SpaSphere · the Fresha alternative
Keep 100% of Every Client You Earn
Every new client the Fresha marketplace sends you comes with a commission, on top of a monthly subscription and payment processing fees. SpaSphere is built for estheticians: one plan, your own website, zero marketplace, zero commission.
Thirty days for $1, then SpaSphere Pro is $139 a month with four team members included.
SpaSphere vs Fresha: the short answer
SpaSphere vs Fresha: Fresha fits you if you want a low monthly subscription and are comfortable paying per new marketplace client. SpaSphere fits you if you want one monthly plan with zero commission on any booking, new or returning.
SpaSphere Pro is a $139/mo platform for estheticians, one plan with treatment plans, retention flags, branded website, and SOAP notes included. Zero commission, zero per-booking marketplace fees. Fresha is a marketplace platform with a paid subscription ($19.95/mo solo or $14.95 per team member) plus a 20% commission on the first visit of every new client its marketplace sends you, with its own-domain website ($15.95/mo) and loyalty ($59.95/mo) as add-ons. Its processing rates are low; the cost is in the commission. SpaSphere Pro is the opposite: one predictable monthly fee, bookings stay yours.
Switch to SpaSphere if
- You want zero commission on bookings
- You want clients you keep, not marketplace leads
- You want predictable monthly pricing instead of per-booking fees
Side by side
SpaSphere vs Fresha: features and pricing compared
A subscription per team member, plus a cut of every marketplace client.
| Feature | SpaSphere | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-session treatment plans | Ordered steps with an enforced minimum wait between sessions, bundle pricing, deposit booking, automatic step-ready emails, progress in the client portal | Packages and memberships, which prepay a quantity but neither sequence the steps nor hold the gap between them |
| Treatment protocols | Your method documented: per-step products and duration, suitability by skin type and Fitzpatrick range, explicit contraindications, published to your team | Not offered |
| Local market pricing data | Pricing for your zip by service category in basic, premium and luxury tiers, with your own menu scored above, below or at market. Refreshed monthly | Not offered |
| Skin SOAP notes | Skin-specific SOAP and concerns library, included | Generic Forms and basic charting; no skin-specific SOAP workflow |
| Retention against each client rhythm | Clients flagged against their own visit rhythm with the reasons listed, and a win-back Sophie drafts in your voice and you approve before it sends | Rebook reminders and a generic lapsed-client offer, with nothing that flags a client drifting off her own rhythm or explains why |
| Website on your own domain | A full site on your own domain with SEO, service pages, a blog, and a client portal, included | Fresha profile page by default; Smart Website on your own domain is a $15.95/mo add-on |
| Client marketplace | None: clients see only you | Built-in consumer marketplace with other providers |
| Commission on new marketplace clients | None | 20% one-time fee on the first appointment of new Marketplace clients ($6 minimum); repeat and direct bookings are free |
| Pricing model | SpaSphere Pro: $139/mo, one plan, up to 4 team members and 86 capabilities included, optional extras. No commission on any booking | $19.95/mo solo or $14.95/mo per team member; 20% commission on the first visit of new marketplace clients; website, loyalty, and AI add-ons extra |
Competitor pricing, plan names and feature availability checked against the public pricing page and help center of each platform as of October 2026. Vendors change plans and pricing without notice, so confirm current details on the vendor site before you decide.
Who should choose Fresha, and who should choose SpaSphere
When Fresha can still be a good fit
- You want a low monthly subscription and are comfortable paying per new marketplace client.
- You actively rely on marketplace discovery for client acquisition.
- You do not need esthetician-specific tools like SOAP notes or treatment plans yet.
When SpaSphere is a better fit
- You want one monthly plan with zero commission on any booking, new or returning.
- You want your own website on your own domain, not a marketplace profile.
- You want esthetician-specific tools (SOAP notes, treatment plans, skin profiles) included.
The real annual cost
The subscription is the small line. The commission is the big one.
The Fresha subscription is low, and its card processing is competitive. But every new client the marketplace sends you carries a 20% commission. Here is a simplified example with the same payment mix on both platforms, subscriptions included.
The example scenario:
- 1,000 appointments / year
- $100 average ticket
- ~100 new clients/year via the Fresha marketplace
Fresha fees
| Payment type | Fee | Est. annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| In-person processing (500 appts) | 2.29% + 20¢ | ~$1,245 |
| Online processing (500 appts) | 2.79% + 20¢ | ~$1,495 |
| New-client marketplace commission (100 clients) | 20% of first appt · $6 min | ~$2,000 |
| Independent subscription | $19.95/mo | ~$240 |
| Smart Website on your own domain | $15.95/mo add-on | ~$190 |
| Estimated total | ~$5,170 / year | |
SpaSphere + Stripe fees
| Payment type | Fee | Est. annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| In-person processing (500 appts) | 2.7% + 5¢ | ~$1,375 |
| Online processing (500 appts) | 2.9% + 30¢ (3.4% + 30¢ typed in by hand) | ~$1,600 |
| New-client commission | None | $0 |
| SpaSphere subscription (website included) | $139/mo | ~$1,670 |
| Estimated total | ~$4,640 / year | |
The Fresha card processing is a touch lower than the SpaSphere rate, and its subscription is smaller. The difference is the commission: in this example Fresha costs ~$5,170/year against ~$4,640 for SpaSphere, and the gap widens with every new client the marketplace sends you. If few of your new clients come through the marketplace, Fresha can cost less.
The Fresha subscription, add-on price, 20% new-client commission, $6 minimum, and US processing rates are from the Fresha public pricing as of September 2026; SpaSphere processing is the standard Stripe US rate. Both platforms assume half in-person and half online payments. Costs vary with payment mix, volume, team size, and how many new clients arrive through the marketplace.
The bigger question is not the monthly fee
It is whether your software is growing a practice you own, or renting you clients.
Fresha was built as a marketplace that sells you clients. SpaSphere was built to help estheticians grow a practice they keep:
- Keep 100% of every booking, new clients included
- Build organic discovery on your own domain
- Guide long-term treatment plans, with the wait between sessions held
- Flag clients drifting off their own visit rhythm
- Recommend home care from what you saw in the treatment room
The real cost of software is not the monthly line item. It is whether you are building your own client base, or paying commission on a marketplace someone else owns.
Why estheticians switch from Fresha
Fresha charges for the clients its marketplace sends you. SpaSphere takes no commission on any booking.
The Fresha subscription is low, but every new client the marketplace sends you comes with a 20% commission, plus payment processing fees. The more the marketplace works for you, the more it costs.
Commission on new marketplace clients
On Fresha: 20% one-time fee on the first appointment of new clients found via Marketplace ($6 minimum); direct and repeat bookings are free
On SpaSphere: No commission on any booking, new or repeat.
Marketplace-first booking
On Fresha: Your Fresha profile page shows other nearby venues
On SpaSphere: No marketplace. Your booking page is on your own website, and clients see only you.
Built for general beauty
On Fresha: No skin-specific SOAP, no skin-progress treatment plans, no esthetician-specific workflows
On SpaSphere: Skin SOAP notes, skin-progress treatment plans and esthetician workflows, included.
Inside SpaSphere
See it for yourself.
Your website
Your design on your own domain, with SSL included and a Book Now button on every page.
Online booking
Clients choose a service, a provider and a time, and pay a deposit or the full price, right on your site.
Her own client portal
Clients sign in on your site to see their plan, book the next visit, pay and keep track of what they bought.
The difference every esthetician should see
What is included with SpaSphere
Fresha puts your clients in a marketplace. SpaSphere puts them on your website.
On Fresha, your booking lives inside their marketplace (next to other nearby venues) with commission on every new marketplace booking, and a website on your own domain is a $15.95/mo add-on. On SpaSphere, your own website is included, with a blog and client portal. One plan, no marketplace, no commission.
- Your own domain, included, not a $15.95/mo add-on.
- SEO-ready service pages built for your city and treatments.
- No marketplace, no nearby-venue listings, no commission on new clients.
- One plan, keep 100% of every booking, including new clients.
Before you decide
SpaSphere vs Fresha pricing: what to compare before you switch
- Add up the real cost: commission on new clients plus payment fees can cost more than one monthly plan, fast.
- Check whether your booking page builds your brand or the marketplace.
- See if SOAP notes, treatment plans, a real website, and protocols are included or absent.
See SpaSphere pricing for plan details, or compare prices and fees in best booking websites for estheticians, or see how the top tools stack up in the best esthetician booking software roundup.
Questions
SpaSphere vs Fresha: questions and answers
Is Fresha still free?
No. Fresha now charges a subscription ($19.95/mo for one person or $14.95/mo per team member) plus a 20% one-time commission on the first appointment of any new client found through its Marketplace ($6 minimum), and payment processing on every transaction. Direct and repeat bookings are commission-free. The more new clients the Marketplace sends you, the more a one-plan platform like SpaSphere saves.
Will I lose clients if I switch from Fresha?
Your existing clients can book with you directly once your own website is live. We move your client list and history for you within 48 hours.
How do I get new clients without the marketplace?
SpaSphere gives you a real website on your own domain with SEO tools, service pages, and Google-ready content. Instead of paying commission on marketplace traffic, you build organic discovery to your own brand.
Does SpaSphere include features Fresha does not?
Yes. Skin-specific SOAP notes (Fresha has generic Forms and basic charting, no skin-specific SOAP workflow), structured multi-session treatment plans built around skin progress (Fresha has packages and memberships), retention flags with the reasons listed and a win-back drafted in your voice, and a full website on your own domain with a blog and client portal, included (the Fresha own-domain website is a $15.95/mo add-on).
Can I still accept online bookings without a marketplace?
Yes. Your SpaSphere website is a full online booking flow on your own domain. Clients book directly with you, you keep 100% of every booking, and nothing points them to a competitor.
Switching from Fresha
Switch from Fresha to SpaSphere
Fresha takes a cut of every new marketplace client. SpaSphere takes none.
Thirty days for $1. Then SpaSphere Pro is $139 a month, with four team members included.
Switching from Fresha? We move your clients, services and history for you, within 48 hours of receiving your export.
Rather see the steps first? How to export your clients from Fresha: what the file includes, what it leaves out, and how to bring it across.