RetentionTek vs Phorest
RetentionTek vs Phorest
Phorest is an all-in-one salon and med spa platform: booking, marketing, reporting, client experience and payments. It publishes no price, signs a 12-month contract and sells messaging in packs. RetentionTek is a $199 published retention layer. Phorest runs the business; we measure who stopped coming back.
Where they are strong
Where Phorest is strong
- A genuine all-in-one: booking, marketing, reporting and payments in one platform.
- Client-experience and marketing tooling well beyond a retention layer.
- A real brand in the UK and Irish market, with local support and training.
- A reporting suite, which is more than most booking platforms attempt.
- Bundled messaging volume, with 1,000 free messages a month on entry tiers.
Where we differ
Where RetentionTek differs
- The price is published at $199. Phorest publishes no price and quotes per salon; reviewers report roughly $85 to $300 a month by salon size.
- Monthly, cancel any time. Phorest signs a 12-month contract.
- No message packs. Phorest sells SMS in bundles, including a 7,500 pack at $99; we include 10,000 emails and stop there, with no overage charge.
- Retention measurement rather than campaign tooling. A campaign tool tells you what you sent; a score tells you who drifted.
- Self-serve setup. One import, no implementation call.
Side by side
The differences that decide it
| Axis | Phorest | RetentionTek |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | None; quoted per salon | $199/mo, published |
| Contract | 12-month term | Monthly, cancel any time |
| Messaging | SMS packs, e.g. 7,500 for $99 | 10,000 emails included, no overage charge |
| Reporting | Business reporting suite | Retention score and queue |
| Setup | Onboarding and training | Self-serve import |
| Scope | All-in-one platform | Retention layer only |
Price reality
A quote and a pack are both unknowns
Phorest quotes per salon, so the number depends on size, tier and negotiation. Messaging is sold in packs on top, with a 7,500-message bundle listed at $99.
- Reported monthly fees run from roughly $85 to $300 per location, by salon size; $300 is called steep for a solo.
- A 12-month term commits the year, not the month.
- Messaging is a separate purchase: a 7,500 pack is $99, and it expires as a pack rather than a rate.
- RetentionTek: $199/mo, monthly, 10,000 emails included, no pack to buy.
A quote is not dishonest, it is just unpriceable from the outside. If you are comparing three platforms and only one publishes a number, the published one becomes the baseline. That is the whole advantage, and it disappears the moment we hide our own price.
See the whole price scheduleKeep your booking system
Phorest is the platform. Keep it
If Phorest runs your salon, keep it and add the layer. Export completed visits, import the file, and the queue sits outside the booking flow. Phorest already sends marketing, so agree which system owns the follow-up for a given customer before both of you mail the same person.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers
Does RetentionTek replace Phorest?
No. Phorest is an all-in-one platform and a system of record. RetentionTek is a retention layer over imported visit history. Phorest also has marketing and reporting, so compare the overlap first; the difference is that we score returns rather than run campaigns.
How much does Phorest cost?
It is not published. Reviewers report roughly $85 to $300 a month depending on salon size, and messaging is sold separately in packs. Treat any figure as reported and get the real quote in writing, including the term and the pack rates.
Is the 12-month contract a problem?
Only if you are unsure. A year is reasonable for a platform you intend to keep and unreasonable for a layer you are testing. That is why the layer is monthly: you can trial the retention idea without adding a second annual commitment to the first.
What are the SMS packs?
Phorest sells messaging in bundles, with a 7,500 pack listed at $99, and advertises 27,500 free SMS on its Elite tier. A pack is a prepayment, so unused volume is a sunk cost. We include 10,000 emails a month and stop there, with no overage charge.
Does RetentionTek do SMS?
Not yet. SMS is not active in the current release. When you turn it on there is a one-time $99 managed registration, charged then and non-refundable, and carrier approval usually takes 7 to 14 days. Email runs through a connected Google or Microsoft mailbox today. If texting is the priority, Phorest already sells it.
How does the import work?
Export a completed-visit file and import the CSV or XLSX. The import maps customer identifiers, visit dates, attendance, location and service, up to 2 MiB, 5,000 rows and 80 columns. A contact export without visit dates is not enough.
Keep reading
Related comparisons
Add the layer it does not have
Start your 14-day free trial
Import completed visits. Get your Retention Score. See who is overdue. Draft your first win-back message.
$199 a month after the trial, one location included. Card required, monthly, cancel any time.
Sources
Phorest publishes no rate card. The reported fee range, the 12-month term and the SMS pack price come from third-party 2026 analyses and its public pricing page, captured 28 October 2026. Confirm current terms with Phorest.
Phorest is a trademark of its owner. RetentionTek is not affiliated with Phorest and does not claim endorsement. Vendor features and prices are described from dated public sources and third-party analyses captured 28 October 2026; confirm current plans and terms with the vendor before deciding.