Business Growth
❓ Question
Has Timely ever charged your clients incorrectly?
Kirsty Malik
👑 VIP
👑 VIP
Other · Warrington · 6mo ago
Been using Phorest for about 6 months now and I'm starting to wonder if I'm getting my money's worth. I'm a solo nail studio owner with about 40 regular clients. The price keeps going up and I feel like I'm only using about 30% of the features. Has anyone downgraded or switched to something cheaper? What did you end up going with?
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I asked myself this exact question 18 months ago. Ended up going with Vagaro because it had the best free trial and I could test it properly without committing. 18 months later I'm still on it. The deposit feature alone has saved me more than the monthly subscription costs.
#1
I chair-rent and I use Square Appointments completely separately from the main salon. You just set your own location as a general Liverpool address or your own mobile setup. Clients book with you specifically, not the salon. Works really well and the salon owner doesn't even see my diary.
#2
I was asking myself this a year ago. Best decision I ever made was just picking one and starting. Acuity Scheduling has a free plan that's genuinely functional. Start there, learn the system, then upgrade when you actually need the paid features. Don't let the choice paralysis stop you from just getting on with it.
#3
I had the same concern about GDPR when I first started with Vagaro. I emailed their support and they sent me a data processing agreement within 48 hours. They're UK-compliant and store data in Europe. Worth emailing them directly if you want the formal paperwork.
#4
I asked myself this exact question 3 months ago. Ended up going with Vagaro because it had the best free trial and I could test it properly without committing. 3 months later I'm still on it. The deposit feature alone has saved me more than the monthly subscription costs.
#5
The waiting list feature on Fresha is genuinely good — better than any other system I've tried. When a cancellation comes in it automatically notifies the next person on the waiting list. Has filled three last-minute slots for me this month alone.
#6
I tested Fresha and Acuity Scheduling side by side for a month. Fresha won on price, Acuity Scheduling won on features. For a solo barbershop just starting out, Fresha's free plan is hard to argue with. You can always switch later once you know exactly what you need.
#7
I tested Phorest and Setmore side by side for a month. Phorest won on price, Setmore won on features. For a solo waxing salon just starting out, Phorest's free plan is hard to argue with. You can always switch later once you know exactly what you need.
#8
The Instagram booking integration on Treatwell was a bit fiddly to set up but it does work. The issue is usually the Facebook Business account connection — make sure your Instagram is properly linked to a Facebook page first, then the Treatwell integration finds it straight away.
#9