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Software · head to head

Phorest vs Shopkeep

Phorest logo

Phorest

Software

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopkeep logo

Shopkeep

Software

Cloud-based POS for small businesses

From
$49/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; Shopkeep unreliable inventory control across multiple locations
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, Shopkeep covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and Shopkeep actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and Shopkeep differ
AttributePhorestShopkeep
Starting price$99/month$49/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiiPad, Web
Founded20032008

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
  • Inventory tracking
  • Business reports
  • Mailchimp

Only in Shopkeep

  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Customer profiles
  • Sales analytics
  • Employee management
  • Mobile POS
  • Reporting

Both cover

  • Point of sale

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 Shopkeep
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Shopkeep

Shopkeep

No use cases recorded yet. See the Shopkeep review.

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

Shopkeep

  • Unreliable inventory control across multiple locations
  • Cloud-dependent with no offline transaction processing capability
  • Dropped Bluetooth connections cause lost sales and payment processing failures

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

Shopkeep

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Shopkeep review.

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 Shopkeep if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on iPad, Web.
  • You also want inventory management.
Shopkeep review

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or Shopkeep better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and Shopkeep at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or Shopkeep?
Phorest starts at $99/month and Shopkeep at $49/month.
Does Phorest or Shopkeep run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Shopkeep runs on iPad, Web.
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 Shopkeep is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that Shopkeep cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Marketing automation, Reputation management. Shopkeep covers Payment processing, Inventory management, Customer profiles, Sales analytics. Both handle Point of sale.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shopkeep: How much does Shopkeep cost?

Shopkeep by Lightspeed pricing varies by plan. Customers must request quotes for current pricing, which has shifted since the Lightspeed acquisition.

Source
Shopkeep: What hardware does Shopkeep require?

Shopkeep operates on iPad tablets, cloud-based systems, and traditional cash register setups, requiring third-party hardware integration.

Source
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