If you are evaluating appointment booking platforms for your service business, you have likely come across both Defte and Fresha. Both products solve the same core problem — replacing the phone call with an always-on digital booking system — but they are built around different market priorities, pricing models, and language strategies. This article gives you a direct, honest comparison so you can choose the right fit for your specific situation.
This comparison is written by the Defte team. We have made every effort to represent Fresha accurately. Our goal is to help you make the right decision for your business.
Defte is an appointment booking and business management platform designed for service businesses in multilingual markets, with a particular focus on Turkish, Russian, and English-speaking audiences. It was built to give small and medium service businesses access to professional booking infrastructure without upfront cost or technical complexity.
The platform handles the complete booking workflow: a public-facing booking page (with an installable PWA per salon), multi-staff management, automated push and email reminders, a built-in review system, analytics, and an AI assistant. Clients book by entering only their name and phone number — no account creation required on their side.
Defte operates on a freemium model with a permanent free tier and paid plans (Pro, Enterprise) for higher capacity and advanced features. There is no commission on any booking at any plan level.
Fresha (formerly Shedul) is one of the most widely used appointment booking platforms globally, with hundreds of thousands of businesses registered across Europe, North America, and Australia. Founded in 2015, it has become a major player in the salon and beauty software market.
Fresha is known for its polished interface, a large client-facing marketplace where consumers can discover new salons, and a comprehensive feature set that includes inventory management, point-of-sale, and payroll tools. The platform markets itself as subscription-free, generating revenue primarily through transaction fees on no-show protection (card-on-file charges) and payment processing.
Fresha's strongest markets are the UK, US, Australia, and other English-speaking countries. Its Turkish and Russian localisation exists but is not a primary focus of the platform.
| Feature | Fresha | Defte |
|---|---|---|
| Price (base) | Free (transaction fees apply) | Free (no transaction fees) |
| Free plan | ✅ Core booking free | ✅ Permanent free tier |
| Commission on bookings | ⚠️ Fees on no-show protection & payments | ✅ None at any plan level |
| Languages | English (primary) + others partial | Turkish, English, Russian (all native) |
| Turkey / Russia support | ⚠️ Partial localisation | ✅ Fully native |
| Android / iOS app | ✅ Native apps | ✅ Native apps + per-salon PWA |
| Push notifications | ✅ In-app | ✅ Web push + Android FCM |
| Reminder system | ✅ Email + SMS | ✅ Push + Email (automated cron) |
| Multi-staff management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Analytics | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Dashboard overview |
| Client marketplace (discovery) | ✅ Large, global | ⚠️ City-based listings (growing) |
| Inventory & POS | ✅ Full POS + inventory | ❌ Not available |
| AI assistant | ❌ | ✅ (Pro plan) |
Both platforms can be used for free, but their underlying revenue models are different and the distinction matters at scale.
Fresha: Core booking management is free. Revenue comes from transaction fees when businesses enable no-show protection (a card-on-file charge for missed appointments) and from payment processing. For businesses that do not use card payments or no-show protection, Fresha can be operated at zero cost. However, as booking volume increases and more payment features are adopted, transaction fees compound.
Defte: The free tier includes unlimited appointments, up to 20 services, 5 staff members, push notifications, email reminders, and reviews — with no commission on any booking at any volume. Paid plans (Pro at a monthly fee, Enterprise for larger teams) unlock unlimited services and staff, higher email capacity, AI features, and premium themes. No per-booking charge exists at any tier.
Pricing bottom line: If card payments and no-show protection are central to your workflow, Fresha's transaction fees are worth factoring into your cost model. Defte has no per-booking charge at any plan level, which keeps costs predictable regardless of volume.
Both platforms offer a free starting point. Fresha is free for core booking management but charges transaction fees when no-show protection (card-on-file) is enabled. Defte's free plan covers unlimited appointments, up to 20 services, 5 staff members, push notifications, and email reminders — with no commission or transaction fee at any plan level, including free.
Fresha is available in Turkey but its Turkish language support is partial — the business dashboard and some client-facing elements are not fully localised. Defte was built with native Turkish support throughout the entire platform, including the booking page, automated reminders, and the management dashboard.
Defte has native Russian language support across the full platform — the business dashboard, client-facing booking page, and automated push and email notifications all support Russian natively. Fresha's Russian localisation is limited. For businesses serving Russian-speaking clients, Defte provides a more complete native experience.
Set up your booking page in under 5 minutes. No credit card. No commission. No time limit on the free plan.
Start Free TodayA direct side-by-side comparison of Defte and Booksy for service businesses.
Read article →An in-depth look at what makes businesses choose Defte over Fresha.
Read article →The top salon scheduling platforms compared on features, pricing, and ease of use.
Read article →