CalendX
CalendX is a dedicated booking platform built for service professionals — featuring a fully customizable storefront with photos and pricing, your own deposit/payment link sent to clients automatically, and a physical QR code included on every plan, all for one flat monthly fee with no commission.
Fresha is a free booking platform for salons and spas that generates revenue through payment processing fees and marketplace commission on certain bookings — strong for marketplace discovery, but with a less customizable storefront and no physical QR card. Visit fresha.com ↗
Every feature compared — honestly.
CalendX lets you build your availability from scratch — choose which days, hours, and services are open, and block specific time slots for personal use or admin time. Fresha's marketplace-oriented calendar offers less granular control.
Your CalendX profile shows your services, photos, prices, social media, and client reviews with full customization. Fresha's profile is standardized around its marketplace format.
Attach your own Stripe, PayPal, or other payment link to any service. CalendX emails it to the client automatically — for a deposit or full payment — with no marketplace cut taken.
Send every client a private note the moment they reserve — address, prep instructions, or anything they need to know. No manual follow-up emails.
Every CalendX plan includes the CalendX TAG — a physical QR card for your desk, window, or pocket. Walk-in clients scan and book instantly. Fresha offers no equivalent.
CalendX lets you build your availability from scratch. You choose which days are open, which services are bookable on which days, and exactly which hours you accept appointments — and you can block specific time slots for staff meetings, maintenance, or personal time. A solo stylist who only works Tuesday through Saturday, or a spa that closes for deep cleaning on the first Monday of each month, can configure this precisely. Your schedule is your product — CalendX treats it that way.
Clients who land on your CalendX profile see your full business: service catalog with photos, descriptions, durations, and prices, styled around your brand rather than a standardized marketplace template. They can compare your services and book in one flow — without calling, emailing, or DMing you.
Attach a Stripe, PayPal, Wise, or bank transfer link to any service. When a client books, CalendX automatically emails them that link to pay a deposit or the full amount. You mark the booking as paid once you see the payment land — you keep 100% of what you charge, with no marketplace commission taken by CalendX.
Every CalendX plan includes a physical QR code card (CalendX TAG) that links directly to your booking page. Place it at your reception desk, hand it to walk-in clients, or stick it in your window. It converts offline foot traffic into digital bookings instantly.
Send each client a private note automatically when they reserve — your address, parking instructions, or what to bring. No manual follow-up email, no forgetting the details that make the appointment run smoothly.
CalendX works out of the box for beauty, fitness, health, tutoring, home maintenance, consulting, events, and field services — 21 service categories across 8 industry clusters. Setup: create profile, add services with photos and prices, share your link or QR code. Done. One flat monthly fee, no commission on your revenue.
Fresha's consumer app puts your business in front of people actively browsing nearby salons and spas, driving new-client discovery you don't have to generate yourself through marketing. For businesses in dense, competitive areas, this exposure can be genuinely valuable.
Fresha doesn't charge a monthly subscription for its base booking tools, which appeals to very price-sensitive new businesses that want to avoid a fixed fee before they have steady revenue, accepting the tradeoff of payment fees and marketplace commission instead.
Fresha processes card payments natively within the platform, so clients can pay without you setting up a separate payment link. For businesses that want a single all-in-one payment flow and are comfortable with the associated processing fees, this reduces setup steps.
Common questions about CalendX vs Fresha
It depends on your booking volume. Fresha's core software is free, but it earns through payment processing fees and marketplace commission on certain bookings. CalendX charges a flat $14.99 per month with no commission and no cut of your revenue — you keep everything you charge clients. For businesses doing steady volume, CalendX's flat fee is often cheaper than a percentage taken from every transaction.
CalendX doesn't process payments itself. You add your own payment link — from Stripe, PayPal, or any provider you already use — to a service, for a deposit or the full amount. CalendX automatically emails that link to the client when they book, and you mark the booking as paid once you see the payment land. There's no marketplace commission and no per-transaction cut taken by CalendX.
Yes. CalendX's custom availability builder lets you choose which days are open, which hours you accept appointments, and which services are bookable on which days — and you can block specific time slots for personal use, staff meetings, or maintenance. This gives you more granular schedule control than Fresha's marketplace-oriented booking calendar.
Fresha's core booking software is free to use, but it generates revenue through payment processing fees on card transactions and marketplace commission on new clients acquired through the Fresha app. CalendX charges one flat monthly subscription with no commission on any booking, regardless of where the client came from.
Yes. You can export your client list and service details from Fresha and set them up in CalendX in under 2 minutes — add your services with photos and prices, set your availability, and share your booking link or CalendX TAG QR code. CalendX offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required so you can test the switch risk-free.
CalendX includes several features Fresha lacks: a fully customizable storefront with no marketplace commission; the CalendX TAG physical QR code card included with every subscription; a custom availability builder with block-specific time slot control; a private message sent automatically to every client at booking; the ability to attach your own payment link from any provider; and 7-language support on all plans. Fresha focuses on marketplace discovery and free software funded by transaction fees, while CalendX gives you a flat-fee platform you fully control.
Ready to try CalendX?
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
