This page will unpick some of the key differences between Phorest and Pabau so that you can decide which is the best fit for your business.
Phorest is an all-in-one solution that, in their words, “enables hair, beauty, or personal services businesses to reach their full potential.” Headquartered out of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, Phorest supports businesses globally with online salon booking features, team management, reporting, and marketing features.
Their fantastic software was originally envisioned for hair and salon businesses, but they have recently started bolting on features that help with the clinical/medical patient journey.
Pabau is an all-in-one practice management software specifically designed for the complex needs of a medically related patient journey.
The majority of our clients are in the medi-aesthetic industry, however we also have customers that are GP Clinics, Cosmetic surgeries, Pharmacies, and more.
With clients all over the world, Pabau provides everything a practice needs to reduce time spent on admin, improve the patient experience, and attract new customers.
Phorest has a tiered pricing plan structure, where you can pay more to unlock more features.
However, you are also charged for online bookings – if a service costs over £40 it costs £1.50 per booking.
Additionally, you can only pay annually – there is no option for a monthly subscription.
Pabau charges a flat monthly fee – there’s no locking customers into lengthy annual contracts.
The pricing is based on the number of users and every client will get access to all features for a flat cost.
The only additional costs are the charges for the optional SMS appointment reminders (which we highly recommend you use) and our advanced marketing feature.
| Why Choose Pabau Over Phorest | Phorest | Pabau |
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| No online booking fees Phorest charges between 60p and £1.50 for every online booking made using their system. Pabau won't charge you for online bookings. |
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| Online booking built for a medical patient journey In Pabau you can set your online booking system so that new clients can only book a consultation, not a service. Meanwhile, existing clients can click through to book an appointment using their login details. Phorest don’t provide the same flexibility. |
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| Intuitive automated pre and aftercare emails In Pabau, you can schedule pre and aftercare emails at the time of booking so you can simply set it… and forget it. The emails are service-specific, so you can send a timely reminder about any particular treatment. Phorest offers a less intuitive workaround for these emails, and clients only receive them if they've opted into general marketing messages. |
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| 100% paperless While Phorest enable businesses to go paper-light, they’re not built to meet the high demand for documentation that the medical patient journey needs. Medical forms, customizable consent forms, aftercare… you name it, Pabau has a form for it. |
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| Prebuilt forms in every plan In Phorest you have to upgrade your pricing plan to get forms. In Pabau you get 100s of prebuilt forms that you can link to a specific service and customize to your own needs. |
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| Seamless lead capture and client management Pabau helps manage the entire client journey. Capture data with lead forms, then manage, and convert leads—all in one place. Once you win a client, the Pabau Client Portal provides a secure, convenient space for clients to review their activity, share information, and stay engaged with your business. Phorest lacks both a client portal and dedicated lead capture tools. |
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The best thing for me with Pabau is that all of these separate functionalities are integrated into one system. Having all of that integrated into a chronological system takes away so much of the brain power from the clinician.
The best software understands you, your business, and your challenges. Pabau has been built to meet the needs of medical based businesses - not hair or beauty salons.
That’s why it has features that have been created specifically for this sector, such as automated pre-care and aftercare emails, electronic medical records (EMR), allergy / contraindication warnings, before and after photos, injection plotting, customizable forms, and so on. At Pabau, we get you.
Pabau isn’t the cheapest software on the market. But the great thing is you won’t need anything else as. In the words of one of our customers, “Pabau does it all.”.
And because we’re so feature-rich, as your business grows, we’ll grow with you.
Phorest has fantastic integrations for salons, but choosing Pabau means you’ll have access to the integrations that are specific to medi-aesthetic and healthcare needs.
Whether you need to connect the tech you use for prescriptions, the call agent software you use for leads, or third-party insurance, Pabau will enable you to do it quickly and easily. Plus, you’ll also find the mainstays like Xero, MailChimp, and Stripe too.
When you get a five-star review, you want to make sure it’s added to your website asap, right? In Pabau, we make that process as easy as possible.
Whereas other platforms like Phorest require you to publish reviews manually, in Pabau, you can do it automatically.
The result is that your latest and greatest reviews are always on show on your site, so you can build your social proof and win more customers from the competition.
Clinics need to collect a LOT of documentation before an appointment, right?
With Pabau, you don’t have to break a sweat trying to remember everything. You can simply use our app to ensure you have up-to-date health records, signed medical consents, and photos.
Not every provider has this functionality, but we know how important it is that you get this right every single time to stay compliant. Not only does it protect the client, it also protects your business.
“After 16 years of using about 20 different client management software systems, this is the only one I can honestly say does it all, and does it all very well.”
Roxanne Merchant,
Head of Operations, Juvea Medical
“Pabau is feature-rich, allowing us functionality to grow as our business needs grow, and at the same time quite intuitive to use. Competing software offerings can’t compete!”
Daniel, Doctor,
G2 review
“I’ve been in business for almost nine years. I’ve tried a lot of different software, but I was always missing some features. This software has everything that saves my time, keeps my records and medical forms in one place, and is easy to use.”
Angelina, Owner
G2 review
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