Software · head to head
Salon Iris vs Phorest
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Salon Iris saloniris.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to daysmart.com/salon/pricing; the product is sold as DaySmart Salon; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
- They diverge on capability: Salon Iris covers Appointment scheduling, Phorest covers Appointment booking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Salon Iris and Phorest actually diverge.
| Attribute | Salon Iris | Phorest |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | $99/month |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, Ios, Android | Web, Ios, Android, Api |
| Founded | 1999 | 2003 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Salon Iris
- Appointment scheduling
- Inventory management
- Marketing tools
- Payroll reports
- Online booking
- Mobile access
- QuickBooks
- Constant Contact
Only in Phorest
- Appointment booking
- Marketing automation
- Reputation management
- Staff management
- Inventory tracking
- Business reports
- Google My Business
Both cover
- Client management
- Point of sale
- Mailchimp
- PCI DSS
- SSL encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Salon Iris
- Salon appointment scheduling and client recordsnot Phorest
- Salon point of sale and inventorynot Phorest
- Stylist payroll and commission trackingnot Phorest
Phorest
- Salon and spa appointment booking with client recordsnot Salon Iris
- Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot Salon Iris
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Salon Iris
- saloniris.com/pricing returns a 301 redirect to daysmart.com/salon/pricing; the product is sold as DaySmart Salon
- The $29 per month entry plan includes only 1 user and excludes resource management, packages, memberships, payroll and digital forms
- Additional users cost $9 per month each
- Text and email volumes are capped per plan, starting at 500 texts and 1,000 emails per month
- Text marketing, two way texting, reputation management and the website builder are separately priced add ons
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Salon Iris
$29/month- Basic$29/month
- Appointment booking
- Client database
- Basic POS
- Deluxe$59/month
- Everything in Basic
- Online booking
- Marketing tools
- Premier$109/month
- Everything in Deluxe
- Advanced reports
- Multi-location
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Salon Iris if
- You need appointment scheduling.
- You work on Web, Windows, Ios, Android.
- You also want inventory management.
Choose Phorest if
- You need appointment booking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want marketing automation.
Questions people ask
- Is Salon Iris or Phorest better?
- Neither clearly leads. Salon Iris starts at $29/month and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Salon Iris or Phorest?
- Salon Iris starts at $29/month and Phorest at $99/month.
- Does Salon Iris or Phorest run on more platforms?
- Salon Iris runs on Web, Windows, Ios, Android. Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- What is Salon Iris best used for?
- Salon Iris is most often used for salon appointment scheduling and client records, salon point of sale and inventory, stylist payroll and commission tracking. Of those, salon appointment scheduling and client records and salon point of sale and inventory are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
- What can Salon Iris do that Phorest cannot?
- Salon Iris covers Appointment scheduling, Inventory management, Marketing tools, Payroll reports. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Marketing automation, Reputation management, Staff management. Both handle Client management, Point of sale, Mailchimp, Facebook.