Chairpilot vs Fresha

Pricing at a glance

Where Fresha is strong

• Software itself is free to start.
• Big salon market presence, especially in UK.
• Comprehensive feature set including stock and product sales.

Where Fresha falls short

• Paid features include critical things like marketing blasts and new-client acquisition.
• Heavy upsell into paid marketing credits.
• No AI retention agent — marketing is manual campaign blasts.
• Terms of service and support responsiveness have been criticised by owners.

Why teams pick Chairpilot

• No marketing-credit upsell — AI retention agent is included at every tier.
• Flat €19/mo or €99/mo — no volume surprises.
• Focus on keeping existing clients rebooked, not paid acquisition of strangers.
• Smaller, sharper tool designed for 1–10 chair operations.

The honest bottom line

Fresha is a capable tool — free salon software monetised through payment processing and marketing spend. If you want a general-purpose scheduler or you\u2019re already deep in their ecosystem, it can be a fine fit.

Chairpilot is sharper. It\u2019s built specifically for barbers, hair salons, and beauty studios, and the AI retention agent is a different class of tool — it doesn\u2019t just accept bookings, it actively fills your chair. If client retention is the bottleneck in your business, that\u2019s the decision.