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Amazon Connect vs Square Appointments

Amazon Connect logo

Amazon Connect

Software

Cloud contact center from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Software

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Connect telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Connect covers Voice, Square Appointments covers Online booking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Connect and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Connect and Square Appointments differ
AttributeAmazon ConnectSquare Appointments
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20062009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Amazon Connect

  • Voice
  • Chat
  • Tasks
  • ML-powered analytics
  • Contact Lens
  • Outbound campaigns
  • Forecasting
  • Salesforce

Only in Square Appointments

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

Both cover

  • PCI DSS
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Connect

  • Cloud contact centre with no per-seat licencenot Square Appointments
  • Voice, chat, email and SMS in one queuenot Square Appointments
  • Conversational analytics and agent assistnot Square Appointments
  • Outbound campaigns and automated contactnot Square Appointments
  • Workforce scheduling for contact centre agentsnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Connect

  • Telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call
  • Every channel is metered individually: $0.010 per chat message, $0.080 per email and $0.014 per SMS
  • Rates vary by region and by third-party provider, so a published figure is indicative rather than final
  • Cost tracks contact volume, which makes forecasting hard for a queue with seasonal peaks

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

Amazon Connect

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.018/minute
    • Voice minutes
    • Free tier available
    • No upfront costs

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 Amazon Connect if

  • You need voice.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want chat.
Amazon Connect 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 Amazon Connect or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Connect starts at Free and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Connect or Square Appointments?
Amazon Connect starts at Free and Square Appointments at Free.
Does Amazon Connect or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Amazon Connect runs on Web. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Amazon Connect for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Connect best used for?
Amazon Connect is most often used for cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence, voice, chat, email and sms in one queue, conversational analytics and agent assist, outbound campaigns and automated contact. Of those, cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence and voice, chat, email and sms in one queue are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Connect do that Square Appointments cannot?
Amazon Connect covers Voice, Chat, Tasks, ML-powered analytics. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing. Both handle PCI DSS, Web support.
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