Phorest vs Simple Salon

Vagaro

Fresha

Timely

Boulevard

Meevo

Shortcuts

Compare Phorest and Simple Salon based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Streamline daily operations and automate your marketing campaigns with software designed with your goals in mind.

Vagaro is all-in-one software for beauty, wellness, and fitness professionals. Manage appointments, accept payments, run marketing campaigns, and grow your business all from one easy-to-use platform designed to help you save time and boost revenue.

Boulevard offers the only modern, intuitive client experience platform that streamlines bookings, payments, marketing, and business management. Make every moment matter with an easy-to-use platform that works as beautifully as you do. 

Phorest is an all-in-one solution used by over 9,000 salons and 155,000 hair and beauty professionals worldwide. Phorest is proud to be a life force for our industry, offering everything you need to manage, market and grow your business to take it to the next level.

Alerts/Notifications

Appointment Management

Appointment Scheduling

Automated Scheduling

Availability Management

Barcode/Ticket Scanning

Before & After Pictures

Booking Management

Booth Rental Management

Calendar Management

Client Database

Client Management

Client Portal

Client Profiles

Commission Management

Confirmations/Reminders

Credit Card Processing

Customer Database

Customer History

Customer Mobile App

Customer Surveys

Customizable Branding

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Discount Management

Drag & Drop

Electronic Forms

Electronic Payments

Email Marketing

Email Reminders

Employee Management

Faculty/Staff Management

For Barbershops

For Medical Spas

For Salons and Spas

Gift Card Management

HIPAA Compliant

Inventory Management

Inventory Tracking

Loyalty Program

Marketing Automation

Mobile Alerts

Multi-Location

Online Booking

Online Store

Payment Processing

Payroll & Commissions

Payroll Management

Performance Metrics

Point of Sale (POS)

Promotions Management

Real-Time Reporting

Receipt Management

Recurring Appointments

Reminders

Reporting & Statistics

Sales Reports

SMS Marketing

SMS Messaging

Social Media Integration

Stock Management

Third-Party Integrations

Transaction History

Treatment Packages

Wait List Management

Website Integration

Phorest

Android

Linux

Web-based

Windows

iPad

iPhone

Director

Easy to understand, hopefully boost the business, app is a great extra feature, able to use on many devices and check on the business at any time, training is great for the whole team.

Managing Director 

The support team are brilliant and always happy to support and help where they can. Customer service excellent too.

I looked at quite a few systems & glad this is the one I went for. Amazing help from everyone & I think I used my support monthly fee in the first few days haha.

Iv been using Phorest for about 7 years and it is such an asset to the business. Online bookings are hugely successful and both client and therapist friendly.

Salon Owner 

Ive only just become a customer and It is AMAZING. The support from Phorest staff is fantastic and the marketing support with ebooks and podcasts etc.

Manager

We found the training , the support team and the initial set up fantastic. From Start to finish we are thrilled we have chosen Phorest as our new soft wear company.

My staff have loved it and found it so easy to use, especially after the brilliant training we received. Any teething problems we have had and the phorest team has been extremely helpful.

It's easy to use, responsive, clever and well thought-out. It's wide-ranging capabilities are second-to-none and will make (and save) us a lot of money - we are delighted with it.

Ease of use, friendly navigation, great customer support. It's like having an in-house marketing team it's so simple to activate the in-built marketing functions.

Owner

Based on my previous software company there was no charge and most of my booking made over night too, so in my eyes I am concerned about this.

Proprietor

Clients always say how professional our system is and that they love getting the text reminders. We have saved money by our clients turning up for their appointments and not just 'forgetting.

Unprofessional Company with hidden charges and poor data management.

The company has hidden charges which they deduct at source so you can't see them or audit them.

General Manager

Meets all of our booking and POS needs. Includes an excellent built-in rewards/points system, that has customizable features.

University Intern

Overall, Phorest proved to be a useful tool for streamlining salon operations and attaining business objectives because to its user-friendly design and extensive features.

There are many much superior softwares available that are cheaper, easier to run and integrate easier into other business softwares.

They consistently over charge and apply higher charges to bills than your original contract and insist on payment by direct debit so its not easy to detect them.

This allows our management team to make reports and help with any booking/sales issues our receptionists may have.

Phorest screenshot: Appointment Screen

Phorest screenshot: Marketing Suite

Phorest screenshot: Staff Performance Management

Phorest screenshot: Salon Booking App

Phorest screenshot: Multiple Devices

Large Enterprises

Mid Size Business

Small Business

Shortcuts is a salon management software that helps businesses of all sizes with their daily operations, ranging from client to business management. Users can personalize customer interactions & market towards their target audience, all whilst ensuring that business operations are running smoothly.

Run your salon like a pro with easy-to-use booking software that puts you in control of the whole client experience.


Designed to simplify operations and supercharge growth, Fresha provides an intuitive, all-in-one platform to manage appointments, streamline payments, and enhance client experiences. Teams can boost sales and attract new clients by accepting online bookings directly through Google search, Facebook and Instagram pages, and custom websites. Clients can be kept up to date via automated messages, emails and the mobile app.

Whatever your business—health, hair, beauty, fitness, tattoo—Simple Salon is jam packed with all the business management and marketing tools you need to meet every challenge. Get more bookings, more clients, more freedom and, ultimately, more happiness.

Activity Dashboard

Simple Salon

Business owner

I really like the program, super simple to use once you get the hang of everything and the help is great when you don’t know what you’re doing.

owner

I liked the ease to set it up and the option for payment integrations. I liked the clean simple layout of the system and its steps.

hair salon owner

Its amazing, super easy to use and super handy to have all of my records easily accessible for my account to use.

Its been brilliant iv recommend it to other hair salons it's very cost-effective considering how many features you can use.

The support is amazing  and so easy to find. I love colour coding the services.

I have been so happy with our transition, the ease of it all, the support of the Simple Salon team, and the impeccable customer service we have received.

I really enjoy the simplicity of the software once you understand how to use it. I like how everything is automatic and does a lot of my job for me.

I have used 2 other very well known systems previously with nothing but glitches and problems daily - which meant being stuck on the phone for hours waiting for assistance.

Nurse

This software is user friendly, able to filter clients, run reports, sms at a great price. Staff are very helpful when sending through an enquiry.

Hairdresser

But its a good simple affordable system to use overall. Has got room for improvement.

Owner 

Love that I can access my appointment book anywhere in the world. Great SMS reminder feature.

No click through from time page in the inline booking which can confuse customers.

Very good service when starting the program and easy to use other programs to connect to simplesalon so very handy.

Owner/Beauty Therapist

The only annoying part is not being able to process payments through the app. I have to go on the computer to do that.

Salon Owner

I can easily access the system from any hardware and it is just easy to use. I am not particularly techy but it just works at an affordable price.

Super frustrated as i dont know you i have booked in for the day let alone the next 6 weeks and no way of contacting any clients or finding out if this is being rectified.

The help desk are always prompt in answering any questions i have.

Appointments, stock, pos, staff managing and marketing is all included. Easy integration with website and Facebook platforms.

Phorest vs Simple Salon Comparison (2026)

Phorest

Simple Salon

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives