Cicini vs Fresha: own your clients and your data
Fresha is built around a marketplace. Cicini is built around your business — flat, transparent pricing with no commission on new clients and no upsell pressure. Your clients, your brand, your data.
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Marketplace exposure vs business ownership
Fresha is a popular booking platform for salons, spas, and wellness pros, with a polished app and a consumer marketplace that can send new bookings your way. For businesses that want exposure to that marketplace, it's a reasonable choice.
But the marketplace is also the catch. Fresha charges a one-time fee when a brand-new client discovers you through its marketplace (20%, minimum $6 per new client), and in 2025 it removed its long-standing free tier in favor of paid subscriptions. Payment-processing fees stack on top. The deeper question is who owns the relationship: with a marketplace, you're renting access to clients rather than building a brand of your own.
Cicini takes the opposite approach — independence by design.
How Cicini and Fresha differ
Fresha's model centers on its marketplace: clients browse, book, and often create a Fresha account, and you pay when a new client arrives through that channel. The platform sits between you and your client.
Cicini's model centers on you. You get a branded online booking page you can embed on your own website, a full client CRM with notes and history, and an exportable client list that's always yours. Clients book directly with you — not through a marketplace that takes a cut.
The difference isn't features alone — it's ownership.
Cicini vs Fresha: feature-by-feature
| Capability | Cicini | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Online booking page | ||
| Commission on new clients | None — never a per-booking cut | Marketplace new-client fee (20%, min $6) |
| Pricing model | Flat SaaS: Free, $19, $49, Enterprise | Paid plans + commission + processing fees |
| Free plan | Yes — $0/mo forever | Removed in 2025 (7-day trial only) |
| Client data ownership & export | Yes — your list, exportable anytime | Limited — tied to the platform |
| Embed booking on your own website | Limited | |
| Book without a marketplace account | ||
| Staff scheduling | Yes — role-based availability | |
| Payments & deposits | Yes — Stripe deposits & prepay | Yes — Fresha payments |
| Automated SMS + email reminders | Yes — email all plans, SMS on paid | Yes — some via paid add-ons |
| Intake forms & client notes | ||
| Multi-location support | ||
| HIPAA compliance support (BAA) | Yes — on Enterprise | |
| API & webhooks | Yes — on Professional | Limited integrations |
Fresha details based on its published pricing and help-center documentation as of 2026. Always confirm current terms on Fresha's site.
When businesses choose Cicini over Fresha
When businesses choose Cicini over Fresha
- They already get clients from their website, Google, and social — and don’t want a marketplace taking a cut
- They want to own their client list and brand, with data they can export anytime
- They prefer flat, predictable pricing over commissions and stacked fees
- They want a free plan to start and clear paid tiers as they grow
- They want booking embedded on their own website, not a third-party account
- They run a salon, spa, or wellness studio that values independence over marketplace exposure
Cicini is built for salon and spa scheduling and other service businesses that want all-in-one booking without the marketplace strings.
Switching from Fresha
Switching from Fresha
Transparent pricing, real ownership
Transparent pricing, real ownership
Cicini vs Fresha: frequently asked questions
Got questions? We've got answers.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. Cicini is a strong Fresha alternative for service businesses that want to own their clients and brand instead of relying on a marketplace. You get online booking, staff scheduling, Stripe payments, automated reminders, and a built-in client CRM on transparent SaaS pricing — with no marketplace commission on new clients and no upsell pressure.
No. Cicini never takes a percentage of your bookings or charges a fee when you win a new client. Fresha charges a one-time marketplace new-client fee (20%, minimum $6) when a brand-new client books you through its marketplace. With Cicini you pay one flat monthly plan price, so growth never increases what you owe per booking.
Cicini has a Free plan at $0/month, a Starter plan at $19/month, and a Professional plan at $49/month, with custom Enterprise pricing. Pricing is flat and predictable. Fresha removed its free tier in 2025 and now starts at paid subscriptions plus marketplace commissions and payment-processing fees that stack on top, so your real cost depends on how many new clients book through its marketplace.
Yes. With Cicini your client list, booking history, and notes are yours, and you can export them at any time. Many salons move away from Fresha specifically because they want full ownership of their client relationships rather than sharing them with a marketplace.
Export your services, staff, and client list from Fresha, then import them into Cicini and connect your Google, Outlook, or Apple calendar. You can rebuild your services, availability, and branded booking page quickly. Our team can help — see our migration support resources for a step-by-step walkthrough.
Yes. Cicini lets clients book on your own branded booking page without forcing them onto a marketplace or third-party account. You can embed booking directly on your website, so the relationship — and the traffic — stays with your business.
For most independent salons, spas, and wellness studios, yes. If you already get clients from your website, Google, and social media, you do not need a marketplace taking a cut. Cicini gives you the booking, payments, reminders, and CRM tools to run the business on your own terms with transparent pricing.
Keep your clients. Keep your margins.
Start a free trial or book a demo to see how Cicini gives you full-featured booking without marketplace commissions.
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