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 flat fee, your own website, zero marketplace, zero commission.
Thirty days for $1, then $139 a month with four team members included.
The short version
SpaSphere is a flat $139/mo platform for estheticians, 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 is the opposite - one predictable monthly fee, bookings stay yours.
Switch from Fresha 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
Why estheticians leave Fresha
Fresha's 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
20% one-time fee on the first appointment of new clients found via Marketplace ($6 minimum); direct and repeat bookings are free
Marketplace-first booking
Your Fresha profile page shows other nearby venues
Built for general beauty
No skin-specific SOAP, no skin-progress treatment plans, no esthetician-specific workflows
The real annual cost
The subscription is the small line. The commission is the big one.
Fresha's subscription is low, and its card processing is competitive. But every new client the marketplace sends you carries a 20% commission. Here's 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
| 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 | |
| Payment type | Fee | Est. annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| In-person processing (500 appts) | 2.7% + 5¢ | ~$1,375 |
| Online processing (500 appts) | 2.9% + 30¢ | ~$1,600 |
| New-client commission | None | $0 |
| SpaSphere subscription (website included) | $139/mo | ~$1,670 |
| Estimated total | ~$4,640 / year | |
Fresha's card processing is a touch lower than SpaSphere's, 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.
Fresha's subscription, add-on price, 20% new-client commission, $6 minimum, and US processing rates are from Fresha's public pricing as of September 2026; SpaSphere processing is Stripe's standard 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 isn't the monthly fee
It's 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 isn't the monthly line item. It's whether you're building your own client base - or paying commission on someone else's marketplace.
A subscription per team member, plus a cut of every marketplace client.
Quick side-by-side comparison
Multi-session treatment plans
SpaSphere
Ordered steps with an enforced minimum wait between sessions, bundle pricing, deposit booking, automatic step-ready emails, progress in the client portal
Fresha
Packages and memberships, which prepay a quantity but neither sequence the steps nor hold the gap between them
Treatment protocols
SpaSphere
Your method documented: per-step products and duration, suitability by skin type and Fitzpatrick range, explicit contraindications, published to your team
Fresha
Not offered
Local market pricing data
SpaSphere
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
Fresha
Not offered
Skin SOAP notes
SpaSphere
Skin-specific SOAP and concerns library, included
Fresha
Generic Forms and basic charting; no skin-specific SOAP workflow
Retention against each client's own rhythm
SpaSphere
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
Fresha
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
SpaSphere
A full site on your own domain with SEO, service pages, a blog, and a client portal, included
Fresha
Fresha profile page by default; Smart Website on your own domain is a $15.95/mo add-on
Client marketplace
SpaSphere
None - clients see only you
Fresha
Built-in consumer marketplace with other providers
Commission on new marketplace clients
SpaSphere
None
Fresha
20% one-time fee on the first appointment of new Marketplace clients ($6 minimum); repeat and direct bookings are free
Pricing model
SpaSphere
$139/mo flat, up to 4 team members and 86 capabilities included, two optional $29/mo add-ons. No commission on any booking
Fresha
$19.95/mo solo or $14.95/mo per team member; 20% commission on new marketplace clients' first visit; website, loyalty, and AI add-ons extra
Competitor pricing, plan names, and feature availability verified against each platform's public pricing page and help center as of September 2026. Vendors update plans and pricing without notice - confirm current details on the competitor's site before making a buying decision.
You earned your clients.
Not a marketplace. Not a commission funnel.
The difference every esthetician should see
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 flat fee, 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 flat fee - keep 100% of every booking, including new clients.
When Fresha can still be a good fit
- Good fit: You want a low monthly subscription and are comfortable paying per new marketplace client.
- Good fit: You actively rely on marketplace discovery for client acquisition.
- Good fit: You don't need esthetician-specific tools like SOAP notes or treatment plans yet.
When SpaSphere is a better fit
- Better fit: You want a flat fee with zero commission on any booking - new or returning.
- Better fit: You want your own website on your own domain, not a marketplace profile.
- Better fit: You want esthetician-specific tools - SOAP notes, treatment plans, skin profiles - included.
What to compare before you switch
- Add up the real cost - commission on new clients plus payment fees can beat a flat fee fast.
- Check whether your booking page builds your brand or the marketplace's.
- See if SOAP notes, treatment plans, a real website, and protocols are included or absent.
Also see simple pricing for clear plan details, or compare prices and fees in best booking websites for estheticians.
If you remember one line from this page:
Fresha takes a cut of every new marketplace client. SpaSphere takes none.
FAQ
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 flat-fee 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 doesn't?
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 (Fresha's 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.
Moving from Fresha?
Here’s how to export your client list, step by step — what the file includes, what it doesn’t, and how to bring it across.
Export your clients from Fresha