SWITCH FROM PHOREST
Phorest to Calisto Salon
Salon runs the calendar by stylist with processing time, color formulas, the Register, deposits, rebooking, chair rental and commissions in one app, with Workforce, Navigator, Campaigns, Sync and Inventory built in.
- Spa & Wellness
- Salons & Barbers
- Medical Aesthetics
Feature by feature
Calisto Salon beside Phorest
- 17 In both
- 4 Only in Phorest
| 21 features | Calisto Salon | Phorest |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | ||
| Calendar that prevents double bookingsCalisto: the Calendar by stylist with Day, Board and Working Hours views; chair, basin and stylist are all locked before a time is offered, so double bookings are refused.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Rooms and equipment linked to appointmentsCalisto: Chairs & Stations holds chairs, basins, nail stations, pedicure chairs, brow and lash beds and rooms, and a basin can be held only for its part of a service, such as the rinse.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Team | ||
| Staff rostered across branchesCalisto: services priced per location, a stylist named per day at each location, and Close the Day per location or as one.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Channels | ||
| Booking from Facebook and InstagramCalisto: no booking button inside Instagram or Facebook. Clients book on the business's website, and with Sync through Reserve with Google and the other connected channels.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| AI front desk replying by text and WhatsAppCalisto: no AI replies to clients on its own. With Threads, the team AI suggests replies and drafts, and a person sends them, with the client’s card beside each thread.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| Deposits | ||
| Deposits set per serviceCalisto: a deposit per service or as the business default: none, a fixed amount, a percent or a card held, listed in Before Their Visit when it is due.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Online Booking | ||
| Patch test booking rulesCalisto: a service can need a patch test first, within a set number of days and a set number of hours before; online booking warns, holds for review or refuses, and the desk can Book anyway.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Clients | ||
| Consultation forms sent before the visitCalisto: intake and consultation forms bound to a service (with Forms), and waivers and consents signed on the client's phone with validity and reissue.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Client import from other softwareCalisto: the book has Import from other software, and clients come in by import into the shared client record.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Formulas | ||
| Before-and-after photo portfoliosCalisto: before-and-after photos sit on each visit, and photos shared from the phone's Share sheet land on today's appointments.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Rebooking | ||
| Predicted rebooking promptsCalisto: Rebooking knows who is due back by the client's own rhythm, else the service's Rebook after, and prompts them through Campaigns under consent; Book the Next Visit follows every checkout.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing | ||
| Email and text campaign builderCalisto: with Campaigns, campaigns go to the clients who consented; Salon's Rebooking prompts are sent the same way.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Memberships | ||
| Memberships with recurring billingCalisto: with Registry, memberships with plans, billing, what's included, allowances, renewals and failed-payment settings.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Gift Cards | ||
| Online gift vouchersCalisto: Gift Cards for an amount or for named services, sold online and at the Register, and existing cards added with their balance.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Passes | ||
| Course treatments tracked at checkoutCalisto: Passes sell visits up front, such as six blow-dries, and Pass Holders see visits left in the portal (with Navigator).Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Tips | ||
| Cashless tips split between providersCalisto: the till, the guest screen and phone payments suggest a tip, tips are shared by tip rules (with Workforce), and cash tips are declared at clock-out.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Commissions | ||
| Commission structures and payroll reportsCalisto: Commissions with Agreements by service, retail, category, flat per service, tiers and base, with product used and refunds taken into account; what is Earned is reported, never paid by Calisto.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Stock | ||
| Backbar use tracked apart from retailCalisto: Stock on hand and the Backbar of color, developer and treatments used on clients, with Coming Up Short checking the next two weeks of appointments against it.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | ||
| Xero and QuickBooks syncCalisto: the books are kept in Calisto Ledger, built in. Salon lists no sync to Xero or QuickBooks.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
| Promotions | ||
| Loyalty points programCalisto: with Circle, Calisto’s points program: clients earn points at the business and redeem them. Promotions set member prices, and memberships run with Registry.Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | Yes | Yes |
| Client App | ||
| Branded client booking appCalisto: no branded client app in the app stores. Clients use the business's website, connected marketplaces and the client portal in the browser (with Navigator).Checked Oct 27, 2026Source | No | Yes |
What moves
Bringing your data from Phorest
Your data is read in your own browser and sent to your Calisto account. Calisto never sees your login for the old system.
From an export file
Export your data from Phorest and drop the file in. It is read in your browser and mapped onto Calisto.
Any spreadsheet you export from Phorest can be mapped onto Calisto, column by column.
Moving from Phorest
Questions about switching
Can I bring my clients and appointments from Phorest?
Yes. The book has Import from other software, and clients come in by import into the shared client record, where every later visit adds its formula, photos and preferences.
What do my clients use instead of the Phorest app?
Clients book on the business's website and on the channels connected with Sync, such as Reserve with Google. With Navigator they use the client portal in the browser to see passes and visits left and to confirm, change or cancel. There is no branded client app in the app stores.
Where do color formulas live after the move?
On the client record, Appointments & Formulas come first: every visit with its formula and before-and-after photos, a pinned Formula and Use next time. Formulas are searched across every client from one place.
Learn more
Everything Calisto does here
The pages behind this comparison: the sector, the apps and the guides.
- Health & WellnessCalisto for Spa & Wellness
The therapist, the room and the client held together: the couples suite ready, the intake answered and the next visit already on its way.
Open - Spa & WellnessIntake, Waivers & Retail
The treatment’s intake form and waiver answered before arrival, and the backbar and the retail shelf counted in one stock.
Open - PricingPricing for Spa & WellnessOpen
- Health & WellnessCalisto for Medical Aesthetics
Calisto Pro keeps the appointment, the consent, the chart, the lot and the photographs on one client record, so what was done, where, with what and by whom is a question with an answer.
Open - PricingPricing for Medical AestheticsOpen
- Health & WellnessCalisto for Salons & Barbers
The formula and every visit sit on the client, not in one stylist's memory. Walk-ins watch their place on the lobby screen. Commission, chair rent and salary come from the week as it happened.
Open - PricingPricing for Salons & BarbersOpen
- AppCalisto Spa
Spas, med spas and clinics: the calendar by therapist and by room, treatments priced by level with the room they need, intake and consent signed at its version, the chart and before-and-after photos behind the clearance you grant, the medical director’s sign-off, lot recall, series, memberships, day passes and vouchers.
Open - AppCalisto Salon
Salons, barbershops and beauty studios: the calendar by stylist with processing time, services priced by level, every client’s formula, services, retail and tips in one sale, rebooking and recall, deposits, chair rental and commissions on your terms.
Open