Bella Booking
Bella Booking
vs
P
Phorest

Transparent pricing. Built for teams of any size.

An honest comparison to help you choose the right salon software for your business.

Last updated: February 2026
Try Bella Booking free

Quick facts at a glance

A side-by-side overview of key differences

Prices shown in AUD (inc. GST)

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Founded
2024
2003
Headquarters
Sydney, Australia
Dublin, Ireland
Best for
Small to medium beauty businesses (up to 20 team members per location)
Growing salons, spas and aesthetic clinics (3+ staff)
Monthly Pricing
Starter/Professional
Per their pricing model
Solo (1 team member)
A$47
$$$ (Custom quote)
6 team members
A$79
$$$ (Custom quote)
12 team members
A$79
$$$ (Custom quote)
Commission
0% (never)
0% — no marketplace or booking commission

Bella Booking: Starter plan for 1-3 team members, Professional for 4+ (unlimited). Competitor pricing from official sources, verified January 2026.

Which is right for you?

An honest look at when each platform makes sense

Consider Bella Booking if...

  • Transparent pricing published on website — no sales calls needed
  • Suitable for solo practitioners and small teams (Phorest targets 3+ staff)
  • SMS reminders included in the plan (200-500/month) — no per-message charges
  • Free trial available with no credit card required (Phorest offers no trial)
  • Simpler, focused interface — less overwhelming for smaller teams
  • Sydney-based company with Australian support
  • Family/dependent booking (not available on Phorest)
  • AI Assistant for business insights (Beta)
  • No contract lock-in
  • Client confirmation system with one-click links
  • Service-level deposit and cancellation policy overrides
  • Predictable monthly cost — no add-on surprises

Consider Phorest if...

  • You want a built-in marketing suite with campaign ROI tracking
  • A loyalty programme (Treatcard) is important to you
  • You need automated Google/Facebook review collection
  • Commission tracking for staff is essential
  • You want a branded booking app for your clients
  • Digital consultation forms and before/after photos are important
  • You want a dedicated business advisor included
  • Your team has 3+ staff members

We believe in helping you find the right fit, even if it's not us.

Detailed feature comparison

A comprehensive look at what each platform offers

Available
Partial / Limited
Not available

Scheduling & Booking

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Online booking (24/7)
24/7 self-service
With deposit protection
Appointment scheduling
Drag-and-drop
Machine learning schedule optimisation
Multi-service booking
Waitlist management
Waiting list for cancellations
Reserve with Google
Branded booking app
Add-on
Self check-in
PhorestGuest app

Client Management

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Client CRM
Profiles, history, notes, documents
With free client data import
Client history & notes
Digital consultation forms
Pre-send or in-salon on tablet
Visual consultations (face-mapping)
Premium Consultations add-on
Video consultations
All plans
Before & after photos
Stored in client profile

Team Management

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Team scheduling
Up to 3 for starter, unlimited for professional
Unlimited staff on all plans
Employee rostering
With clock in/out
Role permissions
Owner, Admin, Team Member
Tiered access levels
Staff pricing tiers
Customisable pricing tiers (e.g. Junior/Senior/Master)
Commission tracking
Tiered or flat commission
Staff performance goals
Set and track via PhorestGo app

Payments & POS

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Integrated payments
Stripe Terminal compatible
PhorestPay terminals + cardless checkout
Deposit collection
Fixed amount or percentage
Credit card secured bookings
Gift cards (online & in-store)
Coming soon
Physical and online gift vouchers
Memberships & subscriptions
Service bundles only
Complete Advantage Plus or add-on
Online product store
Sell products and gift cards online 24/7
Courses & series packs
Package pricing
Prepaid bookable services with automated redemption

Communication & Marketing

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
SMS reminders
200-500/month included
Per-message pricing (12c or 8.5c)
Email reminders
Email/SMS marketing suite
Ready-made templates, campaign builder, ROI tracking
Online reputation management
Automated Google/Facebook review requests
Client reconnect (rebooking prompts)
Auto-predict when clients are due to rebook
Facebook & Instagram ads manager
Complete Advantage Plus only

Business Management

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Sales tracking
Stock management
Barcode scanning via app
Reporting & analytics
9 comprehensive reports
Financial, staff, client, and marketing reports
Payroll & commission reports
Auto-calculated wages and commission
Multi-location support
Copy services between locations
Centralised management, cross-branch staff rostering

Platform & Support

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Cloud-based
Pure cloud — access from anywhere
Cloud-based, unlimited devices
Staff mobile app
PWA — installable on mobile
PhorestGo for owners and staff
Australian support team
Sydney-based, global support
Ireland-based; AU support Mon-Sat
Dedicated business advisor
Included on all plans
Free onboarding & training
1-on-1 setup and data migration assistance
Tailored setup, unlimited free training for life
Free data migration
Client data import included
Transparent pricing
Published on website
Request a quote required

Unique Features

Feature
Bella Booking
Phorest
Family/dependent booking
Book for children, partners, parents, pets, and more
AI Assistant
Beta
Loyalty programme
Professional plan
Treatcard — all plans
Automatic waitlist slot matching
Automatic matching with team notifications
Activity logging (audit trail)
Full appointment audit trail
Multi-service appointment grouping
Grouped on scheduler with full-details tooltip
Attendance tracking (time clock)
Time clock with PIN, Professional plan
Expert product recommendations SMS
Trackable personalised product SMS linked to online store
Xero/QuickBooks integration
Add-on

Pricing breakdown

What you'll actually pay

Prices shown are starting prices. Bella Booking Starter includes up to 3 team members; Professional includes unlimited team members. Competitor pricing may vary based on team size.

Bella Booking

Solo (1 team member)A$47
6 team membersA$79
12 team membersA$79
Commission on bookings0%
Payment processing (when used)
2.7% + A$0.301.7% + A$0.30 (Stripe) + 1% (Bella Booking)
SMS reminders200-500/mo included

Starter (1-3 team): A$47/month AUD • Professional (4+): A$79/month AUD

Phorest

Solo (1 team member)Custom quote
6 team membersCustom quote
12 team membersCustom quote
Pricing modelCustom quote — 3 tiers (Grow, Complete Advantage, Complete Advantage Plus)
Commission0% — no marketplace or booking commission
Payment processing (when used)PhorestPay integrated terminals

Additional costs to consider

  • SMS charged per message (12c or 8.5c depending on plan)
  • Two-Way SMS add-on (additional cost)
  • Memberships add-on (additional cost)
  • Premium Consultations add-on (additional cost)
  • Branded booking app add-on (additional cost)

Pricing information based on publicly available data as of February 2026. Visit each provider's website for current pricing.

What Phorest does well

We believe in honest comparisons. Here's what Phorest excels at:

  • 1Feature-rich all-in-one platform with marketing suite included
  • 2Treatcard loyalty programme included on all plans
  • 3Automated online reputation management (Google/Facebook reviews)
  • 4Unlimited staff and devices on all plans
  • 5PhorestGo staff app with performance goals and tracking
  • 6Free data migration and unlimited free training for life
  • 7Dedicated business advisor on all plans
  • 8Digital and visual consultation forms
  • 9Online product store and gift vouchers
  • 10Commission tracking with tiered/flat structures

Phorest might be better if...

We believe in helping you find the right solution, even if it's not us. Here are some scenarios where other options might serve you better:

  • 1Built-in marketing suite with email campaigns and ROI tracking
  • 2Treatcard loyalty programme on all plans
  • 3Automated Google/Facebook review collection
  • 4Commission tracking (tiered or flat)
  • 5PhorestGo staff mobile app with goal tracking

Still not sure? - we'll give you an honest assessment of whether Bella Booking is right for your business.

Switching from Phorest?

We make it easy. Free data migration and 1-on-1 onboarding included with every plan.

Free data migration
1-on-1 onboarding included
No credit card required
Start your free trial

Sources: Information gathered from www.phorest.com. Last verified: February 2026.

Found an error? and we'll correct it promptly.

Important Notice

The information about Phorest on this page is based on publicly available data as of February 2026 and is provided for general comparison purposes only. Pricing, features, and policies may change at any time without notice. We make reasonable efforts to keep this information accurate, but we cannot guarantee its completeness or current accuracy.

Always verify directly with Phorest before making any business decisions. This comparison reflects our understanding and may not capture all nuances of their offerings.