Waypost vs Fresha
Fresha is a powerful booking platform with a marketplace. Waypost gives you your own branded website, your own booking system, and your own client relationships — without marketplace commission.
Fresha has become a popular choice for salons and beauty businesses, and for good reason: it handles appointment scheduling well and its marketplace connects you with new clients searching for local services. But Fresha is fundamentally a booking platform, not a website builder — your public presence lives on Fresha's marketplace pages, not a site you own. If you want a branded website, a client CRM you fully control, and automated marketing that belongs to your business rather than a platform, Waypost is built for that.
| Feature | Waypost | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Your own website | Yes — branded, on a waypost.co.uk address, or your own domain on Pro and Business | No — client-facing presence is a Fresha marketplace profile |
| Online booking | Built in, on your own site | Yes — strong booking system, hosted on Fresha |
| Marketplace listing | Not a marketplace — you own your traffic | Yes — exposure to Fresha's discovery platform |
| Commission on new clients | None on paid plans (Free plan: 2% platform fee on payments taken) | One-off 20% fee (minimum £4) on each new client found through its marketplace; none on returning clients |
| Client CRM | Built in — contacts, history, tasks, follow-ups | Client profiles within Fresha, exportable as CSV |
| Automated follow-ups | Built in | Automated messages within Fresha |
| AI co-founder / insights | Built in | Not available |
| Starting price | Free, then £29/month (Pro) | From £14.95/month + VAT, plus the new-client marketplace fee (Fresha UK pricing page, October 2026) |
| Best for | Salons and service businesses that want to own their brand | Salons wanting marketplace discovery and a ready-made booking flow |
When Fresha is the better choice
Fresha is the stronger choice if marketplace discovery is your top priority — particularly if you are a newer business that has not yet built a client base and wants exposure to people searching for local beauty and wellness services. Fresha's booking flow is well-optimised for the salon and spa sector, and if you do not need a standalone website, it reduces the overhead of running a separate platform.
Waypost vs Fresha — common questions
Can I use Waypost for salon bookings specifically?
Yes. Waypost generates a website tailored to your salon, with an integrated booking system for appointments, automated reminders, and a client CRM to track preferences and booking history.
Does Waypost charge commission on bookings?
Not on paid plans. Pro and Business are a flat monthly subscription with no commission on bookings or new clients — every booking goes directly to your business. On the Free plan, Waypost takes a 2% platform fee on payments processed through your site. Stripe's own card-processing fees apply on every plan.
What if I want marketplace exposure and my own website?
You can run both. Use Waypost for your own branded website and client management, and maintain a Fresha profile for marketplace discovery. Many salons use a booking platform for new-client acquisition while keeping their direct clients on a system they own.
Can I bring my Fresha client list into Waypost?
Yes. Export your clients from Fresha (Settings → Export) and import the file into Waypost — names, emails and phone numbers come across. Upcoming appointments stay in Fresha, so add any future bookings in Waypost yourself.
Simple pricing
Simple pricing.
Everything in one place.
Your website, your clients, and your automations — no plugins, no patchwork tools.
Free
Free forever
No card required
- 2 AI site builds (lifetime)
- 15 AI edits (lifetime)
- 1 published site
- Up to 100 contacts
- Auto-reply to leads
- Basic CRM
- 2% fee on payments you take online
- —Custom domain
- —Multi-step automations
- —Co-Founder
- —Lead Finder
- —0% platform fee (Free pays 2% on payments taken)
Build your first site. See if Waypost fits.
Pro
- 3 AI site builds/month
- 60 AI edits/month
- Unlimited contacts
- Custom domain
- Lead Finder (25 searches/mo)
- Co-Founder (250 messages/month)
- 0% platform fee on payments you take
- —Priority support
Everything a solo business owner needs, in one place.
Business
- 10 AI site builds/month
- 150 AI edits/month
- Up to 5 sites
- Lead Finder (200 searches/mo)
- Co-Founder (unlimited)
- Priority support
- 0% platform fee on payments you take
For founders managing multiple offers or growing fast.
| Feature | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI site builds | 2 (lifetime) | 3/month | 10/month |
| AI edits | 15 (lifetime) | 60/month | 150/month |
| Projects | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Contacts | 100 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom domain | — | ||
| Automations | 1 active | 3 active | Unlimited |
| Emails/month | 50 | 500 | 2,000 |
| Co-Founder | — | 250 messages/month | Unlimited |
| Lead Finder | — | 25 searches/mo | 200 searches/mo |
| Remove Waypost branding | — | ||
| Support | Priority |
All plans include free hosting on a waypost.co.uk subdomain. Upgrade for your own domain.
Card payments your clients make carry Stripe's processing fee of 1.5% + 20p on every plan.
Illustrative monthly costs
Compare a sample toolkit.
These are sample costs, not current provider prices or guaranteed savings. Compare your own bills, plan limits and required features before switching. Payment processing fees are separate.
Commission depends on eligible bookings. At a hypothetical 20% rate, if new-client bookings account for 25% of £3,000 monthly revenue, the commission would be £150. This is an arithmetic example, not any provider's quoted terms.
Frequently asked questions
No. You describe your business in plain English and Waypost builds everything for you. If you want to change something, just tell it what you want — like texting a designer.
Free includes a website and basic CRM. Pro and Business add Co-Founder chat and higher allowances. Booking and other business tools depend on your business setup. Review your services, prices and hours before taking bookings, and connect a payment account if you want to collect online.
Pro and Business let you connect a domain you own. Every plan can use a free yourname.waypost.co.uk address to get started.
Yes. The free plan lets you build and publish a site with no credit card required. Pro and Business unlock more edits, automations, and features as you grow.
Yes. Use the site editor to change text, images and styling, or describe an AI edit within your plan allowance. Check the saved draft and publish when you want those changes to appear on your live site.
Your site, contacts and enabled business tools share one workspace. You still need to review the generated details and configure the services you use, including connecting a payment account for online collection.
Your contacts export to CSV on every plan, including Free, and a domain you’ve connected stays yours — point it elsewhere whenever you like. Cancel any time from billing settings.
Your whole business.
One place. One login.
Built to run your business while you focus on the craft. Free to start, no card needed.
Free plan (2% fee on payments you take) · No credit card required · Cancel anytime