Trimelo vs Fresha for Australian salons and barbershops.
Fresha is a booking platform many Australian businesses already know. Trimelo is built specifically for hair salons and barbershops, with graduated seat rates, no marketplace commission and SMS backfill included from seat one.
Side by side
Pricing shape
Trimelo
Graduated marginal rates: seats 1–4 A$19.95 each/month, 5–15 A$14.95, 16–30 A$11.95, and 31–50 A$11.03.
Fresha
Per-seat AU subscription (published independent / per-staff rates) that grows with every bookable staff member.
AI gap-fill
Trimelo
SMS cancellation backfill is included from the first licensed seat.
Fresha
AI Concierge sold as a paid add-on (published A$99.95/location/month).
Marketplace / commission
Trimelo
No marketplace at all — so no booking commission, ever. Client payments settle on your Stripe account.
Fresha
Runs a client marketplace; new-client commission applies when leads come through that channel.
Currency & support
Trimelo
Billed in AUD. Australian-timezone support including phone.
Fresha
Widely used in AU; subscription pricing historically quoted in a mix of local and USD contexts depending on product line.
Data leave
Trimelo
Full export any time. Import from Fresha CSV is built in.
Fresha
Export options exist. Test the export process with your own data before you switch.
The switch calculator uses Fresha’s published AU seat subscription only. AI Concierge, message overages and marketplace commission are excluded from that dollar comparison; Trimelo’s AI SMS appointment backfill remains included in its displayed subscription price. Verify Fresha’s current published rates before you decide.
- Graduated AUD per-seat rates that step down with team size
- SMS slot backfill included, not an A$99.95 AI add-on
- No marketplace, so no booking commission path exists
- Fresha wins if you need marketplace lead generation
When Fresha still makes sense
If your growth plan depends on marketplace discovery — new clients finding you through Fresha’s consumer app — that is a real reason to stay. Trimelo does not run a marketplace and will not pretend to replace that channel.
Fresha is also a mature, global product with a large install base. If you need a specific Fresha-only integration or retail workflow Trimelo has not shipped yet, check our roadmap before you migrate.
When Trimelo is the clearer fit
You already earn your clients through Instagram, Google, walk-ins and word of mouth — and want the per-seat rate to step down as your team grows.
You want cancelled and quiet slots offered by text automatically (waitlist first, one client at a time, chair held) without buying an AI add-on.
You want a transparent AUD seat calculation you can reproduce, with AI SMS backfill, booking, CRM, deposits and marketing campaigns included.
Switching without rewriting the book
Trimelo imports from Fresha (and Timely, Square, or a generic CSV). Bring the calendar and client list across, keep your public booking link on your own domain, and run the 14-day trial against a real week of appointments.
Use the switch calculator on the pricing page to see the subscription comparison for your seat count — it uses the same graduated bands shown above.