Fresha vs Glofox 2026
Fresha vs Glofox in 2026: Fresha is better aligned with appointment-led beauty and wellness businesses, while Glofox is stronger for class-based fitness studios, gyms, memberships, branded apps, and multi-location operations.
Key Takeaways
- Best fit for class-based fitness studios: ABC Glofox is the stronger fit for gyms, boutique fitness studios, Pilates studios, yoga studios, martial arts schools, and multi-location fitness operators that need class booking, recurring memberships, branded member apps, access control, CRM, and reporting in one fitness-specific platform.
- Best fit for appointment-led wellness businesses: Fresha is better aligned with salons, spas, barbershops, medspas, massage, aesthetics, and appointment-led wellness operators that value marketplace discovery, POS, inventory, online booking, client reviews, packages, memberships, and beauty/wellness workflows.
- Pricing difference: As of September 2026, Fresha publishes subscription, marketplace, and payment fees, including $19.95 per month for the Independent plan and $14.95 per month per bookable team member for Team, while Glofox publishes plans starting at $99 per month but directs buyers to request pricing for plan-specific quotes.
- Marketplace tradeoff: Fresha lists a 20% one-time commission, with a $6 minimum, for brand-new clients who discover the business through the Fresha marketplace; Glofox focuses more on a studio-owned branded member experience rather than a consumer marketplace.
- Review signal: Capterra lists Fresha at 4.8 from 1,447 reviews, while Capterra lists ABC Glofox at 4.4 from 356 reviews; review scores should be read alongside business type, implementation needs, contract terms, and payment-processing economics.
Fresha vs Glofox in 2026: The Short Answer for Studio Owners
If your US business runs primarily on appointments, retail, beauty or wellness services, independent providers, treatment rooms, consultation forms, deposits, and marketplace discovery, Fresha is usually the more relevant comparison point. Fresha positions itself around beauty and wellness businesses and lists appointment scheduling, POS, marketing, inventory, consultation forms, client reviews, memberships, packages, gift cards, and group bookings on its pricing page.
If your business runs primarily on memberships, class schedules, check-ins, recurring billing, attendance, branded member apps, trainer schedules, retention reporting, and multiple studio locations, ABC Glofox is usually the more relevant comparison point. Glofox states that its platform includes scheduling and booking, membership management, billing and payments, a custom branded app, CRM and marketing, reporting, access control and check-in, staff management, and multi-location management.
Editorial analysis — not reported fact:
For a boutique fitness studio, Pilates studio, yoga studio, martial arts school, or gym, the key question is not simply which platform has more features. The practical question is whether your revenue model is appointment-first or membership-and-class-first.
How We Compared the Software
This comparison was based on public vendor pages, pricing pages, support or FAQ documentation, and recognized review platforms available as of September 2026. We prioritized official product and pricing sources for feature and cost claims, then used review platforms as secondary evidence for customer sentiment.
- Booking and scheduling functionality
- Memberships, packages, and recurring billing
- Payment processing and POS capabilities
- CRM, automations, and retention tools
- Reporting and multi-location support
- Customer support, onboarding, and ease of use
- Pricing transparency and value for money
- Fit for US boutique fitness, Pilates, yoga, dance, martial arts, gym, and wellness studios
Fresha vs Glofox Compared
| Category | Fresha | Glofox | What Studio Owners Should Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary fit | Beauty, salon, spa, medspa, barber, massage, aesthetics, and appointment-led wellness businesses, based on Fresha's business positioning. | Gyms, fitness studios, Pilates, yoga, boxing, martial arts, wellness, PT studios, and multi-location fitness businesses, based on Glofox's business-type positioning. | Match the software to your revenue model, not just your industry label. |
| Scheduling model | Appointment scheduling, waitlists, group bookings, consultation forms, and resources are listed on Fresha's pricing page. | Classes, courses, appointments, waitlists, reminders, memberships, and member booking are listed on Glofox's feature page. | Demo your real weekly schedule, including workshops, recurring series, private sessions, and capacity rules. |
| Memberships and packages | Fresha lists packages and memberships among its features. | Glofox states that it supports memberships, packs, drop-ins, pricing rules, freezes, cancellations, usage limits, and booking eligibility. | Test intro offers, freezes, family accounts, shared credits, late-cancel rules, and expired packs before signing. |
| Payments and POS | Fresha lists online payments at 2.79% + $0.20, in-person payments at 2.29% + $0.20, manual card entry at 3.30% + $0.20, and terminal devices from $139. | Glofox lists recurring billing, built-in payments, failed-payment recovery, POS, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and payment provider integrations. | Compare total cost after payment processing, hardware, chargebacks, refunds, failed-payment recovery, and POS needs. |
| Marketplace or branded app | Fresha offers direct booking links, Facebook bookings, Instagram bookings, and marketplace discovery. | Glofox emphasizes a branded member app for booking, payments, push notifications, retail, memberships, and barcode check-in. | Decide whether discovery through a marketplace or a studio-owned app matters more for your growth plan. |
| Pricing transparency | Fresha publishes subscription, marketplace, payment, Klarna, manual-entry, and terminal fees. | Glofox publishes plans starting at $99 per month, and its FAQ says pricing varies by region and currency and excludes standard payment-processing fees. | Ask both vendors for a written, all-in first-year and renewal-year quote. |
Pricing and Contract Considerations
As of September 2026, Fresha lists an Independent subscription at $19.95 per month and Team pricing at $14.95 per month per bookable team member. Fresha also lists a 20% one-time commission, with a $6 minimum, for brand-new clients who discover the business through the Fresha marketplace, while returning marketplace clients are listed as free.
Fresha's payment pricing page lists online payments at 2.79% + $0.20 per transaction, in-person payments at 2.29% + $0.20 per transaction plus $0.10 per Tap to Pay authorization, Buy Now Pay Later through Klarna at 5.99% + $0.30 per transaction, manual card entry at 3.30% + $0.20 per transaction, and terminal devices from $139 per device. Fresha states that there is no minimum commitment or long-term contract and that businesses can use the software without using Fresha payments.
Glofox's plans page states that plans start at $99 per month and lists Essential, Boost, Elite, and Enterprise tiers. The Essential plan lists booking and scheduling, member management, payment processing, payroll, reporting and analytics, a Glofox mobile app, and a staff app; Boost adds items including online lead capture forms, advanced reporting, retail products, e-agreements, targeted communications, and task management.
Glofox's FAQ states that single-location pricing is plan-based, can be billed monthly or annually, varies by region and currency, and excludes standard payment-processing fees charged by the provider. Glofox also lists optional add-ons such as automated sales engagement, a custom branded member app, and multi-location analytics on its plans page.
Editorial analysis — not reported fact:
Fresha is easier to cost out from public pages, especially for a small appointment-led business with a known provider count. Glofox may require more sales discovery, but that is common for fitness management platforms where pricing can depend on location count, branded app needs, add-ons, onboarding, payment provider, and multi-location requirements.
Feature Fit: Where Fresha and Glofox Differ Most
Fresha is stronger for appointment-led wellness, salon, spa, and beauty workflows
Fresha's pricing page lists calendar and appointment scheduling, waitlists, POS, client management, consultation forms, ratings and reviews, retail and inventory, an online product store, quotes and invoices, marketing tools, deals and promotions, gift cards, packages, memberships, group bookings, resources, patch tests, and a business mobile app. That mix is especially relevant for appointment-led operations where retail, forms, treatments, staff calendars, and repeat client communication matter.
Fresha also includes marketplace discovery in its model, with direct booking links, Facebook bookings, Instagram bookings, and the Fresha marketplace listed on its pricing page. For a massage studio, medspa, brow bar, nail studio, aesthetics provider, or salon-style wellness business, that discovery layer may be meaningful if new-client acquisition is a major priority.
Glofox is stronger for class-based memberships, gyms, branded apps, and multi-location fitness operations
Glofox's feature page lists scheduling and booking, membership management, billing and payments, a custom branded app, CRM and marketing, reporting, access control and check-in, staff management, and multi-location management. The same page states that members can book classes, pay in-app, receive push notifications, buy memberships and credit packs, buy retail, and check in with a barcode.
Glofox also lists integrations with payment providers including Stripe, GoCardless, Ezidebit, and PayU; access control hardware including Kisi, Gantner, and Passport Technologies; and marketing tools including HubSpot, Mailchimp, Zapier, and Facebook Pixel. For a gym or boutique fitness studio, these details matter because access control, failed-payment workflows, check-in, app engagement, and recurring billing often sit at the center of daily operations.
Reviews and Reputation Signals
Capterra lists Fresha at 4.8 from 1,447 reviews and describes Fresha as built primarily for small businesses in beauty and wellness, with 96% of reviewers from small companies and 33% in health, wellness and fitness. G2's Fresha profile lists a much smaller review base, showing 4.2 out of 5 from 3 reviews, so G2 should not be treated as a broad sample for Fresha.
Capterra lists ABC Glofox at 4.4 from 356 reviews and describes it as gym and fitness studio membership management software with mobile app booking, purchases, member engagement, and website schedule integrations. G2 lists ABC Glofox at 4.5 out of 5, while G2 review summaries cite positive themes around ease of use and setup and negative themes around pricing, payment issues, and glitches.
Review platforms are useful directional evidence, but they do not replace a workflow-specific demo. A studio with 40 private appointments per week will experience software differently from a gym with 300 members, recurring billing, door access, failed-payment recovery, and daily class check-ins.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
Editorial analysis — not reported fact:
Choose Fresha if your business looks more like an appointment-led wellness, beauty, spa, aesthetics, massage, or salon operation. Fresha is especially worth evaluating if you want transparent public pricing, marketplace discovery, POS, inventory, consultation forms, direct booking links, and a lighter commitment model.
Choose Glofox if your business looks more like a membership-based gym, boutique fitness studio, Pilates studio, yoga studio, boxing studio, martial arts school, PT studio, or multi-location class business. Glofox is especially worth evaluating if you need recurring memberships, credit packs, app-based bookings, check-in, CRM journeys, failed-payment workflows, staff tools, branded app options, and multi-location controls.
If your studio sits between categories, such as a wellness studio with both treatment appointments and recurring classes, run a detailed demo in both systems. Build your real pricing, class packs, intro offers, late-cancel rules, waivers, staff permissions, refunds, and reporting dashboards before deciding.
What This Means for Studio Owners
Editorial analysis — not reported fact:
The Fresha vs Glofox decision is less about which platform is universally better and more about operational fit. Fresha is built around appointment-led beauty and wellness commerce, while Glofox is built around fitness memberships, class operations, branded member engagement, and gym or studio management.
Before signing, ask each vendor for a written quote that includes software subscription, payment processing, onboarding, migration, SMS or email usage, branded app fees, add-ons, hardware, cancellation terms, renewal increases, and data export terms. Then test the exact workflows that drive revenue in your studio: booking, recurring billing, membership freezes, failed payments, staff permissions, class check-in, packages, refunds, and reporting.
Sources & Further Reading
- Fresha pricing page — subscription pricing, marketplace fees, payment-processing rates, terminal pricing, contract language, and listed features.
- Fresha for business — Fresha's positioning for salon, spa, beauty, and wellness businesses.
- Glofox plans page — plan tiers, starting price, included features, optional add-ons, onboarding claims, and pricing request flow.
- Glofox features page — scheduling, membership management, billing, payments, branded app, CRM, reporting, access control, staff management, multi-location management, and integrations.
- Glofox FAQ — pricing structure, memberships, packs, drop-ins, class scheduling, PT scheduling, and payment-processing context.
- Capterra Fresha profile — review count, rating, business fit, reviewer mix, and user feedback data.
- Capterra ABC Glofox profile — review count, rating, software description, features, and user feedback data.
- G2 Fresha reviews — G2 rating and small-sample review context for Fresha.
- G2 ABC Glofox reviews — G2 rating, review themes, and customer feedback context for ABC Glofox.
Editorial coverage based on publicly available sources. Studio Software Advice does not accept paid placement in rankings. Unless stated otherwise, Studio Software Advice has no commercial relationship with any software companies named in this article.