Phorest or MeetScarlet: an app with your salon's name.
For a salon that wants its own app at a published price, MeetScarlet is the better pick: the app comes in every plan for $349 a month, while Phorest builds its branded app on Elite, its top plan, or as an add-on, and prices every plan by quote. MeetScarlet's setup is $999 on monthly billing and free on yearly. We make MeetScarlet; every Phorest fact here comes from Phorest's own pages.
Which should you pick?
Who wrote this: the team that makes MeetScarlet. We compare from each vendor's own public pages, read on November 1, 2026, not from a hands-on test of the rival. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.
Pick MeetScarlet if you want an app with your salon's name at a price you can see before a demo: it comes in every plan for $349 a month, with memberships and packs included, where Phorest puts the app on Elite, its top plan, or an add-on, and memberships on Elite or an add-on, with every plan priced by quote. Our team sets the app up and submits it under your own Apple and Google accounts, and setup is $999 on monthly billing and free on yearly.
Phorest may suit you if you run a larger salon, spa or medspa, or several locations, and want unlimited staff, a point of sale with stock, and loyalty and reputation tools.
Why salons pick MeetScarlet over Phorest
- An app with your salon's name in every plan for $349 a month; Phorest lists its app on Elite or as an add-on, with no price shown
- Memberships, packs and credits in every plan; on Phorest, memberships are on Elite or an add-on
- A price you can see before any demo, with setup free on yearly billing; every Phorest plan says “Request a quote”
- Your app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts; the Phorest pages we read don't say whose accounts hold its app
Side by side
| Phorest | MeetScarlet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not published: every plan is “Request a quote” | $349 a month for one location and 5 staff logins, or $499 on MeetScarlet Pro with 20; $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly |
| Texts | 5 cents each on Starter; 1,000, 5,000 and 27,000 free a month on Grow, Complete Advantage and Elite; a two-way texting pack of 7,500 for $99 | Text reminders (coming soon) on MeetScarlet Pro |
| App with your salon's name | On Elite, and an add-on for any plan; marked “Optional” on the first three plans in its table | In every plan |
| Who builds it | Phorest, from your logo, brand guidelines and service details; switch between two themes | Our team, with your name, one brand color, a heading font and light or dark mode |
| Developer accounts | Not stated on the five pages we read | Your own Apple and Google accounts ($99 a year to Apple, $25 once to Google) |
| In the app | Book, rebook and manage appointments, loyalty points, offers and your team | Book, rebook, memberships and packs, and messages with your salon |
| Staff | Unlimited staff and devices on every plan; aimed at 3 or more staff | 5 staff logins, or 20 on MeetScarlet Pro |
| No-shows and deposits | Booking deposits; a card to secure bookings, with the option to charge for missed appointments | A deposit or full payment at booking; a no-show fee on the client's saved card (you switch it on) |
| Keeping clients | Memberships (on Elite or as an add-on), a loyalty program (Grow and up), client referrals, a waiting list on every plan, prompts when clients are due to rebook, email and text reminders | Memberships, packs and credits, referral rewards, a prompt to rebook; text reminders (coming soon) on MeetScarlet Pro; a waitlist per service that tells clients when a time opens |
| Setup | Personal setup with your clients, staff and products imported, and training; no free trial | We import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV |
From phorest.com: its US pricing page, default pricing page and branded app, online booking and scheduling pages, read November 1, 2026; in US dollars.
Where Phorest may fit better
- Unlimited staff and devices on every plan
- A point of sale with stock and inventory, and reporting
- A marketing suite, a loyalty program and an online reputation manager
- Several locations, Reserve with Google and a Shopify integration
Questions to ask on a Phorest demo
Phorest's public pages leave these open, so ask before you sign:
- What does the branded app cost as an add-on, and what does Elite cost?
- Is the app listed under my salon's own developer accounts, or Phorest's?
- Who owns the app listing if I leave?
- What do memberships cost as an add-on?
- If you leave, can you export your client list, and what comes with it?
Ask us the same questions about MeetScarlet; our prices are on the homepage.
Moving to MeetScarlet
We import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV export, then set up your services, stylists, hours and memberships as part of setup. About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch.
Questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask us on a demo.
Does Phorest have a branded app? #
Yes. Phorest's pricing page lists a “Salon branded app (iOS & Android)” on its Elite plan and a Branded App add-on for any plan, and its app page says Phorest builds it from your logo and brand guidelines (read November 1, 2026).
How much does Phorest cost? #
Phorest does not publish plan prices. Each of its four US plans, Starter, Grow, Complete Advantage and Elite, says “Request a quote”, and it does not offer a free trial. Its pricing table lists texts at 5 cents each on Starter and a monthly allowance on the other plans (27,000 on Elite).
Is Phorest cheaper than MeetScarlet? #
We can't say, because MeetScarlet publishes its price and Phorest doesn't. MeetScarlet is $349 a month for one location with the app included, plus $999 setup on monthly billing, or $3,490 a year with no setup fee. Phorest prices by quote, so ask it for the Elite price, or a plan plus the app add-on.
Is this comparison independent? #
No. We make MeetScarlet, and we recommend it to salons that want their own app at a published price. Every Phorest fact comes from Phorest's own pages, dated, and we say where Phorest may fit better.
Keep reading
- Best salon booking apps (2026)Ten salon booking platforms compared on price, an app with your salon's name, color time and deposits, with MeetScarlet as our pick for salons with regulars.
- Hair and beauty salonsYour salon's own booking app: book by stylist, deposits, intake questions, rebook prompts and salon memberships. Built and published for you.
- MeetScarlet vs BoulevardMeetScarlet gives your salon its own app from $3,490 a year; Boulevard, from $159 a month, has clients book through an overlay on your website.