Cantaloupe vs Phorest
Cantaloupe confirms 5 of the features we check on its own site; Phorest confirms 6. Starting prices: Cantaloupe not published, Phorest Quote only.
Cantaloupe
Operators of vending, micro markets, kiosks and other self-service retail.
Watch out: Focused on self-service commerce rather than restaurant or general retail POS; no prices published.
Phorest
Growth-focused hair and beauty salons, spas and aesthetic clinics that want booking, marketing, payments and reporting in one system.
Watch out: Priced by custom quote only; built for salons and clinics, not restaurants or general retail.
| Overview & pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | POS, Retail & Restaurants | POS, Retail & Restaurants |
| Specialty | Self-service commerce | Salon software |
| Based in | Unconfirmed | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
| Best for | All sizes | All sizes |
| Starting price | Unconfirmed | Quote only |
| Free plan | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed |
| Free trial | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed |
| Features confirmed on each vendor’s site | ||
| Point of sale · Core features | ✓Point of sale products: card readers, kiosks, handhelds | ✓POS Software listed |
| Inventory · Core features | Unconfirmed | ✓Stock & Inventory feature |
| Multi-branch · Core features | Unconfirmed | ✓Multi-Location solution |
| Loyalty · Core features | Unconfirmed | ✓Loyalty Program feature |
| Integrated card payments · Core features | ✓Card readers and cashless payment processing | ✓PhorestPay payment processing |
| Hardware sold / supported · Core features | ✓Sells card readers, self-service kiosks and handhelds | Unconfirmed |
| Sales reports · Core features | ✓Real-time sales tracking through cloud services | ✓Reporting feature |
| Public API · Platform | ✓Seed API connects third-party POS to its cloud services | Unconfirmed |
| Integrations | ||
| Listed on its site | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed |
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Every ✓ / ✕ comes from the vendor’s own website (sources on each product page). Unconfirmed means the site doesn’t say — not that the feature is missing.