# Phorest review (2026): is it worth it? > Salon and medspa software for booking, POS and marketing Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Phorest is salon, spa and medspa software that covers the appointment calendar, online booking with deposits, point of sale, reminders and a marketing suite. It sells four tiers, Starter, Grow, Complete Advantage and Elite, and the vendor's own page says Starter is aimed at businesses with three or more staff. Every tier is priced by quote. - **Category:** Salon, Spa & Studio Booking - **Made by:** Phorest - **Website:** https://www.phorest.com - **Runs on:** Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a posted price, as all four tiers are quote only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing Phorest's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site. ## Key features - **Calendar and online booking:** An appointment calendar with a waiting list, 24/7 online booking, booking deposits, no-show charges and rooms or equipment linked to services. - **Point of sale and payments:** Appointment and retail checkout, stock management, cardless checkout and PhorestPay card payments with cashless tipping. - **Automated SMS and email:** Reminders, review requests and marketing messages. Higher tiers include a monthly SMS allowance; Starter pays 5 cents per SMS. - **Desktop and PhorestGo apps:** A Windows and macOS desktop app plus the PhorestGo mobile app for staff, with a manager view on the Grow tier and above. - **Branded client app:** An optional salon-branded iOS and Android app for booking and rebooking, included in the Elite tier and optional on lower tiers. - **AI tools:** An AI client cheat sheet that summarizes client history before a visit, and a Front Desk AI add-on for everyday client conversations. ## Good for - Salons and medspas with three or more staff - Owners who want SMS reminders and marketing built into the booking system - Multi-location beauty businesses ## Worth knowing - No prices are published: all four tiers are quote only, so cost cannot be compared up front. - SMS allowances differ by tier: 1,000, 5,000 and 27,000 free a month on Grow, Complete Advantage and Elite, and 5 cents each on Starter. - Two-way SMS, memberships and the branded app are included only at Elite; elsewhere they are paid add-ons. - The pricing page says Starter is for salons and medspas with 3 or more staff. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Phorest is salon and medspa software with booking, point of sale, automated texts and a branded client app. All four tiers are quotes, and two-way texting, memberships and the app are only included at the top tier. - **Value for money: C.** No price is published. All four tiers are quote only, so cost cannot be compared with the $49.90 middle of the category. - **Free plan and trial: F.** No free plan and no trial on record, so you pay before you use it. - **Features: C.** Calendar, point of sale, payments, automated SMS and email and a desktop app. Two-way SMS, memberships and the branded app are paid add-ons below Elite, which is a gap in the lower tiers. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. A salon has to set up its calendar, services and card reader first. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android apps, with four integrations listed. No open API is named. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Phorest's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among salon, spa and studio booking apps - Phorest's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 7 of the 33 other salon, spa and studio booking apps we grade, and level with 7. - It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 9 of 33) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/service-booking ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Phorest you would be making texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 19 of the 33 other salon, spa and studio booking apps grade higher. - You could make: Appointment booking, reports and review collection: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Texts to thousands of numbers, registered with the carriers. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Reserve with Google, Shopify, Facebook, Instagram **Tags:** Appointment booking, Reports, Review collection, SMS marketing ## Alternatives - [Fresha](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fresha): Salon and spa booking with a consumer marketplace for new clients. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fresha-vs-phorest) - [Vagaro](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vagaro): Booking, payments and marketing for salons, spas and studios. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/phorest-vs-vagaro) - [Mangomint](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mangomint): Salon, spa and medspa software priced per location and user. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mangomint-vs-phorest) - [Boulevard](https://toolgpa.com/tools/boulevard): Booking, checkout and marketing for salons, spas and medspas. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/boulevard-vs-phorest) - [Mindbody](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mindbody): Studio, gym, spa and salon software with a consumer booking app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mindbody-vs-phorest) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.phorest.com/us/pricing/ - https://www.phorest.com/us/ - https://www.phorest.com/us/about/ - https://www.phorest.com/us/downloads/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/phorest Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).