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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Airbnb vs Square Appointments

A

Airbnb

Scheduling & Booking

Book unique homes and experiences all over the world

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling & Booking

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: Airbnb guests pay a service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal on top of the nightly rate; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Airbnb and Square Appointments differ
AttributeAirbnbSquare Appointments
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling & Booking).

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 Airbnb

Nothing recorded that Square Appointments does not also cover.

Only in Square Appointments

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

What people use each for

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

Airbnb

No use cases recorded yet. See the Airbnb review.

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Airbnb

  • Guests pay a service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal on top of the nightly rate
  • Hosts on the split-fee structure pay a further 3% fee, rising to 4% for listings in Brazil and Mexico, or up to 16% under the single-fee structure

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

Airbnb

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Airbnb review.

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 Airbnb if

Nothing in the data separates Airbnb from Square Appointments on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Airbnb 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 Airbnb or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbnb starts at On request and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbnb or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Airbnb and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Airbnb or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Airbnb runs on Web. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square Appointments for free?
Yes. Square Appointments has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Airbnb starts at On request.
What can Airbnb do that Square Appointments cannot?
Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing.
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