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Software · head to head

Phorest vs Squire

Phorest logo

Phorest

Software

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Squire logo

Squire

Software

The operating system for barbershops

From
$30/month
Rated
-

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; Squire booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, Squire covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and Squire actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and Squire differ
AttributePhorestSquire
Starting price$99/month$30/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
  • Inventory tracking
  • Business reports
  • Mailchimp

Only in Squire

  • Online booking
  • Walk-in queue
  • Team management
  • Instant payouts
  • Client app
  • Marketing tools
  • Business analytics
  • Google

Both cover

  • Point of sale
  • Instagram
  • 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 Squire
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Squire

Squire

  • Barbershop managementnot Phorest
  • Walk-in handlingnot Phorest
  • Team payrollnot Phorest
  • Client 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

Squire

  • Booking fees of $1-3 per appointment add significant cost beyond subscription, increasing total cost of ownership
  • Limited to barbershops and beauty salons; not suitable for other service industries
  • Walk-in and waitlist features only available on higher-tier plans, limiting functionality for drop-in appointments
  • POS system tightly integrated; cannot use with alternative payment processors or systems
  • Customer data locked into Squire platform with limited export options

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

Squire

$30/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Squire review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Phorest if

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

Choose Squire if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want walk-in queue.

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or Squire better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and Squire at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or Squire?
Phorest starts at $99/month and Squire at $30/month.
Does Phorest or Squire run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Squire 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 Squire is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that Squire cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Marketing automation, Reputation management. Squire covers Online booking, Walk-in queue, Team management, Instant payouts. Both handle Point of sale, Instagram, PCI DSS, SSL encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Squire: What are Squire's pricing tiers?

Squire offers Pro plans starting at $30/month for independent barbers, Pro-Complete at $100/month for full shops, Executive tiers at $100-150/month, and Titan at $250/month. All include scheduling, POS, and customer management features.

Source
Squire: Does Squire charge booking fees?

Yes, Squire charges customers $1-3 per booking for online scheduling, in addition to the monthly subscription cost. This is a key cost factor beyond the base subscription.

Source
Squire: What integrations does Squire support?

Squire integrates with Square, QuickBooks, Google Calendar, and Stripe. It also offers an API for custom integrations and works with Zapier to connect to hundreds of other applications.

Source
Squire: What core features does Squire provide?

Squire includes online appointment scheduling, integrated POS system, customer relationship management, loyalty reward programs, promo codes, and automated text reminders.

Source
Squire: Does Squire support walk-in customers?

Yes, Squire supports walk-in booking through its waitlist feature, which is available on all plans except the basic Pro tier.

Source
Squire: Who founded Squire and how is it backed?

Squire was founded by Songe LaRon and Dave Salvant in 2016. The company raised $162M in funding as of February 2026 and achieved a $750M valuation in 2021.

Source

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