Fresha bills you for every person on the diary; Timely bills you for how busy your week was. Both price lists side by side, and who each one suits.
Fresha and Timely do the same daily jobs, but one bills for every person on the diary and the other for how many bookings you take. That makes Fresha vs Timely a sum about how many people you have and how busy your weeks are.
Fresha costs £9.95 a month for every team member, or £14.95 for a one-person business, before VAT, and takes a one-off 20% (minimum £4) when its marketplace finds you a new client. Timely charges by the week, from £4, £7 or £9 depending on the plan, and the bill rises and falls with your bookings. It includes unlimited team members and charges no new client fees. UK prices as of 29 October 2026.
Per person or per booking: how each one bills you
Fresha's pricing page is simple: once you're on the Team plan, every extra stylist adds £9.95 a month, and a quiet month costs the same as a mad one. The marketplace fee and paid extras are unpicked in the Fresha fees breakdown we wrote.
Timely works the other way round. Your average weekly bookings set the first bill, and after that its pricing page says the charge adjusts itself: lower after a slow week, higher after a busy one. A new team member costs nothing in itself; only their extra bookings show on the bill.
The catch: Timely shows "starting from" prices but no rate per booking, and doesn't say whether VAT is included.
Fresha vs Timely side by side
| Fresha | Timely | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Each team member, monthly | Your bookings, weekly |
| Starting price | £14.95 a month solo, £9.95 a month per team member | From £4, £7 or £9 a week (Run, Boost, Thrive) |
| Adding staff | £9.95 monthly per extra person (Team plan) | Unlimited team members on every plan |
| New client fee | 20% one-off (minimum £4) on marketplace clients | None |
| Card in person | 1.19% + 20p (7p extra for Tap to Pay) | 1.59% + 5p, Tap to Pay included |
| Card online | 1.4% + 25p | 1.85% + 30p |
| Texts | 6p each after 20 free per team member monthly | 1, 2 or 3 per booking by plan, then 8p, 5p or 4p |
| Free trial | 7 days | 14 days, no card needed |
| Contract | None | None, 14 days' notice to cancel |
Which one costs less?
- If you work alone, the two start close together. Fresha is £14.95 a month before VAT (about £17.94 with it), and Timely's cheapest plan comes to about £17.33 a month before bookings push it up. Ask Timely about VAT before you compare.
- Six people on Fresha cost £59.70 a month before VAT, whether they work two days or five; Timely only counts bookings.
Timely's in-person rate has a smaller fixed charge but a bigger percentage. Against Fresha's card reader they meet at about £37.50: on a £60 colour Fresha takes £0.91 and Timely £1, on a £20 brow tidy £0.44 against £0.37. With Tap to Pay on your phone, Fresha's rate becomes 1.19% + 27p and the meeting point moves nearer £55. Above 15 bookings a week, Timely offers to discuss a custom rate for its in-person card reader.
What the Timely plans include
- Run: online booking, reminders, client records, a branded website and deposits.
- Boost: adds Reserve with Google, cancellation fees, consultation forms, text marketing and rewards.
- Thrive: adds rebooking reminders, accounting integrations, a link between the Timely Stock app and your account, and priority support.
Run lets you take deposits, but charging a cancellation fee needs Boost.
What a booking site of your own costs
Full disclosure: we sell this. We build online booking into your own website. Booking Pro, a £2,500 build then £59 monthly, gives you online booking and reminders. Taking deposits or payments online needs Elite, £3,500 then £79 monthly, which adds a full admin side with a CRM. Add VAT to both. Neither takes commission or charges per stylist, though card fees apply on payments. You give up Fresha's marketplace, so search, socials and recommendations must bring people in.
At Classica Beauty, Jade's one-client-at-a-time studio, live online booking on the site we built replaced DMs and phone tag. More options: our honest list of Fresha alternatives.
Fresha or Timely: which suits you?
| Your salon | Better fit |
|---|---|
| You want a subscription that stays the same every month | Fresha |
| The Fresha marketplace regularly sends you strangers | Fresha |
| Your team is growing, or several people work part-time | Timely |
| Your diary swings between busy and quiet weeks | Timely |
Frequently asked questions
Does Timely charge extra to take card payments?
Only the processing fees. Timely says payments come with every plan at no extra cost apart from those. Online payments from cards issued abroad cost 3% + 30p. In person you take cards with Tap to Pay, which has no device cost, or a Timely terminal, which you pay for.
Can I change my Timely plan later?
Yes. Timely's FAQ says you can upgrade or downgrade at any point. So it is reasonable to start on Run and move to Boost once you want cancellation fees or Reserve with Google, rather than paying for features before you need them.
What is Timely's advanced team management add-on?
An optional extra at £8 a week on any plan. Timely lists staff targets, pricing that varies by team member, automatic appointment notifications for your team, an activity log and team payout management, and pitches it as clearer insight into team performance.
Does Fresha charge more for typing a card in by hand?
Yes. Fresha's pricing page lists manual card entry at 2.20% + 20p a transaction, well above its 1.19% + 20p in-person rate. If your team often keys in card numbers, add that to your sums when comparing it with Timely.
Before you sign up
Whichever way the Fresha vs Timely sum falls, both offer a free trial: 14 days on Timely, 7 on Fresha. Test an ordinary week first. Our free 10-point check shows how clients reach you through your Instagram bio and Google listing.
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