Booker vs Phorest
Booker
booker.comPhorest
phorest.comSide by side
| Figure | Booker | Phorest |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $139/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Industry Management software | 8.1 (#5) | 7.7 (#11) |
| Spec score · Spa Management Software | 8.0 (#15) | 7.8 (#18) |
| Spec score · Salon Payroll Software | 8.1 (#17) | 7.7 (#29) |
| Spec score · Salon Gift Card Software | 8.0 (#18) | 7.8 (#23) |
| Spec score · Salon Software | 8.1 (#16) | 7.8 (#25) |
| Spec score · Spa and Salon Management Software | 8.1 (#10) | 7.8 (#13) |
| Spec score · Salon and Spa Scheduling Software | 8.1 (#20) | 7.9 (#23) |
| Company | Booker is part of Playlist alongside Mindbody and ClassPass. | Phorest’s company page identifies Ronan Perceval as its founder and CEO; its B Corp page says the company was founded in 2003. |
| Headquarters | Missoula, Montana, United States | Dublin, Ireland |
| Integrations | Booker says its custom websites directly integrate with its services page for real-time booking. | Phorest’s integrations directory lists Shopify, Xero, QuickBooks, Aveda, Vish, mya, SalonScale, SalonCentric, Colourstart, and Aesthetic Nurse Software. |
| Marketing | Booker offers email and text reminders, marketing automations, reviews, and referral tools, with features varying by plan. | The marketing suite includes SMS and email campaigns, automated reminders, rebooking prompts, and review requests. |
| Payments | Booker includes point-of-sale and online payments, and supports selling gift cards, memberships, and packages. | Phorest says PhorestPay is powered by Stripe and that Phorest does not directly store credit card or payment information. |
| Security | Playlist’s Trust Center says its security program aligns with CIS CSC and the NIST cybersecurity framework and maintains certifications including HITRUST CSF and PCI DSS Level 1 service provider. | Phorest says it uses AWS infrastructure, encrypts data in transit, in use, and at rest, and is GDPR-compliant and HIPAA-certified. |
Plans
Booker
- Starter$139 a month
- AcceleratePriced on request
- UltimatePriced on request
- EnterprisePriced on request
Phorest
- Complete AdvantagePriced on request
- ElitePriced on request
- GrowPriced on request
- StarterPriced on request
In their own words
Phorest
Phorest is management software for salons, spas and clinics, bringing scheduling, client records, payments, marketing and reporting together. Its appointment calendar gathers bookings from phone, website, social media and branded apps, and includes a waiting list. Cloud-based client records can hold notes, treatment history, service prices and durations. Marketing tools cover SMS and email campaigns, automated reminders, rebooking prompts and review requests; booking pages, group booking and payment collection are also listed. The integrations directory includes Shopify, Xero, QuickBooks, Aveda, Vish, mya, SalonScale, SalonCentric, Colourstart and Aesthetic Nurse Software. Phorest says its AWS infrastructure encrypts data in transit, in use and at rest, and that it is GDPR-compliant and HIPAA-certified. PhorestPay is powered by Stripe, and the company says it does not directly store payment information. Plans include tailored setup, data import and training. It runs on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, web and API. Pricing is on request; there is no free plan or trial, though Phorest offers a product demo.