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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Magento vs Phorest

Magento logo

Magento

E-commerce & Retail

Open-source ecommerce platform for enterprise retail

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 Magento has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Magento magento Open Source is available under the OSL v3 license as a free self-hosted edition, but Adobe sells a separate proprietary Adobe Commerce edition with additional B2B, page builder and cloud features not included in the open source code; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
  • They diverge on capability: Magento covers Multi-store management, Phorest covers Appointment booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Magento and Phorest actually diverge.

Attributes where Magento and Phorest differ
AttributeMagentoPhorest
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryE-commerce & RetailBeauty & Salon
Founded20082003

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 Magento

  • Multi-store management
  • Advanced product catalog
  • Customer segmentation
  • Order management system
  • Inventory management
  • Progressive Web App
  • GraphQL API
  • Security & compliance

Only in Phorest

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

What people use each for

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

Magento

No use cases recorded yet. See the Magento review.

Phorest

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

Where each one falls short

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

Magento

  • Magento Open Source is available under the OSL v3 license as a free self-hosted edition, but Adobe sells a separate proprietary Adobe Commerce edition with additional B2B, page builder and cloud features not included in the open source code

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

Magento

Free
  • Magento Open SourceFree
    • Unlimited products
    • Multiple storefronts
    • Advanced marketing
  • Adobe Commerce$20000/year
    • All Open Source features
    • 24/7 enterprise support
    • Managed cloud hosting

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 Magento if

  • You need multi-store management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want advanced product catalog.
Magento 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 Magento or Phorest better?
Neither clearly leads. Magento 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, Magento or Phorest?
Magento has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Magento and $99/month for Phorest.
Does Magento or Phorest run on more platforms?
Magento runs on Web. Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Magento for free?
Yes. Magento has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Phorest starts at $99/month.
What can Magento do that Phorest cannot?
Magento covers Multi-store management, Advanced product catalog, Customer segmentation, Order management system. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation.
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