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Beauty & Salon · head to head

Phorest vs Shortcuts

Phorest logo

Phorest

Beauty & Salon

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Shortcuts

Beauty & Salon

Multi-vendor salon and spa booking platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Shortcuts has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request; Shortcuts shortcuts (salon and spa management software) is sold via phone inquiry rather than published pricing, and its own marketing frames it as the only solution built for chain or franchise businesses specifically rather than for independent single-location salons (archived homepage, 14 September 2012)
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, Shortcuts covers Online booking platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and Shortcuts actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and Shortcuts differ
AttributePhorestShortcuts
Starting price$99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20032010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Beauty & Salon).

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

Only in Shortcuts

  • Online booking platform
  • Business profile
  • Appointment management
  • Payment processing
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Reviews management
  • Google

Both cover

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Stripe
  • 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 Shortcuts
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Shortcuts

Shortcuts

  • Client acquisitionnot Phorest
  • Multi-vendor bookingnot 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

Shortcuts

  • Shortcuts (salon and spa management software) is sold via phone inquiry rather than published pricing, and its own marketing frames it as the only solution built for chain or franchise businesses specifically rather than for independent single-location salons (archived homepage, 14 September 2012)

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

Shortcuts

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Online booking
    • Business profile
    • 20% commission
  • Premium$99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 10% commission
    • Advanced analytics

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 Shortcuts if

  • You need online booking platform.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want business profile.
Shortcuts review

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or Shortcuts better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and Shortcuts at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or Shortcuts?
Shortcuts has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Phorest and Free for Shortcuts.
Does Phorest or Shortcuts run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Shortcuts runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Shortcuts for free?
Yes. Shortcuts has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Phorest starts at $99/month.
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 Shortcuts is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that Shortcuts cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. Shortcuts covers Online booking platform, Business profile, Appointment management, Payment processing. Both handle Facebook, Instagram, Stripe, PCI DSS.
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