OpenChair and Phorest, compared carefully.
Based on Phorest's public AU pricing, AI, marketing, and Front Desk AI support pages reviewed on 19 June 2026, Phorest is a mature salon and clinic platform with marketing, Client ReConnect, loyalty, reviews, Phorest Chat, Front Desk AI, setup, training, and support. OpenChair focuses on published capped AU/NZ/GB pricing, direct branded booking, and operator-reviewed salon workflows.
Our Take
Phorest's AU pricing page reviewed on 19 June 2026 positioned Grow, Complete Advantage, and Complete Advantage Plus around unlimited staff, unlimited devices, marketing templates, Client ReConnect, TreatCard loyalty, online booking, POS, stock, PhorestGo, business advice, setup, training, and local support. It also published AU SMS rates of 12c on Grow and 8.5c on higher tiers, with two-way SMS listed as optional. Phorest's support centre also describes Front Desk AI in Phorest Chat for bookings, confirmations, reschedules, cancellations, service questions, and staff handoff. OpenChair's point of difference is published capped AU/NZ/GB pricing and operator-reviewed salon workflows across Assistant actions, Smart Replies, Booking Replies, Smart Nudges, Reconnect, Style Match, Processing Gaps, and waitlist opportunities.
Feature Comparison
Fit Notes for Phorest
A practical summary of where Phorest is well represented publicly, and where OpenChair is positioned differently.
- Quote-based pricing makes it harder to compare total monthly cost upfront
- No self-serve free trial on the current public pricing page
- Two-way SMS, premium consultations, memberships, ads, and advanced growth tools can depend on package or add-on choices
- OpenChair presents Assistant actions, Smart Replies, Booking Replies, Style Match, Processing Gaps, and Smart Nudges as named operator-reviewed salon workflow surfaces
- Very strong marketing, retention, reviews, loyalty, and ReConnect story
- Unlimited staff and unlimited devices in the current plan positioning
- Established support, setup, migration, training, and business-advisor motion
- Strong AU/NZ/UK/US market presence and localised pricing pages
- Good fit for salons and clinics that want a broad growth suite rather than a lightweight booking layer
Making the Switch from Phorest
Switching software feels daunting — but it doesn't have to be. Here's exactly how the transition works.
Audit your Phorest package and usage
Review your current Phorest package, SMS rate, two-way SMS setup, consultation forms, TreatCard loyalty, memberships, online store, PhorestPay, and any ads or premium consultation workflows before planning a switch.
Export your client data
Request a full export covering clients, services, staff, future appointments, products, notes, forms, and marketing segments. Treat consultations, memberships, loyalty, and online store data as separate migration checks.
Rebuild the operating workflow
Send available exports to support@openchairpro.com. We'll import available data into OpenChair, then set up services, staff, resources, forms, deposits, Reconnect, Smart Replies, Smart Nudges, Processing Gaps, and waitlist rules.
Go live with the team trained
Phorest teams are used to a broad system. Before go-live, walk staff through the calendar, Inbox, Smart Replies, consultation forms, gap actions, and the client booking flow so the switch feels like less admin, not fewer tools.