Softwr

Software · head to head

Phorest vs Square for Restaurants

Phorest logo

Phorest

Software

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Software

Restaurant POS system that works for you

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square for Restaurants 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 for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, Square for Restaurants covers Table management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and Square for Restaurants actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and Square for Restaurants differ
AttributePhorestSquare for Restaurants
Starting price$99/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20032018

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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
  • Point of sale
  • Marketing automation
  • Reputation management
  • Staff management
  • Inventory tracking
  • Business reports

Only in Square for Restaurants

  • Table management
  • Menu customization
  • Split checks
  • Offline mode
  • Real-time reporting
  • Kitchen display
  • Caviar
  • DoorDash

Both cover

  • 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 for Restaurants
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Square for Restaurants

Square for Restaurants

  • Point of Salenot Phorest
  • Order Managementnot Phorest
  • Inventory Controlnot Phorest
  • Staff Schedulingnot 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 for Restaurants

  • The Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • KDS and Kiosk are billed per device per month on top of the plan, so cost scales with terminals rather than locations
  • Restaurants processing over $250,000 a year are moved to custom pricing rather than the published rates

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 for Restaurants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • POS
    • Menu management
    • Basic reporting
  • Plus$60/month
    • Advanced features
    • Live sales
    • Seat management
  • PremiumFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support

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 for Restaurants if

  • You need table management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want menu customization.
Square for Restaurants review

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or Square for Restaurants better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and Square for Restaurants at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or Square for Restaurants?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Phorest and Free for Square for Restaurants.
Does Phorest or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
Yes. Square for Restaurants 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 for Restaurants is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that Square for Restaurants cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Both handle Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Phorest

More on Square for Restaurants

Keep looking

Other head to heads