Software · head to head
StyleSeat vs Phorest
The short version
- Only StyleSeat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: StyleSeat introductory price of $19/month for the first 3 months rises to a standard $35/month afterward, per StyleSeat's own pricing page.; Phorest no price is published for any of the seven plans, and every route ends at a quote request
- They diverge on capability: StyleSeat covers Online booking, Phorest covers Appointment booking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which StyleSeat and Phorest actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 StyleSeat
- Online booking
- Professional profiles
- Payment processing
- Marketing tools
- Reviews & ratings
- Mobile app
- Calendar management
- Google Calendar
Only in Phorest
- Appointment booking
- Point of sale
- Marketing automation
- Reputation management
- Staff management
- Inventory tracking
- Business reports
- Mailchimp
Both cover
- Client management
- Stripe
- PCI DSS
- SSL encryption
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
StyleSeat
- Client acquisitionnot Phorest
- Online bookingnot Phorest
- Personal brandingnot Phorest
- Payment collectionnot Phorest
- Client retentionnot Phorest
Phorest
- Salon and spa appointment booking with client recordsnot StyleSeat
- Marketing, memberships and staff management for beauty businessesnot StyleSeat
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
StyleSeat
- Introductory price of $19/month for the first 3 months rises to a standard $35/month afterward, per StyleSeat's own pricing page.
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
StyleSeat
Free- FreeFree
- Online booking
- Client management
- Professional profile
- Pro$35/month
- Everything in Free
- Smart pricing
- No-show protection
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 StyleSeat if
- You need online booking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want professional profiles.
Choose Phorest if
- You need appointment booking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want point of sale.
Questions people ask
- Is StyleSeat or Phorest better?
- Neither clearly leads. StyleSeat starts at Free and Phorest at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, StyleSeat or Phorest?
- StyleSeat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for StyleSeat and $99/month for Phorest.
- Does StyleSeat or Phorest run on more platforms?
- StyleSeat runs on Web, Ios, Android. Phorest runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- Can I use StyleSeat for free?
- Yes. StyleSeat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Phorest starts at $99/month.
- What is StyleSeat best used for?
- StyleSeat is most often used for client acquisition, online booking, personal branding, payment collection. Of those, client acquisition and online booking are not what Phorest is typically brought in for.
- What can StyleSeat do that Phorest cannot?
- StyleSeat covers Online booking, Professional profiles, Payment processing, Marketing tools. Phorest covers Appointment booking, Point of sale, Marketing automation, Reputation management. Both handle Client management, Instagram, Facebook, Stripe.