A Fresha alternative built for NZ, not for a global marketplace
Mahi Time is the New Zealand booking platform for salons, beauty studios and service businesses that are done paying a 20% commission on every new customer. Flat monthly fee, public API, AI voice agent, NZ-hours support.
Pricing verified 2026-05-15 against the Fresha pricing page and The Salon Business 2026 Fresha review.
Side by side
| Feature | Mahi Time | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| NZD pricing | Yes | No |
| Commission on bookings | None | 20% (min US$6) on new marketplace clients |
| Consumer marketplace | No (your clients, your data) | Yes (drives the new-client fee) |
| Public REST API | Yes | No |
| AI voice receptionist | Native add-on, NZ$129/mo | Not offered |
| Stripe / Windcave payments | Yes | Stripe only |
| NZ-hours support | Yes | No |
| Data hosted in Australia & New Zealand | Yes | US/EU |
| Migrate from this platform | One-click CSV import from the Fresha export | , |
| SMS reminders | 100/mo included, top-up at cost | Paid add-on |
| 21-day free trial | Yes | Yes |
| No credit card to start | Yes | Yes |
The Fresha marketplace fee adds up fast
Fresha charges a 20% fee, minimum US$6, on every new marketplace client a salon sees. A salon picking up 30 new clients a month from the Fresha consumer marketplace pays at least US$180 per month in commission, on top of the per-seat subscription. Mahi Time has no marketplace and no commission. Every client a salon brings in is theirs, including the ones who find them through Google or Instagram.
Frequently asked
Will I lose my Fresha client list when I switch?
No. Mahi Time accepts the CSV export Fresha gives you in your dashboard. Clients, services and upcoming appointments all import in one pass. The step-by-step guide is at /help/export/fresha.
Does Mahi Time charge a fee per booking like Fresha's marketplace fee?
No. There is no per-booking fee, no new-client fee, no transaction fee on bookings. You pay the flat monthly subscription and that is the entire cost from us. Stripe or Windcave still charge their normal card processing fee.
Can I keep taking online bookings during the switch?
Yes. Set up your Mahi Time workspace, import your data, then update the booking link on your Instagram, Google Business Profile and website. Fresha keeps working until you turn it off, so there is no gap.
Is Mahi Time really New Zealand based?
Yes. Mahi Time Limited is New Zealand built and owned. Customer data is hosted locally in Australia and New Zealand. Support is NZ business hours by humans, not a chatbot.
What about the consumer marketplace? Will I lose discoverability?
Some Fresha bookings come from the consumer marketplace, and Mahi Time does not have one. The trade-off is whether the 20% commission on those bookings was worth more than building direct discovery (Google Business Profile, Instagram, your own website). Most NZ salons we have spoken to are better off keeping that 20%.