Bookchair vs Phorest

Feature	Bookchair	Phorest
Monthly fee	£20 flat	From ~£75/month, varies significantly by team size (based on published pricing)
Per-staff fees	No	Yes — major cost driver at scale
Commission	None	None
Contract	No — cancel anytime	Typically annual contract
Built-in UK compliance	Yes — patch test, GDPR, age restriction	Basic
Patch test tracking	Yes — automated compliance gates	Basic tracking
Consultation forms	Yes — compliance-gated	Yes
Colour Lab / Hair Journey	Yes	Yes (similar)
Online booking portal	Yes	Yes (strong)
Marketing / loyalty tools	Basic	Strong — email campaigns, loyalty scheme
Reports	Good	Advanced
6 business types with specific features	Yes	Hair salon focus
Free trial / no demo required	Yes — start immediately	Demo required

When Bookchair makes more sense than Phorest

Cost. Phorest is significantly more expensive than £20/month for any team. If you don't need enterprise marketing features, you are paying for tools you won't use.
No annual contract. Phorest typically requires an annual commitment. Bookchair has no contract — cancel anytime with no penalty.
Stronger compliance tools. Bookchair's compliance is automated — patch test gates, consultation form gates, age restriction hard blocks. These aren't optional settings, they're built into the booking flow.
All business types. Bookchair covers hair, barbershop, nails, beauty, aesthetics, and spa from one account — Phorest is primarily hair-salon focused.

Pricing and features based on publicly available information at the time of writing (June 2026). Always verify current terms directly with the provider.

When Bookchair makes more sense than Phorest

The features you need. At a price that makes sense.