SWITCH FROM FRESHA
Fresha to Calisto Salon
Salon runs the calendar by stylist with processing time, color formulas, the Register, deposits, rebooking, chair rental and commissions in one app, with Workforce, Navigator, Campaigns, Sync and Inventory built in.
- Spa & Wellness
- Salons & Barbers
- Medical Aesthetics
Feature by feature
Calisto Salon beside Fresha
- 18 In both
- 4 Only in Fresha
| 22 features | Calisto Salon | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | ||
| Calendar with team and resource viewsCalisto: the Calendar by stylist with Day, Board and Working Hours views; chair, basin and stylist are all locked before a time is offered, so double bookings are refused.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Waitlist that fills calendar gapsCalisto: the Waitlist offers freed time to waiting clients by WhatsApp, text or email.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Automated confirmations and remindersCalisto: reminders go out the day before (WhatsApp with opt-in, else text, else email), the client confirms with one press in the portal (with Navigator), and the To Confirm list shows the desk whom to call.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Channels | ||
| Booking through GoogleCalisto: with Sync, Reserve with Google takes bookings, with distribution per service and the status, errors and logs of each connection.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Booking from Facebook and InstagramCalisto: no booking button inside Instagram or Facebook. Clients book on the business's website, and with Sync through Reserve with Google and the other connected channels.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| AI receptionist for calls and messagesCalisto: with Dial, an AI receptionist answers in the call flow, switched on and off as a rule. With Threads, the team AI suggests replies and drafts for a person to send.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Consumer marketplace for new clientsCalisto: Salon runs no consumer marketplace of its own. With Sync, it takes bookings from Reserve with Google, Vagaro, Fresha, Acuity, ClassPass and Mindbody.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| Deposits | ||
| Deposits and card confirmation at bookingCalisto: a deposit per service or as the business default: none, a fixed amount, a percent or a card held, listed in Before Their Visit when it is due.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Formulas | ||
| Color formulas and service historyCalisto: every visit on the client record carries its formula and before-and-after photos, with Use next time and a pinned Formula; Formulas are searched across every client.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Clients | ||
| Client profiles with allergies and patch testsCalisto: the client record carries Sensitivities, patch tests and consents, and Before Their Visit lists the patch tests, intake forms and deposits due.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Forms with digital consent signaturesCalisto: intake and consultation forms bound to a service (with Forms), and waivers and consents signed on the client's phone with validity and reissue.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Gift Cards | ||
| Gift cards sold at checkoutCalisto: Gift Cards for an amount or for named services, sold online and at the Register, and existing cards added with their balance.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Memberships | ||
| Memberships sold at the registerCalisto: with Registry, memberships with plans, billing, what's included, allowances, renewals and failed-payment settings.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Passes | ||
| Packages bought up frontCalisto: Passes sell visits up front, such as six blow-dries, and Pass Holders see visits left in the portal (with Navigator).Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Commissions | ||
| Commissions calculated at checkoutCalisto: Commissions with Agreements by service, retail, category, flat per service, tiers and base, with product used and refunds taken into account; what is Earned is reported, never paid by Calisto.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Team | ||
| Pay runs for the teamCalisto: no payroll run. Commissions and tips are reported, and Workforce's pay report carries the same figure for the salon's own payroll.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| Reports | ||
| Team targets and KPIsCalisto: Targets per stylist, per level and for the business, daily to annual, for service sales, retail sales, prebooked and booked.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing | ||
| Email campaigns with client segmentsCalisto: with Campaigns, campaigns go to the clients who consented; Salon's Rebooking prompts are sent the same way.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Promotions | ||
| Off-peak discounts and dealsCalisto: Promotions sets off-peak, last-minute and member prices.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Loyalty points and tiersCalisto: with Circle, Calisto’s points program: clients earn points at the business and redeem them. Promotions set member prices, and memberships run with Registry.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Stock | ||
| Online store with click and collectCalisto: with Shop, an online store whose orders are picked up or shipped; in Salon, retail sells in person on the same folio as the service at the Register.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Client App | ||
| Client booking app in the app storesCalisto: no branded client app in the app stores. Clients use the business's website, connected marketplaces and the client portal in the browser (with Navigator).Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
What moves
Bringing your data from Fresha
Your data is read in your own browser and sent to your Calisto account. Calisto never sees your login for the old system.
From an export file
Export your data from Fresha and drop the file in. It is read in your browser and mapped onto Calisto.
Clients
Imported clients data
Appointments
Imported appointments data
Services
Imported services data
Staff
Imported staff data
Moving from Fresha
Questions about switching
Can I bring my clients and appointments from Fresha?
Yes. The book has Import from other software, and clients come in by import into the shared client record, where every later visit adds its formula, photos and preferences.
What do my clients use instead of the Fresha app?
Clients book on the business's website and on the channels connected with Sync, such as Reserve with Google. With Navigator they use the client portal in the browser to see passes and visits left and to confirm, change or cancel. There is no branded client app in the app stores.
How do deposits and no-show fees move over?
Set a deposit per service or as the business default: none, a fixed amount, a percent or a card held. A no-show fee is charged by hand or by a rule the salon switches on, and the cancellation policy is set in Settings.
Learn more
Everything Calisto does here
The pages behind this comparison: the sector, the apps and the guides.
- Health & WellnessCalisto for Spa & Wellness
The therapist, the room and the client held together: the couples suite ready, the intake answered and the next visit already on its way.
Open - Spa & WellnessIntake, Waivers & Retail
The treatment’s intake form and waiver answered before arrival, and the backbar and the retail shelf counted in one stock.
Open - PricingPricing for Spa & WellnessOpen
- Health & WellnessCalisto for Medical Aesthetics
Calisto Pro keeps the appointment, the consent, the chart, the lot and the photographs on one client record, so what was done, where, with what and by whom is a question with an answer.
Open - PricingPricing for Medical AestheticsOpen
- Health & WellnessCalisto for Salons & Barbers
The formula and every visit sit on the client, not in one stylist's memory. Walk-ins watch their place on the lobby screen. Commission, chair rent and salary come from the week as it happened.
Open - PricingPricing for Salons & BarbersOpen
- AppCalisto Spa
Spas, med spas and clinics: the calendar by therapist and by room, treatments priced by level with the room they need, intake and consent signed at its version, the chart and before-and-after photos behind the clearance you grant, the medical director’s sign-off, lot recall, series, memberships, day passes and vouchers.
Open - AppCalisto Salon
Salons, barbershops and beauty studios: the calendar by stylist with processing time, services priced by level, every client’s formula, services, retail and tips in one sale, rebooking and recall, deposits, chair rental and commissions on your terms.
Open