Beauty & Salon · head to head
SalonTarget vs Phorest
The short version
- Each has a real cost: SalonTarget pricing is not published; costs come through a demo or trial; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
- They diverge on capability: SalonTarget covers Client retention alerts, Phorest covers Appointment booking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which SalonTarget and Phorest actually diverge.
| Attribute | SalonTarget | Phorest |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web | Web, Ios, Android, Api |
| Founded | 2016 | 2003 |
Identical on both: starting price ($99/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Beauty & Salon).
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 SalonTarget
- Client retention alerts
- Automated marketing
- Data analytics
- At-risk client identification
- Email campaigns
- SMS marketing
- Performance tracking
- Revenue forecasting
Only in Phorest
- Appointment booking
- Client management
- Point of sale
- Marketing automation
- Reputation management
- Staff management
- Inventory tracking
- Business reports
Both cover
- SSL encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
SalonTarget
- Appointment scheduling and online booking for salonsnot Phorest
- Point of sale with integrated paymentsnot Phorest
- Inventory tracking for retail and back barnot Phorest
- Booth renter managementnot Phorest
- Client marketing and rebooking remindersnot Phorest
Phorest
- Salon and spa appointment booking with client recordsnot SalonTarget
- Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot SalonTarget
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
SalonTarget
- Pricing is not published; costs come through a demo or trial
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
SalonTarget
$99/month- Growth$99/month
- Client retention alerts
- Automated campaigns
- Basic analytics
- Enterprise$199/month
- All Growth features
- Advanced analytics
- Multi-location support
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 SalonTarget if
- You need client retention alerts.
- You also want automated marketing.
Choose Phorest if
- You need appointment booking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want client management.
Questions people ask
- Is SalonTarget or Phorest better?
- Neither clearly leads. SalonTarget starts at $99/month and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, SalonTarget or Phorest?
- SalonTarget starts at $99/month and Phorest at $99/month.
- Does SalonTarget or Phorest run on more platforms?
- SalonTarget runs on Web. Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- What is SalonTarget best used for?
- SalonTarget is most often used for appointment scheduling and online booking for salons, point of sale with integrated payments, inventory tracking for retail and back bar, booth renter management. Of those, appointment scheduling and online booking for salons and point of sale with integrated payments are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
- What can SalonTarget do that Phorest cannot?
- SalonTarget covers Client retention alerts, Automated marketing, Data analytics, At-risk client identification. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Client management, Point of sale, Marketing automation. Both handle SSL encryption, Cloud deployment, Web support.