Fresha vs Phorest vs Treatwell: which booking system for your beauty clinic

If you run a beauty or wellness clinic, your booking platform is more important than your website — but they have to talk to each other. Here’s how the three major options compare in 2026, and when each makes sense.

Fresha

Core software is free. Fresha monetises through the Fresha Marketplace (a consumer app) and payment processing fees. Best for: single and small multi-location clinics who want zero subscription cost and are happy to be listed on the marketplace. Strong UK and AU adoption, fast-growing in 2024–2025.

• Pros: free software, clean UX, marketplace can bring discovery traffic, modern API.
• Cons: new-client fees on marketplace bookings (~25%), you’re listed alongside competitors, less customisation than Phorest.
• Website integration: embed widget, or deep-link to the marketplace. Both are one-liners.

Phorest

Paid subscription, typically £99–300+/month depending on the location count. Best for: established salons and clinics who need marketing automation, CRM depth, and tight staff/inventory controls.

• Pros: industry-specific marketing automation, branded client app, strong inventory and staff management, robust reporting.
• Cons: monthly cost, steeper learning curve, booking widget feels dated compared to Fresha.
• Website integration: embed widget; some custom work gets you a better-looking flow.

Treatwell

Primarily a consumer marketplace with booking software tacked on. Best for: salons who want marketplace exposure above all else — Treatwell’s strength is traffic, not software.

• Pros: strong consumer brand in UK, EU, and AU; marketplace drives new clients; integrated payments.
• Cons: expensive in practice once marketplace commission stacks on software fees; the software itself is the weakest of the three; strong competitor listings.
• Website integration: deep-link to Treatwell profile. Rarely worth embedding.

When to go custom

If you’re running complex membership tiers, multi-service packages that the off-the-shelf platforms can’t model, or you’re big enough to care about 25% marketplace commission, a custom booking flow wired directly to your PMS makes sense. Budget £2,500–10,000 for the build depending on complexity, and factor in ongoing maintenance.

“The right booking platform depends on your stage. A solo practitioner doesn’t need Phorest; a five-location group shouldn’t be on Fresha’s free tier.”

A decision framework

• Solo / two-chair, up-and-running: Fresha. Free, fast, good enough.
• 3–5 staff, established, marketing-focused: Phorest. The automation pays back the subscription.
• Brand that wants city-wide discovery over client retention: Treatwell — for the marketplace, not the software.
• Multi-location or ambitious single-site: custom booking wired to your chosen PMS.

Whatever you pick, the principle is the same: your website’s job is to make the booking obvious, and the booking tool’s job is to take the booking without the client having to think. Pick the combination that makes both of those jobs easy.

How we integrate booking on Stratevo beauty sites

Whichever platform you’re on, we wire it into your site as a first-class part of the design — not a third-party widget bolted onto the contact page. Fresha, Phorest, and Treatwell embeds are included on every beauty-vertical build at no extra cost. Custom booking flows (for clinics outgrowing the off-the-shelf platforms) are scoped on Premium or Enterprise.

Not sure which platform fits your stage? Book a 15-minute call — we’ll talk through your treatment mix, team size, and growth plans, then make a recommendation. We don’t take referral fees from any of them, so the answer is whichever one actually fits.