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Phorest vs Square

Phorest logo

Phorest

Software

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square logo

Square

Software

Powering the economy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square 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; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, Square covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and Square differ
AttributePhorestSquare
Starting price$99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiPOS (Mobile app), Web
Founded20032009

Identical on both: 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 Square

  • Payment processing
  • Invoicing
  • Payroll
  • Banking
  • QuickBooks
  • WooCommerce
  • Wix
  • EMV compliant

Both cover

  • Point of sale
  • PCI DSS
  • 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 Square
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Square

Square

  • Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Phorest
  • Online ordering and basic website creationnot Phorest
  • Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Phorest
  • Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot 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

Square

  • Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
  • Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
  • Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included

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

Square

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Square 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 Square if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
  • You also want invoicing.
Square review

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or Square better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or Square?
Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Phorest and Free for Square.
Does Phorest or Square run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
Can I use Square for free?
Yes. Square 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 Square is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that Square cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Marketing automation, Reputation management. Square covers Payment processing, Invoicing, Payroll, Banking. Both handle Point of sale, PCI DSS, Web support.
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