Phorest vs Fresha Plus (formerly Shedul)

We’re not a marketplace or directory

Free software always comes at a price - and that price is your salon data and clients. Phorest doesn’t run a salon marketplace or directory, like Fresha does. They make money from bookings taken through the directory - even more so from new client bookings (20% of a new client's total spend!). That means marketplaces pit you against other salons in your area, appealing to customers shopping around for the lowest price. With Phorest that won’t happen to you. All of our marketing tools are designed to help you get your clients back in, spending more and generating referrals.

Multiple no-show alerts

Unreliable clients can leave you with empty timeslots and cost valuable revenue. Phorest automatically adds a note to client records when a client doesn’t show for an appointment, and you’ll get a ‘multiple no-show’ alert when they try to book with you over the phone. This allows you to turn them away, or request they book online with a deposit, allowing you to capture their payment details and charge a no-show fee should it happen again.

Premium consultation features

Phorest’s premium consultation features level up your consultations, ensuring client safety at every stage of their journey with you. Upload images, conduct accurate face-mapping and markups, and track treatment progress with ease, linking your forms seamlessly to clients’ individual profiles for a better experience- for you and them!

We don't do hidden fees

Here at Phorest, we’re transparent about what we offer. With a range of packages and pricing options to suit your unique business requirements, as well as some optional add-ons, we don’t take new client booking fees or use your business to boost our brand.

Free SMS to clients overdue to rebook

Machine learning in Phorest recognises when your clients are overdue to rebook their usual services, and you can send an SMS to them, free of charge, to remind them to make that booking asap.

Automated rebooking feature

Taking that one step further, if you don’t want to remember to hit send on that campaign to your overdue clients each day, you can use the automated rebooking feature to automatically send that reminder SMS for you.

Loyalty program

Keep your clients coming back and spending more with our Treatcard Loyalty program, designed specifically for salons. Our Treatcard salons enjoy a 30% rise in clients average spend and a 21% boost in revenue.

Video consultations

Protect your staff and your clients by minimising close contact, but keep revenue coming into your salon with video consultations. Confirmations, reminders and video links are automatically created and sent to clients and staff. Just login and chat!

Add staff bios & service descriptions in online booking to increase conversion

Phorest lets you add extra information about your staff members and your services in your online booking portal - just another way to sell your great skills and services and make sure the client com

Top class marketing suite

Create your own campaigns or use one of our tried & tested email & SMS templates to connect with clients and get them back in and spending more. Our email builder comes with a library of free-to-use stock photos, and an image editor tool to make them your own.

Fallback SMS

Most salons only have email addresses for 30% of their clients. Don’t put all that effort into beautiful marketing promotions, only to miss 70% of your clients! Phorest is the only salon software with a Fallback SMS feature that lets you send a link to your promotion, via SMS, to clients that do not have a valid email address on their client card.

Your own booking app in the app store

Give your customers a professional experience and a simple way to book with you on their own time, with your own salon booking app they can download from the Apple or Android app stores.

Online reputation manager

No other salon software has a built-in online reputation manager, helping you get hundreds of 5 star reviews on Google, Facebook and Yelp by prompting your best reviewers to share their comments online in one click. Let your online reputation generate referrals for you while you sleep.

Stock take app

Take the chore out of stock takes with our iPhone and Android app – just scan the barcode with your phone’s camera, enter your stock count, and you’re done!

Easy Tipping, Happy Staff

Elevate your salon’s payment experience with PhorestTips. This feature allows clients to seamlessly add a tip directly on the card machine, making it quick and convenient for them to show appreciation. Tips are paid straight into your staff’s bank accounts, cutting out the hassle of cash handling and manual tip distribution. It’s a secure solution that keeps your team happy and ensures timely payouts. While some systems complicate the process, PhorestTips simplifies it – empowering staff and enhancing the client experience.

Support is at our core

Our clients can’t say enough good things about our excellent support team. 'Seirbhís go hiontach' (excellence in service) is a driving mantra here at Phorest. Just check out what they’re saying about us below.

Free training for life

You and your team will get comprehensive onboarding training when you switch to Phorest, but we don’t stop there. You can book additional free online training sessions with us for as long as you like, for old staff and new alike.

Dedicated Business Advisor to help you increase salon revenue

With many other salon software providers you’ll get an account manager to help you get set up, but once you’re up and running you won’t hear from them again. With Phorest you’ll be assigned a Business Advisor to make sure you’re getting the most from your software, supporting you to keep growing your business and increasing your revenue.