Booksy vs. Phorest vs. salonMonster
salonMonster is built for beauty professionals, by beauty professionals, with the everyday salon essentials in one price. Booksy is built around a shared marketplace and booking app. Phorest prices by quote and signs salons to a one-year contract.
No credit card required · No long-term contract · Free migration help
Canadian-owned and built in British Columbia since 2010, with straightforward pricing for salons across Canada and the US.
Who it's made for
salonMonster
Hairdressers, nail techs, estheticians, and owner-led salons who want software made for beauty professionals, by people who have worked behind the chair
Booksy
Beauty professionals, barbers, and salon teams who want to be discovered inside a shared marketplace and booking app
Phorest
Growing salons, spas, and med spas. Phorest says its plans are perfect for three or more staff
Top features
salonMonster
Online booking, processing-time gaps for colour, booking requests, client records, inventory, reports, a wait list, and bulk email and text marketing, all in one plan
Booksy
One feature tier with booking, marketing, forms, memberships, packages, and gift cards, plus a marketplace listing and optional paid Boost promotion
Phorest
Top features locked behind paid plan upgrades and add-ons, and cancelling requires wide-range advance notice
Support
salonMonster
Phone, chat, and email support from people who know salon work, plus free migration help from a real person
Booksy
One-to-one onboarding after you subscribe, and free help moving your data into Booksy
Phorest
Tailored setup, migration, and training. Support available Monday to Friday
Bottom line
salonMonster
Built by hairdressers, for hairdressers, with the salon tools, marketing, and personal help in one price
Booksy
A shared marketplace and booking app, where each extra user adds $20 a month and Boost promotion is an optional paid extra
Phorest
A broad platform with a quote-based price and a one-year contract
Hairdressers, nail techs, estheticians, and owner-led salons who want software made for beauty professionals, by people who have worked behind the chair
Booksy
Beauty professionals, barbers, and salon teams who want to be discovered inside a shared marketplace and booking app
Phorest
Growing salons, spas, and med spas. Phorest says its plans are perfect for three or more staff
Online booking, processing-time gaps for colour, booking requests, client records, inventory, reports, a wait list, and bulk email and text marketing, all in one plan
One feature tier with booking, marketing, forms, memberships, packages, and gift cards, plus a marketplace listing and optional paid Boost promotion
Top features locked behind paid plan upgrades and add-ons, and cancelling requires wide-range advance notice
Phone, chat, and email support from people who know salon work, plus free migration help from a real person
One-to-one onboarding after you subscribe, and free help moving your data into Booksy
Tailored setup, migration, and training. Support available Monday to Friday
Built by hairdressers, for hairdressers, with the salon tools, marketing, and personal help in one price
A shared marketplace and booking app, where each extra user adds $20 a month and Boost promotion is an optional paid extra
A broad platform with a quote-based price and a one-year contract
Already sold? Jump in whenever you're ready.
Start your free 14-day trialNo card required, no contract.
Want a deeper dive? Here's how salonMonster stacks up.
Based on each company's public product and pricing information (last reviewed: Booksy October 3, 2026, Phorest September 23 to 24, 2026). salonMonster bills in Canadian dollars in Canada and US dollars in the US. Prices, plans, and promotions change, so check before deciding: Booksy's Canada or United States pricing page and Phorest's Canada or United States pricing page.
The real difference: Booksy, Phorest, or software built for your salon
Built around the chair
Booksy is built around a shared marketplace and booking app. Phorest says its plans are perfect for three or more staff, and that it isn’t a good fit for chair rental salons or mobile operators. salonMonster is made by hairdressers, for the way a salon day already runs. Book a cut into the gap while a colour processes, approve online booking requests before they land in your book, and keep formulas on the client record.
The essentials are in the price
With Booksy, each extra user adds $20 a month, and its optional Boost promotion takes 30% of a new Boost client’s first visit, up to $100. With Phorest, every plan is priced by quote, and reminder texts are billed per message. salonMonster sticks to what a salon uses every day and includes it on every plan.
Help from people who know salons
We've been behind the chair, so you won't have to explain what a root touch-up is. A real person moves your client list over for free and walks you through your new account. And you get 14 days with no card at all, so nothing can charge you until you've decided it's right for you.
Switching from Booksy or Phorest: export first
1
Export your records
From Booksy, request your client list from Support, and ask about upcoming appointments, history, services, products, and notes while you’re at it. From Phorest, grab your client file first, then appointments, services, and products. Keep your account open while you do.
2
We look at what you got
Send the files over through our secure process. We'll tell you exactly what can move into salonMonster before we call the move done, so there are no surprises later.
3
Walk through it with a real person
We'll go over your clients, services, upcoming bookings, team access, and booking rules together. Once it all looks right, that's the moment to cancel or downgrade your old plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is Booksy or Phorest better for a salon?
It depends on what you want the software to do. Booksy is built for beauty professionals, barbers, and salon teams who want to be found inside a shared marketplace and booking app. Phorest is aimed at growing salons, spas, and med spas, with quoted pricing and a one-year contract. salonMonster only does salons and beauty. It’s built by hairdressers, for hairdressers, so every feature is designed around a salon day and included in one plan.
Which costs less: Booksy, Phorest, or salonMonster?
salonMonster is $30 a month for one person, with every salon tool included: processing time, a wait list, client records, and marketing. Booksy is $29.99 a month for the first user and $20 for each extra user, with an optional Boost fee of 30% of a new Boost client’s first visit. Phorest doesn’t publish a subscription price on its Canadian or US pricing page and asks you to request a quote. Team size, country, and add-ons all change the total, so compare the setup you would really use.
Do Booksy and Phorest offer a free trial?
salonMonster’s trial is 14 days of the full system and doesn’t ask for a card, so nothing is charged until you choose a plan. Booksy’s US page offers 14 days with no credit card. Its Canadian pricing page offers a free trial without saying how long it runs. Phorest has no free trial. Its public FAQ says it offers a personalized demonstration instead.
Does Booksy have a marketplace?
Booksy includes a marketplace listing and says there is no booking commission unless you turn on Boost, which is optional. With Boost on, its US pages list a fee of 30% of a new Boost client’s first visit, up to $100. salonMonster keeps booking between you and your clients: they book through your own booking page or a widget on your website, not a marketplace.
Do Booksy or Phorest require a contract?
salonMonster has no contract and no cancellation fee. Booksy’s US pricing page says you can cancel anytime, and its help centre asks you to email Support to do it. Phorest’s public Canadian and US terms state a one-year contract period with automatic annual renewal, at least two months’ written notice, and remaining subscription fees payable on early termination.
Can I export my data from Booksy or Phorest?
Booksy’s US help centre says to contact Support for a client list with contact details. Phorest documents free self-service exports for several data categories. Custom exports requested from Phorest may involve a charge. Whichever you’re on, get every export you rely on before you cancel or downgrade.
Can salonMonster move everything from Booksy or Phorest?
It depends on the files you’re able to export. Send them over and we’ll tell you exactly what can move before you change anything on your current account.
ready when you are
Ready for salon software built around the chair?
Start with 14 days free. No credit card. If you decide to move from Booksy or Phorest, a real person will look over the files you export and explain what can come across before you change anything.
No card. No contract.
salonMonster is an independent company and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Booksy or Phorest. Booksy and Phorest are trademarks of their respective owners.