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Scheduling · head to head

Amilia SmartRec vs Square Appointments

Amilia SmartRec logo

Amilia SmartRec

Scheduling

Registration and activity management for community recreation, with a 1% fee on top of the subscription

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square Appointments logo

Square Appointments

Scheduling

Free scheduling for beauty businesses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amilia SmartRec the 1% fee on each new invoice item sits on top of both the subscription and card processing, so an organisation invoicing two million dollars pays around twenty thousand a year in a fee that never appears in a plan comparison.; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Amilia SmartRec covers Activity registration, Square Appointments covers Online booking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amilia SmartRec and Square Appointments actually diverge.

Attributes where Amilia SmartRec and Square Appointments differ
AttributeAmilia SmartRecSquare Appointments
Starting price$99/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month plus 1% of invoiced itemsusage-based
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling).

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 Amilia SmartRec

  • Activity registration
  • Family accounts
  • Memberships
  • Facility booking
  • Online store
  • Financial reporting
  • Bilingual interface

Only in Square Appointments

  • Online booking
  • Client management
  • Payment processing
  • Automated reminders
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS

Both cover

  • Point of sale

What people use each for

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

Amilia SmartRec

  • A municipal recreation department replacing paper and phone registration for seasonal programmesnot Square Appointments
  • A community centre that needs one family account covering several children across different activitiesnot Square Appointments
  • A bilingual Canadian organisation required to serve residents in English and Frenchnot Square Appointments
  • A sports club running leagues, camps and memberships that currently sit in three separate systemsnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Amilia SmartRec

  • The 1% fee on each new invoice item sits on top of both the subscription and card processing, so an organisation invoicing two million dollars pays around twenty thousand a year in a fee that never appears in a plan comparison.
  • Implementation is charged separately, from $899 on Standard and $2,999 on Advanced, which for a small community organisation is several months of subscription before the system goes live.
  • Parks and facilities management is shallower than a dedicated municipal recreation platform, so departments managing complex field allocation and maintenance schedules will still need another system.
  • Reporting is oriented towards revenue rather than programme utilisation, so recreation managers analysing attendance patterns and capacity end up exporting to spreadsheets.
  • Its strength is in Canada, and US municipalities find fewer local references, fewer integrations with American finance systems and less familiarity with state-specific requirements.

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

Amilia SmartRec

$99/month
  • Standard$99/month
    • Activity registration and online store
    • Family accounts
    • 1% fee on each new invoice item
  • Advanced$499/month
    • Memberships, facility booking and point of sale
    • Advanced reporting
    • 1% fee on each new invoice item
  • Custom$undefined/year
    • For YMCAs, JCCs and parks and recreation departments
    • Scoped and quoted individually
    • Fee structure negotiated

Square Appointments

On request
  • Solo Professional Plan$null/transaction
    • Processing fees apply
    • For solo professionals taking payments and managing schedules
    • Top appointments features
  • Plus Plan$null/transaction
    • Processing fees apply
    • Free trial available
    • For growing teams needing more advanced tools
  • Premium Plan$null/transaction
    • Processing fees apply
    • Free trial available
    • For large salons with complex staff management
  • Square Pro$null/month
    • Custom pricing for businesses processing over $250,000 annually
    • Hardware discounts
    • Onboarding support

Which should you pick?

Choose Amilia SmartRec if

  • You need activity registration.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want family accounts.
Amilia SmartRec review

Choose Square Appointments if

  • You need online booking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client management.
Square Appointments review

Questions people ask

Is Amilia SmartRec or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Amilia SmartRec starts at $99/month and Square Appointments at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amilia SmartRec or Square Appointments?
Amilia SmartRec starts at $99/month and Square Appointments at On request.
Does Amilia SmartRec or Square Appointments run on more platforms?
Amilia SmartRec runs on Web, iOS, Android. Square Appointments runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Amilia SmartRec best used for?
Amilia SmartRec is most often used for a municipal recreation department replacing paper and phone registration for seasonal programmes, a community centre that needs one family account covering several children across different activities, a bilingual canadian organisation required to serve residents in english and french, a sports club running leagues, camps and memberships that currently sit in three separate systems. Of those, a municipal recreation department replacing paper and phone registration for seasonal programmes and a community centre that needs one family account covering several children across different activities are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Amilia SmartRec do that Square Appointments cannot?
Amilia SmartRec covers Activity registration, Family accounts, Memberships, Facility booking. Square Appointments covers Online booking, Client management, Payment processing, Automated reminders. Both handle Point of sale.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amilia SmartRec: What is the real total cost?

Subscription from $99 or $499 a month, plus roughly 1% on each new invoice item, plus card processing around 2.85% plus $0.30, plus a one-off implementation fee. The percentage fees dominate at any real volume.

Square Appointments: How much do Square Appointments plans cost?

Square Appointments pricing is based on processing fees rather than monthly subscription fees. Specific percentages are not listed online. The Solo Professional, Plus, and Premium plans all charge processing fees on transactions. For businesses processing over $250,000 annually, Square Pro offers custom pricing including hardware discounts, onboarding support, and account management.

Source
Amilia SmartRec: Is the 1% negotiable?

On the Custom tier for larger organisations, the fee structure is part of the negotiation. On the published plans it is not.

Square Appointments: Is there a free trial for Square Appointments?

Yes, the Plus and Premium plans offer free trials for an unspecified number of days. The Solo Professional plan does not appear to offer a trial period.

Source
Amilia SmartRec: Does it work in French?

Yes, throughout. That is a practical requirement for Quebec and many bilingual Canadian public bodies and a genuine reason to choose it there.

Square Appointments: What features does the Premium plan add compared to Plus?

The Premium plan includes all Plus features plus Future Bookings Report for tracking upcoming appointments, Service Cost Tracking to monitor service profitability, and Resource Management for scheduling equipment and facilities across multiple staff members.

Source
Amilia SmartRec: Can it replace a municipal recreation system?

For registration and memberships, often yes. For parks asset and facility maintenance management, no.

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