly: the product is polished, the booking flow is smooth, and “free subscription” removed the biggest objection a new salon owner has. If you're comparing the two, you're probably already on Fresha and doing well enough that the fees started to show up in your takings.
That's the real difference between these two platforms. It isn't a feature list — it's the business model behind the feature list.
Two models: pay as you grow vs one flat plan
Fresha's core subscription is free, and the platform earns from your activity: processing fees on card payments, a one-off commission when a new client finds you through their marketplace, and paid boosts if you want more visibility there. As of writing, that new-client fee is a meaningful share of the first sale — fine when you're new and empty, painful when your books are full and every chair is billing.
Wemu is the opposite shape: one flat subscription that includes the storefront, bookings, POS, inventory, forms, and campaigns — and no commission on anything. Card processing is the standard rate from the payment provider, and a client who finds you is simply your client. Your software bill is the same in your best month and your quietest one.
The quick math
A busy salon's software cost on an activity-fee model rises with revenue. On a flat plan it doesn't. The fuller your book, the more the flat plan wins — which is exactly why “free” software is cheapest for the salons that need it least.
Whose page is it?
A Fresha profile lives inside the Fresha marketplace — great for discovery, but your page sits in the same app as every competing salon in your suburb, and clients learn to shop the marketplace rather than follow you. Your Wemu storefront is your own branded page on your own link: your services, your team, your gift cards, your retail shelf — nobody else's intro offer one tap away. Wemu's own discovery marketplace is launching soon, and even then, your page stays yours.
Feature comparison
| Fresha | Wemu | |
|---|---|---|
| Core subscription | Free, activity fees apply | One flat plan |
| Commission on new clients | Yes — marketplace new-client fee | None |
| Booking page | Marketplace profile | Your own branded storefront |
| POS + retail inventory | Yes | Yes, included |
| Forms, waivers & client notes | Yes | Yes, included — with private clinical forms |
| Marketing campaigns | Pay-per-message blasts & boosts | Included email campaigns |
| AI assistant for daily admin | Limited | Included — reports, drafts, actions |
| Tap to Pay on iPhone (AU) | Via their terminal stack | Yes — no extra hardware |
| Who owns the client relationship | Shared with the marketplace | You |
Switching without losing your calendar
- 1Export your clients and appointments from Fresha (CSV exports are in your account settings).
- 2Start a Wemu trial and import the CSVs — Wemu's AI import handles messy columns and duplicates.
- 3Put your Wemu link in your Instagram bio and Google Business Profile a week before you switch the calendar, so new bookings start landing in the right place.
- 4Run both for one payweek if you like — then make Wemu the till.
Your regulars never notice
Existing appointments carry over, reminders keep sending, and your booking link simply changes destination. The only visible difference is whose brand is on the page — yours.
See the flat-plan difference
Start a free trial, import your Fresha export in minutes, and compare a month of flat pricing against your current fee run.
Start free trial →More switching guides
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