Marai vs Fresha
Marai offers AI automation with a flat fee and no commissions. Fresha offers a client marketplace with per-transaction fees. These are fundamentally different business models.
Last updated: March 2026
Quick summary
Choose Marai if you want a predictable flat fee, AI WhatsApp bot, and don't need a marketplace to bring you clients (you already have them). Choose Fresha if you want the platform to bring you new clients in exchange for commissions, and don't need WhatsApp as a booking channel.
| Feature | Marai | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| AI WhatsApp bot | ✓ | ✗ |
| WhatsApp reminders | Included | €0.05/msg |
| Booking commission | No | Yes (marketplace) |
| Payment commission | No | 1.29% + €0 |
| Multi-professional | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-location | ✓ | ✓ |
| Booking portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| POS / Point of sale | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Loyalty | Included | +€49.95/month |
| Advanced reports | Included | +€9.95/user |
| Native Spanish | ✓ | ✗ |
| GDPR (EU servers) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free plan | Yes, forever | 7-day trial |
The real cost of Fresha
Fresha has an attractive base price: €14.95/month for one professional, or €9.95/user/month on the Team plan. But the real cost is higher:
- $ Each WhatsApp reminder: €0.05
- $ Each online payment: 1.29% of amount
- $ New clients from marketplace: additional commission
- $ Loyalty programme: +€49.95/month
- $ Advanced reports: +€9.95/user/month
With Marai: flat fee. No commissions per booking or payment. WhatsApp reminders included. AI bot with message limits per plan (Pro: 300/year, Business: 1,000/year, add-on packs from €19).
WhatsApp: AI bot vs basic notifications
Fresha allows sending WhatsApp reminders, but it's one-directional. The client cannot reply to confirm, cancel or reschedule. And each message costs €0.05.
Marai includes a conversational AI bot that manages the full booking flow via WhatsApp: the client can book, confirm, cancel and check availability in natural language, 24/7. Included in Pro (300 AI msgs/year) and Business (1,000 AI msgs/year). Add-on packs available from €19.
Marketplace vs independence
Fresha's main advantage is its marketplace: new clients can discover you on the platform and book directly. In exchange, Fresha charges a commission per new client.
Marai doesn't have a marketplace. It focuses on giving you tools to manage your own clients independently: your brand, your portal, your data. If you already have clients and don't need a platform to send them to you, it's the more cost-effective option.
Pricing: example with 5 professionals
- 5 professionals included
- Unlimited appointments
- AI WhatsApp bot (300 msgs/year)
- Loyalty and memberships included
- Reports and analytics included
- Total: €59/month
- 5 x €9.95 = €49.75/month
- + WhatsApp: ~€30/month (600 msgs)
- + Online payments: ~€25/month (€2,000 vol.)
- + Loyalty: +€49.95/month
- + Insights: +€49.75/month (5 x €9.95)
- Estimated total: ~€205/month
Where Fresha wins
If you're just starting out and need to attract new clients, Fresha's marketplace can help you gain visibility. It also has a well-polished client app and its own payment terminal network. It's a mature ecosystem with years of development.
Coming from Fresha?
Migration is straightforward. Export your Fresha clients as CSV and import them into Marai with one click (available from Starter). No transaction fees. WhatsApp reminders included in all plans. Set up and go live the same day.
No credit card. No commissions. No surprises.