Simple Salon vs Phorest
A Phorest Alternative With Transparent Pricing and No Minimums
Evaluate, trial, and subscribe without a sales call. Simple Salon is designed for salons of every size, from solo stylists to multi-location groups.
No contracts · No card required · Cancel anytime
Public pricing, no sales call
Phorest does not publish its pricing. Simple Salon lists Starter A$25/mo, Pro A$45, Max A$55 per operator.
No staff minimum
Phorest says its plans are perfect for 3+ staff. Simple Salon has no minimum, scaling from a single-chair operator to a 20-seat salon group.
SMS included, not metered
Pro includes 200 SMS per operator per month, with no per-message charge and no overage bills.
Why Salon Owners Are Switching From Phorest
Simple Salon is a Phorest alternative with transparent pricing and no staff minimums. You see the flat monthly subscription up front, you can start with a single operator rather than a minimum team size, and you can try it on a free trial with no credit card required. The path to evaluating Phorest starts with a sales conversation rather than a self-serve trial.
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There's no public pricing, plans pitched at salons with 3+ staff, and SMS messages are billed per send rather than bundled into your plan. For solo operators, small studios, or any team that wants to compare costs openly before picking up the phone, those friction points can make Phorest a difficult fit. Simple Salon is a full-featured Phorest alternative that publishes its pricing, lets you start a free trial immediately, and works for businesses of any size.
The real cost: Phorest vs Simple Salon
| Feature / Cost | Simple Salon | Phorest |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Published, from A$25/operator/month | By quote after a demo: Grow A$239, Complete Advantage A$289, Complete Advantage Plus A$379 a month |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card needed | No, demo only |
| Contract | None, cancel anytime | 12 months |
| Set-up fee | None | A$695 |
| Who it's built for | Solo stylists to multi-location groups | "Perfect for 3+ staff" |
| SMS | 200/operator/month included on Pro | 8.5c to 12c per SMS |
| Online booking deposits | Optional; A$0.99 inc GST platform fee, plus processor fee | Required on every service booked online; A$1.14 per deposit up to A$50, 2.5% above |
| Online gift vouchers and store | A$0.99 inc GST per sale, plus processor fee | 5% per sale (2.8% on top package) |
| Membership payments | Processor fee only | 3.2% per payment |
| Card payments | Your choice: Tyro, Stripe, Worldline, PIN, Mercury, KPay | PhorestPay: 1.5% Visa/Mastercard, 2% Amex, plus A$29/month per terminal |
| Xero / QuickBooks | Included on Pro and Max | A$29/month add-on |
• Phorest: phorest.com/au/pricing and phorest.com/au/additional-fees-overview. • Simple Salon pricing: simplesalon.com/how-much. All prices AUD ex GST unless marked inc GST.
Optional deposits, lower online fees
With Phorest, every service booked online needs a deposit, and each deposit carries a A$1.14 fee (2.5% over A$50). With Simple Salon, deposits are your choice, and online bookings and sales carry a flat A$0.99 platform fee plus your processor's fee.
See the Price Before You Talk to Anyone
Phorest requires a sales call before you can find out what you'll pay. Simple Salon's pricing is public: Starter from A$25/mo, Pro at A$45/operator/month, Max at A$55/operator/month. You can read the plan details, run the numbers for your team size, and start a free trial, all before speaking to anyone. For owners who want to evaluate software on their own terms, that transparency matters.
Built for Solo Operators and Small Salons Too
Phorest says its plans are perfect for 3+ staff. Simple Salon has no minimum. From a single-chair operator to a 20-seat salon group, the platform scales with your business rather than requiring you to grow into it first.
SMS Included: Not Charged Per Message
With Phorest, every SMS appointment reminder costs between $0.085 and $0.12 on top of your subscription. For a busy salon sending hundreds of reminders each month, that adds up quickly. Simple Salon's Pro plan includes 200 SMS messages per operator per month as part of the subscription, no surprise overage bills, no per-message accounting.
Marketing Automation That's Ready on Day One
Simple Salon's Smart Send feature handles automated marketing without a separate setup: rebook reminders when clients are due back, win-back campaigns for lapsed clients, birthday messages, post-visit follow-ups, and appointment reminders all run automatically once configured. SMS, email via Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp, and WhatsApp are all supported channels.
Fewer Wasted Gaps Between Your Appointments
When a client books online, Simple Salon can offer them the times right beside your existing appointments, either straight after one finishes or just before the next one starts. Your day then stays in bigger working blocks instead of breaking up into short gaps that are too small to fill.
Your data is yours, always
Some providers make it hard to leave, locking your client list and history behind a paywall, charging you to export your own data, or tying you into long contracts and other strange rules. We don’t play those games. With Simple Salon your clients, bookings and reports are always yours: export everything anytime, at no cost, with no lock-in. If you ever move on, you take it all with you.
Switching
Moving from Phorest takes a day, not a month
1
Export your data
Download your clients, services and history from Phorest. We’ll show you exactly where the buttons are.
2
We import it for you
Our team helps bring your client list and appointments across. Once we have your files, most salons are up and running within a day.
3
Keep taking bookings
Share your new booking link on your socials and your book keeps filling, now with no commission on new clients.
Try Simple Salon Before You Commit to Anything
Start a free trial of this Phorest alternative today, no sales call, no minimum staff count, pricing published upfront.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't Phorest publish its pricing?
Phorest uses a quote-based pricing model that requires contacting their sales team. The exact reasons aren't public, but it means you cannot compare costs independently before engaging with them. Simple Salon's pricing is published at simplesalon.com with no forms required to view it.
Can a solo stylist or two-person salon use Simple Salon?
Yes. Simple Salon has no minimum staff requirement. Phorest says its plans are perfect for 3+ staff.
How does Simple Salon's SMS inclusion compare to Phorest's per-message billing?
Simple Salon Pro includes 200 SMS messages per operator per month within the subscription. Phorest bills SMS separately at $0.085-$0.12 per message (source: phorest.com support docs). For a 4-operator salon sending 100 reminders per operator each month, that's $34-$48 in additional SMS costs with Phorest that are already covered by Simple Salon's plan.
Does Simple Salon offer a free trial?
Yes. You can start a free trial of Simple Salon directly from the website, no sales call, no credit card required to begin evaluating the software.
What reporting does Simple Salon include?
Simple Salon includes 40+ reports covering rebooking rates, revenue by service and staff member, KPI dashboards, benchmarking against your own historical performance, retail sales, loyalty, and more.
Is there a minimum contract with Phorest?
Phorest's packages come with a 12-month contract and a A$695 set-up fee, and you'll need a sales call before you can see pricing or get started. Simple Salon has no fixed-term contract, no sign-up fee, published pricing, and a self-serve free trial. Start, pause, or leave on your terms.