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Software · head to head

Phorest vs When2meet

Phorest logo

Phorest

Software

Salon software that grows your business

From
$99/month
Rated
-
When2meet logo

When2meet

Software

Find the best time to meet

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only When2meet 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; When2meet no calendar synchronization capability
  • They diverge on capability: Phorest covers Appointment booking, When2meet covers Visual availability grid.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Phorest and When2meet actually diverge.

Attributes where Phorest and When2meet differ
AttributePhorestWhen2meet
Starting price$99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2003).

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 When2meet

  • Visual availability grid
  • No account required
  • Drag-to-select availability
  • Group overview
  • Shareable links

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 When2meet
  • Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot When2meet

When2meet

  • Schedulingnot Phorest
  • Appointment bookingnot Phorest
  • Time trackingnot Phorest
  • Resource managementnot Phorest
  • Team coordinationnot 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

When2meet

  • No calendar synchronization capability
  • No automated reminders to participants
  • No dedicated mobile app, web-only access
  • No integration with calendar systems or other tools
  • Requires manual entry of availability rather than auto-sync from calendar

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

When2meet

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited events
    • Visual availability
    • No account needed

Which should you pick?

Choose Phorest if

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

Choose When2meet if

  • You need visual availability grid.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want no account required.

Questions people ask

Is Phorest or When2meet better?
Neither clearly leads. Phorest starts at $99/month and When2meet at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Phorest or When2meet?
When2meet has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Phorest and Free for When2meet.
Does Phorest or When2meet run on more platforms?
Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. When2meet runs on Web.
Can I use When2meet for free?
Yes. When2meet 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 When2meet is typically brought in for.
What can Phorest do that When2meet cannot?
Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. When2meet covers Visual availability grid, No account required, Drag-to-select availability, Group overview. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

When2meet: Is When2meet free to use?

Yes, When2meet is completely free. Anyone can create and participate in availability surveys at no cost. The service is supported by advertising.

Source
When2meet: Do I need to create an account to use When2meet?

No, When2meet requires no login or account creation. You can create scheduling polls and share them instantly.

Source
When2meet: How does When2meet differ from Doodle or Calendly?

When2meet is a basic polling tool where participants manually mark availability. Unlike Doodle, it has no calendar sync or timezone handling. Unlike Calendly, it does not support direct booking or calendar integrations.

Source

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