Fresha alternative in Norway
Most people looking for an alternative aren’t after more features. They’re after a bill that doesn’t grow with the salon. Here’s what actually separates the models, and what you should demand from the one you switch to.
Why salons are looking around
The complaints are the same, and they’re rarely about the software. They’re about the model: commission on customers the system counts as new, and fees that come per chair when the salon grows. You can read them right where they stand. The discussion about Fresha’s fee changes in March 2025 is on r/smallbusiness, and the one-star reviews from salon owners are open on Trustpilot. Read a couple of dozen before you decide — not because they necessarily apply to you, but because they tell you what questions you should ask.
What marketplace commission actually is
A marketplace is a directory where customers search for treatments and find a salon. When the customer comes that way, the marketplace takes a cut of the first visit. Timma explains the mechanics in their own help article, and the logic is the same with most: the provider charges for having connected the customer. It’s a fair model if the customer actually came from there. The problem arises when the system also counts customers you brought in yourself — from Instagram, from your booking link, from the door — as “new”, and takes the same cut of them. That’s why the one question that matters is: how is a new customer defined, and who decides?
Four requirements for the system you switch to
No commission on any booking. Not a lower rate, not an exception for customers from your own link — none. The price must not change when you bring in another chair. The customer list must be exportable by you, whenever you want, in a format you can open. Without that, you’re locked in no matter what the terms say. Cancellation must happen in the system, not over the phone with someone whose job is to keep you.
Test it before you move the whole salon
Run both systems in parallel for two weeks. Put new appointments in the new one, let the existing ones run out in the old one, and see what creaks while you still have a way back. Check three concrete things: that your booking link works on mobile, that the reminders actually arrive, and that you can find the customer cards with color formulas and notes. Those are the three things that hurt if they’re missing in week three.
Timesalong takes no commission
19 kr a month for the whole salon, whatever the number of chairs. It is still in build — claim a spot now and you keep the price.
Common questions
Are there any commission-free alternatives in the US?
Yes, and the group is growing. The key is to read the fine print, not the headline: ask in writing whether any commission is taken on any booking, and whether the price changes with the number of chairs. A system that doesn’t run a marketplace has no reason to take a share of your clients.
Will I lose my clients if I switch?
Not if you take your list with you. Request the export before you cancel, not after. Your clients are yours—they come to you, not to the software—but you need their contact details in a format you can import elsewhere.
Is the marketplace worth the commission?
Sometimes, if you actually get customers you wouldn’t have had otherwise, and if you can turn it off once your calendar is full. Do the math: commission on clients you sourced yourself is pure cost, no matter how well the marketplace works for others.
What is Timesalong?
A booking system for solo chairs and small salons with zero commission on any booking, at one flat price of 19 kr a month for the whole salon—no matter how many chairs. It’s under construction now—you can secure your spot and the price, but you can’t start using it yet.
Other things we made
Også for deg som driver et enkeltpersonforetak.
Også for deg som driver et enkeltpersonforetak.
Også for deg som driver et enkeltpersonforetak.
Også på norsk, laget av oss.