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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Doodle vs Phorest

Doodle logo

Doodle

Scheduling & Booking

Find the best time for anything

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Phorest logo

Phorest

Beauty & Salon

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Doodle has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Doodle free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • They diverge on capability: Doodle covers Group polls, Phorest covers Appointment booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Doodle and Phorest actually diverge.

Attributes where Doodle and Phorest differ
AttributeDoodlePhorest
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)Web, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryScheduling & BookingBeauty & Salon
Founded20072003

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Doodle

  • Group polls
  • 1:1 scheduling
  • Booking pages
  • Calendar sync
  • Time zone support
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • Zoom

Only in Phorest

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

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Doodle

  • Schedulingnot Phorest
  • Appointment bookingnot Phorest
  • Time trackingnot Phorest
  • Resource managementnot Phorest
  • Team coordinationnot Phorest

Phorest

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

Where each one falls short

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

Doodle

  • Free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit
  • Free users see excessive advertisements on booking pages
  • Limited customization options for poll types and response formats
  • Mobile app experiences bugs and has less polished interface than desktop version

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

Doodle

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Doodle 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 Doodle if

  • You need group polls.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
  • You also want 1:1 scheduling.
Doodle 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 Doodle or Phorest better?
Neither clearly leads. Doodle starts at Free and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Doodle or Phorest?
Doodle has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Doodle and $99/month for Phorest.
Does Doodle or Phorest run on more platforms?
Doodle runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Doodle for free?
Yes. Doodle has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Phorest starts at $99/month.
What is Doodle best used for?
Doodle is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
What can Doodle do that Phorest cannot?
Doodle covers Group polls, 1:1 scheduling, Booking pages, Calendar sync. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Doodle: Does Doodle offer a free plan?

Yes. Doodle's free plan includes one active group poll, one booking page, and one 1:1 meeting, limited to 10 slots per poll with ads displayed. Premium plans start at $15/month.

Source
Doodle: What are Doodle's pricing plans?

Professional plan costs $15/month (or $132/year). Team plan costs $19.95/user/month (or $8.95/user/month billed annually) with a two-seat minimum.

Source
Doodle: Does Doodle integrate with calendar apps?

Yes. Doodle integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar to prevent double-bookings. Slack integration allows poll creation and sharing directly in Slack channels.

Source
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Related pages

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