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Booksy vs Square Appointments

Booksy logo

Booksy

Software

Book local beauty services

From
$29.99/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: Booksy the Boost marketplace feature charges a one time 30% fee on the first visit cost for each client it brings in; Square Appointments the free plan is aimed at solo professionals; booking across multiple staff requires the paid Plus plan
  • They diverge on capability: Booksy covers Calendar management, Square Appointments covers Client management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Booksy and Square Appointments differ
AttributeBooksySquare Appointments
Starting price$29.99/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20142009

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 Booksy

  • Calendar management
  • Client database
  • Marketing tools
  • Reviews management
  • Mobile apps
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Apple Calendar
  • Facebook

Only in Square Appointments

  • Client management
  • Point of sale
  • Payment processing
  • Instagram booking
  • Google booking
  • Mobile app
  • Square POS
  • QuickBooks

Both cover

  • Online booking
  • Automated reminders
  • Google Calendar
  • Instagram
  • Google My Business
  • SSL encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Booksy

  • Appointment booking and client management for salons and barbersnot Square Appointments
  • Taking payments and deposits against bookingsnot Square Appointments

Square Appointments

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

Where each one falls short

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

Booksy

  • The Boost marketplace feature charges a one time 30% fee on the first visit cost for each client it brings in
  • Additional team members are $20 a month each on top of the $29.99 base
  • Card processing runs from 2.49% plus $0.10 to 2.69% plus $0.30 depending on how the payment is taken
  • Getting paid out within 30 minutes costs a further 1.5%
  • Card readers are bought separately at $53.10 or $219.85 plus shipping

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

Booksy

$29.99/month
  • Solo$29.99/month
    • Unlimited bookings
    • Client management
    • Mobile app
  • Team$49.99/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • Multiple staff
    • Staff scheduling
  • Business$79.99/month
    • Everything in Team
    • Multi-location
    • Priority support

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 Booksy if

  • You need calendar management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want client database.
Booksy review

Choose Square Appointments if

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

Questions people ask

Is Booksy or Square Appointments better?
Neither clearly leads. Booksy starts at $29.99/month and Square Appointments at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Booksy or Square Appointments?
Square Appointments has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.99/month for Booksy and Free for Square Appointments.
Does Booksy 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. Booksy starts at $29.99/month.
What is Booksy best used for?
Booksy is most often used for appointment booking and client management for salons and barbers, taking payments and deposits against bookings. Of those, appointment booking and client management for salons and barbers and taking payments and deposits against bookings are not what Square Appointments is typically brought in for.
What can Booksy do that Square Appointments cannot?
Booksy covers Calendar management, Client database, Marketing tools, Reviews management. Square Appointments covers Client management, Point of sale, Payment processing, Instagram booking. Both handle Online booking, Automated reminders, Google Calendar, Instagram.
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Related pages

More on Booksy

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