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Beauty · head to head

Insight Salon Software vs Phorest

Insight Salon Software logo

Insight Salon Software

Beauty

Intelligent salon management with deep analytics

From
$40/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Phorest logo

Phorest

Beauty

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Insight Salon Software cloud plans are login limited even at the top tier: Enterprise Premium Cloud is $250 a month for up to 8,000 SMS messages and only 5 logins; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • They diverge on capability: Insight Salon Software covers Staff scheduling, Phorest covers Reputation management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Insight Salon Software and Phorest actually diverge.

Attributes where Insight Salon Software and Phorest differ
AttributeInsight Salon SoftwarePhorest
Starting price$40/month$99/month
Founded20122003

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Beauty).

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 Insight Salon Software

  • Staff scheduling
  • Advanced analytics
  • Revenue tracking
  • Performance metrics
  • Square
  • PayPal
  • Google Calendar
  • Two-factor authentication

Only in Phorest

  • Reputation management
  • Staff management
  • Inventory tracking
  • Business reports
  • Google My Business
  • SumUp
  • Shopify
  • PCI DSS

Both cover

  • Appointment booking
  • Client management
  • Marketing automation
  • Point of sale
  • Stripe
  • Mailchimp
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • SSL encryption
  • GDPR compliant
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Insight Salon Software

  • Running point of sale and scheduling for a salon or spanot Phorest
  • Sending automated two way SMS appointment reminders to clientsnot Phorest

Phorest

  • Salon and clinic management softwarenot Insight Salon Software
  • Medical spa operations and schedulingnot Insight Salon Software
  • Beauty and wellness business softwarenot Insight Salon Software

Where each one falls short

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

Insight Salon Software

  • Cloud plans are login limited even at the top tier: Enterprise Premium Cloud is $250 a month for up to 8,000 SMS messages and only 5 logins
  • Premium Cloud's two way SMS is capped per tier, from 500 messages a month on Solo up to 8,000 on Enterprise
  • The installed one time purchase version only includes free software upgrades for 1 year, after which upgrades are not covered
  • Multi-year pre-purchase discounts of 10, 15 and 20 percent require paying 1, 2 or 3 years upfront

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

Insight Salon Software

$40/month
  • Starter$40/month
    • Appointment scheduling
    • Client management
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$70/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Advanced analytics
    • Staff performance tracking
  • Enterprise$120/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Multi-location analytics
    • Custom reports

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 Insight Salon Software if

  • You need staff scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want advanced analytics.
Insight Salon Software review

Choose Phorest if

  • You need reputation management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want staff management.
Phorest review

Questions people ask

Is Insight Salon Software or Phorest better?
Neither clearly leads. Insight Salon Software starts at $40/month and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Insight Salon Software or Phorest?
Insight Salon Software starts at $40/month and Phorest at $99/month.
Does Insight Salon Software or Phorest run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Insight Salon Software best used for?
Insight Salon Software is most often used for running point of sale and scheduling for a salon or spa, sending automated two way sms appointment reminders to clients. Of those, running point of sale and scheduling for a salon or spa and sending automated two way sms appointment reminders to clients are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
What can Insight Salon Software do that Phorest cannot?
Insight Salon Software covers Staff scheduling, Advanced analytics, Revenue tracking, Performance metrics. Phorest covers Reputation management, Staff management, Inventory tracking, Business reports. Both handle Appointment booking, Client management, Marketing automation, Point of sale.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Insight Salon Software: What is the price difference between cloud and installed versions?

Cloud starts at $25-55/month (Solo tier) and goes up to $140-250/month (Enterprise tier). Installed software is a one-time purchase ranging from $400 (Solo) to $1,700 (Enterprise). Installed versions include one year of support, while cloud subscriptions include unlimited support.

Source
Phorest: How do I find out Phorest pricing for my salon?

All plans require a custom quote. Click 'Request a quote' or 'Book a demo' on the Phorest pricing page to receive pricing tailored to your business needs.

Source
Insight Salon Software: Are there discounts for longer subscription commitments?

Yes. Cloud subscriptions receive discounts for multi-year commitments: 10% off for 1 year, 15% off for 2 years, and 20% off for 3 years.

Source
Phorest: What SMS charges apply to each plan?

Core Aesthetics: 8.2 cents/SMS; Elevate/Elite Aesthetics: 7 cents/SMS; Starter/Grow/Ultimate: 500 free SMS/month.

Source
Insight Salon Software: Can you pay for the installed version in installments?

Yes. Payment plans are available from 2 to 12 months. For example, Solo can be paid as $400 upfront or six payments of $80/month; Enterprise can be paid as $1,700 upfront or six payments of $325/month.

Source
Phorest: Is there a minimum staff requirement?

Yes, Phorest recommends 3+ staff members to use the software.

Source
Insight Salon Software: What messaging features are included in different cloud tiers?

Premium Cloud tiers include SMS messaging capabilities that vary by tier: Solo and Partner get 500 texts monthly, Growth gets 1,000, Small Business gets 2,000, and Enterprise gets 8,000 texts monthly.

Source
Phorest: What is included in Phorest plans?

All plans include: unlimited devices, unlimited staff, software for life with future upgrades, migration services, and unlimited training.

Source
Insight Salon Software: Is a free trial available without contacting sales?

Yes, a free trial is available directly through the website without requiring a sales conversation.

Source
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