Switching from Phorest
Looking for a Phorest alternative? Contracts, costs, and how to switch.
What Phorest publishes about its plans and contract, when staying is the better call, how to get your data out, and a plan that starts with your notice date.
- No contract, cancel any time
- Published prices from £20 a month
- Your data out, step by step
The short answer
What is a good alternative to Phorest?
For a small salon, one alternative to Phorest is booking software with a published monthly price and no contract, such as ResNeo: £20, £49 or £99 a month including VAT, with £99 covering a team of six or more. Add VAT to any Phorest quote before you compare. Phorest's UK and Irish terms run for a year and renew automatically. Written notice must reach Phorest at least two months before your anniversary, and if you leave earlier you still owe the fees to the end of that year. Phorest remains a strong choice if you value done-for-you set-up and training. Export your data before the contract ends: Phorest's terms let it delete it 60 days after. Checked on 6 November 2026.
What does Phorest cost?
Every plan is on quote, so there is no monthly figure to compare. Here is what Phorest does publish, with sources, and ResNeo beside it.
| What | Phorest, as published | ResNeo |
|---|---|---|
| Plan prices | PhorestNot published. Every plan says Request a quoteSalons: Starter, Grow, Ultimate, Elite. Clinics: Core, Elevate, Elite Aesthetics. Add VAT to a quote before comparing.Check: Phorest's pricing page | ResNeoPublished: £20, £49 or £99 a month, including VAT |
| Team size | PhorestUnlimited staff and devices. Phorest calls Starter great for salons and clinics with 3+ staffCheck: Phorest's pricing page | ResNeo1 calendar on Light, 5 on Plus, any number on Pro (£99). Unlimited logins |
| Set-up and moving your data | PhorestBespoke set-up, data migration and training on every planCheck: Phorest's pricing page | ResNeoA self-service import with a 24-hour undo. Or send us your export and we'll move your clients, future bookings and team across for free |
| Texts | PhorestStarter 9.5p, Grow 8.2p, Ultimate 7p a text. Elite includes 500 free a monthCheck: Phorest's pricing page | ResNeo100, 250 or 500 texts a month by plan, then 6p each. Emails cost nothing |
| Add-ons | PhorestBranded app, two-way SMS, memberships, digital loyalty and more, on quoteCheck: Phorest's pricing page | ResNeoNone. Checkout (till, gift vouchers, loyalty card) costs nothing extra; ResNeo is switching it on for businesses gradually. If you would like it, talk to us |
| Deposits through PhorestPay (UK) | PhorestUp to £50: 80p plus VAT. Over £50: 1.2% + 20p plus VATCheck: Phorest help: in-house deposits | ResNeoStripe's standard fees, from 1.5% + 20p (standard UK cards). ResNeo adds nothing |
| Free trial | PhorestNone. Phorest offers a demoCheck: Phorest's pricing page | ResNeo14 days, card required at sign-up |
| Contract | PhorestOne year, renewing automatically; written notice at least 2 months before the year endsLeaving early means paying for the rest of the year. Your Order Form may differ.Check: Phorest's UK terms, Phorest's Irish terms, Phorest help: cancelling | ResNeoMonthly, no contract. Cancel any time; the plan runs to the end of the period paid for |
| In Ireland | PhorestSame one-year term and notice. Quote only. Deposits: €0.80 up to €50, 1.2% + €0.20 over, plus VAT at the Irish rateCheck: Phorest's Irish terms, Phorest's Irish pricing page, Phorest help: in-house deposits | ResNeoPrices are in pounds sterling, in Ireland too. See the note on Ireland below |
Checked on Phorest’s own pages. Prices change, so check each figure on Phorest's pricing page or the link beside it. Phorest's plans are quote only and its published fees are plus VAT: add VAT to any Phorest quote before you compare it. ResNeo: Prices are in pounds sterling and include VAT.
If your business is VAT registered and reclaims VAT, compare prices before VAT instead: ResNeo’s £20, £49 and £99 plans are £16.67, £40.83 and £82.50 before VAT.
What to ask for in a Phorest quote
A quote is only comparable if it covers everything you will pay. Ask for these in writing.
- 1
The plan, and what is in it
Which plan, the monthly price, and whether the add-ons from your demo are in it.
- 2
Texts
Ask what you paid for texts last year, at the rate for your plan in the table above.
- 3
Card payments and hardware
PhorestPay terminal rates are on quote, so ask for them.
- 4
Contract, renewal and notice
Whether your Order Form changes the term or notice, and your exact anniversary date.
How Phorest’s contract and notice work
Get these dates right first, because they decide when you can leave without paying twice.
Phorest’s UK terms and Irish terms both run the agreement for one year from when Phorest accepts your order, then renew it for a year at a time. Written notice must reach Phorest at least two months before the year ends, and leaving part-way means paying for the rest of the year.
Phorest alternatives for small salons
| If you want | One kind of alternative | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A big marketplace that finds you new clients | A marketplace app such as Fresha: £17.94 a month with VAT for one person, plus 20% of a new marketplace client’s first booking, minimum £4.80 with VAT.Fresha, compared | CheckThe new-client fee, and whether booking through your own website needs the marketplace listing |
| A client app, with paid promotion only when you want it | An app such as Booksy: £48 a month with VAT, plus £6 per extra user, with free reminders. Boost, if on, is 30% of a new client’s first visit, minimum £6 with VAT.Booksy, compared | CheckWhether you need Boost, and how many texts you send |
| No commission and no contract | A flat-fee booking system such as ResNeo: £20, £49 or £99 a month including VAT, 0% booking commission, monthly terms. | CheckThe text allowance, card fees and how many calendars you need |
Figures from each platform’s own UK pages, read on ; each linked guide shows its sources. ResNeo: Prices are in pounds sterling and include VAT.
What Phorest does well
- Bespoke set-up, data migration and training on every plan.
- Unlimited staff and devices on every plan.
- A deep feature set, and separate plans for aesthetics clinics.
- Free self-service data exports, at any time.
Should you stay with Phorest or switch?
Stay
Staying with Phorest makes sense if
- You value done-for-you set-up, migration and training, and are happy to have them inside a quoted plan.
- You use features such as a branded client app, courses or digital loyalty that you would have to replace.
- You would rather not pay for two systems: leaving before your anniversary means paying Phorest to the end of the year.
Switch
Switching makes sense if
- Your anniversary is more than two months away, so you can give notice now and move when the year ends, without paying twice.
- You work alone or with one or two others. Phorest describes its Starter plan as great for salons and clinics with 3+ staff.
- You want to see the price before you sign, and monthly terms you can leave at any time.
- You want to try the software properly first. ResNeo has a 14-day free trial; Phorest offers a demo.
- You run two or three salons and want each to keep its own clients and payments. See multi-location salon software.
- You rent chairs to self-employed stylists and want each on their own account. See chair rental salon software.
How to export your data from Phorest
The data is yours, and these free exports, with Phorest’s own menu names, come from its help centre.
Clients, with full details and purchase history
- 1Go to Manager, then Business, then CSV Export.
- 2Click + New Export, set the dates from your first day on Phorest to today, and choose the format.
- 3Click OK. Most exports finish in about 15 minutes, large ones in up to an hour.
- 4When the status shows Done, click the download icon.
Not Marketing, Client Export: that file holds only clients opted in to email marketing.
Phorest help: CSV Export (updated 19 September 2024)
Appointments
- 1Go to Manager, Reports, Additional Reports, Staff, and open the Staff Appointments report.
- 2Set From to your first day on Phorest for past appointments too, or to today for future bookings only. Set To to your furthest future booking and tick Show service and colour Notes.
- 3Export the list as CSV or Excel. Phorest’s help says it can be exported but does not name the button.
Phorest help: future appointments (updated 7 August 2026)
Services and products
- 1Services: Manager, Services, Export all services, once for each location.
- 2Products: Manager, Inventory/Stock, Print/Export at the bottom of the screen.
Phorest help: exporting your data (updated 26 October 2026)
What you owe clients
- 1Run Client Credit Account Details for deposits and credit.
- 2Run Client Courses/Series Outstanding for courses, and the Gift Voucher/Gift Card reports for vouchers.
Phorest help: exporting your data (updated 26 October 2026)
Run your exports before the contract ends
Phorest's UK and Irish terms say you own your data, and that Phorest may destroy it 60 days after the agreement ends. You can export it yourself at any time, free. An export done for you by Phorest needs an engineer, takes up to 15 business days, happens only once outstanding fees are paid, and you pay its reasonable expenses. Source: Phorest's UK terms and Phorest help: exporting your data.
What moves from Phorest to ResNeo
| From Phorest | Moves? | How, or what to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Clients | Yes | Upload the CSV Export as a Client list. Keep the marketing consent columns, so nobody who said no gets your marketing. |
| Appointments | Yes | Upload the Staff Appointments report as a Booking history. Future bookings land in your calendar. |
| Deposits paid through PhorestPay | Partly | Map any deposit columns to Deposit amount (£) and Deposit paid. No money moves: a refund of a PhorestPay deposit has to be made in Phorest. |
| Vouchers, courses and client credit | No | Not through the data import. Checkout's Import vouchers from a file brings in each voucher's code, balance and expiry, but ResNeo is switching Checkout on for businesses gradually: if you would like it, talk to us. Note each client’s remaining course sessions on their record. |
| Saved cards | No | Phorest publishes no way to export them. Clients add a card when they next book with a deposit. |
| Booking link and branded app | No | They are part of your Phorest contract, so plan for them to stop when it ends. |
Also not imported: products, forms, photos and loyalty balances. Staff arrive as calendars, not logins, so you invite your team.
Importing your Phorest files into ResNeo
Upload Phorest’s CSV or Excel exports through Settings, Profile, Open Data Import: the CSV Export as a Client list, the Staff Appointments report as a Booking history. ResNeo suggests a match for each column on Map, and you check each one before Approve & start import. For 24 hours, Undo then Undo import reverses it. Step by step: importing your data and data import problems.
Used to Phorest doing it for you? Send us your export and we’ll move your clients, future bookings and team across for free. Then check everything before you share your new link.
A plan for leaving Phorest without losing bookings
Work backwards from your anniversary: notice first, then ResNeo about three weeks before your last day.
- 1
2 months or more before your anniversary
Give notice, and get the end date in writing
- Find your anniversary on your Order Form, then give written notice with Phorest’s cancellation form and book the call.
- Ask Phorest to confirm in writing the date your agreement ends, and whether your card terminal is covered by the same notice. Keep that email.
- Notice arriving less than two months before the anniversary is too late: the contract renews for a full year.
- 2
About three weeks before your last day
Start ResNeo and run your exports
- Start your 14-day free trial now, not months early. Build your menu with Set up with AI from your services export.
- Connect Stripe (how), but add deposits to services after import day.
- Run every export above, and ask Phorest for copies of completed consultation forms.
- Ask Phorest how you would refund a PhorestPay deposit after your contract ends. If you cannot, stop taking PhorestPay deposits for appointments after your last day, and take those bookings on ResNeo.
- Switch on Ask for a Google review in ResNeo.
- 3
Import day
Bring your clients and appointments across, once
- Without deposit columns, a booking for a service with a ResNeo deposit shows Deposit pending: check those.
- Tick Send upcoming reminders for imported bookings: Phorest’s reminders stop when your contract ends. Clients booked before your last day may get a reminder from both, so mention it in your message.
- 4
Your last week or two on Phorest
Take new bookings on ResNeo only
- Replace your Phorest booking link on your website, Instagram and Google.
- Check Phorest each day for new bookings, cancellations and changes, and copy them into ResNeo rather than importing a fresh file.
- 5
Your last day
Close Phorest
- Check that your last day matches the end date Phorest confirmed.
- Let your last PhorestPay payouts land: Phorest releases them the next business day.
- Run your exports once more and keep them.
What to tell your clients
“Hi [name], it’s [you] at [business]. From [date] I’m taking bookings on my new booking page: [link]. Your next appointment is still booked, nothing changes.”
Send it to clients with an upcoming appointment. ResNeo’s bulk messages go only to clients with marketing consent, so reach everyone else through your Instagram, website and Google profile.
What replaces what on ResNeo, and what it costs
For six or more people, Appointments Pro is £99 a month for unlimited calendars, with 500 texts included. A team of six sending 1,000 texts a month would pay £129 in all including VAT, before Stripe’s card fees: compare that with your last Phorest invoice, texts and VAT included.
| On Phorest | On ResNeo |
|---|---|
| Online booking | Your own booking page, website widget and QR code |
| Reminders | Email and text reminders: fixed wording, plus one line of your own |
| Consultation forms | Consent, patch test and intake forms, switched on by an admin |
| Treatment records | Treatment records, switched on by an admin |
| Staff commission | Commission splits, which work out each person's share; paying it stays with you |
| Till, vouchers and loyalty | Checkout, at no extra cost: ResNeo is switching it on for businesses gradually. If you would like it, talk to us |
| Card terminal | In the UK, Tap to Pay in the ResNeo app on an Android phone or iPhone XS or later, or a Bluetooth reader, through your own Stripe account once an admin switches on Take card payments in person. Or keep your own card machine and record each payment |
| Courses and memberships | Memberships and class packs, for classes only |
| Branded app | Your clients can manage their bookings in the ResNeo app |
Deposits go straight into your own Stripe account. Support is by email on Light, and by phone and email on Plus and Pro.
One person needs Light, a team of up to five Plus at £49, and six or more Pro.
Appointments Light
£20a month
One person, one calendar
Appointments Plus
£49a month
Up to 5 bookable calendars, with unlimited team logins
Appointments Pro
£99a month
Unlimited calendars and logins
Prices include VAT. Every plan includes unlimited team logins, online booking, deposits, reminders, client records and the iOS and Android apps, and starts with a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime. Your subscription stays active until the end of your current billing period, and you are not charged again after that. If you cancel during your free trial, you pay nothing. See every plan and fee in full.
See the price calculator and booking software for salons and barbers.
If your business is in Ireland, talk to us before you take card payments online: online payments in euros are not switched on yet.
Phorest is a trade mark of its owner. ResNeo is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Phorest.
Common questions
Leaving Phorest, answered.
Is there a Phorest alternative for a one-person salon?
Phorest calls its Starter plan great for salons and clinics with 3+ staff, and prices every plan on quote. ResNeo is £20 a month including VAT for one calendar, with a 14-day free trial.
How much does Phorest cost?
Phorest does not publish plan prices: every plan says Request a quote. Get a written quote covering add-ons, texts, card fees and notice, and add VAT before comparing it with ResNeo's prices, which include VAT.
How long is a Phorest contract?
One year, renewing automatically unless written notice reaches Phorest at least two months before the year ends, under its UK and Irish terms. Your Order Form can differ.
How do I cancel my Phorest contract?
Fill in Phorest's cancellation form and book the call, at least two months before your anniversary, and ask for the end date in writing.
Can I leave Phorest before my contract ends?
You can stop using it, but Phorest's terms say you still owe the fees to the end of the contract year. Ask for the exact figure on the cancellation call.
Can I move my Phorest vouchers, courses and client credit?
Not through ResNeo's data import. Run Phorest's credit, course and gift voucher reports and honour each balance by hand. ResNeo's voucher import comes with Checkout, which ResNeo is switching on for businesses gradually. If you would like it, talk to us.
Does ResNeo have a contract?
No. ResNeo is monthly, with no contract and no setup fee. Cancel any time from Settings or by email, and your plan runs to the end of the period you paid for.
Will ResNeo set everything up for me, as Phorest does?
Not in the same way: Phorest includes bespoke set-up and training. ResNeo's import is self-service, with a 24-hour undo. Or send us your export and we'll move your clients, future bookings and team across for free. Then check everything before you share your new link.
Sources
Where this page’s facts come from
Every Phorest fact comes from Phorest's own pricing pages, UK and Irish terms or help centre; help articles show the date Phorest last updated them. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@resneo.com. Checked on .
- 1
Phorest
Quote-only plans, what every plan includes, text rates by tier, add-ons, and no free trial.
- 2
- 3
Phorest
The one-year term, automatic renewal, 2 months' notice, data ownership, deletion after 60 days, and exports done by Phorest.
- 4
Phorest
Terms and conditions (Ireland)
The same one-year term, 2 months' notice and 60-day deletion in Ireland.
- 5
Phorest help centre (updated 26 October 2026)
How can I export my data from Phorest?
Every self-service export, and that they are free.
- 6
- 7
Phorest help centre (updated 19 August 2025)
That it holds only clients opted in to email marketing.
- 8
- 9
Phorest help centre (updated 19 March 2026)
That consultation forms are not in the client export.
- 10
Phorest help centre (updated 7 August 2026)
UK and Irish deposit fees through PhorestPay.
- 11
Stripe
Stripe's published fee for standard UK cards, 1.5% + 20p, which applies to card payments taken through ResNeo.
- 12
Keep reading
More switching guides
- Salon booking software with no commissionWhat the big platforms charge on new clients, worked through on real appointment prices.
- Booking software price calculatorPut in your own team size, bookings and texts, and compare the monthly bill.
- Chair rental salon softwareEvery chair renter keeps their own diary, clients and payments, on one salon booking page.
Ready to plan your move from Phorest?
Diary your notice date, start your free trial about three weeks before your last day, and switch on your own timetable.