Booking software reviews
Phorest reviews: the praise, the complaints, and five alternatives
We read 63 App Store reviews and checked Phorest's score on 4 platforms. Here is what its customers say, who the product fits, and where to look if that is not you.
Reviews read 13 September 2026
App Store4.8
Google Play4.8Scores
Ratings from third parties
App Store
4.8
Google Play
4.8
Capterra
4.8
Trustpilot
4.0
In their own words
Five happy customers, five unhappy ones
We print the same number of each on every review we publish. Phorest has fewer reviews than most, so this page shows 5 a side rather than six.
Happy4 and 5 stars
“Once you can navigate your way around it , it is great and easy to use , would of liked a training day learning it but we have just learnt as we go along . Would recommend phorest”
“Love that program so easy to use and fantastic to see all the statistics all marketing system is great too highly recommending”
“I can’t get notifications when my client arrives on my Apple Watch”
“The staff is incredibly helpful & constantly trying to improve. Any issue, they're right on it & always wanting to do the best they can for their users. …”
“You’re unable to track individual tips and that is quite frustrating. Unless you go back and audit each individual ticket on the computer you won’t be able to see who tipped you what. …”
Unhappy1 and 2 stars
“I do not like forced pride icon since my app updated . I feel like pride month is being forced on me !”
“… But most of us aren’t living on day to day tips. When I went to withdraw funds biweekly, I realized my clients were charged a total of $42 over 2 weeks to cover a single withdrawal. …”
“I do not want the pride flag on my phone!!! At least have an option to change the icon.”
“After updating I can’t use it so annoying”
“The AI is unnecessary and useless. Does not help at all”
The verdict
Who should pick Phorest
Teams of three or more
Every plan includes unlimited staff, unlimited devices and unlimited services rather than charging per seat.
UK and Ireland salons
Founded in Ireland, with dedicated Irish and UK sites, local numbers and published GBP SMS rates from 9.5p to 7p.
Your own branded app
Ultimate and Elite include a salon-branded iOS and Android booking app, optional on the lower plans.
Who should look elsewhere, and where to look
If this is youLook at
A solo operator with one chair
GlossGenius, SetmoreYou want a price without a sales call
Setmore, GlossGeniusYou want to trial before buying
Square Appointments, SetmoreYou want a marketplace bringing clients
Booksy, FreshaJust a booking page and payments
kiwilaunchWhere else to look
Five alternatives
ProductKnown forFree planStarts at
GlossGeniusFlat 2.6% card processing for beauty and wellness
Free plan
No, 14-day trialStarts at
$28/mo
BooksyBeauty and barbering with a consumer marketplace
Free plan
No, 14-day trialStarts at
$29.99/mo
FreshaMarketplace reach, paid for with a new-client fee
Free plan
No, 7-day trialStarts at
$19.95/mo
VagaroBeauty and fitness, free marketplace listing
Free plan
No, 30-day trialStarts at
$30/mo
kiwilaunchPrice modifiers, package management, iOS-first
Free plan
Yes, soloStarts at
$0Advertisementfrom the publisher of this site
Take your first paid booking this week.
Set up your services, share your booking link, and let customers book and pay themselves. All from your iPhone, or your laptop browser.
Your booking page, live on your own website or ours
Card payments in person, with nothing but your iPhone
Appointments, packages, courses, and classes
How this review was put together
We read 63 Phorest reviews through Apple's public App Store feed and set aside 30 that were more than two years old. Quotes are verbatim and linked to their source. Scores are as published on 13 September 2026, and every price comes from the vendor's own pricing page on 13 September 2026, not from a comparison site.
Wrote one of these reviews?
If you would rather we did not quote you, write to support@kiwilaunch.com and we will take it down.