What is the difference between iSalon and Phorest?
iSalon is a long-established UK salon software platform with roots in on-premise installation. Its feature set is comprehensive for a traditional salon, and it has been widely used in the UK market for decades. The significant structural issue: iSalon has been known to encrypt client data in its database in a way that prevents owners from freely exporting their own records, and it charges to unlock it. Your client data is yours. A software provider charging you to access it is not a minor inconvenience. Phorest is cloud-native, your data is always exportable, and you control it.
How does Phorest’s marketing compare to iSalon?
Phorest’s marketing tracks every campaign to the register, automates personalised outreach to lapsing clients via machine learning, provides fallback SMS for clients without email addresses, and runs Facebook and Instagram advertising from within the software. Treatcard loyalty drives measurable revenue increases. iSalon has email and SMS marketing, but the depth of automation and revenue tracking in Phorest are not matched.
Does Phorest have better client retention tools than iSalon?
Phorest’s Client Reconnect identifies clients drifting from their personal booking pattern and sends personalised outreach automatically. Treatcard salons see a 30% rise in average client spend and a 21% revenue boost. iSalon has basic automated follow-up tools, but the intelligence behind Phorest’s retention system is more developed.
How does Phorest help with staff performance compared to iSalon?
Phorest’s Staff Goals gives every stylist live visibility into their own revenue, retail, and rebooking performance from their phone. iSalon has staff and commission reporting at management level. The difference is between performance data that managers retrieve and share, versus data that every team member owns themselves in real time.
What kind of support does Phorest provide that iSalon does not?
Every Phorest customer gets a dedicated Business Advisor, a named person managing the account proactively, not just responding to tickets. 1 in 5 Phoresters have worked in the professional hair, beauty, or aesthetics industry.
How does switching from iSalon to Phorest work, given iSalon’s data restrictions?
Phorest’s migration team has moved hundreds of salons and clinics from iSalon. iSalon has historically encrypted client data in its database and required owners to work with them to unlock it before exporting. Phorest’s team has experience navigating that process. Once the data is freed, it is transferred to Phorest with client records, appointment history, gift vouchers, staff, services, and inventory. Zero downtime at the salon or aesthetic clinic.
