Vagaro vs. Phorest vs. salonMonster
salonMonster is built for beauty professionals, by beauty professionals, with the everyday salon essentials in one price. Vagaro sells extras as paid add-ons. 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
Vagaro
Salon, spa, wellness, and fitness businesses that want marketplace discovery and a big catalogue of optional tools
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
Vagaro
Scheduling, memberships, packages, and a marketplace listing, with forms, a website builder, text marketing, and a branded app sold as paid add-ons
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
Vagaro
24/7 phone support, plus live chat and email, with onboarding and help moving your data into Vagaro
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
Vagaro
A broad platform for salons, spas, and fitness, with a marketplace and many of the extras sold as paid add-ons
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
Vagaro
Salon, spa, wellness, and fitness businesses that want marketplace discovery and a big catalogue of optional tools
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
Scheduling, memberships, packages, and a marketplace listing, with forms, a website builder, text marketing, and a branded app sold as paid add-ons
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
24/7 phone support, plus live chat and email, with onboarding and help moving your data into Vagaro
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 broad platform for salons, spas, and fitness, with a marketplace and many of the extras sold as paid add-ons
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: Vagaro 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: Vagaro's Canada or United States pricing page and Phorest's Canada or United States pricing page.
The real difference: Vagaro, Phorest, or software built for your salon
Built around the chair
Vagaro covers spas, wellness, and fitness as well as salons. 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 Vagaro, extras like forms, a website, and text marketing are priced one by one. 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 Vagaro or Phorest: export first
1
Export your records
From Vagaro, download your customer list, then run the appointment, sales, and inventory reports you rely on. 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 Vagaro or Phorest better for a salon?
It depends on what you want the software to do. Vagaro is a broad platform for salons, spas, wellness, and fitness, with a marketplace and extras sold as paid add-ons. 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: Vagaro, 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. Vagaro starts at $35 a month in Canada and $30 in the US, with extras such as forms and text marketing priced separately. 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 Vagaro 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. Vagaro’s trial runs for 30 days, and its help centre says the card on file is charged when the trial ends. Phorest has no free trial. Its public FAQ says it offers a personalized demonstration instead.
Does Vagaro have a marketplace?
Vagaro lists businesses in its marketplace and says there is no extra fee when a client books through it. 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 Vagaro or Phorest require a contract?
salonMonster has no contract and no cancellation fee. Vagaro lets you cancel anytime with no cancellation fee, though some of its card-reader offers come with their own terms, including a 12-month minimum. 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 Vagaro or Phorest?
On Vagaro, the business owner can export the customer list as Excel or PDF, and many other records can be exported from individual reports. 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 Vagaro 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 Vagaro 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 Vagaro or Phorest. Vagaro and Phorest are trademarks of their respective owners.