specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Phorest
providerId: phorest
created: '2026-07-03'
modified: '2026-07-03'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Salon Software
- Spa Software
- Business Management
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Phorest spend for a salon, spa, or med-spa business. The
  dominant cost is a quote-based monthly subscription per business (tiered
  Starter/Grow/Complete Advantage/Elite for salons and spas, Core
  Aesthetics/Elevate Aesthetics for med-spas), which is not metered by API
  call volume - the Phorest API itself carries no separate published usage
  fee and draws against the same subscription. Secondary metered charges
  include per-SMS fees above each tier's included monthly allowance, a small
  per-booking fee on Online Booking transactions, and negotiated integration
  fees for third-party software vendors becoming certified Phorest partners.
notes: >-
  Because Phorest does not publish a rate card, per-unit figures here are
  reconstructed from public pricing-page tier descriptions and third-party
  writeups rather than an official invoice breakdown; verify current pricing
  directly with Phorest during reconciliation. The API's flat 100 rps rate
  limit (see rate-limits/phorest-rate-limits.yml) is a throughput ceiling,
  not a billing meter.
sources:
- https://www.phorest.com/us/pricing/
- https://developer.phorest.com/docs/getting-started
- https://support.phorest.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018547979-Integrating-3rd-Party-E-Commerce-Solutions
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Phorest
serviceCategory: Vertical SaaS - Salon and Spa Business Management
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription with Usage Add-Ons
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Subscription
  - Usage
  - Purchase
meters:
- name: subscription_fee
  description: Flat monthly per-business subscription fee for the selected Starter/Grow/Complete Advantage/Elite (or MedSpa) tier.
  unit: months
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - business
  - plan_tier
- name: sms_sent
  description: Outbound marketing/appointment-reminder SMS messages sent above the plan's included monthly allowance.
  unit: messages
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - business
  - branch
- name: online_bookings
  description: Client bookings made through Phorest Online Booking, each carrying a small per-booking fee.
  unit: bookings
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - business
  - branch
- name: partner_integration_fee
  description: One-time or recurring fee charged to third-party software vendors for a certified Phorest partner integration.
  unit: contracts
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - vendor
- name: api_requests
  description: Third-party API calls against a business's Phorest data; not separately billed but tracked against the documented 100 rps ceiling.
  unit: requests
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - business
  - endpoint
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track subscription tier, per-branch SMS usage, and Online Booking volume monthly since none are itemized on a per-API-call basis.
- name: Allocation
  description: Allocate subscription and SMS costs per branch/location for multi-branch businesses; API integration costs allocate to the engineering or vendor budget that requested access.
- name: Optimization
  description: Right-size the subscription tier to needed features (e.g. avoid Elite's branded app/two-way SMS if unused); batch reporting via the CSV export job API instead of polling individual endpoints to stay well under the 100 rps ceiling.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign a business owner for the Phorest subscription tier decision and a technical owner for any partner API integration and its negotiated integration fee.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com