Not any more. Fresha removed its free-forever plan in early 2025. Its subscription now starts at roughly $19.95/month for a solo user, or about $14.95 per bookable team member per month on the team plan, with card processing fees and SMS costs on top.

Does Fresha handle Indian GST?

Fresha operates internationally and offers billing features, but it is a global platform rather than an India-specific one. Bloom is built only for India, so GST-inclusive invoicing with GSTIN support is core. Note that Bloom invoices do not currently include HSN/SAC line-item codes — check with your CA if your filing requires them.

Can customers book without downloading an app?

With both, yes. The difference is where the booking completes. Fresha customers typically book through its marketplace or your booking page. With Bloom, the customer messages your salon’s WhatsApp number and an AI bot completes the booking inside that chat, in Hindi, English or Hinglish, with no app download and no jump to a web page.

Veloqit Bloom vs Fresha: Honest Comparison for Indian Salons (2026)

The short version

Fresha is a strong global platform with a genuine advantage Bloom does not have: a consumer marketplace that can send you new clients. Its pricing is per bookable team member, plus a new-client fee only on marketplace discoveries and card processing on top. Bloom is India-only, charges a flat monthly fee per plan no matter how many customers book, and takes no cut of your revenue at all — but it will never bring you a customer who has not heard of you. Choose on whether you want marketplace acquisition or predictable flat costs and WhatsApp-native booking.

Side by side

	Veloqit Bloom	Fresha
Subscription model	Flat ₹799 / ₹1,499 / ₹2,499 per month per plan	From ~$19.95/mo solo, or ~$14.95 per bookable team member per month
Cost as your team grows	Flat — Scale includes unlimited staff logins	Scales with each additional bookable team member
Commission on bookings	None, ever	20% new-client fee, but only for clients who find you via the Fresha marketplace
Card processing fees	None charged by Bloom — deposits go by UPI to your own account	Card processing charged per transaction
Marketplace that brings new clients	Not offered — Bloom manages customers you already have	Consumer marketplace that can surface your salon to new customers
Booking over WhatsApp	Conversational AI bot completes the booking inside WhatsApp	WhatsApp, SMS and email reminders; booking happens on the marketplace or your booking page
Built specifically for India	India-only: GST-inclusive invoicing, UPI, Hindi/Hinglish bot	Global platform across many markets
Visit-cycle prediction	Predictor Engine forecasts when each customer is next due	Marketing and retention tools; no directly equivalent advertised feature
Stylist-facing earnings view	Each stylist gets a live earnings counter, commissions, leaderboard and badges	Staff management aimed primarily at the owner
International / multi-country use	India only	Operates across many countries

Figures reflect publicly advertised information as of August 2026. Vendors change pricing — check their current pricing page before deciding.

Choose Bloom if…

Most of your bookings already come from your own customers over WhatsApp.
You want a predictable flat monthly cost that does not rise as you hire stylists.
You never want a percentage taken out of your revenue.
You need GST-inclusive invoicing built for Indian filing, not adapted to it.
You want deposits paid by UPI straight into your own account.
You want your stylists to see their own earnings and commissions live.

Choose Fresha if…

You genuinely want a consumer marketplace to send you new clients, and accept a fee for that.
You are a solo operator where a per-person subscription is cheaper than a flat plan.
You operate outside India, or across multiple countries.
You want card payments processed in-platform rather than UPI to your own account.
Marketplace discovery is a core part of how you plan to grow.

Common questions

No, and this is widely misrepresented. Fresha charges a marketplace new-client fee of 20% (with a stated minimum per new client) only when someone who is not already on your client list discovers you through the Fresha marketplace and books. Repeat visits by that customer, and bookings made through your own link, your Google listing or your Instagram, do not carry that commission. Judging Fresha on a "20% of everything" basis is not accurate.

It depends on team size and where your bookings come from. Fresha bills per bookable team member, so cost rises as you hire; Bloom charges a flat monthly fee per plan regardless of how many customers book. For a salon with several stylists that gets most bookings directly from its own customers rather than a marketplace, Bloom is usually the lower and more predictable cost. If you actively want a marketplace to send you new clients, that is something Bloom does not offer at all.

Sources

Fresha is a trademark of its respective owner. This comparison is our own and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Fresha. We have aimed to represent their product fairly from public information — if anything here is out of date or inaccurate, email info@veloqit.com and we will correct it.

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