salonMonster vs. Phorest
Phorest's a solid platform if you're running a bigger operation — spa, med spa, multiple chairs — and don't mind paying more to unlock the good stuff. But for a lot of salons, it's more complex, more confusing and more expensive than they need. salonMonster's built for you if you just want the essentials, a price you can actually see up front, and the freedom to walk away whenever you want.
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
Independent beauty professionals and owner-led salon teams who want the essentials, a public price, and the freedom to leave without waiting for a contract anniversary
Phorest
Growing salons, spas, and med spas — Phorest says its plans are perfect for three or more staff
Top features
salonMonster
Online booking, reminders, client records, point-of-sale tracking, inventory, reports, and bulk email — included on every plan, cancel anytime
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 included on every plan, plus free migration help from a real person
Phorest
Tailored setup, migration, and training; support available Monday–Friday
Bottom line
salonMonster
A public price starting at $30/month, a 14-day trial, and no long-term contract
Phorest
A broad platform worth the look if you’re ready for a quote-based price and a one-year contract
Independent beauty professionals and owner-led salon teams who want the essentials, a public price, and the freedom to leave without waiting for a contract anniversary
Phorest
Growing salons, spas, and med spas — Phorest says its plans are perfect for three or more staff
Online booking, reminders, client records, point-of-sale tracking, inventory, reports, and bulk email — included on every plan, cancel anytime
Top features locked behind paid plan upgrades and add-ons, and cancelling requires wide-range advance notice
Phone, chat, and email support included on every plan, plus free migration help from a real person
Tailored setup, migration, and training; support available Monday–Friday
A public price starting at $30/month, a 14-day trial, and no long-term contract
A broad platform worth the look if you’re ready for 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.
Pricing, contracts, getting started, and the core feature areas — no ratings, no fluff, just what each product does.
Public product and pricing information reviewed September 23–24, 2026. Phorest's subscription price is quote-based, and a signed Order can contain additional terms — confirm your current quote, order, and terms before deciding. Read Phorest's Canada or United States pricing page.
A few everyday things that work differently
Not the big-ticket features — the small stuff you run into every single day behind the chair.
Reminder texts don't run on a meter
Every salonMonster plan includes email and text reminders and booking confirmations. With Phorest, each text is billed at your plan's SMS rate, and higher plans come with a free monthly allowance — how much depends on your plan and country. If your book is busy, it's worth asking about in your quote.
Keep online booking on and still have the final say
salonMonster lets you review and approve each online booking before it lands in your book — handy when a “quick root touch-up” might really be a colour correction. Phorest's request form works differently: you switch online booking off to use it, and requests come to you by email.
See their hair before they sit down
With salonMonster, clients can attach photos when they book online — their hair now, the look they're after — and you'll find them on the client record next to your own before-and-afters. On Phorest, client photos come in through consultation forms, which start on the Grow plan.
Chair renters are welcome here
Phorest is upfront that it's built for salons with 3+ staff and “isn't a good fit for mobile operators or chair rental salons.” That's fair — and it's exactly who salonMonster was built for, from solo stylists to small owner-led teams.
Choose the amount of software your salon needs
Phorest's size is genuinely useful for a growing business that needs it — multi-location tools, loyalty, reputation management, staff goals, branded apps, two-way messaging, memberships, lead tools. If you've got the team to actually use all of that, it's worth a look.
salonMonster goes the other way. Online booking, automatic confirmations and reminders, client records, point-of-sale tracking, inventory, reporting, a wait-list, and bulk email — all the stuff you actually touch every day, in one system, built for independent professionals and owner-led teams.
You don't win a prize for the longest feature list. Pick whatever gets the most busywork off your plate — for the salon you're running now, not some hypothetical empire.
Take a tour of salonMonsterSwitching from Phorest: know what can move before you cancel
Phorest lets you export your client records, upcoming appointments, services, products, transactions, deposits, courses, and gift cards. Just know the exports aren't perfectly clean — their service export drops individual staff durations, for example, and the appointment export skips service duration entirely.
1
Export and lock down your records
Grab your client file first, then appointments, services, and products. Keep copies somewhere safe. Don't hit cancel on Phorest until you've double-checked everything's there.
2
We map the files for you
Send everything over through our secure process. Your service export helps us line up the right duration for future appointments. We'll tell you exactly what made it over before we call the move done.
3
Walk through it with a real person
We'll go over your client records, services, upcoming bookings, team access, and booking rules together. Want company? Book a free 30-minute call and we'll walk the whole Phorest export with you.
Which one sounds more like your business?
Choose based on fit, not fear. Phorest may be worth the extra breadth for a business that will use it. salonMonster may be the stronger choice when clarity, focus, and freedom matter more.
salonMonster may be the better fit if you:
- are independent, chair-based, or running an owner-led small salon team
- want to see the subscription price without requesting a quote
- want a 14-day trial before making a decision
- want reminder texts included instead of billed per message
- want to approve online bookings before they land in your book
- want clients to send reference photos when they book
- don't want a one-year contract or renewal deadline
- want the everyday salon essentials without configuring a larger platform
- value direct help moving the Phorest data that can be exported
- want a simple path to export your records later
Phorest may be the better fit if you:
- have three or more staff and expect a broader operational platform
- run a spa, med spa, premium salon, or multi-location business
- need advanced loyalty, reputation, team-performance, app, membership, lead, or marketing tools
- value unlimited staff and device access within the plan structure
- prefer a tailored demo and quote over self-serve pricing and a free trial
A switch should leave you with more control, not less.
14 days free
No card required, just poke around and see if it works for you.
No contract
Cancel whenever. We're not trying to lock you into anything.
No hidden fees
What you see is what you pay. No surprise charges buried in the fine print.
You own your data
Not us. Export all of it whenever you want — clients, bookings, sales — in an easy-to-reuse CSV, with no fee and no request form. We'll never hold your data hostage. If you ever leave, it leaves with you.
Real humans in chat and email
You're not left alone with a setup checklist and a support bot.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Phorest cost?
Phorest does not publish a subscription amount on its Canadian or US pricing page. It asks businesses to request a quote for Starter, Grow, Complete Advantage, or Elite. Ask for a written total covering the plan, onboarding, messaging, payment rates, add-ons, billing frequency, contract period, and cancellation dates.
Is salonMonster cheaper than Phorest?
That can’t be answered responsibly without a Phorest quote. salonMonster publishes prices from $30/month and caps the subscription at $120/month for seven or more scheduling staff. Compare that with the complete Phorest quote for the features and usage your business needs.
Does Phorest charge for reminder texts?
Phorest’s public pricing pages show text messages charged per message, with a free monthly allowance on higher plans. The rate and allowance depend on your plan and country — for example, the US Starter plan lists 5¢ per SMS. salonMonster includes email and text reminders and booking confirmations on every plan.
Does Phorest offer a free trial?
No. Phorest’s public FAQ says it offers a personalized demonstration instead. salonMonster offers a 14-day trial without a credit card.
Does Phorest require a contract?
Phorest’s public Canadian and US terms state a one-year contract period with automatic annual renewal. They require at least two months’ written notice and say remaining subscription fees are payable for early termination. Review the current terms and your signed Order, since account-specific details can differ.
Can salonMonster move everything from Phorest?
Not necessarily. The result depends on what Phorest includes in the exports and what salonMonster supports. salonMonster documents a process for client, future-appointment, service, and product files, and reviews what’s actually available rather than promising fields that don’t exist in the export.
Can I export my Phorest data?
Yes. Phorest documents free self-service exports for several data categories. Some exports use different reports, and some fields have limitations. Custom exports requested from Phorest may involve a charge under its published help and terms.
Which is better for a multi-location salon or med spa?
Phorest is likely the stronger candidate when you need multi-location management or its broader spa, med spa, growth, reputation, membership, and staff-performance tools. salonMonster is intentionally focused on independent operators and owner-led salon teams. Confirm requirements in a demo of each system.
Does salonMonster require integrated payment processing?
No. Integrated processing is optional. salonMonster publishes Canadian and US rates, and you can also record cash or payments taken through an external terminal.
ready when you are
Ready for salon software with a public price and no long-term contract?
Start with 14 days free. No credit card. If you decide to move from Phorest, a real person will help you understand the available exports and bring over the supported records.
No card. No contract.
salonMonster is an independent company and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Phorest. Phorest is a trademark of its respective owner. Product and pricing information was reviewed on September 23–24, 2026.