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Software · head to head

Phorest vs Shedul

Phorest logo

Phorest

Software

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shedul logo

Shedul

Software

Free salon scheduling software

From
$14.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request; Shedul hidden costs beyond subscription including 20% marketplace commission, payment processing fees (2.19% + 20 cents), SMS fees (5-15 cents each), and $500 card terminal requirement
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, Shedul covers Appointment scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and Shedul actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and Shedul differ
AttributePhorestShedul
Starting price$99/month$14.95/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20032015

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Phorest

  • Appointment booking
  • Client management
  • Marketing automation
  • Reputation management
  • Staff management
  • Business reports
  • Mailchimp
  • Google My Business

Only in Shedul

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Online booking
  • Client database
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Reports & analytics
  • Mobile apps
  • Google Calendar
  • Ios support

Both cover

  • Point of sale
  • Inventory tracking
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Stripe
  • GDPR compliant
  • PCI DSS
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Phorest

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

Shedul

  • Free salon managementnot Phorest
  • Appointment schedulingnot Phorest
  • Payment processingnot Phorest
  • Client marketingnot Phorest

Where each one falls short

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

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

Shedul

  • Hidden costs beyond subscription including 20% marketplace commission, payment processing fees (2.19% + 20 cents), SMS fees (5-15 cents each), and $500 card terminal requirement
  • Premium support (phone and live chat) requires additional paid add-on, base plan only includes email support
  • Limited customization and branding options in free tier compared to competitors
  • Complex pricing structure with many add-on fees makes true cost of ownership difficult to calculate upfront
  • Card payment terminal ($500) must be purchased separately for in-person payments instead of supporting third-party terminals

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Shedul

$14.95/month
  • Independent$19.95/month
    • Single calendar
    • Single login
    • Appointment scheduling
  • Team$14.95/month per team member
    • Multiple calendars
    • Multiple team logins
    • All Independent features

Which should you pick?

Choose Phorest if

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

Choose Shedul if

  • You need appointment scheduling.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want online booking.
Shedul review

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or Shedul better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and Shedul at $14.95/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or Shedul?
Phorest starts at $99/month and Shedul at $14.95/month.
Does Phorest or Shedul run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Shedul runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Phorest best used for?
Phorest is most often used for salon and spa appointment booking with client records, marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businesses. Of those, salon and spa appointment booking with client records and marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businesses are not what Shedul is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that Shedul cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Marketing automation, Reputation management. Shedul covers Appointment scheduling, Online booking, Client database, Marketing campaigns. Both handle Point of sale, Inventory tracking, Facebook, Instagram.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shedul: Is Shedul/Fresha free to use?

No. Shedul, now rebranded as Fresha, charges $19.95 USD per month for the Independent plan (one person) and $14.95 per month per team member for the Team plan. However, there are additional costs beyond the base subscription including 20% commission on marketplace bookings, payment processing fees of 2.19% + 20 cents per transaction, SMS messaging fees of 5 to 15 cents per message, and a $500 card payment terminal if processing in-person payments.

Source
Shedul: What features are included in Shedul/Fresha?

Shedul/Fresha includes appointment scheduling, client management with history and preferences, automated appointment reminders, online booking through website or Facebook, point-of-sale (POS) system, inventory and product management, client loyalty programs, and basic reporting and analytics. All features are available on all paid plans without additional feature-based tiers.

Source
Shedul: What are the hidden costs beyond the subscription price?

Shedul/Fresha charges 20% commission on new client bookings through the Fresha marketplace, 2.19% plus 20 cents for card payment processing, SMS messaging at 5 to 15 cents per message, and requires a $500 card payment terminal for in-person credit card processing. According to industry analysis, true annual costs run approximately 70% higher than the published subscription price.

Source
Shedul: Does Shedul/Fresha work on mobile devices?

Yes, Shedul/Fresha is available as a web platform and has native mobile apps for iOS and Android. Clients can book appointments through the mobile apps, and staff can manage appointments from their phones.

Source
Shedul: What support options are available?

Free and Team plans include email support only. Live chat and phone support (24/7) are only available with an optional premium add-on that costs extra per month. The Fresha Plus premium support is required to access phone and chat support.

Source
Shedul: Can I export my salon data from Shedul/Fresha?

While Shedul/Fresha provides reporting and analytics features, the platform does not clearly document export options for bulk data transfer. Users should contact support to determine data export capabilities and formats.

Source
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