The Fresha alternative for massage salons: no new-client fees.
Rytuo is the Fresha alternative built for massage salons and day spas. There is no marketplace, so there is no new-client fee; you pay one flat price per location however many therapists you have; and the Rytuo Assistant answers your clients on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and your website 24/7.
Key factsAs of 9 November 2026
- Fresha pricing model
- Independent plan, or a price per bookable team member on Team (UK: £14.95 / £9.95 per member, ex VAT*)
- Fresha new-client fee (UK)
- 20% of a new marketplace client's first appointment, minimum £4, plus VAT*
- Fresha AI Concierge
- Calls and messages, paid add-on (from €28.95 per location per month on the EU page)
- Rytuo commission
- None, on any booking
- Rytuo price
- Start £19, Salon £39 per location per month, ex VAT; AI assistant included in Salon
* UK figures as reported by whito.co.uk from Fresha's UK pages (15 September 2026); Fresha shows prices by country. Details and examples: Fresha fees explained.
The 30-second answer
| Rytuo | Fresha | |
|---|---|---|
| New-client fee | None (no marketplace) | UK: 20% of the first appointment, minimum £4, + VAT*; non-refundable |
| How the subscription grows | Flat per location: Start £19, Salon £39 | Per bookable team member on the Team plan |
| AI for clients | Rytuo Assistant on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and website chat, included in Salon | AI Concierge for calls and messages, paid add-on |
| Rooms | Every booking has a room and a therapist; couples (two therapists, one room) and four-hands as one booking; cleaning buffers | Bookable resources such as rooms, assigned automatically; a resource can take more than one appointment at a time |
| Online booking channels | Your own booking page and website widget, no marketplace listing required | According to Fresha's help centre, unlisting your marketplace profile disables all your online booking channels |
Who should switch, and who should not
- Switch if your clients mostly find you on Instagram, Google or by word of mouth, if new-client fees or per-member pricing add up, or if your salon runs on couples rooms and needs room-first scheduling.
- Keep Fresha as a shop window if its marketplace still brings you clients you could not reach otherwise, and run the salon in Rytuo.
- Stay on Fresha if the marketplace is your main source of new clients and you are happy with the cost.
What you keep and what changes
Rytuo is not a marketplace, so it will not list you in a consumer app. Clients book on your own Rytuo booking page, linked from your Instagram bio, your Google Business Profile and your website, and the Rytuo Assistant replies to their messages. Your client list comes with you: we import it from an export, with visit counts and last visit dates where the export includes them.
Switch in three steps
- Export your clients and services from Fresha.
- We import them and set up your rooms, therapists, rota and prices, at no extra cost.
- Share your booking link and connect Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. More about switching.
Why choose Rytuo instead of Fresha for a massage salon
- No new-client fee and no per-member pricing. The fifth or eighth therapist does not change your bill.
- The AI assistant is included in the Salon plan and works where your clients write: Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and web chat.
- Built for massage. A therapist app in Thai, couples and four-hands bookings, room buffers, therapist pay from completed visits, packages and an online voucher shop.
- Setup done for you, by a team that built Rytuo inside a working massage salon.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Fresha alternative for a massage salon or spa?
Rytuo. It is built for massage salons and day spas, has no marketplace and therefore no new-client fee, charges one flat price per location instead of per team member, plans by room and therapist with couples and four-hands bookings, and includes the Rytuo Assistant for Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and website chat in the Salon plan (£39 per location per month, ex VAT).
Is there a free Fresha alternative?
A few booking tools have free plans, for example Square Appointments (a £0 plan in the UK, with rooms and resources only on its Premium plan) and Setmore (a free plan for up to 4 users, priced in US dollars), according to their pricing pages checked 9 November 2026. Free plans suit solo practitioners; a salon with treatment rooms, couples bookings and a team usually outgrows them. Rytuo is not free, but it has no commission and no per-therapist charge.
Why do salons look for an alternative to Fresha?
One reason is the marketplace new-client fee. According to Fresha's help centre the fee is non-refundable, it also applies when a new client views your Fresha profile first and then books through your own website or social pages, and opting out means unlisting your profile, which switches off online booking through Fresha. Others want a fixed price that does not grow with each team member.
Can I keep my Fresha listing while using Rytuo?
Yes, if the marketplace still brings you new clients. Some salons keep a marketplace listing for discovery and run their salon, regulars, messages and pay in their own system. We will show you in the demo how to avoid double bookings.
How do I switch from Fresha to Rytuo?
Export your client list and services from Fresha, send them to us, and we set up your services, prices, rooms, therapists and clients in Rytuo for you. Then you share your own booking link and connect Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.
Sources
- Fresha help centre: Marketplace new client fees, checked 9 November 2026
- Fresha pricing (country-specific; our copy shows the EU/EUR version), checked 9 November 2026
- whito.co.uk: Fresha UK fees (read on Fresha's UK pages, 15 September 2026), checked 9 November 2026
- Fresha AI Concierge (EU page, EUR), checked 9 November 2026
- Fresha help centre: Create and manage resources, checked 9 November 2026
- Square Appointments UK pricing, checked 9 November 2026
- Setmore pricing, checked 9 November 2026
Product and company names belong to their owners; Rytuo is not affiliated with them. Competitor information comes from the providers' public pages as of 9 November 2026. Prices and terms change and can differ by country. If something here is out of date, email [email protected] and we will correct it within 7 days.
Try Rytuo free for 7 days
Create your account and test everything on your own salon: rooms, therapists, online booking and the Rytuo Assistant. 7-day free trial, no card required. Choose a plan when it ends.
- No card required to start
- No commission on bookings, one flat price per location
- We can move your services, team and client list for you
Questions or a chain with 3+ locations: [email protected]
How the trial works
- 1Create your accountA few details about your salon and you are in. It takes a couple of minutes.
- 2Set up or let us do itAdd services, rooms and therapists yourself, or book a demo and we set it up with you.
- 3Test it for 7 daysThe full package from day one, with your own team.
- 4Choose a plan when it endsOnly then do you pay. Without a choice, nothing is charged.
7-day free trial, no card required. Choose a plan when it ends.