Treatwell vs Fresha vs DoTheBeauty: Which Salon Software Is Actually Worth It?

Treatwell vs Fresha vs DoTheBeauty: A Quick Overview

If you have been searching "fresha vs treatwell" trying to decide which platform to use for your salon, you are not alone. Both are popular, both promise to fill your appointment book — and both take a cut every time a new client walks through your door via their marketplace.

This comparison breaks down exactly how Treatwell and Fresha charge, what you actually get, and whether there is a better option for salons that want to keep their revenue and their client data.

What Is Treatwell?

Treatwell is a beauty marketplace operating across the UK and Europe. Salons list their services and new clients discover them through the Treatwell app and website. Treatwell also includes a booking management tool called Treatwell Connect, which handles your calendar, client records, and payments.

The model is straightforward: Treatwell brings you new clients, and in exchange it takes a commission on those bookings. Repeat clients rebook for free.

Treatwell Pricing and Commission

• Subscription: From €35/month for Connect (UK/EU rates vary)
• New client commission: 35% of the treatment price — verified on treatwell.co.uk/business
• Repeat client commission: 0% — repeat bookings are commission-free
• Payment processing: 2.5% on online prepayments
• VAT: Applied on top of all fees

On a £60 cut-and-colour from a new client, Treatwell takes £21 in commission plus £1.50 in processing fees. That is £22.50 you never see. If you bring in 20 new clients a month averaging £55 per visit, you are handing over around £385 every single month.

Treatwell: Pros and Cons

• Pro: Large established marketplace — real discoverability in the UK and Europe
• Pro: Built-in calendar, client management, and payments in one place
• Pro: No commission on repeat clients
• Con: 35% new-client commission is one of the highest in the industry
• Con: No AI website builder — you do not get your own salon website
• Con: Limited branding control — your salon sits inside Treatwell's platform
• Con: Client data stays on Treatwell's terms

What Is Fresha?

Fresha (formerly Shedul) built its audience by offering free salon software. That model has shifted. Fresha now charges a monthly subscription for independent businesses, plus transaction fees and a marketplace commission on new clients.

Fresha's marketplace operates in 120+ countries and is the largest beauty booking platform in the world by appointment volume. For salons, that reach is appealing — but it comes at a cost that is not always obvious from the headline pricing.

Fresha Pricing and Fees

• Subscription: €12.95/month (independent businesses, as of 2026)
• Marketplace new-client commission: 20% per booking (minimum €6) — verified on fresha.com
• Repeat client commission: 0%
• Payment processing: 1.29% + €0.20 per transaction (EU rate)
• SMS notifications: €0.14 per message after the free allowance

Fresha's commission is lower than Treatwell's at 20%, but the floor matters: a €20 gel polish removal generates a €6 minimum commission — that is 30%. The processing fee on every card payment adds up quickly too, especially for salons doing high volume.

Fresha: Pros and Cons

• Pro: World's largest beauty marketplace — huge client discovery potential
• Pro: Lower commission than Treatwell (20% vs 35%)
• Pro: Strong feature set: POS, inventory, client CRM, loyalty, gift cards
• Con: Was "free" — now charges subscription fees
• Con: 20% new-client commission adds up fast at scale
• Con: No AI website builder — your salon lives inside Fresha's platform
• Con: SMS fees catch businesses off-guard

The Real Cost: Treatwell vs Fresha Commission Compared

Here is the scenario many salon owners do not model before signing up. You bring in 25 new marketplace clients per month, each spending an average of £55:

• Treatwell: 25 × £55 × 35% = £481.25 in commission + £34.38 in processing fees = £515/month
• Fresha: 25 × £55 × 20% = £275 in commission + £17.88 in processing fees = £293/month
• DoTheBeauty Growth plan: €49/month flat (around £42) + 1% on card payments = approx. £53/month total

That is not a typo. The difference between Treatwell and a flat-fee platform like DoTheBeauty can be £460+ per month — more than £5,500 per year — once your new-client volume reaches a modest 25 per month.

Use the calculator below to run the numbers for your own salon:

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The commission model makes sense when you are just starting out and need every new client you can get. Once you build a loyal base, it can quietly become your biggest overhead.

What Is DoTheBeauty?

DoTheBeauty is an AI-powered salon software that gives you a professional website, online booking, and a full management suite — all for a flat monthly fee with no commission, ever.

The key difference: with DoTheBeauty, clients book directly through your own salon website. You are not renting space on someone else's marketplace. You keep 100% of every booking.

It was built by a team who ran a real salon in Lombok, Indonesia, and grew frustrated with the admin chaos of juggling multiple apps and platform commissions. The goal was simple: give salon owners professional tools without the commission tax.

DoTheBeauty Pricing

• Starter: €19.95/month — up to 2 staff, all core features, 2% card fee
• Growth: €49/month — up to 8 staff, custom domain, email reminders, 1% card fee
• Pro: €79/month — unlimited staff, priority support, dedicated onboarding, 0.5% card fee
• Commission: 0% on all plans, always
• Trial: 7-day free trial, live in under 10 minutes

Learn more on the DoTheBeauty pricing page.

Feature Comparison: Treatwell vs Fresha vs DoTheBeauty

Here is how the three platforms stack up across the features that matter most to salon owners:

• Online booking: All three — but only DoTheBeauty puts the booking widget on your own website
• Your own salon website: DoTheBeauty (AI-built in 10 minutes) — Treatwell: No — Fresha: No
• Commission on new clients: DoTheBeauty 0% — Fresha 20% — Treatwell 35%
• Commission on repeat clients: All three: 0%
• Calendar management: All three
• Mixed bookings (multi-stylist, one appointment): DoTheBeauty only
• Reception dashboard (iPad/tablet): DoTheBeauty and Fresha — Treatwell: limited
• Product inventory with barcode scanning: DoTheBeauty and Fresha — Treatwell: No
• Email reminders: All three (DoTheBeauty on Growth and Pro plans)
• Custom domain: DoTheBeauty (Growth and Pro) — Treatwell: No — Fresha: No
• Client data ownership: DoTheBeauty (full) — Treatwell and Fresha: platform-dependent
• Marketplace discovery: Treatwell and Fresha — DoTheBeauty: your own website and SEO

Which Platform Is Right for Your Salon?

Choose Treatwell if: You are in a major UK or European city, you are brand new, and you need instant marketplace exposure above everything else — and you accept that 35% is the price of that discovery.

Choose Fresha if: You want marketplace reach at a lower commission rate, you already have good software habits, and you are comfortable with variable costs rather than a predictable flat fee.

Choose DoTheBeauty if: You want to own your online presence, keep 100% of every booking, and have a professional salon website working for you around the clock. It suits salons at any stage — from solo stylists on the Starter plan to multi-location teams on Pro. The mixed bookings feature is especially useful for salons where clients need services from multiple stylists in one visit.

Worth noting: Treatwell and Fresha are not mutually exclusive with DoTheBeauty. Some salon owners use a marketplace for initial discovery while building their own direct booking channel. Once your direct bookings outgrow your marketplace revenue, you can reduce your commission exposure significantly.

Verdict

Treatwell and Fresha are legitimate platforms with real user bases. But both are designed to sit between you and your clients — and they charge for that position.

If you are growing a salon where most bookings eventually come from repeat clients and word-of-mouth, a flat-fee platform like DoTheBeauty returns more money to you the busier you get. The commission model rewards the platform more as your salon grows. A flat fee rewards you instead.

Compare the full picture on our dedicated pages: Treatwell alternative and Fresha alternative.

Ready to see how it works? Start your 7-day free trial — your salon website can be live in under 10 minutes.