CallPad vs HelloBack: which AI receptionist fits your Phorest salon?

What's the short answer?

Choose CallPad if:

• you run a salon, spa, med spa or appointment-based clinic on Phorest, Mindbody, Zenoti, Square Appointments, SalonIQ, Shortcuts, Cliniko or another system CallPad lists
• you want bookings made with a named stylist or practitioner, multi-service bookings, deposits on the call and gift cards
• you're in the US, UK, Australia or Canada

Choose HelloBack if:

• you run a Phorest salon and want a voice agent built around Phorest's data
• you want to clone a receptionist's voice or pick a British or Irish voice
• you want to start with a voice agent on your website before you connect your phone line

How do CallPad and HelloBack compare side by side?

Sources: HelloBack Phorest page (checked 19 Oct 2026). Prices aren't included because they change often; check each vendor's site.

Where is HelloBack ahead?

• Phorest depth. It describes pulling services, pricing, stylists, availability, customer records and gap-time rules from Phorest.
• Voice choice. You can pick from a voice library or clone a receptionist's voice.
• Sentiment scoring. Every call is recorded, transcribed and scored so you can spot unhappy callers.
• PIN-protected cancellations confirmed by voice, with an audit trail.
• A website voice agent that mirrors the phone agent.

Where does CallPad fit better?

• More booking systems. CallPad books, moves and cancels in real time in Mindbody, Booker, Zenoti, Square Appointments, GlossGenius, Setmore, Zoho Bookings, Phorest, SalonIQ, Salon Manager, Shortcuts, Simple Salon, Cliniko and Google Calendar.
• Beauty-specific calls: multi-service bookings, a named stylist, deposits on the call, gift cards and multi-location routing.
• Texts: text replies and booking by text, missed-call text-back and waitlist texts.
• Markets: the US, UK, Australia and Canada. CallPad powers the AI receptionists built into SalonIQ (IQ Connect), Shortcuts and Salon Manager.

Who is each one best for?

• CallPad is best for salons, spas, med spas and appointment-based clinics that want calls booked into their software, whichever system they use.
• HelloBack is best for Phorest salons that want a voice agent shaped around Phorest data, with voice cloning and sentiment scoring.

Either way, make test calls with your real call types before you decide. Our guide on how accurate an AI receptionist is at booking has a test list.

How CallPad helps

CallPad is an AI receptionist for salons, spas, med spas and clinics in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. It answers every call 24/7, handles several calls at once and screens out spam calls. It answers questions from your own information, including your prices, and speaks several languages. It books, moves and cancels appointments in real time with a named stylist or practitioner on the booking systems CallPad works with, including multi-service bookings, and can take a deposit or payment on the call or sell a gift card. If you have more than one location, it asks which one the caller wants and books into that location's calendar. It also replies to texts and can book by text, sends missed-call text-backs and texts clients on your waitlist when a slot opens up. When a caller needs a person, it transfers the call to your team or takes a message, and your team gets an email saying what the caller wanted. Setup takes about 10 minutes.

Related guides

• CallPad alternatives and comparisons
• Does Phorest have an AI receptionist?
• UK AI receptionist for salons
• Best AI receptionist for UK salons
• CallPad vs Kickcall

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between CallPad and HelloBack?

HelloBack is a UK-built AI voice agent whose Phorest page describes an agent designed for Phorest-powered salons that books, rebooks and amends appointments directly in Phorest. CallPad is an AI receptionist built for beauty, wellness and appointment-based clinics that books in real time into Phorest and also into Mindbody, Zenoti, Cliniko and other systems.

Does CallPad work with Phorest?

Yes. Phorest is one of the booking systems CallPad books into in real time, alongside Mindbody, Booker, Zenoti, Square Appointments, GlossGenius, Setmore, Zoho Bookings, SalonIQ, Salon Manager, Shortcuts, Simple Salon, Cliniko and Google Calendar.

Which one is better for a Phorest salon?

Both book into Phorest. HelloBack's Phorest page describes pulling services, stylists, customer records and gap-time rules from Phorest, cloning a receptionist's voice and scoring call sentiment. CallPad adds named-stylist and multi-service bookings, deposits on the call, gift cards, multi-location routing and booking by text. Test both on your real call types.

Does CallPad only answer missed calls?

You choose. CallPad can answer every call or only the ones your team misses, and your number stays the same. HelloBack's page says its agent can pick up only missed calls or only out-of-hours calls.

Is HelloBack UK GDPR compliant?

HelloBack's site lists UK GDPR compliance. For CallPad's privacy and data handling, ask the team, and check your own obligations with your adviser.

Try CallPad

Get a quote for your salon, or hear CallPad answer a booking call.