Salonnare vs Phorest - which salon software fits you?

Pricing and cost model

Salonnare starts at EUR 0 per month. The free plan covers 1 team member and 50 bookings per month, with no credit card and no strings attached. As you grow, Starter is EUR 29 per month (EUR 348 per year) and Pro is EUR 59 per month (EUR 708 per year). There is no commission on your revenue and no lock-in. According to their pricing page, Phorest starts from around USD 99 per month for what they describe as unlimited users^[1]. That model suits larger teams, but for a starting or small salon the entry point is higher and, indicatively, there is no free tier. With international pricing, also factor in exchange rates and possible VAT surcharges. Salonnare lets you start risk-free and only pay once you grow. See the full pricing or jump straight into the free plan.

Built for the Netherlands and Belgium

Salonnare is NL/BE-first. The software runs on EU servers (Frankfurt and Amsterdam) and is GDPR compliant. You take payments with iDEAL (native via Stripe Connect and Mollie), Bancontact, SumUp and card, all on your own Stripe or Mollie account. Salonnare takes no margin on your payments, you only pay the standard provider fees. The point of sale calculates Dutch VAT (21% on services, 9% on retail) and delivers an Auditfile export for the Dutch tax authority. Phorest is strong in the English-speaking market (UK and Ireland) and is not specifically set up for Dutch tax practice or iDEAL. That is exactly why Salonnare wins for salons in the Netherlands and Belgium: your payment methods and bookkeeping are correct from day one.

Features and ease of use

Online booking with Salonnare works through an embeddable widget on your own website and a dedicated booking page with your own logo and branding. Clients pick one or more treatments, see time slots per team member and book in a few clicks. The modern interface makes onboarding fast: trainees are productive within an hour. You also get client records, inventory management, email marketing and campaigns, recurring memberships (SEPA/iDEAL), gift cards, loyalty, no-show fees and deposits, forms and intake, a GDPR Article 9 health-data vault, GDPR export and CSV import. It is all included in the price, with no add-on cost per module. You also keep 100% of your own branding and data ownership in your own tenant database, with no marketplace pushing competitors to your clients. Browse all features for the full overview.

Switching to Salonnare

Migrating does not have to be a hurdle. With CSV import you bring your existing client database across in one go, so you never have to retype anything by hand. You start on the free plan, test at your own pace and upgrade only when you are ready. Because there is no lock-in, you always own your data. Dutch-language support during office hours from a Dutch developer helps you with any questions during the switch.

Conclusion: why Salonnare wins

Phorest has a longer track record and a broadly proven marketing and loyalty platform. With the TreatCard and a network of what they state is 10,000+ businesses and 155,000 professionals worldwide, Phorest has years of experience with client retention at scale. For a large chain with multiple locations operating in the English-speaking market, looking for a well-rehearsed loyalty programme with an existing end-user network, Phorest is therefore worth considering. But for Dutch and Belgian salons, Salonnare wins on the points that truly matter. You start free instead of from around USD 99 per month. You take payments natively with iDEAL and Bancontact on your own Stripe or Mollie account, with no margin and no commission on your revenue. Your point of sale is ready for the Dutch tax authority from the start, with Dutch VAT and Auditfile export. You get a complete suite (online booking, POS, inventory, marketing automation, memberships, gift cards, loyalty, forms) at no extra cost, on EU servers and GDPR compliant, with Dutch-language support and 100% data ownership. For this audience, Salonnare is the better choice.

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