Comparing fresha vs mindbody? One is a cheap marketplace app that takes a cut of every new client, the other is an enterprise platform that runs hundreds of dollars a month. Neither gives you a real website you own that wins new clients. Instinctor is the all-in-one third option: a site that ranks on Google, plus booking, reminders and payments, from $79/mo flat.
WHAT FRESHA AND MINDBODY BOTH MISS
No website you own. Fresha is a marketplace app, and Mindbody sells you a booking widget and a listing in its app. Neither gives you a real website that ranks on Google and turns local searchers into booked clients. Instinctor is built around that website.
The math works against you either way. Fresha looks cheap, then takes 20 percent of every new client plus card fees. Mindbody tiers run from about $139/mo to $599/mo per location, before add-ons. Instinctor is $79/mo flat, everyone included, with no commission.
They rent you your own clients. Both push clients into their marketplace and take a cut when someone books. With Instinctor your client list and your site are yours, with no marketplace standing in the middle.
ONE SYSTEM
Instinctor gives your salon or spa a professional website plus online booking, reminders, memberships, deposits, branded checkout and smart chat, all in one place. It does what Fresha and Mindbody do for scheduling, and adds the client-winning website they leave you to rent or build.
WHAT YOU GET
No marketplace commission, no per-client cut, no enterprise price tag. Each piece is built in and works with the rest.
Everything in one place
Your website, booking, payments, smart chat and marketing run from one dashboard. No five separate tools to wire together.
Online booking that fills your chair
A client books an appointment or a class right from your own site: the service and a time that works. It lands on your calendar and sends automatic reminders, so your day stays full and no-shows drop.
Online booking
Customers book and pay on your own site, around the clock. Your calendar fills itself, no phone tag.
A calendar your whole team can see
Put every chair, room and staff member on a shared schedule. Clients pick a time that works, your team sees the whole day, and everyone stays in sync.
Invoices and payments
Send branded invoices and take card payments in a tap. The money lands in your account, with no per-booking fees.
Branded checkout, deposits and tips
Take a deposit at booking to end no-shows, and let clients pay and tip by card. The money lands straight in your account, with no marketplace taking a slice of every new client.
Smart chat, 24/7
A chat assistant trained on your services and prices, answering questions and booking customers while you sleep.
Smart chat that answers 24/7
A smart chat assistant greets every visitor, answers questions about your services, prices and availability, and books the appointment, even after hours.
Built to rank
Every site is built for Google from day one: clean structure, local SEO, page titles and sitemaps done right.
A website that ranks locally
A fast, professional site built to show up when someone nearby searches for your services in your area. This is the piece Fresha and Mindbody leave you to rent or build.
One flat price
Everything above for $79/mo flat. No setup fee, no per-booking fees, and no cut of your revenue.
One system, and you own it
Your site, bookings, calendar, checkout and chat share one login. Your client list is yours, never the marketplace's.
HEAD TO HEAD
Fresha runs cheap and bills you on the back end through commission. Mindbody charges enterprise prices up front. Both leave the real website to a marketplace listing or an add-on. Here is how all three compare.
InStudio by InstinctorFresha & Mindbody
A website you own that wins clientsBuilt in, and built to rank on GoogleA marketplace listing, or a booking widget
Who builds your websiteWe design it for you, freeYou build it, or bolt one on yourself
Online booking and remindersBuilt inYes, both do this
What you pay each month$79/mo flat, all inFresha is cheap up front; Mindbody runs $139/mo to $599/mo per location
Commission on new clientsNoneFresha takes 20 percent of new clients; Mindbody takes a marketplace cut
Smart chat that answers 24/7Built inNot offered by either
Add-on and per-location feesNoneFresha adds card fees; Mindbody charges per location and for a branded app
Who owns your site and clientsYou doTheir marketplace keeps the relationship
PRICING
$79
per month, flat. No setup fee, no commission on new clients, and no enterprise tiers to climb. We design your site for you, free.
Fresha is a cheap marketplace app and Mindbody is an expensive enterprise platform, but both are built around booking and their own marketplace. Instinctor does the booking too, and adds a website you own that ranks on Google and wins new clients. It is the all-in-one third option.
No. We design your whole site for you, free, and you can ask for changes any time. You are never left with a blank template, a booking widget or a marketplace listing.
Yes. Clients book from your own site, pay a deposit to hold the slot, and tip by card. The money lands straight in your account.
Yes. Mindbody tiers run from about $139/mo to $599/mo per location before add-ons. Instinctor is $79/mo flat, with your whole team and your website included.
Fresha is cheap up front, then takes 20 percent of every new client plus card fees, and gives you no website you own. Instinctor is one flat $79/mo, keeps all your bookings yours, and builds you a real site.
No. You keep every dollar. We charge one flat monthly fee and nothing else, with no cut of new clients.
You bring it with you and it stays yours. Your clients are never rented back to you through a marketplace.
Most sites are ready within a few days. We build it, you review it, and we adjust until it is right.
Yes. Your site is built to rank for your services in your area, instead of hiding inside someone else's booking app.
A short three-month minimum, then month to month. No long lock-in and no enterprise commitment.
Skip the fresha vs mindbody debate. We design your all-in-one salon and spa site for you, free, and it is yours from day one. Book a call and see it before you decide.