Fresha is genuinely good at what it's for: salons and clinics taking marketplace bookings by the calendar slot. But freelance makeup artistry doesn't work in calendar slots. It works in enquiries, quotes, trials, deposits and balances - and that's the shape Booked & Busy is built around.
| Salon suites (Fresha & co.) | Booked & Busy | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Salon & clinic teams, walk-in style bookings | Freelance makeup artists - bridal, events, shoots |
| How work arrives | Marketplace listings and a booking calendar | Your existing email and DMs - enquiries forward themselves into one inbox, nothing moves to a marketplace |
| The client journey | Pick a slot, pay by card | Enquiry → quote → deposit → trial → balance - the way real bridal work actually flows |
| Getting paid | Card payments with processing fees; marketplace fees can apply for new clients | Branded quotes & invoices with your own bank details - clients pay you directly, we never touch the money |
| Your client list | Lives alongside a marketplace of competitors | Yours alone. Private, encrypted, exportable |
| Price | Free-with-fees, paid tiers for teams | 30-day free trial (no card) · Starter £15/mo or £132/yr · Pro £25/mo or £250/yr · no VAT |
Yes. Send us an export, a spreadsheet or even photos of your diary and we'll set your upcoming jobs up for you, usually within a day. It's free during your 30-day trial.
There's a 30-day free trial of everything in Pro with no card. After that Starter is £15 a month (£132 a year) and Pro is £25 a month (£250 a year). No VAT is charged. If you don't subscribe, your account is paused rather than deleted straight away.
The next 20 artists to claim a place get 3 months of Starter free. You add a card when you claim and nothing is charged during the 3 months; cancel before they end and you pay nothing. It closes on 30 November 2026, or sooner if the places go.
Try it free for 30 days, no card. Send us your bookings and we'll set your pipeline up for you.