For barbers · Compare
Fresha vs Treatwell for barbers (UK, 2026)
The cheapest diary with a marketplace against the UK’s biggest beauty marketplace with no monthly fee. Fresha wins from about three new clients a month.
Prices checked 23 September 2026 · UK prices
TrimCheck is not a booking app. We connect barbers to every channel on top of whichever app they run, so we have no favourite here. Every number is from the platforms’ own pricing pages on the date shown, and we say plainly which one wins.
Prices side by side
| Fresha | Treatwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | £14.95 solo; £9.95 per person on the team plan | None stated (Freelancer plan); Advanced plan adds unlimited team members |
| New client from the marketplace | 20% of the first visit | 35% + VAT of the first booking |
| Repeat bookings | 0% | 0% |
| Online prepayments | 1.99% + 20p | 2.5% + VAT |
| In-person card | 1.29% + 20p on Fresha’s terminal or Tap to Pay | Your own reader, or Treatwell’s POS |
| Marketplace | Large, salon and spa-first, strongest in the Gulf | Largest UK beauty marketplace, salon and spa-first |
| Diary | Full, with deposits, client records and add-ons | Basic calendar, client list, promotions, reports |
| Calendar sync | Two-way Google Calendar; ICS for Apple and Outlook | Partner integrations only |
| Trial | 7 days | Free to list |
Fresha against Treatwell for your month
Treatwell’s 2.5% is applied to the card takings you enter as if every client prepaid online; if they pay you in person, drop it. Booksy is in for reference, with Boost on.
Subscription plus new-client commission plus card fees at the platform’s published online rate. Marketplace clients are counted once, at their first visit, as each platform’s fee rules state. Tax not included. Your own regulars never carry a commission on any of these platforms.
Three barbers, three answers
| Barber | Fresha: plan + new-client fee | Treatwell: commission | Better pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet marketplace: 2 new clients at £30 | £14.95 + £12 = £27 | 2 × £12.60 = £25 | Level. Fresha if you need the diary anyway |
| Typical: 8 new clients at £30 | £14.95 + £48 = £63 | 8 × £12.60 = £101 | Fresha |
| Busy: 20 new clients at £28 | £14.95 + £112 = £127 | 20 × £11.76 = £235 | Fresha, by a distance |
Fresha takes 20% of the first visit; Treatwell 35% plus VAT, so £12.60 on a £30 booking. Card fees are extra on both and depend on how clients pay: Fresha’s are 1.99% + 20p online and 1.29% + 20p in person (about £64 or £47 on £2,400 at £30 a cut), Treatwell charges 2.5% plus VAT only on online prepayments (£60 on £2,400) and nothing when clients pay you in person on your own reader. Rounded.
Where each one wins
Fresha
- 20% beats 42% on every new client.
- A real diary: two-way Google Calendar sync, deposits, client records.
- Strongest of the big apps in Dubai and Riyadh.
- Cheapest paid app with any marketplace at all.
Treatwell
- No monthly fee stated, so nothing to pay in a quiet month.
- The biggest UK consumer audience for beauty bookings.
- 0% on repeats, so returning clients are free.
- Fills afternoons in salon-heavy UK cities.
Running both
Fresha as the diary and Treatwell as a second channel is how most salons that use both set it up, and it works for a barber too. Fresha’s Google Calendar sync is the anchor; Treatwell bookings then need to land in the same calendar or a slot gets sold twice. TrimCheck does not replace any of them. It sits on top of the app you run, pushes your profile to every channel and keeps one calendar true.
Keep your app. Add every channel.
Whichever app you pick, TrimCheck sits on top of it: your profile goes out to every channel, one calendar stays true, and every request lands on your WhatsApp. No monthly fee, no commission.
Questions barbers ask
Which is cheaper, Fresha or Treatwell?
Fresha from about three new marketplace clients a month. Fresha is £14.95 a month plus 20% of a new client’s first visit; Treatwell has no monthly fee stated but takes 35% plus VAT, which is 42%. At two new clients a month at £30 the two are level; at eight, Fresha is about £63 against Treatwell’s £101 before card fees.
Does Treatwell charge for repeat bookings?
No. 0% on repeat bookings. Neither does Fresha: its 20% applies to the first visit only. Both charge 2.5% or thereabouts on online prepayments (Fresha 1.99% + 20p, Treatwell 2.5% plus VAT).
Which marketplace sends more barber clients?
Both are salon and spa-first. Treatwell has the larger UK consumer audience; Fresha is larger globally and dominant in the Gulf. In UK cities neither sends a barber as many new clients as Booksy, so check what other barbers near you are listed on before choosing either for reach.
Which has the better diary?
Fresha. It has two-way Google Calendar sync, deposits, a proper client record and a marketplace listing in one system. Treatwell’s software is built around the marketplace and is thinner as a day-to-day diary.
Can I list on both?
Yes, and many salons do: Fresha for the diary and its listing, Treatwell for extra reach. Keep one calendar as the truth or you will sell a slot twice. Fresha’s Google Calendar sync makes it the natural base; TrimCheck keeps the other channels in step with it for free.