Global booking platforms have to serve forty markets at once. Glown serves one. That is why the payments are in Naira, the link is built for WhatsApp, and the rate is 2% on every booking, never more than ₦2,000.
Glown is the Fresha alternative built specifically for Nigeria.
It charges a flat 2% when a client pays for a booking, capped at ₦2,000, with no subscription, no setup fee and no higher rate for new clients. Payments settle in Naira through local cards and transfers, the booking link is designed to be pasted into WhatsApp or an Instagram bio, and staff commission, payroll, inventory and multi-branch management are included rather than sold as a higher tier. Setup is free and most businesses are live the same day.
Feature lists all look the same at this point. What separates salon software in Nigeria is narrower than the marketing suggests.
Can your clients actually pay?
Naira, local cards and local transfers, with money that settles without a conversion step.
Does it live where your clients are?
If bookings start in a WhatsApp chat, the link has to work there first.
Can you predict the cost?
One rate applied the same way beats a model you have to model.
The other tools are not bad. They just were not designed for this market.
Reason one
Glown charges a flat 2% when a client pays for a booking, capped at ₦2,000. Same rate for a regular you have had for three years and a client who found you yesterday. You can work out your monthly cost from your own revenue in one calculation.
Reason two
Your clients pay with the Nigerian cards and transfers they already use, and the money settles in Naira. No currency conversion, no wondering which payment methods are supported in your market this quarter.
Reason three
Bookings here start in a WhatsApp chat or an Instagram DM. Glown gives you one link built for exactly that, showing real prices and real free slots, and taking the deposit on the spot.
Reason four
Staff commission, salaries, payslips, product stock and per-branch reporting are part of the same product, so you are not exporting spreadsheets at the end of every month.
Reason five
When something goes wrong at 9am on a Saturday in Lagos, you want an answer that morning, from someone who knows what a Nigerian salon Saturday looks like.
Reason six
No contract, no subscription, nothing to cancel. Set Glown up beside what you have now and move fully only when your clients are already using it.
Both are subscription-free. The difference is in what replaces the subscription, and in where each product is built to work.
| Feature | Glown | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | None | None for the core product |
| What you pay | 2% per booking, capped at ₦2,000 | Marketplace commission on new clients, plus card processing fees |
| Market focus | Nigeria only | Global, many countries |
| Naira and local payment methods | Yes | Varies by country. Check availability |
| Booking link built for WhatsApp | Yes | Shareable booking link |
| Commission, payroll and payslips | Included | Available |
| Contract or lock-in | None | None |
Monthly subscription
Glown
None
Fresha
None for the core product
What you pay
Glown
2% per booking, capped at ₦2,000
Fresha
Marketplace commission on new clients, plus card processing fees
Market focus
Glown
Nigeria only
Fresha
Global, many countries
Naira and local payment methods
Glown
Yes
Fresha
Varies by country. Check availability
Booking link built for WhatsApp
Glown
Yes
Fresha
Shareable booking link
Commission, payroll and payslips
Glown
Included
Fresha
Available
Contract or lock-in
Glown
None
Fresha
None
Fresha details are drawn from Fresha's own published information and summarised here in good faith; terms and market availability change, so check their current pricing before deciding. Last checked September 2026.
Nobody switches booking software in the middle of a busy Saturday. This is the version that fits around a normal week.
01. Export your service menu and client list
Take your services, prices, durations and client contacts out of your current tool.
02. Rebuild it in Glown, free
Add services, staff, hours and deposit rules. Most businesses finish in under an hour.
03. Swap the link, keep the diary
Update the link in your WhatsApp and Instagram bio. Honour existing bookings in the old tool until they run out, and take every new one in Glown.
What owners ask before they move their bookings across.
Glown is the Fresha alternative built specifically for Nigeria. It charges 2% per booking capped at ₦2,000, with no subscription, takes payment in Naira through local cards and transfers, gives you a booking link designed for WhatsApp and Instagram, and includes staff commission, payroll, inventory and multi-branch management. Setting it up is free and most businesses are live the same day.
No. Your clients do not hold an account that has to be moved. They simply book through your new link. Update the link in your WhatsApp and Instagram bio and they follow it the next time they book.
Honour them where they are. Most businesses keep the old tool open until existing bookings run out, while every new booking goes into Glown. After a few weeks the old calendar is empty and you close it.
Yes. Export your clients from your current tool and bring them into Glown so their contact details and your notes carry over. Booking history rebuilds naturally as clients return.
Rebuilding a service menu, staff and hours usually takes under an hour. The slower part is your clients getting used to the new link, which happens on its own over a normal booking cycle.
No. There is no subscription and no contract, so there is nothing to cancel if you change your mind.
Book a demo and ask directly. We would rather tell you a workflow is not supported yet than have you move and find out afterwards.
More on choosing salon software in Nigeria.