Fresha is a polished all-in-one platform — and its model is funded by marketplace and payment fees. Suddenly Sorted takes the other road: flat NZD pricing, zero commission, your clients stay yours, and Sally — an AI front desk on your own website — answers and books them in 24/7. Here's the honest side-by-side.
Fair-play note: Fresha is a well-reviewed, widely used platform. This page compares business models honestly — including where Fresha may be the better fit for you.
The biggest difference isn't a feature — it's how each company makes money, because that shapes everything else.
| What matters | Suddenly SortedFlat-priced, NZ-built | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| How it's funded | Flat subscription only. Free, $29, $69 or $129/mo NZD (+GST). We make money when you subscribe — nothing else. | The core booking software is free; Fresha earns from marketplace new-client fees and payment processing instead of a subscription.As of July 2026. Check fresha.com for current terms. |
| Commission on bookings | Never. A booking from your own client costs you $0 extra, forever. | Bookings from new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace carry a 20% new-client fee (min ~NZ$6). Card payments also run through Fresha's own processing (around 2.19% + $0.20).As of July 2026, per public pricing summaries; check fresha.com. |
| Who your clients belong to | You. Your website, your client list. We never list you next to competitors. | Marketplace listing places you alongside nearby salons on Fresha's platform — great for discovery, but shared shelf space. |
| AI receptionist | Sally, a booking brain on your own site: answers questions, books, reschedules, group bookings, waitlists, reminders, review requests — included in plans. | Fresha offers an AI concierge for calls and chat as a paid add-on, priced separately.As of July 2026; see fresha.com for current availability and pricing. |
| Website included | Yes. Sally builds you a bookable one-page website — even on the Free plan. | A profile and booking page on the Fresha marketplace, rather than a standalone website you own. |
| POS, payments hardware, stock | Not our lane. We do deposits via Stripe; we don't do tills, terminals or inventory. | Yes — a genuinely broad all-in-one suite including POS and payments. |
| Built for NZ | Made in NZ. NZD pricing incl. GST handling, NZ hours, NZ support, a founder you can email. | Global platform (UK-headquartered) operating in many countries including NZ. |
| Leaving | Cancel anytime. Flat monthly plans, no lock-in contract. | Free to stop using, with no subscription to cancel — but while you're on it you're tied to Fresha's payment processing, and marketplace-acquired clients live inside Fresha.Check fresha.com for current wallet/payout terms. |
Competitor details reflect publicly available information at the time of writing and may change — figures here reflect Fresha's publicly reported pricing as of July 2026 and may change — always check fresha.com for current pricing and terms.
Marketplace platforms give the software away and monetise the bookings — especially new-client bookings. That's a fine trade if the marketplace genuinely sends you strangers. The frustration salon owners voice publicly is when fees land on clients they feel they already earned themselves.
We charge a flat subscription and nothing else. When Sally books a client at 9pm — new face or regular — you keep 100% of that appointment. Our incentive is simple: keep the software good enough that you stay subscribed.
A booking engine shouldn't have an opinion about whose client it was.
AI receptionists are quickly becoming table stakes — Fresha has one too. The difference is what sits underneath. Sally is built on a salon-specific booking brain: she understands services and durations, staff capabilities, processing gaps, group bookings, deposits and waitlists — so she doesn't just chat, she books correctly, without double-booking a chair.
And she works your book, not just your inbox: friendly reminders that cut no-shows, review requests after the appointment, and a nudge for regulars who are due back. That's the difference between answering the phone and filling the chair.
Suddenly Sorted is made in New Zealand for NZ salons, barbers and beauty studios. Pricing is in NZ dollars, flat, published on the pricing page — Free, then $29, $69 or $129 a month (+GST). No per-booking fees, no surprise line items, and you can start on the Free plan without a card.
Support is NZ-based and human. Email hello@suddenly.co.nz and a founder reads it — not a ticket queue in another timezone. For a business your size, being reachable is a feature.
Fresha is popular for good reasons. If these describe you, it might genuinely be the better pick:
If being listed where thousands of consumers browse and book is a core part of your growth plan, that's exactly what a marketplace offers — and we don't have one.
POS, payment terminals, stock, staff rostering, marketplace, payments — Fresha bundles a genuinely broad operations suite. We deliberately don't do tills and inventory.
Bigger operations with front-desk staff at every site may value Fresha's enterprise breadth more than an AI front desk.
Our lane is different: independent NZ salons, barbers and studios who want their own website answering and booking for them — with no commission and no shared shelf space. If that's you, come see Sally work.
Try the live demo, or book a free 30-minute walkthrough with a real person. Free plan to start — no card, no commission, cancel anytime.
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