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ADP vs Square Appointments

ADP logo

ADP

Software

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square Appointments has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Square Appointments covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Square Appointments differ
AttributeADPSquare Appointments
Starting price$29/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded19492009

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ADP

  • Payroll
  • Tax services
  • HR management
  • Time & attendance
  • Benefits administration
  • Sage
  • Oracle
  • SOC 1/2

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ADP

  • Payroll processing and tax filingnot Square Appointments
  • HR administration and employee recordsnot Square Appointments
  • Time and attendance trackingnot Square Appointments
  • Benefits administrationnot Square Appointments
  • Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

  • Online appointment booking for salons, barbers and personal servicesnot ADP
  • Taking card payments and deposits at the time of bookingnot ADP
  • Managing staff calendars, waitlists and no-show policiesnot ADP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ADP

  • No pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
  • Split into three separate products by company size, RUN for 1 to 49 employees, Workforce Now for 50 and above, and Lyric HCM for enterprise, so growing across a threshold means changing product rather than plan

Square Appointments

  • The free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • Cancellation policies, no-show fees and waitlists require the Plus plan
  • Resource management, service cost tracking and the future bookings report require the Premium plan
  • Custom processing rates are reserved for Square Pro, which is aimed at businesses processing over $250,000 a year
  • Card processing fees are charged on top of the plan fee on every tier including the free one

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

$29/month
  • Essential$79/month
    • Payroll
    • Tax filing
    • Direct deposit
  • Enhanced$139/month
    • HR tools
    • Background checks
    • Job posting

Square Appointments

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited appointments
    • Online booking
    • Client management
  • Plus$29/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Multiple staff calendars
    • No-show protection
  • Premium$69/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Multi-location
    • Staff management

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

  • You need payroll.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tax services.
ADP review

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need online booking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for ADP and Free for Square Appointments.
Does ADP or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ADP starts at $29/month.
What is ADP best used for?
ADP is most often used for payroll processing and tax filing, hr administration and employee records, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration. Of those, payroll processing and tax filing and hr administration and employee records are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Square Appointments cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Both handle QuickBooks, Web support.
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