Which software should you choose – Fresha or Booksy?
Need help deciding between scheduling software options? We break down the differences between Fresha and Booksy. To add a bit of spice, we’re adding another name into the mix that you may also want to consider – Pabau.
Fresha is a subscription-free model for the beauty and wellness industry.
However, while it is technically ‘free’, they charge a commission fee on every new client booking that comes through their online booking marketplace, which can quickly become expensive. In their own words, Fresha helps businesses boost sales and attract new clients via online bookings through Google search, Facebook and Instagram.
According to Booksy, they’re not just an appointment app. They’re your partner, your sidekick, your employee of the month. Booksy will help you streamline the small stuff, so you can focus on running your business and not the other way around.
Based in the US, Booksy mainly looks after hair and beauty businesses. They cater to five main categories of business – hair, barbers, nails, brows and lashes, and massages.
Pabau is an all-in-one clinic management software specifically designed for medi aesthetic clinics. With clients all over the world, Pabau provides everything clinics need to reduce time spent on admin, improve the patient experience, and attract new customers. Because it’s purpose-built for med spas, it has key features that this client base will find particularly valuable.
Let’s start by breaking down the pricing in Fresha, Booksy, and Pabau.
As we said, Fresha operates a subscription-free model. While you don’t pay a monthly fee, you will be charged a commission fee of 20% for each new customer that books via Fresha. So, if you have 100 appointments booked through Fresha costing £50 each, they’ll take £1000.
Booksy has two pricing plans: Booksy Lite and Booksy Pro. Both of these cost $29.99 a month for one user. You’ll also pay an additional $20 for every additional user you need, up to nine users – then it’s no further cost.
They have an optional Boost add-on feature. This will charge you a commission fee for every new client that books an appointment via the Booksy marketplace. They don’t list how much they charge for commission but it’s listed elsewhere as up to $100 per treatment.
Pabau charges a flat monthly fee – there’s no locking customers into lengthy annual contracts. The pricing is based on the number of users and every client will get access to all features. The only additional costs are the SMS charges and advanced marketing feature.
| Why Choose Pabau Over Fresha vs Booksy | Fresha | Booksy | Pabau |
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| No commission fees Fresha charges 20% commission on every new client that books through their online marketplace. Similarly, the optional Boost function on Booksy will charge you an undisclosed commission fee for every new client booking. |
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| No online marketplace Fresha and Booksy places you on their online marketplace, where you’ll be pitched alongside competitors in your area. New Fresha subscribers also get preferable positions. With Pabau, you can fully customize the online booking experienc. |
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| Automated pre-care and aftercare emails Want to send pre-care and aftercare emails to a client at the time of booking? In Pabau, this process is fully automated. Simply check a box at the time of booking and it’s taken care of. |
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| Comprehensive consent forms Booksy and Fresha both now have consent forms available, but it’s not as comprehensive a system as Pabau’s. Choose from hundreds of templates and edit and customize them to your needs. |
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| Patient journey app Want a way of making sure you have all correct documentation on file before a client has their appointment, such as consent, questionnaires, and before and after photos? Use Pabau’s dedicated patient app to keep you right and ensure you never miss a step again. |
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| Branded communication When you send any communication from Pabau, your brand will be front and centre. Texts and emails will come from your business. You can also add your own logo and branding to emails. With Fresha this isn’t the case and it can be confusing for clients.. |
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The best thing for me with Pabau is that all of these separate functionalities are integrated into one system. Having all of that integrated into a chronological system takes away so much of the brain power from the clinician.
The best software understands you, your business, and your challenges. Fresha and Booksy are designed for hair and beauty businesses. Meanwhile, Pabau has been built to meet the needs of beauty and healthcare businesses.
That’s why it has features created specifically for this sector, such as automated pre-care and aftercare emails, electronic medical records (EMR), before and after photos, injection plotting, customizable forms, and so on. At Pabau, we get you.
Getting new clients booking appointments with you should be something to celebrate - it means that your reputation is growing and you’re doing an excellent job, right?
That’s why, with Pabau, you won’t be stung with commission charges for new clients. You also won’t have to read the fine print about what constitutes a new customer. The money you earn through online bookings goes straight to you, every single time.
Pabau isn’t the cheapest software on the market. But the great thing is you won’t need anything else as, in the words of one of our customers, “Pabau does it all.”
While choosing Fresha means you’ll probably need to budget for additional tools, such as email marketing or more robust online forms, this isn’t the case with Pabau. And because we’re so feature-rich, as your business grows, we’ll grow with you.
Booking an appointment online is one of the first touchpoints a client has with your business. But Fresha sends clients to their online marketplace to book, where your clinic is pitched alongside the competition - and Booksy means you’ll have to ask customers to download their app.
In Pabau it’s a completely different experience. You create the end-to-end experience to fit with the look and feel of your brand. The client can book an appointment directly from your website - and there are no hidden fees or costs. Every online booking is money in your pocket.
Clinics need to collect a LOT of documentation before an appointment, right? With Pabau, you don’t have to break a sweat trying to remember everything. You can simply use our app to ensure you have up-to-date health records, signed medical consents, and photos.
Not every provider has this functionality, but we know how needed by med spa practitioners. Not only does it protect the client, it also protects your business.
“After 16 years of using about 20 different client management software systems, this is the only one I can honestly say does it all, and does it all very well.”
Roxanne Merchant,
Head of Operations, Juvea Medical
“Pabau is feature-rich, allowing us functionality to grow as our business needs grow, and at the same time quite intuitive to use. Competing software offerings can’t compete!”
Daniel, Doctor,
G2 review
“I’ve been in business for almost nine years. I’ve tried a lot of different software, but I was always missing some features. This software has everything that saves my time, keeps my records and medical forms in one place, and is easy to use.”
Angelina, Owner
G2 review
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