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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs Phorest

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling & Booking

Scheduling made simple

From
$16/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Phorest logo

Phorest

Beauty & Salon

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Acuity Scheduling starter tier limited to 1 calendar only; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Phorest covers Appointment booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acuity Scheduling and Phorest actually diverge.

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and Phorest differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingPhorest
Starting price$16/month$99/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryScheduling & BookingBeauty & Salon

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2003).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Acuity Scheduling

  • Online booking
  • Appointment types
  • Calendar sync
  • Payment processing
  • Email reminders
  • Client self-scheduling
  • Packages & memberships
  • Timezone detection

Only in Phorest

  • Appointment booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Marketing automation
  • Reputation management
  • Staff management
  • Inventory tracking
  • Business reports

Both cover

  • Stripe
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Acuity Scheduling

  • Client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversionnot Phorest
  • HIPAA-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitionersnot Phorest
  • Multi-location scheduling with multiple staff membersnot Phorest
  • Membership, package sales, and gift certificate managementnot Phorest

Phorest

  • Salon and spa appointment booking with client recordsnot Acuity Scheduling
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Acuity Scheduling

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Acuity Scheduling

  • Starter tier limited to 1 calendar only
  • SMS/text reminders, memberships, and gift certificates require Standard or Premium tier
  • HIPAA compliance (BAA signature) exclusive to Premium tier at $49/month
  • Custom API and CSS access, and Acuity branding removal require Premium tier

Phorest

  • No price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • There is no free trial at all, which the company states plainly
  • The product is described as suited to 3 or more staff, so a solo operator is outside the intended range
  • The branded booking app requires the Ultimate plan, and two way SMS, memberships, lead management and the ads manager are all Elite only

Pricing, plan by plan

Acuity Scheduling

$16/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Acuity Scheduling review.

Phorest

$99/month
  • Grow$99/month
    • Appointment booking
    • Client management
    • POS
  • Elevate$179/month
    • Everything in Grow
    • Advanced marketing
    • Online booking
  • Innovate$299/month
    • Everything in Elevate
    • Multi-location
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Acuity Scheduling if

  • You need online booking.
  • You also want appointment types.
Acuity Scheduling review

Choose Phorest if

  • You need appointment booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want client management.
Phorest review

Questions people ask

Is Acuity Scheduling or Phorest better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Phorest?
Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Phorest at $99/month.
Does Acuity Scheduling or Phorest run on more platforms?
Acuity Scheduling runs on Web. Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is Acuity Scheduling best used for?
Acuity Scheduling is most often used for client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversion, hipaa-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitioners, multi-location scheduling with multiple staff members, membership, package sales, and gift certificate management. Of those, client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversion and hipaa-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitioners are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that Phorest cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Appointment types, Calendar sync, Payment processing. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. Both handle Stripe, PCI DSS, SSL encryption.
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