SupaDay vs Fresha for Beauty Salons: Which Is Better?

Beauty salons are different from every other business in this comparison. A hair salon tracks commissions on cuts and color. A nail salon tracks commissions on manicures and pedicures. A beauty salon tracks commissions on all of those — plus lashes, brows, waxing, facials, and sometimes spray tans and body treatments. Different providers, different service types, different rates. One stylist might earn 50% on color but doesn't do nails. The lash tech earns 45% on extensions and 40% on lifts. The esthetician has three different rates across facials, waxing, and microdermabrasion.

Both Fresha and SupaDay handle multi-service commission tracking — this isn't a gap where one fails and the other doesn't. The real differences are in what you pay beyond the subscription and what tools you get to run a multi-service business.

How commissions work across services

This matters most for beauty salons because no other business type has as many service categories under one roof.

Both platforms let you set different commission rates per provider and per service. A stylist at 50% on cuts and 45% on color. A nail tech at 40% across the board. A lash artist at 45% on extensions. Both track it.

The difference is at checkout. SupaDay's POS is free on every plan, and commissions calculate automatically when the provider checks out a client. If a client gets a haircut from one stylist and a brow wax from the esthetician, each service calculates at the right rate for the right provider. End of day, pull the report and run payroll.

Fresha's POS and commissions work the same way. Where Fresha costs more is the 20% marketplace cut — every new client who books through Fresha's marketplace costs you 20% of the booking before your commission split even applies.

Feature comparison

What a beauty salon actually pays

Solo esthetician

SupaDay Grow: $14/month — booking, SMS, commissions, POS, audit trail. No per-booking fees. Fresha Independent: $19.95/month — booking, commissions, POS. Plus 20% on new marketplace clients.

A solo esthetician doing facials and waxing who gets 8 new marketplace clients a week at $70 average? That's $448/month going to Fresha on top of the subscription.

6-person multi-service team

This is the sweet spot for beauty salons — 2 stylists, 1 nail tech, 1 lash artist, 1 esthetician, 1 front desk.

SupaDay Grow: 6 x $14 = $84/month — commissions across all services, POS, SMS, turn tracking. No per-booking fees. Fresha Team: 6 x $14.95 = $89.70/month — commissions, POS. Plus 20% on new marketplace clients.

A multi-service beauty salon attracts more new clients than a single-service shop because there are more reasons to walk in. If 20 new clients a week come through Fresha's marketplace at varying prices — $35 brow waxes, $80 lash extensions, $150 color treatments, averaging $75 — that's $1,200/month going to Fresha.

Add reviews ($14.95/month), loyalty ($59.95/month), and insights ($59.70/month for 6 members) — the real bill is over $1,400/month. SupaDay stays at $84.

10+ person salon

SupaDay Grow: $99/month (cap hit at 10 staff) SupaDay Business: $149/month cap — unlimited staff, website builder, reviews, multi-location Fresha Team: 10 x $14.95 = $149.50/month — before marketplace cut and add-ons

SupaDay Business at $149 includes a website builder to showcase all your services, review management, and multi-location. Fresha at $149.50 is the base — add the marketplace cut and add-ons and you're well past that.

Where SupaDay wins

A website to showcase everything you offer

This is where beauty salons differ from single-service businesses. A barbershop's website needs a booking link and hours. A beauty salon needs to show potential clients that you offer hair, nails, lashes, waxing, facials — the full menu — with pricing, photos, and a way to book each one.

SupaDay includes a website builder on Business at $22/user/month. Build a site that showcases your full service menu, your team, and connects directly to your booking page. Every site is SEO-optimized out of the box — so when someone searches "beauty salon near me," your salon has a real chance of showing up in Google results without paying for ads.

Fresha has no website builder. They have an online product store and a marketplace listing, but no way to create a standalone website for your salon. Without your own website, you're depending on Fresha's marketplace to get found — and paying 20% for the privilege.

The 20% marketplace cut across a wide price range

Beauty salons feel Fresha's marketplace fee differently than single-service businesses. A barbershop loses 20% on $30–50 services. A beauty salon loses 20% on everything from a $25 brow wax to a $250 balayage — sometimes from the same client in the same visit.

A client books a $150 color treatment and a $40 brow wax through Fresha's marketplace? Fresha takes $38 from that single visit. Multiply that across 20 new marketplace clients a week and the fee adds up faster than any other business type because the average ticket is higher when clients book multiple services.

SupaDay charges $14/user/month. One service or five in the same visit — no booking fees.

Walk-in turn tracking for multi-service teams

Beauty salons get walk-ins for quick services — brow waxes, blowouts, manicures. When multiple providers can do the same service, the turn tracker determines whose turn it is. A quick brow wax counts as a half turn, a full set of lash extensions counts as a full turn.

Fresha has no turn tracker on any plan. For beauty salons where walk-ins are part of the mix (not the majority, but consistent), that's a gap.

Audit trail across service types

With multiple providers doing multiple services, disputes happen. Did the lash tech or the esthetician do that client's brow lamination? Was the color service cancelled or rescheduled? The audit trail logs every change — who, when, what. Useful for commission accuracy and scheduling disputes across a multi-service team.

Fresha doesn't have it.

Reviews and capped pricing

SupaDay includes review management on Business. Fresha charges $14.95/month per location. Beauty salons depend on reviews more than most — a new client choosing between three salons in the area is reading Google reviews before picking one.

SupaDay caps at $99/month on Grow (up to 10 staff) and $149/month on Business (unlimited). Fresha has no cap — marketplace fees scale with your new client volume, and add-ons stack.

Where Fresha wins

Commissions on every plan

Fresha includes commission tracking on every plan — even Independent at $19.95/month. This is a genuine strength and worth acknowledging. Both platforms handle multi-service commissions well.

Marketplace discovery for new salons

Fresha's marketplace puts your salon in front of people searching nearby. For a beauty salon that just opened, that visibility across multiple service categories can bring in first clients faster than organic search alone.

The cost: 20% of every new client booking. For a multi-service salon where clients often book higher-ticket services, that 20% takes a bigger dollar amount. Once you're established and clients find you through Google, referrals, and your own website, the marketplace fee is paying for something you no longer need.

Multi-location without upgrading

Fresha supports multiple locations on the base plan. SupaDay requires Business at $22/user/month for multi-location.

Product retail and inventory

Fresha has a built-in online store with inventory tracking. Beauty salons that sell hair products, skincare, nail polish, and lash aftercare across multiple categories get more retail tools with Fresha.

Where they match up

Both handle the core scheduling and team management:

• Online booking — clients browse services by category, pick their provider, book anytime
• Calendar management — color-coded by provider, day/week/month views
• Client profiles — service history across all categories, notes, preferences
• Commission tracking — both handle multiple rates per provider and per service type
• Staff scheduling — shifts, time off, availability per provider
• Recurring appointments — regulars on a set schedule

Who should pick which?

SupaDay makes more sense if:

• You want a website that showcases your full service menu (Fresha doesn't have one)
• You don't want to lose 20% on new clients across your whole price range
• You want commissions to calculate automatically through the free POS
• You want reviews included, not $14.95/month extra
• You need an audit trail across multiple providers and service types
• You want a predictable bill — $84/month for 6 staff, capped at $99 or $149

Fresha makes more sense if:

• You're new and need marketplace visibility across multiple service categories
• Product retail across hair, skin, and nail products is a significant part of your revenue
• You need multi-location on the base plan

The bottom line

Beauty salons are the most complex business to run on booking software — multiple service types, multiple providers, different commission rates for each combination. Both Fresha and SupaDay handle that complexity. The difference is everything around it. Fresha takes 20% of every new marketplace client across your entire price range — $25 waxes to $250 color treatments — and charges extra for reviews, loyalty, and insights. There's no website builder to showcase the full range of services that makes your salon a beauty salon in the first place. SupaDay includes commissions through free POS, a website builder on Business, review management, and an audit trail — $14/user/month, capped at $99 or $149. No marketplace cut, no per-booking fees. If you need marketplace exposure to launch a new salon, Fresha offers that at a cost. If you're running a multi-service team and need software that handles every commission rate without taking a cut of your bookings, SupaDay does that for less. See how SupaDay works for beauty salons →. For a full breakdown, check the comparison page →.